Category: Celebs

Mel Gibson, the Man

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I’ve always liked Mel Gibson. I’m talking about Mel Gibson, the actor.

Gibson could have went the easy route after the runaway worldwide success of The Road Warrior. But he didn’t. Instead he took chances… movies like Hamlet, The River, and The Year of Living Dangerously.

Then Mel Gibson, the actor, took an even bigger chance and became Mel Gibson the director. He soared to even greater heights with Braveheart and The Patriot. Gibson hedged his bets somewhat since he was the star of both of these megahits. But with The Passion of Christ he has put it all on the line.

Gibson co-wrote, directed and funded [to the tune of $30 million or more of his own money] The Passion of Christ. The movie is subtitled since the actors speak the original languages. And Gibson‘s face never appears on screen. Talk about taking chances. All of this has added to my admiration of Mel Gibson.

Last night after watching his interview on ABC’s Primetime I was even more impressed. Gibson spoke openly and honestly about his crisis of faith and how his beliefs have saved… even redeemed him. He answered the charges that he was anti-Semitic. And he refused to answer anything about his father other than to say that he loved him. Mel says that message of The Passion of Christ is “faith, hope, love and forgiveness.” It was refreshing to see a celebrity be so open and revealing. And while I may not believe everything in the same way as Mel I can honestly say that I’ve never liked him more.

I’m talking about Mel Gibson, the man.

More About Mel

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The last ZONE piece that I did on Mel Gibson brought in a lot of e-mail, so I thought that many of you would be interested in another Mel Gibson update.

Mel is featured on the cover and is the subject of a lengthy article in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Mel will also sit for an interview that will air on ABC’s Monday “Primetime.” Mel also has an interview in the March issue of Reader’s Digest.

Finally, the Ransom Special Edition dvd will be released on March 23rd. It’ll have a commentary track by director Ron Howard, extensive deleted scenes, a “What Would You Do” making-of featurette, and more.

If you have a passion [sorry, I couldn’t resist] for Mel Gibson movies, then February and March are going to be a lot of fun!

Gibson’s Passion

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I‘ve been a Mel Gibson fan since I first saw The Road Warrior  at a drive-in movie theater over twenty years ago. It’s been cool following Mel’s career… and even cooler to discover what a talented director he is. Braveheart  and Lethal Weapon  are two of my all-time favorite movies.

Mel‘s been taking a lot of heat for his latest movie, The Passion of Christ, but I have a feeling that, while it may not be a crowd-pleaser on the level of The Patriot, it is going to be very well done, moving and impressive.

Kurt Russell’s Miracle

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I think that Kurt Russell is one of the most under-rated actors in Hollywood.

I loved him as Snake Plisken in Escape From New York and Escape From LA.

And while not every Kurt Russell movie has been a favorite, I can truly say that even the bad ones have been made better because of him.

Kurt‘s latest is Miracle. And while it’s not high on my must-see list, I’ll bet it will be better because Russell is in it.

Til Ink Dries Do Us Part

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Seems that Britney Spears and her new husband, Jason Alexander, have already decided to call it quits.

That’s right! It’s being reported that all the annulment papers had been signed by both Spears and Alexander and are expected to be filed when the courts open today.

So much for until Death Do Us Part… this one didn’t even last until the ink had dried on the marriage contract!

Britney Off the Market

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The crying that you hear is from single guys around the world…Britney Spears married her childhood friend, Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas strip early yesterday.

While I’m sure Seinfield jokes will abound, the fact that Britney got married is not.

And that somehow seems as surprising as “The Crocodile Hunter” holding his one month old in his arm as he went in to feed a huge croc.

Crock Hunter is Like Mike

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Remember all the flack that Michael Jackson got when he held his baby over the balcony? Well, Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin may be in for more of the same.

On January 1st, “The Crocodile Hunter” held his one month old in his arm as he went in to feed a huge croc.

A lot of people are outraged — and rightly so. Irwin even received a warning from child-care authorities.

Talk about stupid. It’s one thing to put yourself in potentially dangerous situations – but it’s indefensible to do the same to children.

QT Has a Plan

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Michael Madsen is one of those under-rated actors who makes a movie better every time he shows up. For nearly a decade fans have hoped that Madsen, Quentin Tarantino and John Travolta would get together and make “The Vega Brothers” based on their characters from “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction.“
As the years passed the project seemed doomed to never happen. Although Madsen says that Tarantino has a plan that could make it work…

Britney Bares No More

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Britney Spears appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone and British Elle magazines and even bottomless on the cover of Esquire. But now she says she going to keep her clothes on in future photo sessions.

Did I just hear the sound of males around the world sobbing?

As We Head into Halloween How About These Books, Graphic Novels and Movies

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Man, I love Halloween!

As we get closer to the big night, I find myself drawn to scary books and movies. For some reason even more so this year. Maybe it’s because there are so many good ones available.

