Mel may be in trouble again. He got rattled when a Chicago reporter asked about his drinking and other issues a few years ago.
I have to admit, the asshole comment was kind of funny. The reporter was being a jerk bringing up something from 4 years ago.
Mel took a long break after his DUI. I’m inclined to give him a break. If he’s still drinking, he’ll do something that will hit the news again.
What do you think? Will this new movie put Mel’s career back on top?
Don’t think so, since it was also released a couple weeks ago as “The Lovely Bones.”
I don’t know if it will or not, but he looks terrible. Remember when he was the Sexiest Man Alive? Yeah.
Now he looks like Al Bundy.
I don’t see the big deal. The interviewer was an asshole.
is it common practice to ask stuff that’s not about the movie he’s there for? Like if the interviewer started talking about Mad Max or something like Braveheart when Mel Gibson was there for Edge of Darkness.
I thought interviews were pretty much laid out in advance so the questions wouldn’t be off topic… Looks like this interviewer wanted to rile Mel Gibson.
The reporter didn’t mention anything specifically, it was Mel who coaxed him into getting specific. He could have just answered the question.
Heaven forbid, Mr Gibson should be able to handle an interview with an amout of dignity regardless the question being asked and not have to resort to profanity.
Gibson is just mad because a problem he had more than four years ago still sparks more viewer interest than any current project he is working on.
Let’s face it, in America we have this misguided notion that you can do and say anything you darn well please, as long as you make a half assed apology which you make very clear are only issuing because your public image is at stake and you have no sincere belief in such apology.
And Ameicans believe once you make an apology it should be the whole thing is dropped and never mentioned again and once you say “I’m sorry” you should be treated as the whole thing never happened.
Whether or not the interviewer was a jerk isn’t the point, the point is if any person in any profession but showbiz was called upon to answer such a question he/she wouldn’t get away with what Gibson did.
It just shows Gibson can’t handle pressure nor can he act like a decent person, so what if the interviewer was a jerk, that doesn’t mean Gibson must resort to being even a lower jerk.
Gibson should’ve known such a thing was coming and will be coming forever in his future and he had four years to prepare an answer which would be acceptable and tacful. And THAT is the best prepared he could be?
Perhaps Mr Gibson is no worse than anybody else, but that is probably my error, expecting anyone in America, from actor to politican to be better than the lowest common denominator
While it was four years ago, he really hasn’t done a whole lot in the past four years (other than impregnate a model and break up with his wife who is a better person than he is but going to hell) so the reporter was just addressing the elephant in the room. Had Gibson released 4 movies since then it would have been more assholish to bring that up, but other than his marital breakup and new baby (which I’m guessing Mel wouldn’t have responded well to either) the “Jews cause all the wars, officer” moment was the last time he was really big news. So, the reporter may have been bringing up old news but Mel should have been expecting it.
Plus, it’s not like it was a youthful indiscretion- he was 50- and he says he’s the same person he’s always been which might be more reassuring if you didn’t have a history of anti-Semitism and substance abuse and crazy comments. And saying you’ve done all your “mea culpas” (his phrase) doesn’t exactly sound repentant; just sounds like you jumped through the hoops to make those Jews quit kvetching.
My biggest beef with the whole incident is WHEN ARE CELEBRITIES GOING TO @#@*ING LEARN THAT IF YOU’RE WEARING A MICROPHONE AND THERE’S RECORDING EQUIPMENT AROUND THEN THAT MEANS THEY CAN HEAR YOU AND RECORD YOU! Jesse Jackson, Peggy Noonan, Christian Bale, and the list goes on- wait til you are absolutely positive they’re no longer listening (and 300 attaseconds after the interview ends isn’t sufficient timing for “they’re no longer listening”).
Which is in no way to imply that Mel Gibson isn’t a monumental douchebag.
He was born here but we ceded him to Australia by treaty. We do have visitation and tax rights.
I know that reporter well, living in Chicago. I’d call him an asshole, too.
Why do you hate Jews, Tim R. Mortiss?
Another vote: The reporter was an asshole.
Not that I think Mel Gibson is an upstanding pillar of the community, but it’s hard to argue with him on this. Reporter *was *an asshole for his line of questioning which was completely irrelevant to promoting a movie.
People, people - let’s try to reach some common ground here.
Both of them are assholes.
I think it’s a valid question. As Markxxx mentioned it’s still something that’s on a lot of people’s minds, and something that had the potential to derail his career.
I’m sure if Michael Richards were to come out with a new movie, a lot of interviewers would still be asking him about the n-word incident, even though that also happened around the same time as Mel’s indiscretion.
And regardless of whether or not you think the reporter was being an asshole, you have to admit that Mel should have been prepared for this sort of thing.
According to the interviewer this morning (I see this guy every morning as I’m getting ready for work), he turned down offers by Mel Gibson’s people for interviews pretty repeatedly because they insisted that there be no personal questions. The interviewer said he wouldn’t promise that and turned them down. Eventually Gibson’s people agreed to have personal questions included to get the interview. At least I think that’s what happened, I saw this within five minutes of waking up today.
Sorry – Australia has renounced that treaty, and sent him back, so he’s America’s problem now.
Don’t really care about Gibson or his penchant for running at the mouth, but **Sampiro’s **right. Seriously, people, the microphone is always on. Always. It’s on, even if it’s not. Learn it, live it, love it.
It’s a little like a gun - the gun is always loaded, right? Same deal. The mike’s always on.
But is he a major league asshole?
When I saw the headline on CNN this morning, I thought it was going to be a “Jews! Jews! Jews!” thing. But this?
An actor calls an entertainment reporter an asshole. Who gives a shit?