Hey, what’s that sound? Why it’s the Mel Gibson Careeer-Rehabilitation Train, about to make its first stops at Good Morning America tomorrow and Friday. Already, GMA is leaking snippets of Gibson’s sit-down with Diane Sawyer, and what’s peculiar to me is that, despite having had more than two months to consider a mea culpa over his July 28 drunk-driving arrest and subsequent anti-Semitic rant, Gibson’s soundbites sound vaguely incoherent. Not that I favor the publicist-sculpted therapy-speak all of us have gotten used to hearing from apologetic stars, but come on now, when you blame the world’s Jewish population for ”all the wars in the world,” can you really explain it away as ”the stupid rambling of a drunkard”? Even if the now sober Gibson rejects these ignorant statements, shouldn’t he acknowledge he’s got some soul-searching to do about the fact that said ideas were, at the very least, residing in his subconscious? And what’s with Gibson telling Sawyer he wants to ”allay the fears of others and to heal them if they had any heart wounds from something I may have said”? May have said? But ya did say it, Blanche! Ya did!
Anyhow, if there’s any positive here, it’s Gibson’s candor about his struggle with alcohol addiction — and how easy it can be to relapse. I applaud his 65 days of sobriety. But at the end of the day, even though I generally try to separate the artist from the art, I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to buy what Gibson’s selling — on GMA or anywhere else. Maybe because I need more time. Maybe because the cynic in me thinks it’s easy to be sorry for your behavior when you’ve got a new film coming out. Or maybe it’s just that I don’t see myself suffering too big a heart wound if I take a pass on Apocalypto. What about you, PopWatchers? Will you sit through two mornings of GMA to catch Sawyer’s Gibson get? And what’s your comfort level seeing Gibson’s movies going forward?
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I have mixed feelings on Mel…..I won’t be seeing Apocolypto, that’s is for sure, but I don’t think I would have seen it if there wasn’t a racist remark…it just looks terrible. If he did something like Lethal Weapon 5, how could I take out my anger Danny Glover? I’d have to check it out.
Have a good day!
Michael asks: “What about you, PopWatchers? Will you sit through two mornings of GMA to catch Sawyer’s Gibson get? And what’s your comfort level seeing Gibson’s movies going forward?”
No. And something that’s never going to happen again.
I’ve never liked Mel Gibson and in fact have managed to only ever see two of his films – BIRD ON A WIRE and WHAT WOMEN WANT. I wish I could get back the time I spent in the theatre at those two.
I did not see PASSION OF THE CHRIST…. and APOCALYPTO looks like a mess. Mel Gibson’s personal views and behavior make me even less but I never thought he had any talent to begin with.
Mel who?
Oh come on folks, you’re being way too hard. I side with Harry Shearer, who says that Gibson’s critics are guilty of far worse crimes than Gibson’s subconscious tirades… he’d gladly have dinner with Gibson over his critics.
Last I read, nobody here has a PHD in psychology, so nobody has any authority in discussing Mel Gibson’s subconscious. And Madonna _still_ insults Christians by hanging herself on a Disco cross, and she does that sober.
Looks like Touchstone (like ABC, a Disney company) sunk a lot of money into ‘Apocalypto’ and needs to save face.
Like you, I try to separate artist from art — and though history may judge gibson’s work as worthy irrespective of his personal flaws, I could never again support Gibson or his career.
So, Nick, what exactly are Gibson’s critics’ crimes that are “far worse” than Gibson’s? As for Gibson’s subconscious, I don’t have a psychology degree, but you don’t need one to see that he clearly dislikes Jewish people. Yes, he’s taken a lot of flack for his actions, and he should be applauded for coming to terms with his alcoholism and seeking treatment. However, that doesn’t mean that his ignorance should be excused or his vile comments forgotten.
I agree 100% with Nick. We don’t know what goes on in Mels subconscious, and it’s so easy to jump on the bandwagon when celebrities do something wrong. He has admitted to being an alcoholic and falling off the wagon, and I see that as an opportunity for him to reach out to others who also suffer from that addiction.
While I don’t necessarily plan to see “Apocolypto”, it has nothing to do with this incident. It just doesn’t look that good.
“As for Gibson’s subconscious, I don’t have a psychology degree, but you don’t need one to see that he clearly dislikes Jewish people.”
