The Country that brought you ...

*Liberté-Egalité-Fraternité* unless of course, you happen to be female, a recent immigrant from Africa, working in a fancy NYC hotel cleaning rooms and the alleged target of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's unwanted and unsollicited sexual rage.

Yes. France. And now this:

The Cannes Film Festival premiere of the Jodie Foster-directed The Beaver just ended, and [...] there was a 10-minute standing ovation for the film and its star, Mel Gibson.

Is it official then? In France, Mel Gibson has become the new Jerry Lewis? There's a weird logic there, one that escapes me at the moment though.

Ah. France does not have an extradition treaty with the US. That must be it.

But cheer up, we'll be inflicting this upon them: Creekside: The new face of Canadian diplomacy

Octo-Pop Gibson threatens "honour killing".

Given Mel's religious proclivities, facts emerging from his rancorous child-custody and legal battles with Oksana Grigorieva are neither shocking nor surprising. He's a violent gynophobe as well as as well as a sexist, anti-semitic and racist man.

It's being reported that his hate-fuelled rants were unleashed during fights with his ex, as their relationship unraveled.

"You're an embarrassment to me," Mel tells her at one point. "You look like a f***ing pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault."

Mel's profane outbursts are littered with references to Oksana being a "whore" and "c**t".

In another tirade, Mel tells Oksana: "How dare you act like such a bitch when I have been so f**king nice." He warns, "I am going to come and burn the f**king house down... but you will blow me first."

Grigorieva claims she made tapes of his outbursts after he uttered death threats and became physically abusive towards her.

I guess she refused to dress modestly in accordance with the precepts of Gibson's traditionalist catholic church - with her head covered and wearing only ankle-length skirts, never pants.

How likely would it be, were Gibson to kill Grigorieva - as legal documents have documented that he has threatened to do - her murder'd be headlined as an "honour killing"?

OCTO-POP!

Mel Gibson's public response to news that his female companion is pregnant.

Beyond the usual tabloid fodder regarding his alcohol-fuelled misogynist and judeophobic rants, Gibson is also known for his adherence to an obscure religious sect.

US federal tax filings showed Gibson’s Holy Family Catholic Church now has tax-free assets worth a total of $64 million. Gibson is the sole contributor to the church, which has a small congregation of about 70 members and follows a 500-year-old ethos. ...

Gibson’s secretive sect is not recognised by the Catholic Church because it does not acknowledge the authority of the Pope or the Vatican and rejects the universally accepted teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

The church’s financial coffers are impressive, particularly when compared to the funds of other religious organisations in the US. The Archdiocese of New York’s Catholic Charities organisation listed its total assets at the end of 2006 as only $5.1 million.

Gibson’s church, which offers a daily morning Mass in Latin, follows an antiquated ideology of Catholicism dating back to the 16th century. Female followers must abide by a strict dress code requiring them to wear veils over their hair and long skirts. Pants are banned.

This is a pre-conversion (and pre-Mel) photograph of Oksana Grigorieva who may (or may not) become the next Mrs Gibson.