I noted that Huffington has over 30 posts on Mel Gibson's arrest--all attacking him. There was only one post at Huffington on Patrick Kennedy's drunk driving crash at the U.S. Capitol--and, it was in defense of Kennedy. Those folks are quite over the top.

Posted by Woody at August 3, 2006 06:25 AM

Thanks for the link and for the great comment. It is much appreciated.

Posted by Howard at August 3, 2006 07:22 AM

"... we shouldn't really give a hoot about what he says or does."

Why is it that the media always drags out an actor to comment on nuclear power plant construction, global warming, NASA's latest space probe, etc. ? These people are only expert at repeating what someone else wrote for them to say. Period. They have no other credentials, and are only experts at acting. Period. As soon as I see some celebrity commenting on ecological diversity in the rain forest, or some other topic other than acting, I just change the channel and move one ... but then in retrospect, if I were a credentialed expert on the topic of interest, I wouldn't give the media the time of day, let alone my reasoned opinion, as it would be twisted out of all context and used for their own political hidden agenda. The bottom line is that all we get from the media is opinions of people who aren't qualified to expertly comment on the subject.

Posted by Vulgorilla at August 3, 2006 08:21 AM

GM,
It seems to me that Vulgorilla has it about right - maybe the reason the press always goes Hollywood is because noone worth a damn would give them the time of day nowadays (after all, they'll only twist and screw it up anyway).

I do think Disney dropped the ball though, in eighty-sixing Gibson's company from doing the Holocaust series they were supposed to do; they should have kept him on it, as a form of community service if nothing else (kind of like giving someone corrective training when you're in the military!). He'd have to bend over backwards to do it properly, lest he sink down the drain in the Hollywood hierarchy (where the big ones float to the top). At least then, we'd all get something out of the experience: the Jewish community would get a top notch production documenting the Holocaust (despite its being produced by someone with this "shady incident" on record - after all, several people who have ended up helping Jews didn't start out with the shiniest of credentials - they should publicize it to remind people that even someone who may not be pro-Judaism still acknowledges the horrors of the Holocaust), we'd get something better than the usual "get 'em while they're down" mauling of someone well-known by the press (regardless of whether or not they're "good" or "bad"), and he might get a chance to demonstrate some neutrality, if not goodwill, and we can all move on to something that really matters. Like dusting the tops of the kitchen cabinets, or getting that gunk out from around the hinges on the screen door...

Posted by Katje at August 3, 2006 09:04 AM

There is something pretty unseemly about a guy doing a series primarily to promote his own self image. Questions about Gibson's anti-semitism are not new (and I know a few Hollywood types who have said for years, from quasi-personal experience, that he's not Jew-friendly) and the whole project felt pretty shameless to begin with. But the basic point is right on: actors are just normal citizens (at best) and while they have some larger platform to share their views, the news media should be able to focus on real issues.

p.s. just since it hasn't been said, he's a jerk who deserves worse than he'll get.

Posted by Mavis Beacon at August 3, 2006 11:21 PM

Mavis, this goes at least as far back as Sissy Space-Cadet testifying before congress about the problems of the family farmer when all she had done was make a movie about the family farmer and the trials and tribulations of flooding of the farm.

What the hell do these people know that we don't? Nothing, it is just that they occupy a celebrity platform and so someone thinks what they have to say means something.

Sigh, we really are the ones at fault for elevating celebrity status beyond the stratosphere and thinking that what they say is any more important than what anyone else with a high-school educations has to say... (and a lot of them don't even have that much)

Posted by GM at August 4, 2006 08:25 AM

Unrelated comment, GM, congrats on the good news in your fight against cancer.

Posted by DADvocate at August 5, 2006 12:34 PM