Past Deadline

If Mel Gibson Had Made the Movie He Really Wanted To

This has probably been careening around cyberspace for a while, but I just saw this parody of the "Mel Gibson's Apocalypto" trailer fashioned by the good folks at "Saturday Night Live." Pretty funny stuff. It shows what good comedy writers can do armed only with an idea and a couple of well-placed subtitles. It turns a serious minute-long preview into an inspired sendup of Gibson's notorious drunken rant.

Yes, anti-Semitism can be a stitch. Who knew?

Actually, here's who: the video link was forwarded to me by none other than Andrew Goldberg, writer-producer-director of the exceptional doc "Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: The Resurgence" that airs on PBS next Monday evening. Not that I would ever accuse Goldberg of anti-Gibsonism.

Chocopocalypse Now

There are many people who went to see Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" over the weekend. Enough to earn the film over $14 million and make it the No. 1 picture in the nation.

I was not one of them.

I would, however, be convinced to see the trailer, "Hot Chocolypto," which was inspired by the "Apocalypto" trailer. I would, in fact, watch a whole movie called "Hot Chocolypto." I would insist, however, that the soundtrack include the song, "You Sexy Thing."

And I would also insist on watching it with befogged glasses.

As Rob at Attifood notes:

When I saw the teaser trailer to Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, I was captivated by the imagery and sound. I knew two -- no, three things -- I wanted to see the movie, I wanted to make a cooking show in the style of that trailer, and I knew right away the perfect recipe to go with it -- Hot Chocolate.

Never let it be said that Past Deadline is not a full-service blog.

(Link via Boing Boing)

-- Randee Dawn

Oh Me! Oh Mayan! A Funny Thing Happened To Mel Gibson On the Way To Hell

It took only a little bit more than four months for Mel Gibson's reputation to be fully restored in the wake of his drunken Malibu highway meltdown back at the end of July -- and I'm not gonna say I told you so, but, OK, yes I will. With "Apocalypto's" ruling of the box office over the weekend, the notion of any lingering after-affects from Mel's "The Jews are responsible for all of the wars!" rant can now officially be put to rest. True, the film took in only $14.2 million, which ain't exactly a blockbuster performance for a weekend chart-topper, but it was more than enough to dispell any theory that the man may be damaged goods.

I actually predicted that he'd easily weather this storm two days after his big blow-up. And in fact, I maintained that Gibson already had more or less been forgiven literally hours after the fact. In a country where only about 3% of the populace is Jewish, any perceived anti-Semitism is simply not a career killer. Neither are alcoholism or sexism. Shouting "Nigger!" repeatedly is a tougher one to live down, as Michael Richards already is discovering. But whatever penance Gibson had to pay evidently did the trick. And he certainly got off easy enough. He didn't even need to do in-patient rehab, and I haven't heard much lately about his holding out an olive branch to the Jewish community (if it's happening, it isn't being much publicized).

So confident was Disney that Mel's name wasn't mud that it released the film as "Mel Gibson's Apocalypto," evidently to distinguish it from all of the other "Apocalyptos" out there. In so doing, the studio was basically saying, "Hey, he may be an anti-Semite, but he's our anti-Semite, darn it!". It was very much a solidarity move that underscores just how little the studio really cared about Gibson's verbal transgression from a moral standpoint. It was always about business, and as long as Mel's bringing it in he can disparage anyone he wants aside from maybe, you know, Bob Iger or Anne Sweeney. And even those studio chieftains would probably look the other way if Gibson can continue to rule the box office with ultra-violent epics told in dead languages.

I'm not going to see "Apocalypto" even though I'm vaguely curious. It isn't a matter of not giving the guy a second chance. I simply have no desire to contribute financially, or symbolically, to Gibson's career redemption. Not that it even necessarily needed redeeming. We've forgiven and we're moving closer every day to forgetting. Maybe that's just human nature. As a journalist, I have to give Gibson the benefit of the doubt and put my own feelings aside. But as a human being and as a Jew, I'm not yet ready to let this go.

