9290: Rabbi Not A Fan of Mel Gibson.

From CNN…

Mel Gibson’s work on Jewish film ‘frankly preposterous,’ rabbi says

By Alan Duke, CNN

Mel Gibson will not have an acting role in a movie about Jewish historical icon Judah Maccabee, although he may direct the film, Gibson’s representative said Friday.

The possibility of Gibson’s involvement in the Warner Bros. Studios production brought harsh reactions from some Jewish leaders in the United States, including Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.

“I think it’s, quite frankly, preposterous,” Hier told CNN on Friday. “Judah Maccabee is one of the greatest heroes in Jewish history. Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite. He has made anti-Semitic remarks in the past. I don’t know what Warner Bros. was thinking.”

Maccabee was a Judean priest who commanded the Judean resistance to Greek forces around 165 BC.

“Casting him as a director or star of Judah Maccabee is like casting Bernie Madoff to be the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission,” Hier said.

[MultiCultClassics addition: At the Simon Wiesenthal Center website, Hier is quoted as saying, “…Casting him as a director or perhaps as the star of Judah Maccabee is like casting Madoff to be the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or a white supremacist as trying to portray Martin Luther King Jr. It’s simply an insult to Jews.”]

Gibson’s representative, in an email exchange with CNN on Friday, said, “There are no plans at this stage for Mel to be in the film.” The rep asked not to be identified.

“He is way too old to play the lead character,” his rep said. “(The) finished script will determine whether he directs or not but the studio would obviously prefer he direct than not. It’s an amazing story that should be told cinematically.”

Gibson’s rep pointed to his work on “Braveheart,” “Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto” as “all great stories that translate beautifully on the big screen with such a visual filmmaker as Gibson.”

Hier disagreed, saying that “The Passion of the Christ,” which Gibson produced and directed, depicted every Jew, with the exception of Jesus, as a “tyrant, buffoon, or an idiot.”

Hier alluded to Gibson’s infamous rant after his arrest on a drunken driving charge in 2006. The sheriff’s arrest report said the actor asked the deputy if he was a Jew and said, “F---ing Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”

“My anger with Mel Gibson is he has never made efforts to fix his past mistakes,” Hier said. He said he would have no problem with Gibson becoming involved in a Maccabee movie if he had made amends for what he did.

“They do have the freedom of expression, which we all welcome, don’t we?” Gibson’s representative said in response to the criticism.

8728: Mel Gibson Is Mad To The Max.

The New York Daily News reported Mel Gibson insisted he’s “never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality—period.” Wow, this guy must be smoking whatever the racist Republican is enjoying.

Mel Gibson: ‘I’ve never treated anyone badly’ based on their gender, race, religion, or sexuality

By Shari Weiss, Daily News Staff Writer

Even though his legal problems are far from over, Mel Gibson is finally opening up about his tumultuous 2010.

“I was angry at me,” Gibson told Deadline.com contributor Allison Hope Weiner about the infamous tapes leaked via RadarOnline.com last year featuring the actor making racist, obscene and threatening comments to ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

While the 55-year-old said he “of course” regrets his comments, he stressed that his words need to be put “in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship.”

“It’s one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day,” he explained, “and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life.”

Gibson, who has repeatedly been accused of anti-Semitism, added that he’s “never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality — period.”

“I don’t blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited,” he said.

And, confirming reports that the movie star had no idea he was being recorded by his former love, Gibson asked, “Who could anticipate such a personal betrayal?”

“The main thing is that it was terribly humiliating and painful for my family, all my kids,” Gibson, a father of eight, added later.

The actor, who also admitted he’s become quite uncomfortable with the level of his fame, clammed up when asked specifically about keeping his relationship with Grigorieva a secret initially (after he split from his wife Robyn in 2006 after 26 years of marriage).

“It’s nobody’s business, my separation, my divorce, any of that stuff. It’s out there, okay, so it happened,” he added later in the interview. “As to the details, I have precious little to keep to myself. And if I can even hold on to even painful things for myself, so be it.”

