Prosecutors file charges against Gibson

August 3, 2006

Mel Gibson was charged yesterday with misdemeanor drunken driving, having an elevated blood-alcohol level, and having an open container of liquor in his car. The three counts were filed by Los Angeles County prosecutors five days after Gibson was pulled over on Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway for speeding and he unleashed anti-Semitic comments at the arresting deputy. The charges did not mention Gibson's self-described ``belligerent behavior" toward the deputy or any allegation of speeding. Arraignment was set for Sept. 28 in Malibu Superior Court. If convicted, Gibson faces up to six months in jail, the district attorney's office said.

Internet reports to the contrary, ``Queer Eye" has not been canceled and is coming back. ``Fab Five" fellow Jai Rodriguez had been quoted on a website saying, ``We haven't been asked back for 2007." But a spokeswoman for Bravo told TMZ.com yesterday that Rodriguez was misquoted. In a statement, the network said, ``Bravo's Emmy Award-winning `Queer Eye' has just wrapped its production cycle. . . . A whole new season is slated for 2007. `Queer Eye' remains the core of our Tuesday night strategy." Now, that's a relief.

A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children's museum. ``He just went berserk," said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the 6-year-old Doberman pinscher named Barney. Barney ripped the head off a bear once owned by the young Presley. The bear, named Mabel (inset), was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff. The collection, valued at more than $900,000, included a red bear made by Farnell in 1910 and a Bobby Bruin made by Merrythought in 1936. The bear with Elvis connections was owned by English aristocrat Benjamin Slade, who bought it at an Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis and had loaned it to the museum.

Kevin Costner's returning to Dyersville, Iowa. The ``Field of Dreams" star hasn't been back to the eastern Iowa town since its famous cornstalks resurrected Shoeless Joe Jackson on the big screen 17 years ago . Costner will appear in Dyersville Aug. 11 as part of a ``Rolling Roadshow" tour, in which 10 classic movies are being shown at the sites of their filming. Netflix, which organized the tour, confirms that Costner will make an appearance before the movie is shown.

British band Depeche Mode has canceled its concert in Tel Aviv because of the violence in the Middle East. ``Depeche Mode regretfully announce the cancellation of their scheduled concert on August 3rd at Hayarkon Park, following the latest developments," the band said on its website. The Jerusalem Post reported that 40,000 people bought tickets for the heavily promoted show.

FROM WIRE SERVICES