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.

Set Your TiVo For 'Alcoholic Redemption Theater'

Mel Gibson jump-starts his mea culpa tour in advance of the early December release of his new flick "Apocalypto" by sitting down with Diane Sawyer in an interview that airs in two parts, Thursday and Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America" (but not in primetime). The questions will no doubt fly fast and furious: "Are you an anti-Semite? Do you hate women? Have you stopped drinking? What happened that night? What was the deal with the beard? Can you make a movie where people speak in a language that isn't dead? Will you put on this yarmulke to prove your newfound solidarity with your Jewish brothers and sisters -- and if not, why not?"

Actually, the incomparable Nikki Finke has the early scoop about what went down when Diane met Mel, posting on her Deadline Hollywood Daily blog that a Gibson insider disclosed to her that Sawyer was "f***ing harder on him than I could imagine. I was cringing. No other TV journalist would have been that hard on him."

Here's the teaser from ABC.com.

Mel Gibson Is a Tequila-Swilling Anti-Semite: The Game

What in the name of all that's unholy have they been putting in the water over there at GSN: The Network For Games (which once was known simply as the far less ridiculous Game Show Network? This is a particularly urgent question considering the latest game GSN has put up online for your time-wasting pleasure. It's called "So you think you can drive, Mel?," and I probably don't need to spell out what precisely it entails -- but naturally, I will anyway.

You control Mel's car, since he clearly can't considering his inebriated state. There's a cartoon likeness of Mel, looking sufficiently blotto, his head peering out the passenger window of a nondescript subcompact that's in motion. The goal is to have Mel -- afflicted with an audible case of the hiccups, complete with bubbles -- collect as many tequila bottles as possible while dodging flying Stars of David flung by a gentleman who bears a striking resemblance to an Hasidic rabbi. All the while, the tune "Hava Nagila" plays. I am not (repeat, NOT) making this up.

The more tequila bottles you collect for Mel, the higher your score. But you lose points if you get hit by the flying stars or if you run down five of the state troopers who show up in the middle of the road. Oh, and there's also a meter at upper screen right that measures Mel's blood alcohol level (or "B.A.L." as it reads here).

So hey, just gotta say this feels excessively outrageous and cruel even to me, and shoot, I mean, I practically invented outrageous and cruel. I'm also still trying to figure out what Mel's personalized license plate means. It's "WTFWJD." I'm sure the J is for "Jew" and WTF is "What The F---", but beyond that I'm stumped. I'm also puzzled as to why GSN would see this as a clever mainstream game to create and promote on a Sony-parented site. Is this really the best use of GSN's online resources? Mind you, there is hardly any love lost between Mel and myself. I'm just not sure he deserves a shot that's this cheap, obvious and unfunny.

It also feels about a month or so late.

UPDATE: I've since been informed in no uncertain terms by several readers of this blog that WTFWJD means "What The F--- Would Jesus Do." I'm clearly not current on my profanity-laden spiritual acronyms, and for that I wholeheartedly apologize.

So Let Me See If I've Got This Straight: It's OK To Drive Drunk, Bash Jews and Womanize With Impunity, Just Don't Diss Psychiatry, Jump On Couches Or Father Children You Hide From the World

There is a disturbing subtext in the announcement by Paramount Pictures on Tuesday that it is parting company with the production company jointly operated by Tom Cruise and partner Paula Wagner that relates to Mel Gibson. And while I know this seems on its face to be a bit of a stretch, stick with me and I promise this will start making sense in just a moment.

First, let's do a little comparing and contrasting:

MEL GIBSON: He is arrested for DUI in a rant-filled incident that draws worldwide attention and all-too-brief condemnation. He excoriates Jewish people for their role in all warfare and reportedly directs a sexist slur at a female deputy refering to a portion of her anatomy that comes in pairs. There have long been whispers of anti-Semitism and homophobia as well as serial womanizing. Oh yes, he's also an icon for the Christian community, which some might find a tad hypocritical. Top brass at The Walt Disney Co. ponders all of this for maybe 15 or 20 minutes before concluding it's insufficient to tap any morals clause, announcing that its business association with Gibson will remain unaffected and his feature "Apocalypto" is to be released on schedule in December.

