FUNNY HOW some acclaimed and much-admired stars turn out to have a masochistic penchant for shooting themselves in the foot. Only a few years ago, Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan were at the top of their stellar game, reaping plaudits and laughing all the way to the bank. Today, well, not so much ?and that?s an understatement.

Most recently, Lohan added to her long list of all-too-public sins of commission and omission by ticking a judge off so much that she was sentenced to spending months in the slammer. By no means was this Lohan?s first brush with the law, but the sentence was her most stinging legal rebuke to date, prompting her to break down and protest the ?inordinately severe? penalty.

Alas, most people didn?t take her side; they too were ticked off by an extreme close-up shot of one of Lohan?s fingernails at the court hearing, which had the ?F? word printed thereon.

Apologetic in public, snidely rebellious in private? If this was the game the former child star was playing, nobody wanted to play with her. Not even her most avid fans, who have found less self-destructive stars to emulate.

This is a great pity, since Lohan is still one of Hollywood?s most talented young stars. That?s why we keep hoping against hope that she?ll soon come to her senses and reform and redeem her life and career ? what?s left of it.

Terrible turn

Lohan?s case is tragic enough, but what really saddens most film buffs is the terrible way that Mel Gibson?s own life and career have unraveled in just the last couple of years.
Gibson was one of the silver screen?s top icons, with hits like ?Braveheart,? ?Apocalypto? and the ?Lethal Weapon? film franchises tucked in his belt. The star?s career really zoomed up when he ?dared? to make the religious film, ?The Passion of the Christ,? against the ?wise? counsel of most industry insiders, who warned him that spiritual productions were ?poison? at the box office. Well, so much for ?wise? counsel: ?The Passion of the Christ? ended up making over $600 million, as well as cementing Gibson?s reputation as one of the most visionary and inspiring filmmakers in the biz.

Show biz pariah

Alas, all that is in the past: Gibson first shocked film fans when he left his wife of many years, by whom he had numerous children. Next, he got his new girlfriend pregnant. All too soon, however, the union soured up and she accused him of beating her up.

In addition, Gibson was accused of driving under the influence and uttering viciously racist and sexist remarks.

Most recently, his talent agency, William Morris, dropped him, a radical action that some show biz insiders point to as a symbol of his having become a pariah in the movie biz.

So, is everything over for Mel Gibson, hit film star and icon? As in Lohan?s case, we hope that he can still repent, recover and regain the viewing public?s approval. Will that in fact happen? Only if Gibson gets over his drinking problem and learns to curb his racist and sexist excesses ? nothing less will do.