I just finished reading Steve Niles‘ Dial M for Monster. Dial M is a book of short stories featuring his monster hunter, Cal McDonald. You’ve heard me praise Niles‘ work before and this book is no exception. I love everything about the world Niles has created for Cal [and I’m especially glad I can safely visit without fear of vampires, werewolves, fiends or other creatures coming after me!]. I’d suggest that you start with Guns, Drugs and Monsters [the first novel in the series] and then follow it up with Savage Membrane [the second].

If you’d like to get a taste of Niles‘ work before commiting to a novel, then by all means check out 30 Days of Night. This award winning comic series [with art by the extremely talented Ben Templesmith] is being developed into a feature film produced by none other than Sam Raimi! Why wait for the film? The graphic novel is available now and well worth every penny!

Changing gears just a bit… on Tuesday, one of my two favorite movies so far this year, becomes available! That’s right 28 Days Later is available Tuesday! Man, I can’t wait!

If you’ve read this far, then you’re probably a real horror fan. You probably already know that a Dawn of the Dead remake starring Ving Rhames is coming out next March. But did you know that the trailer is available now? At first I didn’t think that a re-make of Dawn of the Dead was a good idea since the original trilogy [Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead] by George Romero are considered cult classics. But I did like the remake of Night of the Living Dead ]… and Ving Rhames is starring… so why not?

Plus, it’ll give me one more thing to love about Halloween!

John Ritter, Johnny Cash and The Falling Man

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Remembering three who died:

John Ritter died suddenly last night from a heart attack. He was only 54 years old. Although best known for his role as Jack Tripper on “Three’s Company” and the star of “8 Rules for Dating My Daughter,” I believe his best work was not in either of these sitcoms. It wasn’t even a comedy. I thought his best performance was as Vaughn in Sling Blade. Perhaps I’m in the minority with this opinion, but I know that we all agree that he was loved by his fans and will be missed.

Johnny Cash was known as the Man in Black. I remember as a child singing many of his songs… “A Boy Named Sue”…“Burning Ring of Fire”… “Folsom Prison Blues”… A new generation had discovered the Man in Black and he recently won an award on MTV. MTV! I’m so happy that he lived to see it and that we’ll always have his music.

The Falling Man. I just read a piece from Esquire magazine about the search to discover who was photographed jumping from one of the twin towers on 9-11-01. Tom Junod wrote such a compelling piece. Here are the first few opening lines:

In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity’s divine suction or by what awaits him.

I read the article and it stayed with me throughout day. The combination of my memories of that horrific day, combined with the beauty and horror of the photo and the eloquent text by Junod just kept coming back to mind time and time again as the day moved on.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of John Ritter, Johnny Cash, the Falling Man and all of the victims of 9-11.

Egging on Arnold!

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Did you happen to see the video of Arnold Schwarzenegger getting hit by a egg? If not, I’ve posted a pic of the incident. At any rate, the egg came flying from the crowd, and hit Arnold splattering his coat with egg and yolk.

Arnold looked down, saw the mess, and as he continued walking, shaking hands and greeting fans, took his jacket off without missing a beat.
There were a lot of ways that he could have handled it. Panic is one. Anger is another. Yet, the way Arnold dealt with the situation was very calm and cool. Impressive even.
I usually don’t deal with politics in my blog, but I felt that this really deserved a mention. I’m not sure how the election will turn out, but win or lose, I’ll bet Arnold doesn’t end up with egg on his face!

Charles Bronson – RIP

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Charles Bronson has passed on. I don’t remember the first time that I saw Charles Bronson in a movie. It may have been in “The Dirty Dozen,” or “The Magnificant Seven,” but more likely than not it was in the horror film, “The House of Wax.” When I was a little kid, it seems as if Bronson was always popping up in a co-starring role and making a bigger impact that the stars of the films. And for a period of time in the 70’s, Charles Bronson was my favorite actor.

Charles Bronson starred in some great movies. “Hard Times,” “The Mechanic,” and of course “Death Wish” are my personal favorite Bronson staring roles. You knew any movie he was in, was worth the price of admission. What more can you ask from a star? Charles Bronson has left us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Gibson, Wyle & More

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  • Mel Gibson spent nearly $30 million of his own money to produce, co-write and direct “The Passion.” Some say it is a classic, while others hate it. Before I form my opinion, I think I should at least see it.
  • Noah Wyle will be taking a break this season from NBC’s top-rated drama ER. Wyle is not leaving for good but will take a break this season to spend more time with his wife, and their nine-month-old son. I’ll miss him but family has to come first!
  • Eighty-four prisoners escaped from a maximum security prison in northeastern Brazil early on Saturday through a 50-yard tunnel they dug to the jungle outside, police said. Colonel Klink is said to be shocked!
  • A burglar who took a nap after breaking into an elderly woman’s house in Amsterdam was arrested after she found him asleep on her couch. He’s hoping that he’s assigned to the prison in the item above!
  • A Japanese expedition equipped with infrared cameras will scour the Nepali Himalayas for six weeks starting Sunday in search of the legendary Yeti, or abominable snowman. I don’t know who will be happier if they find proof… them or Jazz!