TOM CRUISE: He has what appears to be a faulty synapse-induced meltdown on the couch and stage of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," allegedly in his glee over a relationship with a woman he just met. There are reports of an uptick in his Scientology obsession on the set of "Mission: Impossible III." He locks horns with Matt Lauer on the "Today" show over his contention that psychiatry is a pseudo science, then he outrageously blasts Brooke Shields for taking meds to deal with postpartum depression. He impregnates the woman who inspired the "Oprah" hijinks and then shields the resulting child from public view. The coup de grace: "M:I III" underperforms at the box office. Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, "(Cruise's) recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."

Okay, now again, if we hold a mirror up to these situations, Cruise is at worst an iconoclast and a nut case, whereas Gibson has given evidence of intolerance, sexism, philandering and hatemongering. But Gibson gets to stay at a studio long synonymous with wholesomeness and family values and Cruise has to go due to unacceptable conduct? Gee, that's kind of interesting, huh?

I agree with my esteemed Hollywood Reporter colleague Anne Thompson that this ain't really about Cruise's sometimes erratic behavior at all. As Anne wrote on her Risky Biz blog, "Truth is, if Cruise had killed with 'M:I III,' they might have made a deal" for Cruise/Wagner to stay on the lot despite the prohibitive expense to the studio. She continues, "Cruise's cockeyed behavior gave the studio the excuse not to." Bingo. Let me also just add here that I'm pretty much the last guy in North America to rush to Tom Cruise's defense. But I smell a lame smokescreen.

What I had predicted from day one of the Mel Gibson fiasco has come to pass, and in the reverse it applies to the Cruise divorce from Paramount. It relates back to Richmond's Rules of Transgression: 1. Hollywood will forgive anything except being unsuccessful; 2. America will forgive anything except being unrepentant.

This has been more than borne out here. Cruise's stock as a money-generating superstar has shown a tangible drop that likely won't ever return to its previous level; therefore, he's expendable. He has also never apologized for any of his weirdness. Gibson's stock has been tarnished, but there is no evidence it has been seriously damaged. And besides, he issued not one but two allegedly heartfelt mea culpas. Gibson is therefore considered a worthwhile risk, particularly given his standing with religious America.

Had Gibson said during his drunken rant, "Oprah is responsible for all of the wars in history," this could be a far different conversation. But he didn't. Meanwhile, if this is to be believed, then it alone could explain Cruise's Paramount parting. We also know that had Cruise set box office records with the last "Mission," the quote from Redstone would have been something closer to, "His recent conduct has proven Tom Cruise to be a family man with deep religious convictions. That's the kind of human being we want associated with Paramount."

And that, as they say, is showbiz.

Somewhere, a Cryogenically-Preserved Walt Disney is Nodding in Approval

If ever we were wondering what the statute of limitations is on holding Hollywood megastars accountable for drunken, sexist, anti-Semitic meltdowns, the latest evidence shows that it's just short of two weeks. A scant 13 days after Mel Gibson's tirade in which he allegedly raged that "the Jews are responsible for all of the wars," the Walt Disney Co. on Friday confirmed that Gibson's latest flick "Apocalypto" will indeed be released as planned on Dec. 8.

You would think that the Tirade Heard 'Round the World and subsequent DUI arrest might at least give such a doggedly family-oriented company pause in terms of being in business with the ranter so soon after his trangression. But it turns out that the rumors of Disney's looking to peddle "Apocalypto" to another studio to distance itself from Gibson turned out to be precisely that: rumors and nothing more.

