Mel Gibson's Apology Not Enough?

As I reported here, Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI on Friday. On Saturday, Gibson issued an apology and described his behavior by stating:

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said."

When the original story broke, we weren't told what Gibson had said. Today TMZ.com posted that Gibson's remarks included profanity-filled tirades against the police officer that pulled him over, as well as repeated anti-Semitic remarks. In addition TMZ.com posted what they claim to be are copies of the actual police report.

Unfortunately this is not the first time Gibson has faced accusations of anti-Semitism. In an interview before the release of "The Passion of Christ," Gibson told ABC's Diane Sawyer, "To be anti-Semitic is a sin. It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. To be anti-Semitic is to be un-Christian, and I'm not."

Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, called Gibson's apology "unremorseful and insufficient." It remains to be seen how Hollywood and the rest of the nation will view Gibson's drunken remarks.

As for me, I do believe Mel Gibson is sorry for the inappropriate comments that he made. I just hope that he's sorry not only because he made them, but also because they don't represent his true feelings.

Mel Cleans Up His Mess

Early Friday morning Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving. He was driving 87 in a 45 mph zone and his blood alcohol was well over the legal limit. Today Mel issued the following statement:

"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person.

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said.

"Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry.

"I have battled the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Mel messed up. No doubt about it. It's beyond stupid to drink and drive, but I do want to commend Mel for the way that he's handling this. Someone with Mel Gibson's fame and wealth could have gone the route of so many other celebs when caught in a similar situation. That is of course to deny [I clearly wasn't drunk...] or deflect [It wasn't alcohol, it was cold medicine... I was overly tired, etc. etc. etc.].

I just hope that Mel's apology is sincere and that he truly is taking steps to "ensure his return to health."

More on 300

I told you HERE how cool I thought 300 was going to be. Check out THIS REPORT from Ain't It Cool News and you'll see I'm not alone.

Brereton's Nocturnals are Back!

Dan Brereton has several projects coming out that I know will appeal to many ZONErs. You can bet that I'm going to be on the lookout for them.

This Halloween (and talk about perfect timing) all of Dan's Nocturnals stories will be collected in three oversized hardcovers. Each edition will contain a new story and new art in addition to the reprinted stories. The plan is to then continue with new Nocturnal adventures.

[For those of you who came in late, The Nocturnals is a horor/crime/sci-fi series featuring: Doc Horror, a scientist / adventurer; Eve (aka Halloween Girl) has supernatural powers and is Doc's little daughter; Gunwitch is Eve's self-appointed bodyguard (who happens to be a scarecrow... a gunslinging scarecrow); Polychrome is a ghost; Starfish, an amphibian girl; Firelion, a pyrokinetic samurai; and the Raccoon, a infamous gangster).

If you want to read more about Dan's plans for The Nocturnals, then click HERE.

I'm also hoping for a release of The Last Battle, a "gladiator" graphic novel that teamed Dan with Italian writer Tito Faraci. You can get a peek at some of the art HERE.

Zack Snyder is on a Roll

Zack Snyder is on a roll.

Snyder first came to my attention when it was announced that he would direct the "remake" of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead."

There was a ton of pressure on Snyder, not only because he was a first time director, but also because he was treading on sacred ground [well, at least to zombie fans]. There were a ton of folks who whined that the movie would suck (even before a day of film had been shot). Snyder defied them all and turned in one of the best zombie films ever.

Snyder then turned his attention to translating Frank Miller's epic 300 to the big screen. Next to "Rocky Balboa," "300" is the movie that I am most looking forward to seeing. Check out the official site and you'll see why.

Next up for Snyder is Alan Moore's "Watchmen." You can tell from this interview that Snyder is having a blast. He must feel like a kid in the candy store... or maybe that should be a bakery.

After all, he is on a roll.

M. Knight and his Lady Take a Dive

M. Knight Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" was getting a negative buzz well before it's release this weekend. Now that it scored just $18.2 million [just?] and came in 3rd at the box office, many people will write off both Shyamalan and his movie.

And that's too bad.

The biggest knock against M. Knight is that he creates glorified "Twilight Zone" episodes for the big screen. Sure, many of M. Knight's movies do have a big twist at the end, and his movies do have a reoccurring theme of faith, redemption, and that there are mysterious forces around us [like some of the better TZ episodes]. And while I can see where his critics get this complaint, my response is, "So what?" I love classic Twilight Zone episodes.

