"People are surveys taylor swifts just very taylor jr draws sensitive about the topic," said one who demanded anonymity. Gibson has always been a star with a visible dark side; for years, that's been the secret of his success. Despite his blue-eyed baby face, in his early films -- such as "The Year of Living Dangerously" -- he rejected the standard hero template in favor of roles that combined humor and/or heroism with psychosis. In "Lethal Weapon," the film that would make him a franchise star, we first meet his character as he plays a sorrow- and beer-soaked game of Russian roulette. And there has been a stream of films notable for extreme, if realistic, violence -- what other leading man would direct himself being disemboweled on camera, as Gibson did in "Braveheart"? The film earned him best picture and directing Oscars and cemented his position as one of Hollywood's most powerful stars. "There have always been stars, like Sean Penn or Russell Crowe and before that Kirk Douglas or Frank Sinatra, whose tough-guy personas on screen allowed them to survive bad behavior off screen," says one longtime publicist "It's not like he's ever been Mr. Nice Guy. "This is the reason some Hollywood insiders believe that Gibson will survive the current firestorm. Others wonder if this is the culmination of a career arc predestined to crash. "I remember the days when Mel Gibson was nearly as lovable as he thought he was," said film historian David Thomson "When he began, he was a widely popular rascal.

Women went for him in a big way -- if you got involved with him, he's not going to be exactly a gentleman, but you'd have a pretty good time. "But when he became a director, Thomson added, Gibson seemed to take himself too seriously and emerged as very right-wing. "He is very anti-English," said Thomson, pointing to anti-British portrayals in "The Patriot" and "Braveheart. " "And there is a real extraordinary cruelty" in his films. But Gibson remains resolutely complicated taylor swifts brother . Yes, he may be pushing the boundaries of violence and cruelty on screen -- "Apocalypto," the film that Walt Disney thus far still plans to release in December, is about the brutal fall of the Mayan civilization -- but on the set he maintains a reputation as a prankster who is genuinely friendly and professional, which is what drew Foster to him. "I knew I liked him right away," she said "We have a lot in common taylor residential . We are both well-liked on sets because we work hard and we don't make a big deal about it. Taylor Swift tickets " Starring with Gibson in "Maverick," she said, "was the happiest co-star experience I have ever had. "Gibson and his wife are well-known for their generosity taylor road . Over the years they have given more than $17 million to a charity that provides medical treatment to needy children around the world; more recently they paid for the $2-million operation in which conjoined infants from Guatemala were separated. Devlin remembers how, during the filming of "The Patriot," Gibson went into a small South Carolina town and single-handedly financed the building of a battered women's shelter. "He does things like that all the time," Devlin said taylor mary . "When my parents were dying from cancer, Mel called me two and three times a week from on set, sent me names of doctors, books. He was totally there for me. "Though not known for having a wide circle of friends, Gibson is fiercely loyal to those close to him.

He produced "Paparazzi," the big-screen directorial debut of Paul Abascal, Gibson's former hairstylist Gibson jump-started Downey's career taylor swifts fearless . After a jail sentence had left Downey uninsurable, Gibson cast him in "The Singing Detective" and later persuaded producer Joel Silver to give him a shot in "Gothika Taylor Swift - CMT . "Gibson, said Foster, "was a shining example of how low you can go when you are young and still pull yourself up taylor artist . He took his recovery very seriously, which is why I know he is strong enough to get through this now. "Not that it's going to be easy taylor sarah . Several Jewish leaders have pointed out that someone doesn't "recover" from anti-Semitism overnight Nor does one recover from alcoholism in a week taylor thomas . There are the actual charges, of course, though it seems doubtful that Gibson will do time. He's already begun trying to repair his image -- in addition to two public apologies, he has been calling friends and colleagues to apologize personally. According to Gibson's representatives at ICM, there have been no changes in the star's current or future projects, and a CNN poll released early this week found that more than 70% of moviegoers would still show up to see him in a film. "I just hope some good comes out this," Sherak said. "I mean, besides the fact that he didn't kill anyone, driving 85 miles per hour on PCH, which he could have He's a smart man I think he knows his life needs a change.

I hate what he said, everyone should hate what he said, but maybe this will get him to think through whatever's in his head and work it out. "Times staff writers Robert W taylor swifts house . Welkos, Claire Hoffman and Chris Lee contributed to this report. *(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)Tangled websHollywood's famous have far too often found themselves caught in very public scandals for misdeeds that range from murder to mere embarrassment taylor countrywide . Here is a selected list. Fatty ArbuckleScandal: Charged with the rape and murder of actress Virginia Rappe in 1921. Resolution: Acquitted in third trial after the jury deliberated for six minutes taylor mt . Effectively banned from acting . Roman PolanskiScandal: Charged with raping a teenager in 1977, he fled the country to avoid prosecution. Resolution: The Paris-based director works steadily, winning an Oscar in 2002 for "The Pianist. " He didn't return to the U. S taylor peter . to collect the award. Rob LoweScandal: Sex tape with Lowe and a teenager surfaced in 1989 Taylor Swift .

Facing criminal charges, Lowe agreed to two years of community service. Resolution: Career stalled until he was cast in "The West Wing" in 1999 taylors swift . He's currently working on a film Taylor Swift - Khabrein . Christian SlaterScandal: Drug, assault and sexual abuse incidents beginning in 1989; charged with grabbing a woman's buttocks in 2005 For a 1997 assault, all the felony charges were dropped taylor richard . In a plea bargain, he was sentenced to three months in jail, three months in rehab and three years' probation taylor family . Charges were dismissed in the grabbing incident. Resolution: Slater's 2000 role in "The Contender" was his big screen return taylor message . He's worked steadily and is currently involved in at least six film projects. Pee-wee Herman,a. k. a.