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Gossip Fodder blog notes that at a recent press conference for his new movie Candy at the Berlin Film Festival, Heath Ledger was asked what George Clooney might win at the Oscars. Ledger reluctantly admitted Clooney deserved the Best Supporting Actor trophy for his work in Syriana, which, of course, is the category his Brokeback co-star Jake Gyllenhaal is competing in. The festival website offers video evidence (the Jack Twist diss occurs precisely at 14:30). A partial transcript of his response:

Do I really have to answer the George Clooney one? I think he deserves Best Supporting Actor, I thought he was amazing in Syriana. I haven't yet seen Good Night and Good Luck, I've heard it's an amazing movie, and I'm sure he deserves that as well. I mean, who really is the winner, it's such a surreal concept to be competing. [...] We're all just being dragged through it.

It was an honest response, but a more diplomatic answer could have avoided the slight to his co-star, who recently told an interviewer how excited he was to receive his "Congratulations, mate!" phone call from Ledger the morning the nominations were announced. Isn't it always the way—the blue-eyed cowboy you've had a thousand times is never quite as alluring as the dashing, bearish CIA agent you have yet to conquer.

UPDATE: A publicist for Team Ledger got in touch to let us know that the actor's answer to the loaded question was not intended as some kind of slight of co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, but was meant in a spirit of celebrating the entire brotherhood of nominated actors. Competition is weird, he wishes everyone could win, he'd like to buy the world a Coke, etc etc. We invite you to view the video again (the moment of truth is at 14:30 or so) and draw your own hilariously wrongheaded conclusions about the way Ledger expressed admiration for his peer. And while we're setting the record straight on this matter: Ang Lee's publicist would like to thank Ledger for not recognizing Clooney's directorial talent, thereby saving her an afternoon of exasperated phone calls.