"Lady in the Water" is a modern day fairy tale. Perhaps we're just too jaded to get it. But, and this is a big but, if you're willing to go with the tale, you'll have a good time. Paul Giamatti is amazing in this role. Academy Award amazing. The rest of the cast is splendid. The direction, special effects and music all add to the overall enjoyment of the film. But the bottom line is if you sit back and start to analyze the film as anything but a fairy tale [which it was meant to be], it falls apart. But then so would "Little Red Riding Hood," "The Three Bears" and even a classic movie like "The Wizard of Oz."

While "Lady in the Water" isn't a classic movie [no, it's not on par with "The Wizard of Oz"] that can be embraced by the masses, there is an audience for it. To be perfectly honest, I didn't think that I was going to like "Lady in the Water" as much as I did and I'm a Shyamalan fan. And there's the rub. If a fan like me wasn't overly excited about the story, then how are you going to get non-fans into the theater? The answer appears to be that you're not.

And that's too bad. "Lady in the Water" rates a B.

Shawn Surface

Shawn Surface is an independent comic book artist best known for his work at Bill Black's AC comics and "Bubba the Redneck Werewolf." I first met Shawn a few years ago at a TampaCon. We talked about comics, movies and art. I left the show thinking that I'd like to get Shawn to do a piece for my Stallone Gallery.

Finally at this year's Heroes Con things worked out. Shawn decided to draw Sly as The Punisher. Click HERE and you can see the result.

Shawn is available for commisions and is reasonably priced. Check out his website and tell him I sent you!

RIP Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane died yesterday. He was 88 years old and had cancer, so the news shouldn't come as quite a shock. It's just that Mickey Spillane was one of those guys that seemed like he could live forever.

Although Mr. Spillane started his career as a comic book writer, it was his Mike Hammer novels that made him a superstar. The first, "I, the Jury" was a hit with readers everywhere, critics be damned. Spillane followed up with 12 other Mike Hammer books... 9 other novels... and a bunch of short stories. Most folks don't realize that Mr. Spillane also wrote two young adult novels [one which won a prize from the Junior Literary Guild].

As much as I enjoyed Spillane's books, I liked his attitude even more. He considered himself a writer, not an author. Spillane was more concerned with royalty checks than reviews... and his fans dearly loved him.

I miss him already.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mickey Spillane's family, friends and fans.

My Gallery is Moving!

I've decided to move my Stallone themed art collection from my site to ComicArtFans.com. You can now see my gallery there. [Well, at least 1/2 of it... the rest is going up later this week.]

If you've never checked out the Comic Art Fans site, you should. But my advice is to go when you have some time to spare. There's so much cool stuff there that you may even forget to check out my collection!

Rosario Dawson is Everywhere...

and that's a good thing!

Sometimes it seems that no matter where you turn you're going to see the same celebrity. It could be that he is out promoting his latest movie or cd. It might be that something of significance has taken place in her life and every dang magazine, newspaper and news entertainment show thinks we just have to see the latest.

And that's why there are times that you can not escape Britney Spears, Brad & Jennifer & Angelina, and even, God help us, Anna Nicole Smith.

Lately, everywhere I look, I see Rosario Dawson. [And no I'm not having flashbacks to Heroes Con.] It could be I see Rosario everywhere because she has a new movie coming out ["Clerks 2"] and a new comic [O.T.C.] with a lead character based on her. Then again, it could be that Rosario is everywhere because she is so cool.

Rosario is featured in the July 21st issue of Entertainment Weekly where she talks about growing up at times "without water, heat and electricity," movie roles, her new comic [O.C.T.], and even Klingons. You can catch the on-line version HERE, but you'll miss out on the photos of Rosario.

People magazine also has a mini on-line interview with Rosario HERE.

If you want to know more about Rosario's comic, O.T.C, then click HERE.

Yep, Rosario is everwhere... and that's a good thing!

Yeah, that's Rosario Dawson

No your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. That IS Rosario Dawson in the picture with my mug. I've got to tell you Rosario was the most down-to-Earth celebrity that I've ever met. She is so cool! I was able to get the photo at the latest Heroes convention. Heroes is always a blast, and this year's show was no exception. It was the biggest and best ever.

I plan to tell you more about it... but I'm sure that most of you are simply staring at Rosario... so I'll do a con update later.