Willie: Dixie Chicks 'got a raw deal'
NEW YORK - Willie Nelson says the Dixie Chicks "got a raw deal" from a disapproving public following their criticism of President Bush.
"I think the fact that they were overseas and onstage had a little bit to do with it because you're speaking to other people about our business," the 73-year-old country crooner said in an interview in this week's Time magazine.
The trio caught harsh criticism after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003 that the group was "ashamed" Bush was from their home state of Texas.
Nelson said he was surprised his remarks about Bush a year earlier during an overseas news conference didn't incite a similar controversy.
"I said 'He's not from Texas and he ain't a cowboy, so let's stop trashin' Texans and cowboys.' It got a little chuckle, but I didn't get run out of the country," Nelson told the magazine.
Nelson recently launched his own XM Radio channel and published "The Tao of Willie," in which he offers his philosophy on subjects ranging from marijuana to war.
Hollywood split over Mel Gibson's future
LOS ANGELES - A stunned Hollywood debated the future of one of its biggest stars Sunday as a sheriff's watchdog launched an investigation into a possible cover up of a leaked report that quoted Mel Gibson unleashing a tirade of anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken driving arrest.
One media expert said Gibson irreparably damaged his career with his "crazy" behavior following his arrest by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in Malibu early Friday. Charges of anti-Semitism were also leveled against the actor-director with the release of his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ."
"It's a nuclear disaster for him," said publicist Michael Levine, who has represented Michael Jackson and Charlton Heston, among others. "I don't see how he can restore himself."
The entertainment Web site TMZ posted what it said were four pages from the original arrest report, which quoted Gibson as launching an expletive-laden "barrage of anti-Semitic remarks" after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway.
According to the report, in addition to threatening the arresting deputy and trying to escape, Gibson said, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the officer, James Mee, "Are you a Jew?"
The report has not been made public, but the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that it had independently verified its authenticity.
Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, would not elaborate beyond a nonspecific apology Gibson issued Saturday. Sheriff's sources also declined to comment on Gibson's alleged remarks.
Studio executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, were divided on how Gibson's behavior would affect his career. One noted that people have short memories, including filmmakers who might want to profit from Gibson's star power.
Filmgoers, too, could overlook much if the film is perceived as worthwhile.
"Usually it comes down to the marketing of the movie and does the average person want to see the film," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
The Office of Independent Review, a department watchdog panel, has opened an investigation into whether authorities gave Gibson preferential treatment by covering up his alleged inflammatory comments, said its chief attorney, Mike Gennaco.
"Assuming that the report was excised, then the question is was it done for a good reason within regulations," he said.
Gibson has filmed public service announcements for Sheriff Lee Baca's relief committee dressed in a sheriff's uniform.
"There is no cover-up," Baca told the Los Angeles Times. "Our job is not to (focus) on what he said. It's to establish his blood-alcohol level when he was driving and proceed with the case. Trying someone on rumor and innuendo is no way to run an investigation, at least one with integrity."
Gibson said in his apology that he said "despicable" things to deputies during his arrest.
"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," Gibson said.
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, called Gibson's apology "unremorseful and insufficient."
"It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism," he said in a statement on the organization's Web site. "We would hope that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite."
This is not the first time Gibson has faced accusations of anti-Semitism. Gibson produced, directed and financed "Passion," which some Jewish leaders said cast Jews as the killers of Jesus.
In a 2004 interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Gibson said he was not anti-Semitic.
"To be anti-Semitic is a sin," he said. "It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. To be anti-Semitic is to be un-Christian, and I'm not."
Days before "Passion" was released, Gibson's father Hutton Gibson was quoted saying the Holocaust was mostly "fiction." The younger Gibson has said that he will not speak against his father.
Gibson, 50, was arrested after deputies stopped his 2006 Lexus LS 430 for speeding at 2:36 a.m. Friday. Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said deputies clocked him doing 87 mph in a 45 mph zone.
A breath test indicated Gibson's blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent, Whitmore said. The legal limit in California is 0.08 percent.
Gibson posted $5,000 bail and was released hours later.
