So
I know as a blogger I’m supposed to be all over Mel Gibson’s drunk
driving arrest in Malibu from late last week, his rambling,
anti-Semitic tirade and its alleged quasi-cover-up or suppression
courtesy of a celebrity-friendly police department.

In a way, though, I’m simply just much more intrigued at Lindsay Lohan getting awesomely blasted by Morgan Creek Productions CEO James G. Robinson
for her serial, late-night partying, corresponding habitual tardiness
and its effect on the production of the Garry Marshall film Georgia Rule, co-starring Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda. That’s a good, old-fashioned Hollywood shaming, folks. I wonder what Hector Elizondo thinks about all this?

Gibson, on the other hand, has been giving off the pungent aroma of
craziness for some time now. I mean, was it possible for the guy to
become any more hermetic, post-The Passion of the Christ? Robert Welkos and John Horn have a great piece in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times
which examines the potential toll all this will take on Gibson’s
career. The gist of it is that while actors and directors bounce back
from all manner of naughty, idiotic and/or illicit behavior, the bigger
the face, the bigger the necessary mea culpa.

For Gibson, who’s grown out that shoe-bomber’s beard and largely shirked firing-line press obligations for The Passion
while simultaneously eschewing high-profile acting roles, the warm and
fuzzy days of Martin Riggs-style glory may be over. Sure, he could
further play out his latter-day career track as self-financier and
director of far-out historical epics — his latest outing behind the
camera is Apocalypto, set to be released by Disney in
December — but without the experience, infrastructure and clout of a
major distribution partner, he’d face an uphill battle getting his
film(s) in theaters. Gee, I just hope this doesn’t spell doom for Who Killed the Electric Car? On the plus side, it at least means we probably won’t ever have to suffer through Lethal Weapon 5. And I think that’s a win for everyone.