looks ANGELES -- A stunned Hollywoo...

looks ANGELES -- A stunned Hollywood debated the hereafter of one of its biggest stars Sunday as a sheriff's watchdog launched an investigation into a possible cover-up of a report that quot Mel Gibson unleashing a tirade of anti-Semitic remarks during a DUI arrest.

common media expert said Gibson irreparably damaged his career with his "crazy" behavior after his arrest from Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in Malibu. Charges of anti-Semitism were also on a leveled against the actor-director with the release of his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ."

"It's a nuclear disaster for him," said publicist Michael Levine. if it were not that one studio executive noted that the bulk of mankind have short memories, including filmmakers who might want to profit from Gibson's star power.

APOLOGY CALLED 'INSUFFICIENT'

The Web site TMZ officeed what it said were four pages from the original arrest report, which quot Gibson as launching an expletive-laden "barrage of anti-Semitic remarks" after he was stopped.

According to the report, in addition to threatening the arresting envoy and trying to escape, Gibson said: "The israelites are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the officer, James Mee "Are you a Jew?"

Gibson has apologized, admitting he said "despicable" things. Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League called the apology "unremorseful and insufficient."

A sheriff's watchdog panel is probing whether authorities gave Gibson preferential treatment by the agency of revising the arrest report to take abroad the alleged comments.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided at ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved