Now, this is some unfortunate timing: As his latest film, “The Beaver,” debuted at the SXSW Film Festival on Wednesday evening, Mel Gibson was back in California turning himself over to the police.
But Gibson only stopped by for a shiny new mug shot: As part of his plea deal in the impossibly messy case involving ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, the actor pled no contest to simple battery last week, avoiding jail time in exchange for 16 hours of community service, plus counseling.
That seems like a suspiciously sweet deal considering the word “battery,” but Hollywood still had a sentence to deliver:? It seems not even “Beaver” director Jodie Foster wanted her big-name star and longtime friend at the premiere.
“Having him attend was just going to be too big of a risk,” a source tells Popeater. “Everyone, including Jodie, decided it would be better if Mel didn’t attend.”
If being the biggest “risk” at the premiere of a film about a man who talks through a beaver hand puppet isn’t jail, we don’t know what is.
Odd couple? Maybe not
Snooki has found a kindred party spirit in none other than Paris Hilton. “I think the only difference is she’s a f—ing giraffe and I’m a shrimp,” Snooks tells OK! mag. We’re not sure how Paris would feel about that, but we’re filing it under “surprisingly insightful, oddly gross ‘Jersey Shore’ observations.”
Don’t disturb the celebs!
Mischa Barton didn’t appreciate a photog who approached her at SXSW. After he didn’t stop filming, the actress — decked out in her indie-rock best — released her yappy entourage on him. The result? A powerful two-minute documentary about why you should never go to Austin in March.
Tiger takes a joke
Tiger Woods stopped by “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on Wednesday night, and the golfer was a good sport while taking some gentle teasing about his whole life-falling-apart thing. When asked what he had been up to since his last appearance, Woods answered, “Nothin’, nothin’. Playing bad golf!”
Follow Monica Weymouth on Twitter at @MonicaatMetro.
