Anti-Semitic Comments Seem To Be The Hardest Words
This week I decided to make the rent cheap. As a result I got many good bids. It came down to my new friend and my landlord for the week, Miss Britt and new discovery From Tracie. In the end I went with From Tracie because she didn't know me, but instantly tried to help me with the Blogging Chick code dilemma I have going on in the lower left hand corner. There is supposed to be a +/- side but lo and behold we cannot fix it. But Tracie a virtual stranger, tried, as did the lovely Miz Bohemia. I left the messed up code up in the hopes somebody knows how to fix it and that having the visual will help.
In the meantime I hope Miss Britt understands because it was really, really tough. I also hope you all are as welcoming to Tracie as she was to me.
Now, on with the show!
It seems you can't tune into the news these days without seeing some sort of follow-up story about actor Mel Gibson. Actually, the news itself is a bit embarrassing in its coverage, but then again, if they didn't muck it up we wouldn't get Jon Stewart's take. At first this was the reason I didn't write about this. Soon there after it became the exact reason I did.
On the off chance you have no idea what I'm talking about here's what went down.
Beloved, semi-Australian actor Mel Gibson was arrested in late July for drinking and driving. As if drinking and driving itself isn't a big enough no no, Mel apparently went all "Mad Max" on the cops asses, throwing around some pretty weighty statements about huge populations of people, namely the Jews.
Now let's set aside, just for a minute, the fact that Mel Gibson said the nasty things he said, drunk, sober or otherwise. Here a famous, 50 year old father of seven, count 'em SEVEN children, Mel Gibson was allegedly stumbling into a bar alone, only to later admit he has struggled with alcoholism most of his adult life. If that doesn't set off a Nascar raceway full of red flags, I don't know what will. Of course I realize that the driving he did and the comments he made are the meat of the story, but I also think it's pretty damn important to make note of the potatoes.
My theory is a simple one and it is this. As much as the public loves to embrace celebrities, they love it even more when said celebrities screw up. Why? Because it reminds them that at the end of the day, no matter how big their crib or how stocked their fridge is with Cristal, that these people aren't all that different than you or me.
So now Mel Gibson is all apologetic and some people aren't buying it. After all, when you get caught with pants below the knees so to speak there's really nothing left to say in the face of humility but a glorified, "Oops, my bad".
But Mel Gibson isn't the only person defending Mel Gibson. Former co-star Jodie Foster is, too. As is David Soul. Oh and so is Patrick Swayze. All of the above would have no problem working with Mel Gibson again, if they were working themselves, that is.
But perhaps even more interesting are the "stars" who have vowed to never work with Mel, such as comedic actor, Rob Schneider. Call me crazy, but I don't think the reason Mel Gibson wasn't working with you is because you are half a Jew. It's because lately, you're barely halfway talented.
Now Hollywood feels the only punishment that fits the crime would be for Mel to do the time. This involves getting to know Jews, getting to know all about Jews. This is where Hollywood has a hard time forgiving, but even a harder time forgetting. For it wasn't so long ago that Mel Gibson made the controversial film The Passion Of The Christ. For the first time ever, people started seeing Mel Gibson less as the sexy cop from Down Under and more of an actor full of foot in the mouth blunders.
Surely you too must remember this. At the time, Mel was sporting the mad scientist look and hopping from talk show to talk show talking about his passion for...Passion. But any controversial movie based around biblical retellings is going to get more closely scrutinized then say the latest Lethal Weapon flick. Right around then news about his father's beliefs also surfaced and although since buried, have now once again been dug up and put on display.
Perhaps the biggest red flag of all is Mel's father questioning the occurrence of the Holocaust and Mel neither confirming nor denying his own beliefs in accordance with his father's. This is not to say that Mel Gibson does not have Jewish friends. I mean he does work in Hollywood. Working in Hollywood and hating Jews is like an alcoholic taking a job behind a bar. It can be done, but it doesn't make much sense.
So where does that leave Mel now? A lot of people are saying this could very well mark the end of his career. In my estimations, that might be a little hasty. On a code alert level of 1-5, with five being a mess up of OJ Simspon proportions, a four being a Michael Jackson faux pas and so on, Mel is barely a blip on the radar.
