NEW YORK (AP) - Heath Ledger, the talented 28-year-old actor who gravitated toward dark, brooding roles that defied his leading-man looks, was found dead Tuesday in a Manhattan apartment, face-down and naked at the foot of his bed with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said.

There was no obvious indication that the Australian-born Ledger had committed suicide, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the SoHo apartment that is believed to be the home of the "Brokeback Mountain"

(NECN) - Nominations for the 80th Oscars are out. "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country For Old men" led the field with 8 nods a piece. Both were nominated for Best Picture along with "Atonement," "Juno" and "Michael Clayton."

Daniel Day Lewis is a front-runner to take home Best Actor while Cate Blanchett picked up two nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

The awards are set to be handed out February 24th, despite the ongoing writer's strike. NECN's Jay Carr has more.

NEW YORK (AP) - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

The Australian-born actor was an Oscar nominee for his role in "Brokeback Mountain" and has numerous other screen credits.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Striking writers guild have decided against picketing the upcoming Grammy Awards, but the Writers Guild of America's board of directors has yet to grant the music industry show a waiver that would allow its members to work on the ceremony, the guild said Tuesday.

The guild previously said it was unlikely to grant the Recording Academy a waiver for the Feb. 10 show, the music industry's most important event, set to be broadcast live on CBS from Los Angeles.

The writers guild refused to grant a waiver for the Golden

(NECN) - "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" are racking up the Academy Award nominations.

The crime saga and historical epic are on top of the pile with eight nods each.

The big question mark for Hollywood's biggest night is whether anyone will show up with the writers strike still going strong.

Tuesday's announcement of this year's Oscar nominations has the celebrity world buzzing.

NECN film critic Jay Carr takes a closer look.

(NECN) - "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" lead the Acadamy Awards nominations with eight nods each, including best picture.

Other best picture nominees include "Atonement," "Juno" and "Michael Clayton."

Best actor nods go to George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee Jones and Viggo Mortensen.

Best actress nods go to Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Marion Cotillard, Laura Linney and Ellen Page.

ABC reporter Carla Wohl has more.

(NECN) - Keifer Sutherland is home free after serviing 48-days in jail for driving under the influence.

Meanwhile, Oliver Stone is planning to make a biopic about President George Bush. Josh Brolin will play the President.

And, Zac Efron is getting extra credit. The High School Musical star is taking on a role in the movie, "Me and Orson Welles."

ABC reporter Carla Wohl has the complete entertainment wrap-up in this showbiz report.

(NECN) - Hollywood announced the Oscar nominees on Tuesday morning.

"No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" led with eight Academy Awards nominations each, among them best picture and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem.

It is still unclear if any actors will show up due to the current strike.

(NECN) - The Super Bowl is less than two weeks away and here with some tips on how to throw your best party ever is the Food Network's Bobby Deen. Bobby is one of Chef Paula's Deen's two sons.

Bobby shares his recipes for Pineapple salsa, and lime marinated chicken wings with avocado dip.

Pineapple Salsa

1 large tomato, diced 1 large red pepper, diced 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro 1/2 large sweet white onion, chopped 1 teaspoon freshly chopped jalapeño pepper, de-seeded 2 cups fresh chopped pineapple 1 teaspoon sugar pinch salt and black pepper

(NECN)- In today's cover story, we tour a home built to save both money and the environment. It's part of NECN's "start small save big" campaign.

Jim and Anna Von Mertens built their Peterborough, NH home to be warm and very green. To start the house is buttoned up tight to minimize heat loss. They have put foam insulation in the walls, and about four inches of foam around the foundation. The windows are all triple pane to make sure no heat escapes.