I’m told by a Mel Gibson insider that he has no plans for any TV interviews "anytime soon". I do know that NBC’s Dateline is pulling together a Mel-in-crisis piece for this Sunday (because they asked me to go on camera). So let’s look at the anchor sweepstakes for Gibson’s first on-camera mea culpa, shall we? This is my speculation, now, and not anyone’s close to Mel. Well, ABC canceled his Holocaust TV miniseries, so they’re probably out of the running (not to mention Barbara Walters’ diss on The View yesterday). And, depending on how that Dateline segment pans out, Brian Williams may be shut out. Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly has boasted repeatedly how the movie rights to one of his books was optioned by Gibson, so that could be a factor for The Factor. (Already, Bill’s doing the "Has It Been Fair Coverage?" angle.) A Mel and CNN’s Anderson Cooper pairing would end up as the battle of blue eyes. I can’t see Mel doing 60 Minutes, but I could imagine him sitting down with Katie Couric who’d chauffeur him around Malibu just to score the coup for CBS News. But my best guess is Gibson will go for the global, so the softest of softball questioners Larry King it is. (I’m hoping Larry can’t find a babysitter that night so Bob Costas fills in.) But before or after Mel’s inevitable appearance on Leno?
Deadline Hollywood Daily
I bet you a K-Fed penny his first TV interview will be with CBN.
