This just continues to get worse and worse (yet more fascinatingly entertaining at the same time).  

Mad Mel Gibson fresh from having more tapes released of him yelling and screaming at his gold-digging baby mama Oskana Gregorieva, (and using various racial slurs) was dumped over the weekend by his agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.

Depending on who you believe, Mad Mel always planned on leaving the agency after his agent shrugged off this mortal coil (he died July 3rd) or agency partner Ari Emanuel, who’s hated Gibson ever since his anti-semetic tirade in 2006, was behind the split, but had to put up with Gidson’s presence for Mel’s agent sake.

Also?  The police have opened an investigation over the possibility of domestic violence in the Gibson-Gregorieva relationship, apparently expressing concern that she didn’t come forward when the alleged assault took place.

As for Gold-digger, she’s said to have “no idea” who leaked the tapes (sure she doesn’t) but thinks “it’s terrible”.  Well, of course it is!  It’s harder to extort money from someone when what you had on them has been let out of the bag, so to speak. 

Radar  says the reason for all this drama in the first place is that Mad Mel had Gold-digger sign a cohabitation agreement, preventing her from claiming any of his fortune if they went their separate ways. 

Will Mad Mel be able to climb back into Hollywood’s good graces or is he completely done, like a drunken prom queen behind the bleachers?  Will Gold-digger manage to get some of Mel’s money or except for Child Support (which trumps everything) is she SOL?

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OK, they didn’t actually say those words, but between the lines….

Marvel has thrown down the gauntlet regarding it’s upcoming Avengers movie which teams the characters Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, Nick Fury, Black Widow and several others by officially announcing that they won’t be calling on Edward Norton to reprise his role as Bruce Banner.

Norton caused a lot of headaches when he got into a well documented dispute with execs over the script and the movie’s direction.  Long story short: The notoriously difficult Norton refused to promote the film, the movie did OK at the box office, but was far from the huge draw Iron Man did (both were released the same summer).  Norton blamed the studio, the studio blamed him.

Rumour was floating around that Marvel was now going for a lesser known actor due to monetary reasons.  Then last night, the studio released a fairly blunt statement (by Hollywood standards) clarifying their position.   

“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.”

Oh, snap.

No word from Edward Norton or his spokesminions over the jab (honest as it may be).  Of course, people are already lining up to take sides, some saying Marvel is out of line while others are saying this is simply karma.

Wonder what Eric Bana’s doing?  He originated the role in Ang Lee’s boring existential version of The Hulk several years ago, and made a great Bruce Banner.

UPDATE – Norton’s agent has responded to Marvel’s statement and predictably isn’t pleased with what he (and obviously his client) deems as a personal attack, not to mention the lost commission on a potentially huge paycheck.

“This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light.  Here are the facts:  two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers.  He told me it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at ComiCon and make it the event of the convention.  When I said that Edward was definitely open to this idea, Kevin was very excited and we agreed that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project.  Edward and Joss had a very good meeting (confirmed by Feige to me) at which Edward said he was enthusiastic at the prospect of being a part of the ensemble cast.  Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to be in the film and both sides started negotiating in good faith.  This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part.  This seemed to us to be a financial decision but, whatever the case, it is completely their prerogative, and we accepted their decision with no hard feelings.

We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean spirited, accusatory comments.  Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his.  Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory.  Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans.

Brian Swardstrom
WME”

Oh, whaaaaaa! 

Another problem with Edward Norton is (allegedly) he has to be the only star on the set.  Normally this would be a problem on almost any production, but it becomes an out and out impossibility when dealing with an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downy Jr, Scarlet Johansen and Samuel L. Jackson.

If Eric Bana is unavailable may I suggest Adiran Brody?  As the newly released Predators has just proved, he looks great half naked.

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These make that whole “Sugar Tits” thing from a few years back pale in comparison.

As you know, Mel’s ex-girlfriend, professional gold-digger Oksana Grigorieva claims that Mel beat her up this past January, leaving her bruised and with two broken teeth (she left him this spring). Mel and his legal team have denied this, claiming it was only a yelling match, with both sides issuing restraining orders on one another. 

Apparently, Mel is refusing to cough up the money Oksana is likely almost certainly seeking from him, and a tape was leaked to Radar last week, where the actor is heard saying, “You look like a f*cking pig in heat.  If you get raped by a pack of n*ggers, it’ll be your fault.”   

Now another tape has been released, where Mel tells Oksana “You know what?  You f*cking deserved it”, when she asks him what kind of a man would hit a woman twice in the face while holding a child in her hands.

Opps.

Oksama claims that she started to secretley tape Mel after he threatened to kill her.  No word yet if the police or Child Protective Services in Malibu have become involved, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they start an investigation. 

As for the probable shake-down attempt, I don’t think Mel will be forking over any money to Oksana now that she’s exposed him.  Do you?

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The very embodiment of grace under pressure.  What is she, 12?

Should be interesting when Lindsay has to face Judge Marsha Revel again in court (Lindsay will probably claim it was aimed at the media).  Too bad the Judge didn’t write “right back at you” on her gravel, before imposing the sentence.  That would have been awesome.

