No, I’m not going to turn this into a daily rant about Mel Gibson. I can’t promise this will be my only follow-up post, but there won’t be a lot more I’m sure. If you’re bored by this, just close the window and read another blog.

NY Times:

Almost as stunning as Mel Gibson’s anti-Jewish tirade when arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in the early hours of last Friday was the speed at which the scandal unfolded, doing serious damage to one of Hollywood’s most valuable careers along the way.

In a little over 24 hours, Mr. Gibson’s arrest and subsequent behavior in Malibu had already prompted talk of a claimed cover-up, an exposé, worldwide news coverage, an apology and then a full-blown push for alcohol rehabilitation, even as his representatives and executives at the Walt Disney Company rushed to catch up with the event’s effect on the filmmaker’s movie and television projects with the company.

“The pervasiveness of the Internet has caused a dramatic increase in the dissemination of news,” said Michael S. Sitrick, chairman of Sitrick & Company, who specializes in crisis communications. The message was that there is no such thing as a minor incident among those for whom celebrity is an asset.

The Los Angeles Times — in a report that carried no fewer than 11 bylines — reported that a civilian oversight office had already decided to investigate whether Mr. Gibson had been given favorable treatment because of his celebrity status or long-time friendship with the county sheriff, Lee Baca.

Disney has shelved plans to work with Gibson on a mini-series about the Holocaust. They do still plan to be the US distributor for his next film, Apocalypto, due out around Christmas.

From Variety (paid subscription required):

Newly elevated Walt Disney prexy Oren Aviv said he accepted Mel Gibson’s apology for the anti-Semitic remarks he reportedly made during a drunken-driving arrest on Friday, even as Endeavor partner Ari Emanuel called on Hollywood to boycott the star.

Meanwhile, Gibson said he had checked into what his rep called “an ongoing program of recovery” to battle his troubles with alcohol.

A few in Hollywood are being very vocal about this, in particular talent agent Ari Emanuel (the Ari Gold character in Entourage is based on him), writing about it on Ariana Huffington’s blog, while Huffington wrote a post urging talent agency ICM to drop Gibson. Barbara Walters got out of her oxygen tent to say that she probably won’t see any more Mel Gibson movies.

Most other Hollywood figures, however, declined public comment on Gibson. Said one studio exec: “I think it’s one of those things where people will choose to vote with their feet; that means either walking toward, or walking away.”

In addition to Aviv, other Gibson defenders came forward Monday. Catholic League prexy Bill Donohue, who is known for his fierce rebuttals to slurs against Catholics and as a vocal supporter of Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” released a statement attacking Gibson’s critics, including the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman.

“Mel’s enemies will never cut him a break,” he said. “Their real goal is to discredit ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ and that is why their propaganda machine is in full gear … . How ironic it is to note that the core message of his film — forgiveness — is sorely lacking in his critics.

I don’t think there was much “forgiveness” in Gibson’s own comments.

Earlier in Variety:

Gibson, who has fended off charges of anti-Semitism before, has apologized for his behavior and remarks. But the incident could further isolate the star from the Hollywood establishment he has held at arm’s length in recent years. And, perhaps more critically for his current career, the controversy could cost him clout with the millions of conservative Christians who consider him a hero following the 2004 release of “The Passion of the Christ,” which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide in combined box office and homevideo.

Also causing a stir Friday was last week’s reprimand of Lindsay Lohan, who received a sternly worded letter from the producer of her current film, telling her that hard partying is no excuse for not showing up on the set.

Disney has its hands full, as “Apocalypto” was a marketing challenge to begin with, since it is spoken largely in the Mayan language and several other studios had turned it down as being too violent.

For the Mouse House, the stakes are the hefty P&A commitment it made when it secured domestic distrib rights to “Apocalypto” last summer — a sum that runs into the tens of millions on the typical studio wide release. Gibson’s Icon Prods. financed the pic’s undisclosed budget of “Apocalypto,” and Icon retains all foreign rights.

Disney declined comment on how it thinks Gibson’s arrest could affect the film, but distrib execs at rival studios said they expect the incident to impact the pic’s box office potential.

The earlier claims of anti-Semitism stemming from “The Passion” had largely been put to rest before Gibson’s drunken outburst in Malibu.

In December, he struck a deal with ABC to develop “Flory,” a longform TV project based on the true story of a Dutch Jew named Flory Van Beek and her non-Jewish boyfriend who sheltered her from the Nazis.

In a 2004 interview with ABC’s “Primetime Live,” Diane Sawyer asked Gibson point blank, “Are you an anti-Semite?” Gibson responded, “No, of course not. And here’s the other thing. For me, it goes against the tenets of my faith to be racist in any form. To be anti-Semitic is a sin. It’s been condemned by one papal council after another. There’s encyclicals on it, which is, you know, to be anti- Semitic is to be un-Christian. And I’m not.”

Even his loudest critic, the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman, interviewed for the same program, agreed, saying he did not believe Gibson was anti-Semitic, but added, “I believe that (“The Passion”) has the potential to fuel anti-Semitism, to reinforce it.”

And there were signs that even Gibson’s conservative Christian fans were not moved by [his apology]. Reaction in the popular conservative online forum FreeRepublic.com, was also largely negative. In response to the statement, one commenter posted, “Gibson showed his true colors last night during his arrest. I argued with you about ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and his portrayal of Jews. I stood up for Gibson to you and a number of my Jewish friends. Now, I’m sorry I did.”

Another, responding to hopeful comments that Gibson can still change his views, wrote, “Lots of denial going on here. It’s difficult when your hero falls so far.”

But these days almost all celebrities manage to survive scandals, unlike 80 years ago, when Fatty Arbuckle’s career was destroyed by scandal. Paul Reubens is working, Roman Polanski got an Oscar, Hugh Grant is busy, Eddie Murphy still makes movies, the list goes on.

Oh, the Lindsay Lohan letter can be found here. It’s a hoot, regardless of whether you like her, dislike her or have no idea who she is.