The Hot Blog

A large donation to the AFL might be in order for Mr. Gibson, both for PR's sake and to show repentance for his truly despicable (as he admitted) comments.

That considered, I'm sickened by the response more than I am the incident itself. First of all, the biggest sin he committed was not his drunken rantings, but the fact that he drove drunk. Since when do we punish people for their words more than their actions?

And as for all this 'in vino, veritas' crap, well it may very well reveal what's at the core of our hearts. But anybody who thinks that they're so devoid of malice or prejudice at their core is a hypocrite. And we'd all better be thankful that either a) we're not famous enough for anyone to care about the worst things we've said, or, b) should we be famous, our comments haven't been reported, leaked, and editorialized. If we're holding people responsible for the things they say when they're drunk (and printing them in the paper), we might want to think about reinstating prohibition.

A celebrity with a drinking problem drove drunk. That's the only news here.

The hypocrisy of Hollywood is astounding.

What Gibson said was horrible, but as one person said on another blog, this is a town that worshipped Don Simpson and created a hero of Roman Polanski.

Marlon Brando in 1979 in Playboy said:

"You've seen every single race besmirched, but you never saw an unfavorable image of the Kike because the Jews were ever so watchful for that. They never allowed it to be shown on screen."

On Larry King in 1996 Marlon Brando said:

"Hollywood is run by Jews; it is owned by Jews, and they should have a greater sensitivity about the issue of -- of people who are suffering. Because they've exploited — we have seen the — we have seen the Nigger and Greaseball, we've seen the Chink, we've seen the slit-eyed dangerous Jap, we have seen the wily Filipino, we've seen everything but we never saw the Kike. Because they knew perfectly well, that that is where you draw the wagons around."

Brando was never blacklisted. He is still considered a deity and even had a key role in a certain current blockbuster. I do not reprint these remarks to be insensitive, but I must show context.

Context is everything.

Again, these remarks as Gibson's are horrific, but let's all not get on the horse too high.

I know many do not want to discuss this issue in light of context. Some people who do not want to deal with the hypocrisy issue and will accuse me of 'switching the channel', but the hypocrisy of this astounds me and has for many become the issue.

Michael Moore said Israel was one of the true axis of evil...but he gets a free pass from Hollywood.

Spike Lee has also made numerous anti-semitic remarks and many charged him with that when Mo Better Blues came out. No blacklist.

Hollywood regularly dumps on Christians, blacks and other demos, but now they have the audacity to get up on the high horse?

Again, Gibson's remarks were despicable, but in the panthon of Hollywood history....please.

This is why I always see a film like Crash as BS. Forgive and humanize and forget until reality kicks in...then no forgiveness is allowed.

Avi "Ari Gold" Emmanuel is an ass.

Ironically, if they push too hard (and they will) this could create another backlash.

It's fine to condemn, but when people start shouting 'blacklist' for Gibson while giving a pass to people who perform stauatory rape on young girls or rape young women with coat hangers...the stench of hypocrisy becomes too much to bear.

And I'd be willing to bet Walters asnd Behar were not watching Gibson movies to begin with.

If you've ever been on a TV show set, I guarantee the 'applause' light was turned on to 'high' when Walter's made her remark.

Understand Gibson's behaviour was disgusting and he has hurt his supporters more than anyone else.

But let's all keep the sanctimonous BS to a dull roar...some people's noses are beginning to grow.

No, I have never uttered racist or such hateful comments while under the influence of alcohol. I 've said stupid things but not the type of things Gibson said, not even close. Stop making excuses for Gibson for his deplorable acts. He's sorry he got caught and that now everyone knows his true feelings and thoughts. I wonder what these same people excusing Gibson and saying people are making amountain out of a molehill would be saying if say it was Tom Cruise who said these things.

"Context is everything."

Indeed. I think what makes Mel's words more shocking then they would otherwise be is that two years ago he made the case to everyone that there was not a single anti-semitic bone in his conservative Christian body. Now, all those promises seem to be broken within that context. It would be different if he didn't deny those sentiments to begin with.

You have some reasonable points, Nicol... then you go over the edge of the cliff.

Do you really think that they have to cheat a reaction to get people to laugh at or show anger towards Mr. Gibson?

And in the decade before his death, Brando only made 3 movies. He hardly had a thriving career. Besides which, he had a point in those interviews. He offered a one-sided view, as The Hollywood of the Jews didn't make movies about nice jews either. But yes, Hollywood slurred a lot. And Walt Disney slurred everyone, including the jews, endlessly.

But you, Nicol, need to get some perspective on who Mel Gibson is. A major movie star. A major director in the early part of his directing career, perhaps. A renegade. Very wealthy. And he lives in Hollywood... a Hollywood in which neither jews nor homosexuals nor sugar-titted women are in small numbers or shy about asserting themselves.

I don't feel that boycotts against The Passion were appropriate... nor against The Last Temptation of Christ. But if you have a choice of working with someone you know hates you or not, what choice would you make? The movie business is no one’s right. It is a business… and a very, very expensive one at that. People make the choice about who and what they want to embrace every day.

I’m the first to say that this town would forgive drunk driving in a second. Almost everyone can relate to a time they got behind the wheel when they shouldn’t have and were lucky not to kill someone. But not to many people I know identify with the arrestees in an episode of COPS. And that’s what Gibson appears to have behaved like. Low class… hateful… specific…

Hypocrisy, yes. But you hardly need to head to the top of the ivory tower to find this event unacceptable and the man at its center unworthy of your ongoing support.

And I’ll tell you what a hypocrite I am… can’t wait to see Apocalypto. Really looking forward to it still. I also own a copy of Triumph on the Will and a book of photographs by Ms. Riefenstahl. And I also still read writers who are ageist, sexist, and often racist in spite of these realities. I do not call for Mr. Gibson to be blackballed. But I don’t know how I would feel in a room with a man whose skills I admire but who hates me for the circumstance of my birth.

