Mel Gibson charged with DUI...

[savafan]

...in an apparent effort to promote his new film.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movi...dui/index.html

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actor and director Mel Gibson was arrested Friday in Malibu, California, and charged with driving under the influence, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.

Gibson, 50, was pulled over early Friday while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. Officers on patrol reported Gibson was driving at an "excessively fast speed," he said.

He was charged with a misdemeanor and posted $5,000 bond, Whitmore said.

Gibson was not immediately available for comment.

Gibson, who acted in the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max" movie series, won an Oscar for directing 1995's Oscar-winning best picture "Braveheart."

He reportedly financed the controversial movie "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), which he also directed, with $25 million of his own money. The film made $370 million at the domestic box office and currently ranks No. 10 on the all-time box office list. "Passion of the Christ" was nominated for three Oscars, but won none.

Gibson's latest movie, "Apocalypto," set in the Mayan civilization of several centuries ago, is due in December.

[dsmith421]

No idea how reliable this is, but:

http://www.tmz.com/2006/07/28/gibson...leged-cover-up

TMZ has four pages of the original report prepared by the arresting officer in the case, L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy James Mee. According to the report, Gibson became agitated after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway and told he was to be detained for drunk driving Friday morning in Malibu. The actor began swearing uncontrollably. Gibson repeatedly said, "My life is f****d." Law enforcement sources say the deputy, worried that Gibson might become violent, told the actor that he was supposed to cuff him but would not, as long as Gibson cooperated. As the two stood next to the hood of the patrol car, the deputy asked Gibson to get inside. Deputy Mee then walked over to the passenger door and opened it. The report says Gibson then said, "I'm not going to get in your car," and bolted to his car. The deputy quickly subdued Gibson, cuffed him and put him inside the patrol car.

TMZ has learned that Deputy Mee audiotaped the entire exchange between himself and Gibson, from the time of the traffic stop to the time Gibson was put in the patrol car, and that the tape fully corroborates the written report.

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

...

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

Class act all the way.

[Cedric]

As classy as you judging him based on that "alleged" report?

[Matt700wlw]

He's struggled with an alcohol problem over the years, I believe....I think the guy needs help.

[MWM]

Wwjd

[Dom Heffner]

Wwjd

He would have turned the water into wine but sat home and drank it.

[RBA]

I arrested a drunk military retiree. He kept on calling me names and for some reason thought I was jewish. He made several remarks about "the jews" controlling everything. I pretty much laughed it off. But I was somewhat suprised that someone would act this way in the year 2000. I thought that was all behind us. Guess not.

[Falls City Beer]

Dog is his co-pilot.

[Falls City Beer]

As classy as you judging him based on that "alleged" report?

FWIW, New York Times reports that Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade was real.

[westofyou]

FWIW, New York Times reports that Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade was real.

Yep, read that this morning myself.

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree in the Gibson household.

[ochre]

Scotsman.com News
Sunday, 30th July 2006
Latest News
Reuters Sun 30 Jul 2006
Australian actor Mel Gibson is shown on January...


Gibson arrest sparks new accusations of anti-Semitism

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The arrest of Mel Gibson for drunk driving prompted renewed accusations on Sunday that the Oscar-winning director and actor harboured anti-Semitic feelings.

Gibson, whose controversial 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ" was a major hit, was arrested in the early hours of Friday morning for allegedly driving his 2006 Lexus at 87 mph (140 kph) along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, the beach town north of Los Angeles.

Celebrity Web site TMZ.com posted portions of what it called the arresting deputy's original report, which said Gibson was abusive, shouted anti-Jewish slurs and boasted that he "owned Malibu."

The TMZ report quoted Gibson as saying, "F..... Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." He then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

Gibson issued a statement on Saturday in which he apologised for driving while drunk and for his "belligerent behaviour" towards the Los Angeles County deputy sheriffs who arrested him.

In his statement the 50-year-old actor said he has "battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse."

He added: "I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable."

The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement on Sunday that Gibson's response was "unremorseful and insufficient" and that his tirade "finally reveals his true self."

Many Jews and others were upset that "The Passion of the Christ" revived ancient Christian accusations that Jews bore responsibility for Jesus' death.

"It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism," said ADL national director Abraham Foxman.

"We would hope that Hollywood now would realise the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite," he said.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday that a civilian committee overseeing the sheriff's department would investigate whether officers tried to cover up Gibson's behaviour and statements to save the star from embarrassment.

Gibson rocketed to fame in the late 1970s in the movie "Mad Max" and scored huge box office hits playing a cop in the "Lethal Weapon" movies.

In 1995, he acted in and directed "Braveheart," about 13th century Scottish rebel William Wallace. The movie earned 10 Oscar nominations and won five of the top film awards, including directing for Gibson and best picture of the year.

(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1106172006

reuters is running with it too.

[max venable]

I hope it's not true about Mel...but if it is...holy smokes...I mean Jesus was a Jew Mel! He's your homeboy...

[Red in Chicago]

Yep, read that this morning myself.

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree in the Gibson household.

this is exactly what i was thinking...i seam to recall that gibson was quite upset when people brought up his father's viewpoints in the past...now, we learn that mel's aren't much different...

for what it's worth, i've been called anti semitic names before and i'm not even jewish...when i was a kid i use to mow lawns for a jewish temple, and more than a few times, kids screamed names at me from their cars as they drove by...it really was eye opening...very sad...

[Benihana]

As classy as you judging him based on that "alleged" report?

the report has been independently confirmed by two other news sources, the LA Times being one of them. Now CNN is even reporting it. Mel Gibson is a piece of trash

[zombie-a-go-go]

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

This is hilarious.