We must remember this is also the company that was founded by a man whose known disdain for those of the Jewish persuasian is reasonably well documented. And while no one is obviously suggesting that the studio today harbors any similar prejudice, there could be a certain sensitivity disconnect when it comes to this issue. It's true that the company squelched a Holocaust project in which Gibson's production company was involved soon after the scandal surfaced. Yet the scuttlebutt there is that Gibson's people continue to lobby Disney/ABC to put it back into development -- and I don't doubt, once the dust clears in a few months, that it could very well happen.

Meanwhile, I have recently run into several people who ask my take on the Gibson situation with the similtaneous judgment, "You're not one of those people who think he should be punished for this, are you?" As if an icon's flagrant hate spew through an alcoholic haze is akin to a contrite rush-hour fender bender after two beers. I'm not saying the guy ought to be persecuted for years, but the shoulder-shrugging minimizing of it so soon after the event -- and the irritation at those who insist on holding him accountable -- is disturbing to say the least.

Mel, We're Not Laughing At You, We're Laughing...OK, Actually It's At You

It's inevitable that innumerable parodies and spoofs done at Mel Gibson's expense will soon surface. But it's certain that none will be better or more genuinely uproarious than this mock film trailer promoting the fictitious new Gibson flick "Mel Gibson's Signs of Anti-Semitism," made for ifilm.com by editor Marcos Levy of VH1's "Best Week Ever" series along with Steven Santos.

Trust me. We're talking instant classic. Oy, my aching ribs.

Recalling Mr. Gibson's First 'South'-ern Exposure

No matter what "South Park" co-conspirators Trey Parker and Matt Stone manage to do to Mel Gibson from here in any future spoof, it's impossible to imagine them topping what they already did in April 2004 during his "Passion of the Christ" glory with their own uproarious "The Passion of the Jew" episode.

This clip is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. Poor, poor Mel.

The Mel Gibson Makeover: 7 Days To a Whole New You!

Think about this one: a week ago at this time, what was the general perception of Mel Gibson? Probably something like this:

1. Christian icon.  2. Hollywood power broker.  3. Devoted family man.  4. Recovering alcoholic.  5. Highly respected filmmaker. 6. Writer of his own ticket.

Now, in not quite 7 days, Gibson has been transformed into this:

1. Anti-Semite.  2. Sexist.  3. Repentant sinner.  4. Scofflaw.  5. Active alcoholic.  6. Hollywood damaged goods.  7. Pathetic joke.  8. Dependent upon kindness/forgiveness of Jewish community to resurrect tainted career.

It's just amazing the difference a week and a few unfortunate tequila-fueled words can make. Gibson should be a huge believer in the vagaries of fate at this point, given how all of the planets had to align just so for this nightmare to play out as it has in creating the perfect tabloid storm. It would all have been different if the arresting deputy didn't have the determination and integrity that he did, or if TMZ.com didn't exist, or if Gibson himself were not so driven by his own demons, hubris and hatred.

While everyone is speculating about how this astonishing turn of events will ultimately play out -- some believing that Gibson and his career are toast, others that he'll have plenty of opportunity for redemption -- the fact is naturally that nobody really knows for sure. There has never been a situation quite like this one involving a man of Gibson's stature. Me personally, I'd have already been much more sympathetic to Gibson had he not simply hidden his apologies behind his publicist and actually faced the music and the TV cameras himself -- even if he had merely read the statement and then slipped out the back door.

What I wonder now is why it seems to matter so much to everyone that Gibson prostrate himself in mea culpas that sound good on the page but likely have little sincerity behind them. What satisfaction should there be in an empty gesture? Perhaps that's Hollywood itself in a nutshell. In the land of smoke and mirrors, perception is permitted to trump reality nearly every time.

