In any language, Gibson is a real schmuck

Rallying the industry
In and around Tinseltown, the sentiment toward Gibson today is best summed up thusly: “Ich bin dich nit mekaneh!” (I don’t envy you.) Ari Emanuel of the Endeavor Agency, the inspiration for Jeremy Piven’s character in “Entourage,” wrote in a posting on HuffingtonPost.com: “People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line.”

Gibson did issue an apology, calling his remarks “despicable.” But many interpreted it as a slick public relations response rather than a heartfelt mea culpa. Reading between the lines, they felt he was actually saying, “Host du bie mir an avleh!” (So I made a mistake. So what?)

Abraham H. Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told the Los Angeles Times: “Mel Gibson’s apology is unremorseful and insufficient. His tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film, ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham.” He also implored Hollywood executives to “realize the bigot in their midst” and “distance themselves from this anti-Semite.”

Oy vey iz mir! (Oh no!)

While Gibson’s critics and enemies plotz (laughing hard enough to explode) at his current predicament, the rest of the world may not find out if this incident has crippled his acting and directing career for quite some time.

Yes, he has a new film coming out called “Apocalypto.” But whereas “Passion” resonated with Christians worldwide, who put up with the long scenes of brutality and the Aramaic language because it served as a religious experience, “Apocalypto” sounds like box-office bupkes (beans, peanuts, an inadequate reward) about the mysterious Mayan civilization using the Mayan language and indigenous Mayan actors. So it probably would have gotten a tepid reception even without this latest uproar. As major Hollywood releases go, this one is already nifter (dead).

The same can probably be said about a certain screen icon’s career. Because right now, Mel Gibson has tsuris (trouble) up the tokhis (butt).

Michael Ventre lives in Los Angeles and is a regular contributor to MSNBC.com.

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