And when prodded for specifics about the leaked phone conversations, Gibson repeatedly stated that he couldn’t discuss it since “there are all sorts of legal things pending.”

Still, he pointed out, “Everybody has a dog in the fight but me, oddly enough.”

“I haven’t got a lawsuit out on anyone because I think it’s extremely … You have to think about your children,” he said, adding “There are a lot of delicate and sensitive issues and I don’t want to be the cause of grief to any of my children or to friends or family or associates on either side because it’s a matter that should be dealt with.”

But the “Bravehart” star did address his March no contest plea to a misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly striking Grigorieva while she held their daughter. Gibson was sentenced to three years probation, a year of mandatory counseling, 16 hours of community service and fines.

“I was allowed to end the case and still maintain my innocence. It’s called a West plea and it’s not something that prosecutors normally allow. But in my case, the prosecutors and the judge agreed that it was the right thing to do,” he said.

“I could have continued to fight this for years and it probably would have come out fine. But I ended it for my children and my family,” he continued. “This was going to be such a circus. You don’t drag other people in your life through this sewer needlessly, so I’ll take the hit and move on.”

Lucia has remained “blissfully unaware” of the traumatic events of the last year, Gibson said, but admitted he realizes he may have to “address” it with her when she’s older.

Gibson said he’s particularly grateful to have such a young child at his age.

“The whole journey of discovery again and having a different perspective now. It’s different. You learn,” he said. “I mean, I have a daughter who is 30 and I have a daughter who is 18 months. And the 18 month is getting 30 years of benefit.”

7863: Shit Happens, Try Charmin.

Does this count as contextual advertising? A banner ad for Charmin is positioned alongside a story on Mel Gibson’s dad talking crazy shit.

7861: S#*! Mel’s Dad Says.

Dads and Dames in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Like father, like son. Mel Gibson’s dad spouted off during a radio interview and declared Pope Benedict XVI is gay. Somebody give the Gibson dudes a reality TV show pronto.

• According to a new study, attractive women are typically rejected for jobs deemed masculine and preferred for jobs deemed feminine. Not sure what Mel Gibson and his dad would say about the study—they’d probably want to curse the study subjects and knock out their front teeth.

7771: Mel Gibson Cultural Clueless Scorecard.

The actor has managed to display ugly bias towards:
• Gays
• Jews
• Blacks
• Latinos
• Women/Russians
• Asians (Based on dialogue directed at Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4)

7765: Choo-Choo And Coo-Coo.

A midweek MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Gary Coleman’s former in-laws want to take the late star’s ashes on a train trip. “There's been talk about taking Gary’s ashes with us on a train trip. Gary loves trains. Anybody that knows Gary knows that he’s an aficionado for trains,” said Coleman’s ex-father-in-law. Sounds like these fools are viewing Coleman as a financial gravy train.

• McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner defended the fast feeder’s use of toys in Happy Meals. A consumer advocacy group argued Mickey D’s entices kids to eat bad food with the lure of toys. Skinner argued, “Happy Meals are a fun treat, with right-sized, quality food choices.” Of course, the toys have more nutritional value than the food.

• Now Mel Gibson’s ex-girlfriend is claiming to have photos proving the superstar knocked out her front teeth during a spat. At this point, Gibson can probably kick-start his career by launching a reality TV show.

7752: Ranting and Raving.

Fast-talking in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Mel Gibson’s ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva allegedly has an additional 30 minutes of recorded rants to share with the world. The recordings will likely get more play than Gibson’s last few movies.

• A court in The Hague ruled Naomi Campbell could be subpoenaed to testify about allegedly receiving a “blood diamond” from the former president of Liberia. And if she’s asked to return the gem, Campbell will likely unleash a rant that makes Mel Gibson sound like the Pope.

7749: Gibson’s Mouth Is A Lethal Weapon.