The true irony of this whole thing is that Gibson's apologies have represented greater courage than that exhibited by nearly all of the big names in the industry. From what I've noticed, it's as if the entire town suddenly has been struck mute aside from a scant few including Endeavor agent Ari Emmanuel, whose courageous call to reject Gibson and his business has not been seconded, to say the least (though Barbara Walters did notably say on "The View" that she wasn't going to be giving Mel Gibson much business in the future). And Walters' "View" colleague Joy Behar also just chipped in with this nugget. Behar recommends that Gibson demonstrate penance and Jewish solidarity by enduring a "public circumcision." Ouch!

Former Time Warner Vice Chairman Merv Adelson also wonders why the public outrage from executive is somehow missing in action, publicly and passionately coming out against Gibson in a quarter-page ad published in the L.A. Times. Adelson wrote, "Bigots have so often accused our community of being run by Jews that I think it has entered our psyche. We have become so defensive that when faced with a degrading and disgusting incident starring a movie star, we as individuals remain relatively silent. What would this community have done if Mel Gibson had drunkenly ranted and raved about the dirty 'Mexicans' or for that matter used the 'N'-word disparagingly as he used the word Jews...?"

Then there was this sage and profound utterance by Bill Maher taken from the Huffington Post blog, in which Maher accurately states that in the main the world's anti-Semitism is held in check until it is given reason not to (such as Israel's aggressive stand against Hezbollah and getting stopped while driving with a little too much booze in one's system).

Why is showbiz so uncharacteristically mum? Because it remains an industry that thrives on fear. Nobody wants to be the one who publicly excoriated Gibson when and if he gets his life back. By the same token, if they are friends and/or colleagues, they don't fancy being seen as publicly supporting someone whose star has plummeted so far and so rapidly lest the taint wipe itself on their own sleeve. And so everyone buttons up, shakes his or her head and sticks a finger into the air to discern the precise direction in which the wind happens to be blowing before weighing in. Most studio execs also no doubt know they'll need to be working with Gibson at some point, so it behooves them to silently forgive (if not forget). Because as we all know only too well, the bottom line is still the bottom line.

The media, of course, has no such collective allegiance. And so it fires away with both barrels. But it would still be nice io live in a world where one might feel free to opine about the reprehensible behavior of another simply because it's the right thing to do, not merely the politically expedient thing. Then again, maybe it's just a case of "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Now there's a concept that Gibson himself could no doubt get behind.

Oh Mel...Even I'm Starting to Feel Sorry For You Now

 

The Doo-Doo Gets Still Deeper For Misdemeanor Mel

So now Mel Gibson's been charged this afternoon by L.A. County prosecutors with misdemeanor DUI, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and driving with an open container of alcohol. He could serve six months in the pokey if convicted -- though he won't, of course. This isn't exactly a Martha Stewart-type situation. And to be sure, this would seem to be the least of the man's problems right about now.

If I were Gibson, I'd have only one question for whomever is running the DA's office: "Are you a Jew?"

(Graphic courtesy Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

A Moment of Sober Reflection With Sheriff Mel

In case you missed Mel Gibson's deliciously cheesy 2002 public service announcement shot with Scott "Charles in Charge" Baio for the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. Star Organization, you'll find it here. Ah, sweet, sweet irony.

By the way, I find myself less concerned with any purported Sheriff's Dept. coverup or whitewash of the Gibson DUI report than I am encouraged by the fact one of its deputies -- James Mee, whom it turns out is indeed Jewish -- had the balls to arrest Mel Gibson. I venture to guess few other guys in the department would have, particularly considering how Gibson was twice previously permitted to skate off with warnings, according to TMZ.com. It's just Gibson's bad luck that a deputy with guts and integrity was on duty that fateful early morning.

My Lunchtime Chat About the Gibmeister

This is a transcript of an online discussion surrounding the Mel Gibson situation that I conducted with readers of the Washington Post earlier today. They asked questions. I gave answers. Then we moved on, some of us suddenly afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome.

By the way, just for the record, in case there is any question while reading the transcript, I happen to be Jewish. Therefore, if I poke stereotypical fun, it should not be mistaken as anti-Semitic but rather self-loathing.