Nicol, for somebody who professes to be appalled by hypocrisy, you are certainly working overtime to defend an anti-semite who disingenuously denied his own obvious prejudices on the way to $350 million at the box office.

Am I the only one who would really like to see Mel use this rage in another Mad Max movie?

Nicol you do NOT speak for Hollywood, so knock it off. Most people know what Polanski did was wrong, period.

I think Mayans are a compelling enough subject that I would want to the see the movie, but Mel would directly profit if I paid because of how the movie is financed etc. so I can't pay to see it.

Mel can have whatever beliefs he wishes, but he seems to have alot of influence to encourage people to hate and malign--Proof of that to me were the incredible comments I heard coming out of a midnight free screening of POTChrist, which I won't repeat here. I am not a practicing catholic and part Jewish too, but a friend took me on her parish's trek. (heck it was free). The remarks made after the movie were not about any aspect of the production except "the Jews", and were hurtful crazy things. Mel induced hate from his movie as far as I saw (saw it twice free) and this current situation now is further turn-off--I don;t want to donate to his "causes" which is what you do if he receives profits.

If what TMZ has are legit transcriptions...makes me glad Baba said what she did.

If you have hundred of millions of dollars to spend you are a very influential person, that IS the sad material issue really, he's not just another bigot who can't shut his trap. He's a 50 yr old demagogue who has influenced many people with his inventions on history.

Like they were saying in England when Mel was insisting with his crocodile tears that he wasn't anti-Semetic "Jesus...get off the cross--Mel needs the wood".

By the way, Campbell--yeah drunk driving is the issue, especially since he may have been "let loose" in the past. I don;t think nayone is denying that.

The biggest issue of concern is how the Police departments in the TMZone are treating well-to-do/celebrity patrons, and Why is there this inconsistency--and an "edited" police report if that is true, will not bolster anyone's faith in police to keep the community safe.

Mel can say what he likes but I don;t have to help his profits.

Let's not forget that someone at the police department linked official documents to a gossip website. Happy we know... but would you like to have that done to you if you were in trouble with the police?

"Michael Moore said Israel was one of the true axis of evil...but he gets a free pass from Hollywood."

I just thought I'd point that out: criticizing Israel isn't any more anti-semitic than criticizing Georges W. is anti-american. Israel represents Israel, not all the Jewish community.

What Holllywood celebrity is Nicol accusing of 'raping young women with coat hangers'? Fatty Arbuckle? And is he actually referring to rape or to another controversial activity?

Well I don;t know Dave. To be honest if I needed help and wasn;t getting it (rehab) I think a leak would be the best thing for me in I were in Mel's boots. Maybe he will dry out and get therapy in remorse. If he were dinged for a DUI without the media circus would he get as much help and be as contrite as he claims to be now? Dunno bout that. Acoholism requires rock bottom embarassment before recovery usually and it is pretty hard for someone so wealthy to hit rock bottom. This has to be rock bottom for MG.

Secondly there is a reported possibility of cover up, alteration or concealment of facts--so yes, a leak is necessary or we get no progress in Law Enforcement.

Mel didn;t commit murder. BUT he could have with his car if he has been allowed to drive recklessly or drunk in the past--that's disturbing.

I suspect whoever the leaker was may have been seriously bent out of shape by possibly being asked bend rules for MG and maybe that person has been asked to do this too many times for Celebs and was fed up, rather than wanting to embarass MG specifically.

"Leaks" are good when they draw attention to deficiencies in public safety and how the Law is enforced or Not enforced by John/Jane Law.

"Leaks" are bad when it is assholes trying to get photos of Suri Cruise--that's a heinous invasion of privacy matter.

"A large donation to the AFL might be in order for Mr. Gibson, both for PR's sake and to show repentance for his truly despicable (as he admitted) comments."

That's not at all out of the question. Didn't Mel make a big show out of meeting with GLAAD representatives a few years back, enraged by Braveheart's nelly prince getting turfed out the window, and by the homophobe jokes in the Lethal Weapon sequels? He has at least shown himself to be publicly penitent in the past is all.

"I just thought I'd point that out: criticizing Israel isn't any more anti-semitic than criticizing Georges W. is anti-american. Israel represents Israel, not all the Jewish community."

Indeed. I would even contend that claiming Israel's murderous policies are instrinsically Jewish -- whatever THAT means -- is grossly anti-Semitic. Not all Jews support that regime, its violations of international law etc. /politics

A couple people mention Tom Cruise, who has been getting shit on for the last two years because he -- OH MY GOD -- jumped on Oprah's couch. He has nutty views about drugs, but people seem to forget that his "attack" (criticism) of Brook Shields was not initiated out of the blue (like Gibson's anti-Semitic remarks). Shields had written a book discussing her travails.

These incidents are usually used as a pretext to justify a pre-existing hatred for X celebrity. However, in Gibson's case there was always a cloud of suspicion that has now been confirmed.

Yes, the media has blown it out of proportion. I can't say I give a shit. But the media ALWAYS blows this stuff out of proportion. If Michael Moore had made these gross comments you can expect the right-wing blogosphere, talk radio, and the conservative press would be all over him. That's not the case here. Instead right-wing apologists are resigned to relative silence, or observing the disproportionate coverage.

"Even better, they are in a relatively loose forum, so they expose themselves in a different way than, say, network morning news show hosts, normally do."

I'm surprised nobody picked up on that!

I still don't think this is gonna be that much of a story after a few months or so. And if Apocalypto makes money then all the headlines will read "Have We Forgiven Mel?" or whatever.

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

URL:
Remember me? YesNo

Comments: