We don’t usually do this, but this is a follow up to a post we did yesterday that provoked a comment from a a reader who made a big deal because we ran part of a news report about Mel Gibson showing up out of town in a mask and wig to attend an event showing his new movie. The story said Gibson had avoided the press at the event.
Now, if you’ve followed Gibson’s career, you know that he is a master of promotion. He has given extensive interviews to journalists when he releases a big movie and shows up at events. In fact, his masterful pre-selling of his controversial film The Passion Of The Christ revolutionized the way Hollywood looks at pre-marketing.
The reader wrote this:
“”New low profile”?? What rot. Gibson has always kept a low profile. He is a private kind of guy, has been for years and years.
The press, meaning you, needs to get a clue and get over themselves.”
We noted that this is hardly the case since Gibson is a master of movie and self-promotion and that it was NOT usual behavior for Gibson to avoid reporters at an event highlighting an important upcoming film of his. And he was not known for flying into a city wearing a mask and wig.
Now, if the report said William Shatner was wearing a wig, that would be a different story…
Today we get this story:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie “Apocalypto,” and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Almost two months after he railed against Jews when he was arrested for driving drunk in Malibu, the actor made a surprise appearance Friday at Fantastic Fest, an event in Austin, Texas, devoted to new science fiction, horror and fantasy films, the trade paper said in its Monday edition.
He presented a work-in-progress screening of his Mayan adventure tale, and then took questions. About one-third of the full house gathered for the film gave him a standing ovation. The film is scheduled for a December 8 release via Disney.
In describing its portrait of a civilization in decline, Gibson said, “The precursors to a civilization that’s going under are the same, time and time again,” drawing parallels between the Mayan civilization on the brink of collapse and America’s present situation. “What’s human sacrifice,” he asked, “if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?”
All of which leads us to this bit of friendly advice to some people who read things on weblogs: before you automatically go off on a rant and go on the attack about that evil press and people who run excerpts from news stories and comment on them, you might take a deep breath and “get a clue and get over” yourself and, perhaps, your political agenda.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.