The Mel Gibson 'Won't Get Looped Again' Tour (Day 3)

The Mel Gibson DUI/Naughty Words Washing Machine has already moved through "Wash" and "Rinse" and is now firmly into the "Spin" cycle in the wake of the star's Friday morning massacre. Things are moving very, very fast. I thought there would be announcements of alcohol rehab, of his day-late-and-a-dollar-short plea to the Jewish community in the wake of his anti-Semitic spew at the scene of his drunk driving arrest and of Disney dumping Gibson's ABC Holocaust miniseries. I just didn't figure it would all happen within 48 hours. But you know, when a superstar's career and reputation (not to mention tens of millions of dollars) are at stake, there clearly ain't no time to dawdle.

Welcome to Damage Control Central (soon to be a major motion picture from Jerry Bruckheimer).

Of course, ABC/Disney had to deep-six the Holocaust project pronto. At this point, it would have been like the KKK making a movie about Emmett Till. And while Gibson's "I am not an anti-Semite" declaration this morning brings back fond memories of Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" pronouncement during the heat of Watergate, he had to do it just the same. It's another necessary step on the path to public redemption, riding the Mea Culpa Express as it hurtles down the tracks at breakneck speed. The apology to Jewish groups was accepted today by the Anti-Defamation League.

The last two days, I've been at the center of the media feeding frenzy with regard to Mel's Meltdown and subsequent contrition. The hunter is now officially the hunted. I've been interviewed by CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, KCRW-FM radio, "The Insider," a radio station in Australia, Newsweek.com, the Baltimore Sun and (coming right up) the Washington Post Online. My take has been that whether merited or not, Gibson will survive this for two reasons: Hollywood forgives those who are successful (the greater the success, the greater the latitude to transgress), and America forgives those who apologize (the more completely the soul is bared, the greater the ultimate absolution).

That said, I've been a little surprised at the level of venom directed Gibson's way -- not because what he said should be shrugged off but because this episode, more than any in recent memory, appears to have genuinely struck a raw nerve. I honestly believed that even Jewish executives in town would largely dismiss this as mostly the meaningless ramblings of a drunken rage-a-holic. Now I'm not so sure. While I mean what I said about Gibson surviving this, I'm also now thinking there's a real possibility that things will never again be quite the same for him no matter how heartfelt the pleas for forgiveness.

As a Jew, I don't know that Gibson should be granted full-on amnesty for his verbal crime. Yet that he will be is all but certain. A few months down the road, when the emotion has cooled and the rhetoric died down, I see Gibson moving forward with a decidedly smudged (not fully clean) slate.

At the end of the day, Gibson didn't kill or rape or molest anyone or frankly even injure anyone except his own moral standing -- which naturally took a brutal hit. But we're big on second chances here in the US of A. We like to believe the equation is Sin + Apology = Compassion. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Unfortunately, whether there is any real teeth or honest sincerity behind the stated repentance seems to matter less than the gesture itself. But you can bet that any outreach Gibson makes to the Jewish community is going to come with a stiff pricetag affixed. He's not going to be given a free ride simply because he spouts a few carefully choreographed platitudes. That promises to be Gibson's real penance.

Next up: a major donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (did someone say $5 million?). But first will come the cover of People magazine. It's come to be an essential step on the road to Atonement City.

Another Report From the Scene of the Mel-tdown

The Mel Gibson apologists already have taken to the Internet and blogosphere in earnest to defend the actor and de-facto spiritual figure during a weekend of charges, countercharges, ugliness, explanations and apologies in the wake of his Friday morning DUI arrest. So I thought it prudent to interrupt an otherwise fine Sunday to try to set the record straight, if I may.

1. "There's no real evidence except for a couple of pieces of people snatched by by TMZ.com to prove that Gibson actually uttered anti-Semitic slurs, just the tabloid posturings of an unreliable website."

Reply: This, from Gibson's very own Saturday statement: "I...said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said, and I apologize to anyone who I have offended." Seems pretty clear what/who he's referring to, no?

2. "Gibson had a blood alcohol level of 0.12%, which isn't heavily drunk, just kinda drunk. It may have impaired his driving, but how could it have caused him to start spewing the alleged statements of hate?"

Reply: Very easily, actually. In fact, at that significant but not falling-over level of intoxication, it wouldn't come close to causing a blackout but would be more than sufficient to free Gibson's social inhibitions. And it's been proven that booze doesn't plant thoughts, it simply serves as a lubricant that frees the tongue to utter what's typically bottled up. Drunk or not, if the words ascribed to him are true, this is who the guy is in his heart, I'm afraid.

3.  "Sheriff Lee Baca told the Los Angeles Times that the idea of a cover-up is overblown as it relates to any attempt to alter Gibson's offensive comments in the official L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. report of the incident, and that the only legal issue is over the actor-director's level of impairment at the time he was stopped. Shouldn't that be the case?"

Reply: Actually, yes. Legally, all that's relevant is how much Gibson drank prior to operating a motor vehicle. His words only matter as they relate to his reported resisting of arrest. Baca is correct when he says the department's job isn't to focus on what he said but what he did. And I don't care a whole lot if a report was fudged and a mugshot withheld to help out a famed friend of law enforcement in the area. I'm sure this stuff happens all of the time. However, from a moral standpoint, what Gibson allegedly said during the incident means everything. This goes beyond the sensationalist media grinding an ax.

4. "Hey, Mel gave a full and quick and genuine statement of apology, which is more than a lot of guys would have done. He took immediate responsibility and didn't try to blame anyone else. It's clear he's embarrassed and is begging forgiveness in the finest Christian tradition. Shouldn't that be enough? What do we want, the dude's blood?"

Reply: It's true that Gibson stepped up and did the right thing without a lot of dawdling. But one could also point out that from a career standpoint, it was what he had to do. Anything less would have been suicidal. This is still about damage control. It's about getting this behind him with the least amount of damage to his reputation, which could range from moderate to severe (depending upon how things play out over the next several weeks/months). But an apology doesn't wipe away the words that purportedly exited the man's mouth. He's fortunate to have plenty of time until his new film "Apocalypto" comes out over the holidays to play down this dreadful piece of business with the help of numerous PR professionals. By the time they all get through spinning this, it'll seem in hindsight like Mel was just swearing at himself under his breath while the cops stopped to help him with a flat tire.

5. "Mel will get past this, just you wait. And he'll come back bigger than ever. This isn't a career killer. It may not even be a career wounder. At the end of the day, he didn't hurt anyone but himself. It's just a stumble. Good Christians do it all the time. God grants forgiveness. The rest of us should, too."

Reply: Oh don't worry, we will. There will be the obligatory People magazine cover piece ("I'm Sorry!"), the equally obligatory Diane Sawyer forgiveness-begging interview ("I'm just another recovering alcoholic..."), possibly even a face-to-face primetime browbeat from America's favorite cloying finger-wagger, Dr. Phil McGraw ("What in living hell were you thinking, Mel Gibson?"). The Mea Culpa Express will soon be chugging down the tracks through your very neighborhood!  But trust me that it's probably not even necessary. It's been less than 72 hours since the whole awful scenario played out, and Gibson is already practically forgiven -- in part because he's Mel Gibson. The question isn't whether Hollywood will let this pass. It will. The larger issue -- already practically answered as well -- is if Christianity as a movement will continue to embrace a man prone to drunken anti-Semitic rages as an icon. And again, my guess is yes.

6. "But let's turn this around. What if a renowned Jewish figure -- say, Jerry Seinfeld -- were to similarly disparage Christians in a drunken rage ("I own Encino! And another thing: you bastards can't cook brisket worth a shit!") as Gibson reportedly did Jews. Would he also be quickly forgiven?"

Reply: I'd put the odds at roughly 100-1, against. From what I've seen, anti-Semitism is considered a less serious transgression than Christian-bashing.