BTW – Dina has sprouted off on the sentence, saying “This is so not fair to do this to my child”. 

And right there is the reason so much of this is happening in the first place.

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Well, at least for once it’s not a DUI, drugs, booze, or banging skanky-ho’s that’s tarnishing a celebrity’s image.  (Do you think there’s an app for that?)

Jason Bateman, who’s had a career resurgence in large part to his role in the late, lamented  TV series Arrested Development, is finding himself in the midst of a bit of a scandal. 

Last week, he was ushered to the front of a very long line and into the Apple Store to get one of those new i-phone 4′s that everyone seems to be clamouring for, apparently because his celebrity was attracting the attention of the paps and thereby threatening to put other line goes at risk.

But!  Us is saying eyewitness accounts are disputing Bateman’s story, claiming that there was only one photographer, no mob, and that people started to yell, hiss and boo (Bateman has denied he heard anything).  

So is Jason Bateman one of the “do you know how I am” garden variety of celebs, or is he a victim, only guilty of getting preferential treatment because he was recognized, with the “eyewitnesses” really being just bitter i-phone 4 enthusiasts, out for revenge against someone who skipped the line?

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In 2008, Kristen Stewart, fresh of the success of Twilight, gave one of the most cringe inducing interviews in The Late Show’s history, falling somewhere between Farrah Fawcett’s and Joaquin Phoenix’s infamous appearances.

I get it, the girl is shy by nature and can get so nervous talking to people at times, the words almost have trouble coming out and Kristen can therefore come across as inarticulate (believe me, I get it).

So last night, K-Stew came back to The Late Show to promote Eclipse, and guess what?  She didn’t totally suck.  However, Dave is apparently still holding a grudge of some sort over her last visit and didn’t make it easy for her, although she held her own pretty well with him.

Not sure about her new hair ‘do though.  You?

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Greed also apparently has a last name – Douglas.

Diandra Douglas is taking ex-husband Michael to court, seeking half of all the money he earns from his upcoming film, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. (Dumbest.  Title.  Ever).

Diandra divorced Michael in 2000, getting a hefty $45 million settlement from the actor, including half of any money he earns from merchandise, residuals, or spin-offs from movies he made from the time they got married in 1977.

Diandra’s argument is that Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a spin-off, so it qualifies under the terms of the divorce settlement, while Michael is claiming that it’s a sequel, so she shouldn’t get anything. 

Yeah, I thought a spin-off and a sequel were basically the same thing too, but apparently not.  At least not legally.  Sequels are separate entities from the original work entirely, while a spin-off takes the premise and/or characters from the original work and puts them in a different environment or medium. 

Stay tuned.  This fight’s just getting started.

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Apparently, the two were all chatty and chummy at some event in London last night, putting the rumour that the two were on the outs into question.

Either they’ve kissed and made up (possible) or they were making nice while the cameras were around (also possible).

For what it’s worth, I don’t think people like the Big M or Pretentious Paltrow have “friends” like the rest of us have based on common interests, mutual admiration, and understanding so much as strategic partnerships with people in similar positions (very famous and extremley wealthy).

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Beware services from “celebrity” (insert name of service here).  You don’t get anything more than going to a non-celebrity offering the same service, except maybe the size of your bill.

 TMZ is saying “Celebrity” dog groomer and veterinarian Cindy Bressler is suing Mariah Carey to the tune of $3o grand for failure to pay the outstanding balance of a $38 grand bill for taking care of Mimi’s three dogs while she was busy promoting Precious last year.

No word yet why Mimi hasn’t paid the rest of the bill.   Maybe the dogs were supposed to have some work done, but came back looking just the same as when they were dropped off, or Mimi is trying to work with a budget (she should lower husband Nick Cannon’s allowance, if that’s the case).

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A couple of months ago there was a rumour that Lindsay Lohan was sleeping with celebrity photographer Indrani (yeah, I never heard of her until then either).

Anyway, Lindsay’s now all up in arms for how she’s beeing portrayed on Indrani’s new Bravo reality TV show, Double Exposure.

Apparently, in the episode titled “Is Lindsay Here Yet?” the tardy trainwreck showed up somewhere between eight and eleven hours late for a photo-shoot, which totally sounds like something she’d do.  Lindsay even says she’s sorry for being late in the episode, so that should be that, right?

Trick question!

Lindsay is disputing how she’s portrayed in the episode, saying Bravo set her up by giving her the wrong time for the shoot, which also sounds quite possible as well (imagine that, pulling the strings to create drama for reality TV).  Of course, Lindsay’s taken to her main means of communication to vent her displeasure/outrage/wrath at the photographers, producers, and network via Twitter (so much cheaper than a publicist).

Meanwhile, Indrani (one name, like Madonna), and this Markus person both claim Lindsay hired them (not the other way around) to shoot her for her leggings line.  This actually computes, as professional “celebrity” photographers wouldn’t sit idly by unless they were being paid for their time, then again, Bravo is probably footing the bill for the whole thing, so who knows? 

This one’s a tie.  Lindsay Lohan: still delusional, lying, and late.  Bravo: manipulating events and catering to the lowest common denominator.

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