Who Are We Going To Believe -- Mel Or the Alcohol?

In answer to the above query, Mel Gibson certainly would appreciate our taking his word for it, that he isn't an anti-Semitic, misogynistic monster. It's just booze being booze. Yes, as Mel made clear during his two-morning redemption soiree with Diane Sawyer yesterday morning and this morning on ABC's "Good Morning America," it was all the alcohol's fault. Tequila is evidently the most powerful substance known to man, able not only to extract words but plant belief systems into the minds of those who ingest it to excess. I say we take this miracle serum and see if it'll cure cancer, stem the global tide of poverty and maybe even stoke world peace to boot.

I really and truly wanted to believe Gibson when I tuned in to his much-milked apologia these past two mornings. I wanted to see legitimate regret and contrition, remorse and some semblance of illumination. Instead, all I saw was a guy doing the bare minimum to save his ass in a manner that felt as disingenuous as it was rehearsed. He came across as sorry mostly that he got caught with his hand around the bottle and was being forced to pay penance in order to rescue his tattered rep. It had nothing to do with the drunk driving or the hatespeak spewing from his lips. It was more like, "Okay, I've been a bad boy. Fire away, Diane. I was stupid, I hurt a lot of people, I shouldn't have said that stuff, I apologize. Happy now? Good. I'm outta here."

If that sounds as if I wasn't willing to give the guy a fair shot no matter what he'd said, I honestly beg to differ. What I resent most about this time-tested living room confessional PR strategy is the marketing machinery that churns with such predictable deceit and insincerity. It has nothing to do with forgiving or not forgiving Mel. It's far more about playing us all for dupes. The contempt it shows for the public is palpable, even if it's hardly alarming.

I'm already a bit sick of the whole "The alcohol made me do it" blame game. It made Gibson chastise the Jews for all warfare and Mark Foley pursue underage male pages in Congress. But again, of course, chemical addiction does not in itself create behavior, it merely lubricates the mechanism by which it emerges. Will somebody please -- ever -- simply take responsibility, step up and say, "I was wrong, It was my fault, no one else/nothing else did it, just me"? Let me go check the temperature in Hell. It simply isn't done. If Gibson had uttered as much, he'd need to admit that he harbored some resentment toward or hatred of Jewish individuals, and of course he could never do that even if it were true (as it certainly appears). True honesty, after all, is only for losers.

In the Sawyer interview, Gibson merely copped to uttering "the stupid ramblings of a drunkard" while pretty much completely ignoring the underlying cause. And while Sawyer worked hard to convey the appearance of toughness with her whole "no questions are off limits" promise, it was mostly illusory. Then again, it was almost a moot point, as this whole exercise merely feigned the conventions of journalism without actually practicing them.

Do the math. Gibson's next feature, "Apocalypto," is being released by Touchstone Pictures. Disney owns Touchstone. Disney also owns ABC. Ergo, all who were present at this restorative fiasco masquerading as a heartfelt act of public contrition are in bed together. You think Sawyer was going to do or say anything that would risk making Gibson look bad (much less fire away with authentic abandon) when the company has important business with him? Not bloody likely, mate. So you also have to believe that only the most flattering and positive portions of the interview were included for air here.

Conveniently, Sawyer asked nothing about the business dealings between the pair and made no full disclosure admission, either. It thus speaks volumes that Gibson appeared so nakedly smug and almost dismissive of this character-boosting stunt. He made it clear that he has no use for those who have lambasted him for his little side-of-the-road transgression. He admitted to feeling "sad" for those people but reasoned that ultimately "it's their choice."

Sad? Seems an interesting choice of words. How about understanding? How about remorseful? How about regretful? Not from a guy who admitted with a laugh that his first concern upon being arrested and booked was that his mugshot look better than Nick Nolte's. That isn't amusing so much as indicative of someone who is primarily concerned -- even in his darkest hour -- with cosmetic appearance. And that's what this superficial "GMA" excursion was: about saving face and doing a quick makeover with the least amount of muss and fuss.

But as I wrote two days after the July 28 incident, we've already forgiven Gibson. The televised mea culpa is merely mop-up duty. That's not booze talking. That's reality.

Comments

[Anna]

Oh sure Ray, you really, really wanted to believe Mr. Gibson. You watched a different interview than I did. Mel Gibson said that being drunk was not an excuse, and admitted that there was something deep inside of him that was ugly and dark that shouldn't be there.

Why don't YOU just admit it-You DID have your mind up before you watched the interview.

My God, even Ave Foxman, of the ADL, Mel's most ardent critic, has had positive comments since the interview. You can't take it can you Ray, that Mel may make it back?

[Kevin]

Hey, Mel...

This is an apology:

"I'm sorry."

This is not:

"The other place it may have come from is, you know, as you know, a couple of years ago I released the film 'Passion.' … Even before anyone saw a frame of the film, for an entire year, I was subjected to a pretty brutal sort of public beating. During the course of that, I think I probably had my rights violated in many different ways as an American. You know. As an artist. As a Christian. Just as a human being, you know."

Shorter smarter Mel: "Sorry that y'all persecuted me so much that I popped off."

He might get it at some point in the future. He doesn't get it now.

[Lance Mazmanian]

>You can't take it can you Ray, that
>Mel may make it back?

Mel never left, so making it back is moot.

I predicted this ugly affair wouldn't matter. It has not.

You can't hurt a 20-year career and a US$875-million fortune with a DUI and wildly racist/sexist banter: He'd have to do one hell of a lot more than THAT to be universally dissed for more than fifteen minutes...

For better, or worse.

L.

[Theodora]

Weeeellllllll...

I hate to say I told you so --buuuuuut...

You admirably exposed the rat in Sawyer's woodpile, Ray. It was riotous, watching the spin-mongers attempting to justify this claptrap as GLIBson's wont to clear the air and "...not use this as advanced press..." for his next pot-boiling epic.

I didn't watch GMA but caught the afterbirth on the SepticTankTV ANALysis shows.

Quick --run to the dictionary --Webster's is adding a new element to the definition of MEGALOMANIAC...

GLIBwson's mugshot...

One of the rehash clips was his being interviewed by BagOWind Leno --asking MelManson if he "...could FORGIVE his critics..." during the press junket of his Bible-thumping Revisionism...

Uuuuuuuuuuuuh...

Say Whut???

Do we need to beg forgiveness from a pathological lunatic??? Talk about someone taking Method Acting to the table's edge...

Compounded by MelManson's evasive quote: "If anyone was frightened... by what I said..."

Excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me???

Do you really believe that you're a force in peoples' lives that they would live in FEAR of you?

His other jewel: "Everybody gets drunk and says stupid things..."

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh no...

Not **everybody** gets drunk...

Nor do they drive 50 miles over the speed limit, slugging back firewarter --or go into insane tirades against humanity...

Another gem: "I didn't kill anybody, all I did was hurt myself..."

So --that releases you from the responsibility of being a raging alcoholic??

The man has a gazillion dollars and can well afford going into rehab --but he'd rather send out engraved invitations to his PityParty...

What excuse can justify his anger??? He's successful --far beyond any logical reasoning --for his hack cinematic adventures... He's raised himself to Deity yet can not apologize for his imperfections.

His on-camera personae during this 'interview' was pretty disconcerting; eyes darting and bulging while he rambled his purported culpa...

Tell ya whut, Melvin...

Next time you decide to "...choke a toaster..."

Please make sure it's plugged IN --and your faingers are **inside** the crumb duster...

:::Sidenote to Craig Ferguson: Thanks for the howling larfs in your on-air commentary... Absolutely BRILLIANT:::