Posted on 02/18/2004 1:26:26 PM PST by missyme
Gibson's first TV interview on the subject of his new controversial movie about Jesus drew 17 million viewers Monday night at 10, according to Nielsen figures released yesterday by ABC.
Diane Sawyer (search) conducted the interview for a special edition of ABC's "Primetime," (search) subtitled "Mel Gibson's Passion."
The numbers should be enough to land this edition of "Primetime" among the top 20 highest-rated shows of the week. They also indicate a strong appetite for the subject of Christ, especially as it pertains to the firestorm surrounding Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ."
The movie, which Gibson directed and produced, is scheduled to open in one week, on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25.
It's a graphic depiction of the bloody final hours of Jesus' life based on biblical accounts. For months, the movie has drawn accusations of anti-Semitism from Jewish groups angered by the movie's depiction of the role of Jews in Christ's crucifixion.
Gibson was last interviewed on the subject in The New Yorker last September and does not appear poised to make the talk-show rounds in the coming week.
His only booking appears to be "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Feb. 26, the day after the movie's release.
In the meantime, NBC's "Dateline" will have a full hour Friday night (beginning at 9) on the final days of Christ. The show, anchored by Stone Phillips, uses the movie as a jumping-off point for an in-depth look at what is known and not known about Christ's final days.
The show uses ancient texts, plus interviews with experts who can interpret them, to retrace Christ's activities in the days leading up to his crucifixion.
And Sunday night, Pax TV (Ch. 31) will present Gibson's own documentary about the making of his movie, titled "The Making of 'The Passion of the Christ' " (9-10 p.m.).
The special includes interviews with the movie's cast and crew - including Gibson - although the director does not use the "Making of" special to address the controversy surrounding the film, a Pax spokeswoman said.
Why should she have asked him about gay marriage? The interview was about the movie. Unlike "other" Hollywood types, Mel tends to stay out of politics and not give an unsolicited opinion every other day. 'Sides Mel isn't running for office...
"There was not one inch of skin left unscathed on the man's back and buttocks. Several spots on his back were opened to the bone. The lashes wrapped around the body onto the chest area. However, as was customary with the Romans when administering a scourging, the area around the heart suffered no trauma. The penalty for a Roman soldier accidently killing a prisoner by scourging before the prisoner could be crucified was to take that prisoner's place on the cross."
"He was taken prisoner while he was saying his prayers."
"The strange appearance of the eyes is because they are not the actual eyes but coins. Each eye is covered by a coin minted in 30-35 A.D. and commonly referred to as the "widow's mite."
"There was evidence of a "cap" of thorns not placed on his head but jammed down into the scalp and forehead as if it was put on his head and then hit into place with either a board or the flat portion of a sword. It was not fashioned into a "crown" but more likely it was lopped of a thorn bush with a sword and jammed down onto the head."
"I cannot tell you if the man was Jesus Christ. But I can tell you he suffered terribly in the same manner as Jesus Christ."
Mr. Paul Bromley explaining the findings of the group of which he was a member that examined the Shroud of Turin, speaking to a church group in 1982.
Be the interview was about the movie which was based on his religion. The whole gay issue is also a religious issue. Mel didn't stay out of politics because of his little WMD remark. The question would have been perfectly appropriate but it wasn't asked because the interview was designed to sell the movie and Mel.
Sounds like the plot of an ABC made-for-TV movie.
He is instead rescued by a company of Navy Seals who represent each of the world's major religions.
That's about right.
They will obviously be a carefully-selected un-biased group culled from the Jesus Seminar. < / SARCASM>
Baloney. No one does re-shoots days before an opening; it's logistically impossible. Not only does the movie have to be re-cut, but the re-cut version must be shipped to every theater playing the movie. Re-shoots must be done weeks, even months before an opening.
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