Lessee, you judge a complete stranger who has worked with and surrounded himself with more Jewish people than you will ever see in your lifetime, and you have the gall to make a statement like that. Pathetic.
Wow–have you never been drunk before? People say stupid things when they’re drunk. Things they’d never otherwise say, and do things they’d never otherwise do. We forgive other people for their drugs, prostitution, lying, womanizing, adultery, but Mel Gibson says a couple of really stupid things while drunk and everyone wants to kill him. Could it be because he’s a Christian?
Honestly, I wasn’t going to see Apocalypto anyway, but now I’m going to enjoy not seeing it.
A lot of people on this blog are talking about Mel’s subconcious and how Mel should be forgiven because that is the Christian thing to do. Forgiving is also a Jewish thing. Alcohol brings out the TRUTH. Mel’s comments came out in front of cops and he said the right thing at the wrong time.Yes as humans we have to forgive him as the Amish are forgiving the man who tore thier community apart but I don’t have to like him and I see ne proof yet of his change until my gut and not some interview on ABC tells me to.
It was NOT just a “drunkards ramblings”, Gibson has a long history of racist, sexist and homophobic comments and behaviours. And his movies stink, with the exception of Chicken Run, which he deserves very little credit for.
Mel has said and done many things in the past that made him look like a jerk. I lost respect for him when he tried to discourage people from seeing a movie that he starred in “Million Dollar Hotel” because he thought the movie sucked. He got paid to be in this movie so he can give it bad publicity. Just shows what kind of a person he really is.
If what exiene says is true, then she must be drunk. Get yourself to AA!!
First of all Nick, you didn’t even answer my question about the supposedly worse crimes Gibson’s critics have committed. Way to dodge that one. And talk about gall, how the hell do you even know whether I’m Jewish or not, or how many Jewish people I know or am friends with. Not that you’re owed an explanation, but just to put your smug a** in place, two of my very best friends from high school are Jewish (I was best man in one’s wedding), several very good friends from college are Jewish, and two cousins are Jewish (by marriage). I’m not Jewish and I’m not trying to be the voice of the Jews here, but for you to bring up the “gall” in my previous statement without even seeing the irony in your own criticism, now, THAT’s pathetic.
First of all, Mel knows that his movie is in trouble. The only reason he hit one out of the park with “Passion of the Christ” is because of the “Jesus” angle and there are a lot of Christians. However, there are not a lot of Mayans. In fact, if you asked most High School kids who the Mayans were, they wouldn’t be able to tell you. The movie is about an ancient Indian tribe and it has subtitles. Of course, Christians are willing to read subtitles while they are honoring Jesus but who is really going to honor the Mayans. So, Mel can apologize all that he wants, it is not going to help this movie!! As far as using alcohol as an excuse – no one buys into that – we have a representative who is claiming that alcohol caused him to lust for young boys – is anyone really buying that one? Mel Gibson hates jews just like his Dad hates Jews and he should just shut up about it. He grew up in a house where the Dad claimed the holocaust didn’t exist (yes it is actually on tape). Are we suppossed to believe that alcohol caused him to go on his rant or was it his upbringing? on the other hand, this is America – shouldn’t we be allowed to hate who we want?
Hi nick just want to say that I have been in AA for more than a few years so I speak from experience and two I’m not a she, just a Swede with a funky name and I’m a Jew so I’m not upset by your comment..in fact I forgive you.
I have no plans of seeing any of Mel Gibson’s films. I haven’t seen anything he’s done since Maverick. Mainly because they all look like they would suck. But I also lost respect for him years ago when he made some dumb sexist comments in a magazine interview while sober. Either way, he’s proven himself to be a backwards idiot before. It’s just now that he’s offended the “wrong people” that it’s finally catching up with him. (Although it seems that the fact that he’s also unapologetically sexist still escapes people since the comments he made to the female cop on the same night have all but been ignored.)
Religion aside, I’m curious how many people here have gotten drunk and NOT said something that wasn’t the truth? I hear a lot of people saying that alcohol is a truth serum and totally disagree. Yes, it makes us for comfortable to say things we normally wouldn’t say, but I do not believe it is always the truth we speak while we’re drunk. I do agree that what he said was totally insulting and wrong, but there just seems to be A LOT of stones being thrown. Next time you’re drunk guys, be careful what you say…people may think you really mean it when you don’t.
