Mel not crazy
---------------------Mel Gibson insists he isn't crazy anymore. The 'Mad Max' star - who made headlines last year after he directed a tirade of anti-Semitic abuse at a police officer arresting him for drink driving - once confessed to being 30 per cent insane but now says he is less mad. Mel quipped: "It's a shifting thing. I am now only 20 per cent insane. I'm not crazy anymore." The 51-year-old star - whose latest film 'Apocalypto', which he directed, has been a huge box office hit - thinks he was "90 per cent insane" when was a young man.
He said: "That's like when you're 21 and you're ruled by testosterone. Somebody will say something to hit at your ego and fists will start flying. That's 90 per cent insane. "It's sheer rage but it manifests itself in a physical way. Young men do that but they can't help it. Hormones are a terrible thing."
Mel's Britney sympathy
---------------------------Mel Gibson feels sorry for Britney Spears - because she's never left alone. The actor - who was arrested for drink driving in July and launched into an anti-Semitic tirade against the Jewish police officer who pulled him over - understands her frustrations at constantly being followed by paparazzi. He said: "I feel compassion for someone like Britney. She never gets a moment. She's, like, dogged all the time and followed and she's trying to have a life.
"Your heart goes out to her because I'm positive that, at her core, she's a good woman." Since filing for divorce from husband Kevin Federline last month, Britney, 25, has been spotted out partying on several occasions with new best friend Paris Hilton. She has also been criticised heavily for being photographed not wearing any underwear with her private parts exposed.
Gibson's kosher meal
------------------------Mel Gibson has been invited to eat at a new kosher steakhouse in Los Angeles. The owners of hip Jewish steak joint Prime Grill Beverly Hills have asked Mel - who launched into an anti-Semitic rant after he was stopped by police in the summer - to come to the eatery. A representative for the restaurant told the New York Post newspaper: "We've extended invitations to the ever so faithful Jew-loving celebrities such as Gibson. His representative has not yet responded to the invitation." In July Gibson, 50, hurled a string of anti-Semitic abuse at a police officer who stopped him on suspicion of drunk driving, during which he allegedly said: "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."
The 'Mad Max' actor pleaded guilty to the charge and was given three years probation, ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and told to enrol in an alcohol abuse programme for three months. He has since apologised for his comments. Gibson said: "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, and I apologise to anyone who I have offended." Prime Grill Beverly Hills restaurant, which has just opened on Rodeo Drive, has been frequented by a series of stars including Nicole Richie, Colin Farrell and Carmen Electra.
Gibson's binge
-----------------Mel Gibson went home to drown his sorrows after being arrested for drunk-driving. The 'Lethal Weapon' actor - who was over the legal limit when he was stopped by police in Malibu in July - claims that was the moment he realised he had hit rock bottom. Mel, who launched into an anti-Semitic rant during his arrest, revealed in an interview with US TV show 'Good Morning America': "I just went home and saw my kids were there. I talked to them for a little bit. And it was a little rough that morning and I chased it down with a few cold ones." He added: "It was kind of unbearable to face. I said, 'Well, this is it. This will be the end of it, but I just have to get through this morning'.
"You're not operating well, but you know you have to do something." Mel - who has battled alcoholism for years - blamed a heavy workload and a long-running battle with "inner rage" for his downward spiral back into drinking. He explained: "I guess I must have been a little overwrought. Too much pressure, too much work. You do things that go against good judgment. A few drinks later, and I was in the back of a police car wailing. "I've been angry all my life and I try not to have it manifest itself. I can murder inanimate objects. You should see me choking the toaster in the morning!"