January 03

Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson's Birthday

Mel Gibson may have proven the adage that life imitates art. In his Mad Max films, he plays a somewhat deranged former police officer. In the popular Lethal Weapon series, Mel played Martin Riggs, a mentally unstable L.A. cop with suicidal tendencies. He has continued his mental problems in real life with a series of psychiatric rants that finally earned him his very own David Letterman Top 10 list of excuses for Gibson’s erratic behavior on July 13, 2010. Mel also directed and starred in Man without a Face (1993). On April 12, 2012, Lawrence O’Donnnell reported in Wrap TV that Mel wears a prosthetic facemask to go out to restaurants.
His 2004 film The Passion of the Christ sparked a fierce debate over alleged anti-Semitic imagery and overtones. .On July 28, 2006, Mel was arrested for DUI while speeding in his vehicle with an open container of alcohol. During his 2006, arrest , he made anti-Semitic remarks to arresting officer James Mee, who is Jewish, saying, "Fucking Jews... Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?" Mel issued two apologies for the incident through his publicist. He subsequently admitted being an alcoholic and bipolar. He admitted to making anti-Semitic remarks during his arrest and apologized for his "despicable" behavior, saying the comments were "blurted out in a moment of insanity" and asked to meet with Jewish leaders to help him "discern the appropriate path for healing."

To celebrate Mel's birthday, we recommend a bowl of matzo ball soup followed by a Mel 'Bipolar' Gibson Cocktail. Since matzo ball soup is commonly called the "Jewish Penicillin," it may be the cure for Mel's virulent anti-Semitism. Mel's confessor should have required Mel to eat a bowl of matzo ball soup a day to remind him that Jesus Christ was Jewish. Matzo ball soup may at first not to be a penance, but with 1/2 cup of butter in the recipe, Mel may be seeing Jesus sooner than he thinks.

We also suggest toasting him with a Mel 'Bipolar' Gibson. The Oak Bar in New York's Plaza Hotel, is credited with inventing the cocktail. According to Executive chef Eric Hara "Gibson … Bipolar … All these words flying around in the media just jumped out at me. So I made a Gibson, which is a classic cocktail, into something thoroughly twisted." The cocktail consists of a shot of gin, a shot of Van Gogh Vodka, since the painter was also bipolar, and cocktail onions for garnish. Since a few of these cocktails could be considered lethal, Lethal Weapon (1987) would be an ideal celebratory film.

Matzo Ball Soup

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) packages matzo crackers
1/2 cup butter
6 eggs
1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste
4 TB minced fresh parsley
2 onions, minced
8 cups chicken broth

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Break matzo crackers into small pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add water to cover; allow to soak
    for a few minutes, until soft. Drain off excess water.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in drained matzos; stir until mixture is dry and slightly
    brown. Remove from heat, and mix in eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, parsley, and onions.
4. Mix in just enough matzo meal to make mixture hold together. Roll one golf ball-size matzo ball. Place
    matzo ball in the boiling water to test the mixture. The ball must rise to the top of the water and not break apart.
    If it does not rise, then too much matzo meal was added. Just add another beaten egg to the mixture and try again.
    When desired consistency is reached, roll all of mixture into golf ball size spheres.
5. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a slow boil over medium heat; add balls to broth. Serve soup as the
    balls rise to the top of the broth.

'Serves 4