Mel Gibson is often attacked for his alleged anti-Semitic ways, but a scathing new letter from famous screenwriter Joe Eszterhas makes him seem like a maniac!

Joe, 67, was the screenwriter for the scrapped movie The Maccabees, a film based on Jewish biblical hero Judah Maccabee. Mel, 56, was slated to direct, but now Joe is alleging in an open letter obtained by TheWrap.com that he killed the project personally.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason you won’t make The Maccabees is the ugliest possible one. You hate Jews,” he wrote. “You continually called Jews ‘Hebes’ and ‘oven-dodgers’ and ‘Jewboys.’ It seemed that most times when we discussed someone, you asked ‘He’s a Hebe, isn’t he?’ You said most ‘gatekeepers’ of American companies were ‘Hebes’ who ‘controlled their bosses.’ You said the Holocaust was ‘mostly a lot of horses–t.’”

Joe also alleged that the only reason Mel wanted to make the movie was to “convert the Jews to Christianity.”

Also shocking are Joe’s allegations about Mel’s attitude toward his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

“You were raving at Oksana even after you’d reached a custody agreement over [their daughter] Luci,” he wrote. “And then you were even more explicit about your threat: ‘I’m going to kill her! I’m going to have her killed!’ You said you’d become friends with two FBI agents (or former FBI agents) and they were going to help you to kill her.”

Mel quickly issued a letter in response, which blamed the failure of the movie on Joe, TMZ reports.

“I will say that the great majority of the facts as well as the statements and actions attributed to me in your letter are utter fabrications,” he wrote. “Not only was the script delivered later than you promised, both Warner Brothers and I were extraordinarily disappointed with the draft. In 25 years of script development I have never seen a more substandard first draft or a more significant waste of time.”

Are YOU shocked by these allegations, HollywoodLifers?

– William Earl

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2. Robert Downey, Jr.: Everyone Should ‘Forgive’ Mel Gibson!
3. Mel Gibson Agrees To Custody Deal With Ex Oksana Grigorieva And It’s Only Going To Cost Him $750,000!

The actor has to pay the Russian singer this sum over the next five years. He’s also providing Oksana and their daughter Lucia with a house in Los Angeles. In return he gets to share 50-50 custody of the 22 month old!

It may seem like a lot of money, but the deal is a huge blow for Oksana Grigorieva, who was told she could expect as much as $15 million from Mel Gibson‘s reported $1 BILLION fortune!Mel, 55, certainly sounded like the victor in court in LA today, August 31, telling Judge Peter D. Lichtman, “Thanks, your honor, for bringing this case to a reasonable conclusion.”

Oksana, 41, meanwhile, insisted she settled for the sake of Lucia. “Oksana settled this case today because it’s in the best interests of Lucia,” her lawyer Daniel Horowitz told reporters.

Under the deal, Oksana and Lucia will live full-time at a house Mel owns in LA. When Lucia turns 18 the house will be sold and the proceeds put in a trust for her.

Oksana and Mel are also banned from discussing each other of their relationship — that means no book deals!

It’s great news that these two are done fighting, but Oksana must be FURIOUS she’s ended up with so little after such a long bitter battle with her ex. Compared to the rumored $500 million Mel’s ex-wife Robyn walked away with when their divorce was finalized earlier this year — $750,000 is peanuts!

The mere fact Mel has landed 50-50 custody of Lucia is astonishing enough — considering the accusations of violence leveled against him after they split. Remember those angry, foul-mouthed phone calls?

Does this seem like a fair deal, HollyMoms?

– Ian Garland

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In his first interview since tapes of his raging anger toward the mother of his infant girl surfaced, Mel tells Deadline.com he regrets his outburst — but it ‘doesn’t represent what I truly believe.’

Mel Gibson is sorry — now! The infamous tapes of his sexist, racist and threatening rants at Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his baby daughter Lucia, caught him at his worst, he tells our sister site Deadline.com!

“It’s one terribly awful moment in time, said to one person in the span of one day, and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life,” Mel says.

The recordings included threats on Oksasna’s life, and Mel admits he was angry at himself for what he’d said — and shocked when his rants ended up online: ”Who anticipates being recorded? Who anticipates that?” Mel says. “Who could anticipate such a personal betrayal?”

When Deadline.com asked him how people are supposed to feel about the slurs he flung at Oksana, Mel defends him self by saying, “I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality — period. I don’t blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship.”

He says he accepts that the scandal may mean the public no longer wants to see him on the screen, “I could easily not act again. It’s not a problem.” But Mel, who will appear in the Jodie Foster-directed The Beaver, which opens May 6, has already lined up his next project — not a lead role — in a  ”swashbuckler” flick.