Mel might have gotten a little harried in his later years, but I still remember the happy go lucky Mel who used to pop in on shows like Arsenio Hall and come across as the guy you'd love to have a drink with and just hang.
Ok, so maybe you'll share an artichoke dip appetizer instead of a beer. Can't we all just get along?
In the meantime I hope Miss Britt understands because it was really, really tough. I also hope you all are as welcoming to Tracie as she was to me.
Now, on with the show!
It seems you can't tune into the news these days without seeing some sort of follow-up story about actor Mel Gibson. Actually, the news itself is a bit embarrassing in its coverage, but then again, if they didn't muck it up we wouldn't get Jon Stewart's take. At first this was the reason I didn't write about this. Soon there after it became the exact reason I did.
On the off chance you have no idea what I'm talking about here's what went down.
Beloved, semi-Australian actor Mel Gibson was arrested in late July for drinking and driving. As if drinking and driving itself isn't a big enough no no, Mel apparently went all "Mad Max" on the cops asses, throwing around some pretty weighty statements about huge populations of people, namely the Jews.
Now let's set aside, just for a minute, the fact that Mel Gibson said the nasty things he said, drunk, sober or otherwise. Here a famous, 50 year old father of seven, count 'em SEVEN children, Mel Gibson was allegedly stumbling into a bar alone, only to later admit he has struggled with alcoholism most of his adult life. If that doesn't set off a Nascar raceway full of red flags, I don't know what will. Of course I realize that the driving he did and the comments he made are the meat of the story, but I also think it's pretty damn important to make note of the potatoes.
My theory is a simple one and it is this. As much as the public loves to embrace celebrities, they love it even more when said celebrities screw up. Why? Because it reminds them that at the end of the day, no matter how big their crib or how stocked their fridge is with Cristal, that these people aren't all that different than you or me.
So now Mel Gibson is all apologetic and some people aren't buying it. After all, when you get caught with pants below the knees so to speak there's really nothing left to say in the face of humility but a glorified, "Oops, my bad".
But Mel Gibson isn't the only person defending Mel Gibson. Former co-star Jodie Foster is, too. As is David Soul. Oh and so is Patrick Swayze. All of the above would have no problem working with Mel Gibson again, if they were working themselves, that is.
But perhaps even more interesting are the "stars" who have vowed to never work with Mel, such as comedic actor, Rob Schneider. Call me crazy, but I don't think the reason Mel Gibson wasn't working with you is because you are half a Jew. It's because lately, you're barely halfway talented.
Now Hollywood feels the only punishment that fits the crime would be for Mel to do the time. This involves getting to know Jews, getting to know all about Jews. This is where Hollywood has a hard time forgiving, but even a harder time forgetting. For it wasn't so long ago that Mel Gibson made the controversial film The Passion Of The Christ. For the first time ever, people started seeing Mel Gibson less as the sexy cop from Down Under and more of an actor full of foot in the mouth blunders.
Surely you too must remember this. At the time, Mel was sporting the mad scientist look and hopping from talk show to talk show talking about his passion for...Passion. But any controversial movie based around biblical retellings is going to get more closely scrutinized then say the latest Lethal Weapon flick. Right around then news about his father's beliefs also surfaced and although since buried, have now once again been dug up and put on display.
Perhaps the biggest red flag of all is Mel's father questioning the occurrence of the Holocaust and Mel neither confirming nor denying his own beliefs in accordance with his father's. This is not to say that Mel Gibson does not have Jewish friends. I mean he does work in Hollywood. Working in Hollywood and hating Jews is like an alcoholic taking a job behind a bar. It can be done, but it doesn't make much sense.
So where does that leave Mel now? A lot of people are saying this could very well mark the end of his career. In my estimations, that might be a little hasty. On a code alert level of 1-5, with five being a mess up of OJ Simspon proportions, a four being a Michael Jackson faux pas and so on, Mel is barely a blip on the radar.
Mel might have gotten a little harried in his later years, but I still remember the happy go lucky Mel who used to pop in on shows like Arsenio Hall and come across as the guy you'd love to have a drink with and just hang.
Ok, so maybe you'll share an artichoke dip appetizer instead of a beer. Can't we all just get along?
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