(Gibson photo courtesy WireImage.com)

For Mel Gibson, Opining About Jewish Influence While Under the Influence Maybe Isn't the Best Idea

WARNING: Strong language and profanity contained herein.

It's one thing to get pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. It's quite another to be dragged off kicking and screaming in an anti-Semitic rage under the presumption that the Jews have somehow done this to you. Understanding that the man is innocent until proven guilty -- at least, under the old-fashioned notion of justice before the tabloid age rendered it moot -- Mel Gibson could well have done significant damage to his career early Friday morning by spewing a string of profane, anti-Semitic, sexist epithets after being detained for suspicion of drunken driving on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. But this is probably hardly a secret at this point as you read these words.

If the allegations are in fact true (as they certainly appear to be, particularly after Gibson released a long and apparently deeply sincere statement of apology today), this taint on his reputation probably won't be going away anytime soon. Oh sure, it will eventually. Just about every transgression fades with time unless your name happens to be O.J. But what's most disturbing about this whole mess with Gibson is that it seems to confirm a lot of notions about the man's true feelings of hatred and racist beliefs that had long been whispered. For a dude so sanctimonious and God-fearing, it don't look good.

Based on four pages of an original L.A. County Sheriff's Department report salvaged by TMZ.com from the scrap heap of a reported cover-up, Gibson was uncontrollable and belligerent after getting pulled over, launching into a bout of heavy swearing. There was an apparent episode in which Gibson began to bang himself against the seat and tell the arresting deputy, "You motherfucker, I'm going to fuck you!" There then followed a reported string of anti-Semitic statements, somehow finding a way to blame the Jews. (I doubt arresting officer Deputy James Mee is Jewish, or was put up to it by a Jewish cabal of some sort.)

Gibson reportedly said, "Fucking Jews...The Jews are responsible for all of the wars in the world," echoing a popular anti-Semitic sentiment. (I add here parenthetically that Gibson's father Hutton Gibson has long been a vocal Holocaust denyer renowned for his anti-Jewish rants.) This goes on and on, the arresting law enforcement individuals smartly using audiotape and videotape to corroborate what could prove a dicey legal situation for the department given Gibson's power, money and clout. At one point, he also turned to a female sergeant nearby and reportedly said, "What do you think you're looking at, Sugar Tits?" It's horrifying to hear the episode being described as it continued to escalate even after Gibson was placed in a holding cell.

At the risk of appearing to pile on here, what's most alarming about this meltdown involving Gibson -- an admitted recovering alcoholic -- is the man's profound level of anger, hostility and targeted religious antipathy. And the truth is that under the influence of booze, the tongue is naturally loosened to a great degree but the mind typically merely amplifies, embellishes and exacerbates thoughts and belief systems that are already well established but covered by decorum and correctitude. In other words, alcohol doesn't by itself plant the prejudicial seed. It only helps what's already in the soil to germinate.

Ergo, while Gibson said all of the proper things to dispel charges that "The Passion of the Christ" was anti-Semitic at its core while that film was becoming a blockbuster, this unfortunate episode opens that door wide once again. That Gibson has been able to carve such a spectacularly successful career in a town run largely by Jewish executives given the swirl of anti-Semitic controversy that's long enveloped him is a bit remarkable. And he may well emerge from this bloodied but unbowed and ultimately just fine. But in the short term, the man is going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Nearly everyone screws up at one time or another. Mel Gibson is allowed not to be perfect. However, he would be well advised at this point to go out of his way to become a more accepting, less judgmental, more open-minded and inclusive human being. On the other hand, the anti-Semitic stuff probably isn't going to turn the public against him. Too many of Gibson's fans no doubt even agree with him. And I hate to say it, but as long as his box office stays strong, Jewish execs aren't going to hold Mel's feet to the fire for this inebriated anti-Jew spew, either.

But the minute the man's power begins to go south, look out below.

(Mel Gibson photo courtesy WireImage.com.)