from ABC
Well well well. After a few quiet months of laying low, Mel Gibson is back, following his violent and virulent anti-Semitic outburst this summer wherein he got hammered, got into his car, got caught, and proceeded to throw a massive fit during arrest which included complaining "F*cking Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" and addressing a female officer by the charming nickname of "sugar tits." He followed up with an apology — sorry, two — and a brief stint in rehab, plus alcohol-rehabilitation classes (as per court order) and meeting privately with select Jewish leaders, presumably to "discern the appropriate path for healing."
Now he takes what USA Today dubs "The Redemption Tour" to the next level: The media, which he has eschewed since his arrest. And Diane Sawyer's got the exclusive.
What she does with it will be interesting, but before we go on note the following: The Sawyer interview will be aired on Good Morning America, which is on ABC, which is owned by Disney, which is the studio releasing Gibson's upcoming film Apocalypto which, at a December 8th release, is a mere two months away (NB: That also happens to be the date of the Immaculate Conception. Synergy!). Though this interview was apparently a coveted get, according to TVNewser, Sawyer has had it "locked up" since before the arrest/outburst, pegged to the Apocalypto release (another NB: Sawer interviewed him in 2004 re: "The Passion of the Christ"). Will ABC hit the Gibson story head-on or tiptoe around it? Who knows, we'll have to wait 'til Thursday morning at 7am to find out, but in the meantime, consider the text of the ABC promo that aired last night:
The arrest. Those words. The firestorm. The interview. Mel Gibson. Diane Sawyer. The exclusive. Only on Good Morning America. ABC this Thursday morning.
Those words? Hmm, what words could "those" be? Certainly not these words.
It's worth noting that the interview was taped last week — right when the Foley scandal was unfolding, including a debate on whether declaring alcoholism and retreating to rehab holds much water anymore. We'll see if that skepticism makes its way into Sawyer's interview.