Dave,
You just answered your own question–you have the audacity to transfer your own miniscule experience with that of a movie star, working in the business for almost thirty years, with each individual project employing hundreds, maybe thousands, of which every nationality, race, religion and orientation take part.
The truth is, you DON’T KNOW Mel Gibson. Nobody here does. You don’t know how those thoughts may have entered his brain, or as to why he had them. Thoughts are a dangerous thing. You may overhear somebody say something outrageous, you may in a sober mind completely disagree, but when you’re drunk, it comes out as if the thoughts are your own.
Mel’s detractors have done the worse thing–not only rejected Mel’s constant attempts at reconciliation, but are actively profiting from it. Newspapers don’t care one way or another about anti-Semitism, but they know how to sell papers. And people who think they know psychoanalysis (and claim years of going to AA as experience–as if their minutae experience is representative of each and every single person’s experience), play doctor.
Note that I made the Madonna comment below, and not a single person has agreed to boycott all Madonna’s future albums and concerts. Not a single person. And when she slams an entire religion, she does it SOBER.
So defensive and touchy…has me thinking that “Nick” is actually the REAL Mel Gibson writing.
Hi Mel! Now kiss my grits!
The author of The Turner Diaries partnered with a jewish man to get his antisemetic/racist book distributed, just because he had business dealings with jews doesn’t magically make him a great guy.
Yes, Mel Gibson has worked with many jews in Hollywood, which means absolutely nothing. I agree, nobody on here know’s exactly what Mel Gibson believes deep down, but we do know what he has said, which is all I can go by to form an opinion.
By the way, when pressed in an interview about whether he agreed with his father that the holocaust never happened, he said, “my father has never lied to me”, and he was sober when he said that.
Hee, hee…I agree.
Hi Nick….I mean Mel..I mean Nick…I mean Mel!!!
The ONLY gal with class is the Italian gal. Like/love can transcend language barrier. My Aunt dated my Uncle and she barely spoke English and he spoke no Italian when they first met, but they learned and LOVED and live happily together. 50 years later.
LOL! (1) No I’m not Mel. He’s far more erudite than I am in these matters.
2) In Hollywood, you not only have to work with hundreds, possibly thousands of people, you have to schmooze them–actively be “friends” with people–to get contracts, get publicity, get roles. A racist simply cannot get as far as Mel did.
3) Saying a father “never lied to him” is soooo missing the point. Mel loves his father, warts and all. He’s not going to insult his pop on national television, especially when his experience working for so many diverse groups of people have already proven otherwise.
The question is, can a person who is seriously deluded (Mel’s Father) be convicted of lying? Does a 10th century, pre-Galileo professor of astronomy lie when he states that the earth is flat? In truth, no. He is mistaken, but not a liar.
BTW… the people scared of Apocolypto (really Mel, he financed it himself) not making its money back are not using this incident as a blueprint, but rather the financial failure of a spectacular movie… “The New World.” That $60 million dollar venture, which had many naturalistic scenes, minus subtitles, was only a $12 million dollar recouper.
Oops..posted at wrong place…meant for The Bachelor story (not The Bigot one).
Mel does not need forgiveness – he is sitting on millions from Passion of the Christ, and the casual moviegoer could care less about the arrest rant, or even if he is anti-semitic. He is a great actor, and as long as I like the subject matter I will go see his movies. And as long as he has hits he will always be in the Hollywood elite.
It’s sad that rags like EW think that they have a deciding hand in his comeback – almost as sad as Rob Schneider’s ad in Variety (as if Mel would ever work with him in the first place).
How would saying that you think the holocaust really happened be an insult to his father? I disagree with people all the time, and I don’t consider that an insult to them. You are really contorting yourself into positions I never thought possible to defend the indefensible.
Again, just because somebody works with people of different races doesn’t mean they aren’t racist. To make such a blanket statement that it’s impossible for a racist to be successful in Hollywood is naive to the extreme.
I don’t know what Mel Gibson believes deep down, and neither do you. What I do know is what he has said publicly, so that is how I will base my opinions. If that means I miss out on Lethal Weapon 5, so be it.