Official transcript: "Larry King Live," September 23rd, 2007.LARRY KING: "Tomorrow night! The incomparable Shirley Jones! And Donald Rumsfeld! From Ashland, Oregon, you're on with Mel Gibson! Hello!" CALLER: "Hi, Larry. I would just like to say that I hope that members of the Jewish community never forget, and never forgive, what Mel Gibson said that night in Malibu." LARRY KING: "Never forget. Powerful words. Thoughts? Responses?" MEL GIBSON: "What can I say, Larry, that I haven't already said? I'm just really, really sorry. But you know, there's a kind of person who just won't forgive. There's a kind of person who carries a grudge." CALLER: "Is that anti-Semitic?" MEL GIBSON: "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were Jewish." CALLER: "Is that anti-Semitic?" LARRY KING: "Do I make you uncomfortable? I mean, the Jewish thing and all?" MEL GIBSON: "No, Larry, of course not." LARRY KING: "You knew I was Jewish before all of this ... this mishegas?" MEL GIBSON: "I didn't know it for a fact, obviously. But, you know, I had a sense." LARRY KING: "Interesting. You had a sense that I was Jewish. And it didn't bother you?" MEL GIBSON: "Larry, honestly, that night ..." LARRY KING: "You were loaded." MEL GIBSON: "Boy, was I." LARRY KING: "From Greencastle, Indiana! Hello!" CALLER: "Yeah, um, Larry, I'd like to ask Mr. Gibson how, exactly, he thinks that all the wars in the world were started by Jews." LARRY KING: "Gotta say I was puzzled by that one, too. Couldn't figure it out, the logic, I mean. I kept thinking, 'Did he mean the U.S. Civil War? How was that our fault? Rome and Carthage? Where were the Jews?' On the other hand, the Crimea connection I almost get. But, honestly, the rest of 'em? So I hopped on the computer and started surfing the Internet. Did the whole Google thing for hours and hours. Fascinating stuff. Discovered something called a Wikipedia. Started a MySpace. Had fun. Has the web changed the world, Mel Gibson?" MEL GIBSON: "Without a doubt, Larry." LARRY KING: "It's brought us closer together but it's also moved us farther apart." MEL GIBSON: "I think there's a lot of truth in that." LARRY KING: "Interesting stuff." CALLER: "Um ... if I could just ..." LARRY KING: "This weekend! Barry Manilow! At the piano! From Greencastle, Indiana! Hello!" CALLER: "Um ... I'm still here. I wanted to ask about the wars that all the Jews supposedly started." LARRY KING: "Good question. Mel? Jews and all the wars in history. Your take?" MEL GIBSON: "Again, what can I say? I was drunk, and said foolish, crazy, totally unjustifiable things for which I'm heartily sorry and thoroughly ashamed." LARRY KING: "Hutus and Tutsis? Where's the Jew angle?" MEL GIBSON: "There isn't one, Larry." LARRY KING: "Didn't think so." MEL GIBSON: "You know, unless there was a Jewish guy down there selling machetes and wooden clubs. But the Jews usually go for higher-margin items." LARRY KING: "Nicely put. From Beverly Hills, California, hello!" CALLER: "Hi, Larry, hi, Mel." LARRY KING: "What's your question, caller?" CALLER: "Well, Larry, it's more of an offer, really. Mel, this is Ari Emanuel." MEL GIBSON: "Hi, Ari." CALLER: "Hi, Mel." LARRY KING: "My producer is telling me in my ear that you're a talent agent, is that correct?" CALLER: "That's right, Larry. And last year, when the story broke, I made some pretty bold and outlandish statements in the press and on the Huffington Post--" LARRY KING: "Arianna Huffington! She blogs! She drives an electric car! What doesn't she do?" CALLER: "Yes, Larry, yes, she's a multifaceted individual. Anyway, I said some extreme things. I called for an industry-wide boycott of Mel Gibson, I said I'd personally never work with him--in short, I went a little overboard. And in the spirit of Mel's apology to the Jewish community, I'd like to offer an apology of my own to Mel." MEL GIBSON: "Apology accepted." CALLER: "And to ask him to lunch, sometime next week, to talk about maybe, if he's interested, changing his representation." LARRY KING: "This sounds like healing to my Jewish ears! Go to Nate 'n Al's deli on Beverly Drive! Have a matzo brie!" CALLER: "Well, Larry, as you know, Mel is a talented and prolific filmmaker, and it would be a shame for one disastrous event to obscure his contributions to this town and this industry." LARRY KING: "Mel, how much did the Passion picture make, all in all? Net?" MEL GIBSON: "Hard to say, really, Larry. Around 600 million, I think." CALLER: "It was $752,930,433." LARRY KING: "And you've got another picture coming up?" MEL GIBSON: "Correct. It's sort of based on an old book that's been around for years. We're calling it, simply, 'Protocols.'" CALLER: "We at the agency would love to sit down with you and talk about that, Mel." LARRY KING: "Sounds like a hit!" |
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