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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hollywood shows its hypocrisy in shunning Gibson

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Mike Tyson (right) was convicted of rape, DUI � and he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield�s ear, yet Mel Gibson's 'Hangover 2' cameo got the boot while no one complained about Tyson appearing in the first movie.


Mel Gibson was going to have a cameo in the cleverly titled "The Hangover 2" as a gonzo tattoo artist -- but Gibson was replaced by Liam Neeson after some cast and crew members objected to working with Mister Crazy-Ass Voice-Mail Man.

Probably a smart move by director Todd Phillips and Warner Bros. A Gibson cameo would have taken viewers out of the movie and had them thinking about those bigoted and hateful rants his ex caught on tape.

Oddly enough, though, we didn't hear reports about anyone objecting to working with Mike Tyson on the first "Hangover" movie, even though Tyson has been convicted of rape, possession of cocaine and DUI, even though Robin Givens went on national TV and told Barbara Walters that Tyson physically and verbally abused her.

Oh, and let's not forget he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear.

As for rants, remember Tyson's blowup at the Lennox Lewis press conference- After tangling with Lewis, Tyson grabbed his crotch repeatedly and yelled at a reporter:

"Put your mother in a straitjacket, you punk-ass white boy. ... I'll [rape you]. ... You can't last two minutes in my world, bitch. Look at you ... scared like a little white -----."

Adding to the bile, Tyson threw in multiple homophobic slurs as well.

So why the outrage over a Gibson cameo, and nothing but chuckles over Tyson's appearance in the first "Hangover" movie-

No doubt it's partially because much time has passed since Tyson's worst offenses. (Many also believe he never should have been convicted on the rape charge.) Gibson's troubles are still on the radar.

But some of it is pure Hollywood hypocrisy. Not to minimize Gibson's outbursts, but why is it that some of the most talented and creative people around don't blink twice about working with a Roman Polanski or a Mike Tyson, whereas virtually the entire industry considers Gibson to be toxic right now, and maybe forever-

A 'Glee'-fully snarky campaign ad

As a piece of entertainment, Gov. Quinn's latest rip job on his opponent Bill Brady earns a solid "A."

It's funny. Quick. Clever.

And more than a little bit snarky.

I'm sure Brady's campaign would tell you the ad is filled with falsehoods, smears and distortions. In case you haven't heard, all negative campaign ads are filled with falsehoods, smears and distortions -- if we're to believe the targets of these ads.

"Too busy watching 'Glee' to keep up with the governor's race- " says the ad's narrator.

"Here's what you missed. ... First thing [Brady] did- Proposed a bill to kill cats and dogs in gas chambers. Why'd you do that- "

Cut to footage of Brady, hemming and hawing as he tries to address the issue.

We get rapid-fire ripping of Brady's take on civil rights for gays, tax breaks for the rich, education, minimum wage, etc., etc., followed by photos of Brady running mate Jason Plummer and footage of a verbally stumbling Plummer on "Chicago Tonight" -- capped off with a clip of Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison," saying, "T-t-today, junior!"

"The Quinn campaign lightened things up a bit [with] an ad inspired by the hit Fox show, 'Glee,' " says the Huffington Post.

True, the tone of the ad is chipper -- but it's kinda mean-spirited as well, and utterly lacking in the kind of dignity one would associate with being governor of Illinois.

And yes, I'm kidding about that last part.

Didn't see that one coming

Of the 14 baseball experts polled by SI.com prior to the 2010 season, how many had the San Francisco Giants or the Texas Rangers making it to the World Series-

That's right. None.

The Yankees and the Phillies were the most popular picks. (One prognosticator had the Mariners winning the American League. Seattle finished 61-101 in the AL West, 29 games behind the Rangers.) Texas and San Fran were expected to be solid, but you would have been able to get odds of about 15-1 against either winning it all.

But there they are, in a matchup that must have the TV execs gnashing their teeth. But despite the absence of glamor teams, this actually could be one of the better World Series in recent memory, with stars such as Tim Lincecum and Josh Hamilton taking center stage.

And with the first two games starting in San Francisco at 4:30 p.m., Pacific Time, we're going to witness a modern rarity --World Series baseball played at least partially in the daylight.

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