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The prime-time portion of the posthumous honoring of Heath Ledger has begun.

The late thesp was named Best Supporting Actor at the 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards Thursday—not the first award bestowed upon Ledger for his extraordinarily nuanced performance in The Dark Knight, but his most public win to date and his peers' first chance to give him an evening-gown-and-tux-clad standing ovation.

"Anyone who's seen any of the extraordinary work that Heath did knows that I can't presume to speak for him in any way, because his voice was as unique as it was original. But...I know that I speak for all of us when I say that working with him was one of the greatest experiences any of us ever had or probably ever will have," said director Christopher Nolan, whose film also notched a win for Best Action Movie, in accepting the trophy on Ledger's behalf.

The superhero blockbuster lost out on the top prize, however, to critical darling Slumdog Millionaire, which rose above all comers with a leading five wins, including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle.

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In the end, John Travolta and Kelly Preston wanted to keep their son Jett close to their hearts and home.

Relatives and close friends gathered Thursday for a private memorial service at the family's Ocala, Fla., estate to say goodbye to the 16-year-old, who died suddenly last week after suffering a seizure.

James Gandolfini, Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood, Forest Whitaker, Lisa Marie Presley, Kirstie Alley and retired baseball star Cal Ripken Jr. were among the 100 or so people in attendance, according to the Ocala Star-Banner.

A female minister from the Church of Scientology was the only one who spoke during the hour-long service, which was held in a large tent set up outside the Travoltas' house and began around 4 p.m., a source told the newspaper.

When the service ended, Preston and Travolta, who had arrived with daughter Ella Bleu after the other guests were seated, kissed a large photograph of Jett that was set up behind the minister's podium.

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Marvel Comics

Excuse Barack Obama if his Spidey sense is tingling.

The nation's soon-to-be first commander in geek has been tapped—and drawn—to share covers of an upcoming Amazing Spider-Man with his beloved Webslinger.

The issue, No. 583, on sale Jan. 14, finds Peter Parker's costumed self making sure all goes well on Inauguration Day. Not to give away the ending, but celebratory fist-bumps are exchanged, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada said today.

Obama was not consulted. Fellow comic geek Stephen Colbert was absolutely not consulted.

"The truth is since we put Stephen in an issue [Amazing Spider-Man No. 573], we basically own his ass," Quesada said.

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A shaken Tom Cruise struggled mightily to describe his feelings on the shocking death of Jett Travolta during an appearance on The View.

"It's horrific," said Cruise, a close friend of John Travolta and Kelly Preston. "Both of them doting parents, just wonderful people...it's just...

"I remember Jett when he was born. I saw him when he was a few months old and John just adored him," he continued. "It's something I don't have the words..."

With Cruise barely holding it together, View maven Barbara Walters changed the subject, asking if Cruise had a response to critics who claim Scientology prevents parents from giving medication to their ailing children and have suggested the religion's rules played a part in the 16-year-old's death.

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