From The New York Post…

Mel’s vile rant
Race slur, ‘burn’ threat for lover

By David K. Li

Mel Gibson has unleashed his most vile rant yet—a racist and sexist threat against his baby mama that was caught on tape, according to a disturbing report yesterday.

The celebrity-gossip Web site Radar Online claimed to have heard the disturbing tape recordings of Gibson yelling at ex-gal pal Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his infant daughter.

Gibson’s most foul comments reportedly came while dressing down Grigorieva for wearing provocative clothes.

“You’re an embarrassment to me!” he said, according to Radar Online. “You look like a fucking pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of niggers, it will be your fault.”

Gibson, 54, and Grigorieva, 40, are locked in a bitter battle over child support. Gibson’s affair with the Russian musician led to the end of his 29-year marriage.

RadarOnline didn’t post the actual recording but claimed to have heard Gibson’s angry words.

In another rant, he allegedly threatened to torch Grigorieva’s house but only after he’s sexually serviced.

“I am going to come and burn the fucking house down,” Gibson reportedly said. “But you will blow me first!”

The ultraconservative, Catholic Gibson has been a Tinseltown pariah since his drunken-driving bust in 2006, when he told a cop that Jews were responsible for both world wars.

He went on to call a female sergeant “sugar tits” at the station house.

Reps for Gibson declined comment yesterday, and Grigorieva’s lawyer didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.

A legal expert said the recordings could easily make it into court and hit Gibson hard in the wallet.

“I think it’s relevant because the mother can now say, ‘What kind of dad threatens the mother of his child?’ “ said Stan Goldman, who teaches rules of evidence at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

“If a judge agrees and gives increased custody of the kid to the mom, that’s going to increase the payments Mel would have to make.”

Gibson, meanwhile, closed a lowball deal to unload the Connecticut estate he’d been trying to sell for three years.

Gibson sold his Greenwich property, known as Old Mill Farm, for $24 million, according to property records.

The Post first reported in 2007 that Gibson had put the property up for sale and was asking for $39.5 million. The “Mad Max” actor shelled out $9.3 million for the 75-acre place in 1994.

“I think asking $40 million, before the market went into a downward motion like it is now, might have been an aggressive price,” said Joann Erb, a Realtor who once listed the property in the early ‘90s.

“Still, I think $24 million, in this market, is a good price” for Gibson.

7159: Selling Out.

Retail morals and values in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A week after putting Obama Chia Pets onto store shelves, CVS stores are pulling the item. However, the retailer is mum about the reasons behind the decision. The chain is probably just making room for Obama Snuggies, which should be popular during the colder seasons.

• Mel Gibson had his criminal record cleared of the 2006 anti-Semitic DUI episode. Now if only he could clear the memories of his last movies from the public record.

• Anheuser-Busch InBev sold a bunch of its theme parks—including a few Sea Worlds and Busch Gardens—for $2.3 billion. Sadly, the company is having a far more difficult time trying to sell six-packs for even $2.30.

Essay 4882

Special treatment in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s office of independent review reported Mel Gibson may have received special treatment when arrested for drunk driving last year. A supervisor apparently tried to censor the arrest report—which detailed the star’s anti-Semitic rants—but a captain overruled the attempt. Meanwhile, it was decided that Paris Hilton received no special treatment when she was jailed for a probation violation. Of course, Gibson and Hilton technically received special treatment in warranting these special reports, as regular people arrested in Los Angeles probably don’t see such concern from officials.

• The Miami Herald interviewed GM CEO Rick Wagoner, who expressed guarded optimism about the year ahead. “We look forward to the sunny days, but realistically we can’t plan on it for next year,” said Wagoner. “We’ve got the best car in the segment [with the 2008 Chevy Malibu]. It will be a very good test case to see how far we can, how quickly we can, begin to change not only image but then consideration of the purchase.” The automaker will need to do better than the forgettable “It’s the car you can’t ignore” campaign.