In his statement, Gibson also said he has struggled with alcoholism and had taken steps "to ensure my return to health."
He won a best-director Oscar for 1995's "Braveheart." He also starred in the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max" films, "What Women Want" and "The Man Without a Face," among other films.
Fire chars British set of new Bond film
LONDON - A large fire seriously damaged the set of the latest James Bond movie Sunday, caving in the roof of a sound stage transformed into a replica of Venice for the production of "Casino Royale."
Pinewood Shepperton, the studio complex where the fire erupted, said filming for the Bond production had been completed.
"Its film sets were in the process of being removed," the studio said in a statement.
The cause of the fire was unknown. Three people who had been inside Pinewood Studios, about 20 miles west of London, were not hurt.
The Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said several cylinders of flammable gas exploded during the blaze, which took eight fire engines to extinguish.
Television footage showed a thick cloud of black smoke rising from the building, whose roof burned and at least partly collapsed.
"It is just a complete mess," fire department spokesman Fraser Pearson said from the scene. "I would say the whole building has been damaged by the fire. It is still smoking quite badly."
"Casino Royale" is the first Bond film featuring actor Daniel Craig in the title role, replacing Pierce Brosnan.
The 007 soundstage, which was built for the filming of Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," burned down when gasoline canisters exploded in 1984. It was rebuilt two years ago.
In 2005, a Pinewood Shepperton studio soundstage served as a replica of the Louvre art museum for the "Da Vinci Code."
'Miami Vice' takes $25.2M, sinks 'Pirates'
LOS ANGELES - The "Miami Vice" speedboat overtook the "Pirates of the Caribbean" juggernaut to capture the top spot at the weekend box office.
The film, which pairs Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as the iconic TV characters Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, took in $25.2 million, compared to $20.5 million for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," according to studio estimates Sunday.
"It's nice to be number one," said Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures.
The gritty, dark action film was directed by Michael Mann, who created the 1980s TV show. The movie was especially attractive to older audiences, with 62 percent of the audience over 30, according to the studio's exit polling.
The audience was pretty evenly split between men and women, the polling showed.
"It's what our expectations were," Rocco said. "We tried to do something different. There has been a lot of criticism regarding unoriginal product. We took a TV series and made it very different."
The news was not necessarily bad for The Walt Disney Co., which produced "Pirates."
In its third week, "Pirates" has earned $358.4 million to become the highest grossing film in Disney's history, passing the $339.7 million earned by the Pixar Animation Studios film "Finding Nemo."
"After posting the biggest opening weekend of all time, it is living up to the promise created that opening weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations.
"Pirates" is on track to break the $400 million mark in the coming weeks, Dergarabedian said.
The Pixar film "Cars" has also raked in $234.6 million to date. And while the film is no longer in the top 10 at the box office, its cumulative gross makes it the second highest grossing film of the year, giving Disney the top two spots so far.
"It's a very happy weekend," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution.
The teen flick "John Tucker Must Die" from 20th Century Fox debuted in third place with a respectable $14 million.
The film, with a budget of about $18 million, attracted a predominantly young female audience with its story of four high school girls who seek revenge against an unfaithful boyfriend.
"The Ant Bully," an animated film from Warner Bros., opened with a mere $8.1 million.
The film featured the voice talents of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage and was produced by Tom Hanks. But it just couldn't compete against a crowded field of family pictures.
"It's much less than what we had wanted," said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager at Warner Bros. "The marketplace is crowded. The kids have been bombarded."
The independent film "Little Miss Sunshine" opened strongly in limited release.
The quirky film starring Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell, took in $356,863 in only seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a per screen average of $50,980.
Overall, box office revenue was up 6.3 percent and attendance was up 3 percent.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Miami Vice," $25.2 million.
2. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," $20.5 million.
3. "John Tucker Must Die," $14 million.
4. "Monster House," $11.5 million.
5. "The Ant Bully," $8.2 million.
6. "Lady in the Water," $7 million.
7. "You, Me and Dupree," $7 million
8. "Little Man," $5.1 million.
9. "The Devil Wears Prada," $4.8 million.
10. "Clerks II," $3.9 million.