He thanks pals like Whoopi Goldberg who spoke out to support him in the face of widespread criticism that made him a late-night TV laughingstock. And he says her understands why other Hollywood friends didn’t publicly step up: “Why would anyone speak publicly and drag themselves through this crap?”

Cast members of the upcoming Hangover II objected to his planned cameo — even though they had worked with Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, in the first movie.  But Mel says, “You have to let that go…You just move on and go OK, I’m not greatly offended by it.”

What do you think HollwyoodLifers? Is it time to forgive Mel? Or should he just go away for good?

Mel’s daughter Hannah had baby number three making him a grandpa again!

Congratulations! Mel Gibson‘s daughter Hannah Gibson, 29, with ex-wife Robyn Denise Moore, welcomed a baby boy on Saturday, March 12, TMZ.com reports. The baby, whose name has not been revealed, makes three for Hannah and her hubby blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepard, 33, who have a little boy and girl. That makes Mel, 55, a dad of eight and a grandpa of three!

Mel and Robyn have six sons, twins Christian and Edward, 27, William, 25, Louis, 22, Milio, 20, and Thomas, 11. He also has a 1½-year-old baby girl named Lucia with former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

Mel went to church in Malibu yesterday, but left early to spend time with his new grandson!

Hannah’s oldest, her daughter, is three-years-old, so her and Kenny have been busy! Three under three, that’s a lot of work!

–Leigh Blickley

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Mel Gibson may be a bad husband and a pretty awful boyfriend but we’ve always believed he was a good father… until now.

Mel Gibson‘s ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, claims in new court papers that Mel was so desperate to get outside for a cigarette that he precariously propped up their 2-month-old baby, Lucia, on some pillows on a table and left her alone while he satisfied his craving. The baby then allegedly slid off the table and onto the floor! “So literally she was sitting on a slide on top of the table,” Oksana said. “I think he went to have a smoke and she slid down.” Oksana says that Mel was upset after the incident and claims that Lucia cried for 20 minutes after the fall.

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“I looked at her bruises — not bruises but the bump on her front and the bump on her back, back of the head and the front of the head and analyzed that — but she looked focused. After initial shock of crying and, of course, I consoled her and she stopped crying eventually,” Oksana said.

She added that the baby had to be treated by a doctor “because Mel dropped her and she needed to be seen by [a] chiropractor.”

Yikes! All parents make mistakes, but would you leave your newborn baby lying on a table while you went outside to have a cigarette?

Mel, 54, and Oksana, 40, have been battling for custody of Lucia since they split earlier this year. The Hollywood star was accused of hitting Oksana during a heated argument in January, while she was holding the baby in his arms.

Teen Mom Maci Bookout is in a custody battle for her son!

“You hit me and you hit [Lucia] while she was in my hands! Mel, you’re losing your mind.
You need medication,” Oksana said in a taped conversation with the Oscar-winning actor, who has seven older children with his ex-wife, Robyn.

The Department of Children and Family Services is continuing to investigate both parents.

Mel Gibson lost control of his fancy car, hit a hillside and had to have it towed away August 15! Did he do it on purpose or is luck -– quite fairly — just not on his side?

Mel Gibson’s personal drama never ends. Almost immediately after returning from a two-week fishing trip, the Australian actor went for a joy ride in his ultra-swanky 2008 four-door Maserati in Malibu, Calif. August 15…and proceeded to crash the $120,000+ car into a hill. Was he drinking again or is karma out to get him?

“For unknown reasons, Mr. Gibson steered his car to the right and struck the rock hillside. He
stopped his car at the scene and was contacted by officers from the West Valley CHP Area,” the California Highway Patrol report says.

No charges are being pressed and drunk driving isn’t suspected, says TMZ. However, the CHP claim describes Mel, 54, as confused and bewildered.

“Officers also asked Gibson if he had dozed off ‘but he did not give a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’.’ Gibson just repeated several times, ‘I don’t know how the car left the roadway,’” the story says.

Four years ago this summer, Mel was arrested for a driving under the influence and infamously used racial slurs against the arresting police officer. Now, the Braveheart actor is being investigated for domestic assault against baby mama Oksana Grigorieva and is reportedly drowning in stress from the very public case.

Luckily, Mel isn’t the recipient of ALL news. Sadly, the nanny who was the key witness in his domestic violence case with Russian pianist Oksana passed away from stage four cancer this weekend and will no longer be able to testify against him, reports RadarOnline.

Mel’s case is expected to go to court within the next month.

–Kirstin Benson

Getty Images, Splashnews.com

BFFs, we told you first that Mel and Oksana were being investigated by the Department of Children and Family Services! Now sources are saying the case is almost closed and “no action” will be taken against either!

It looks like Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva may just be in the clear! HollywoodLife.com first broke the news that the LA Department of Children and Family Services were launching an investigation against Mel and Oksana for reportedly neglecting and abusing their 9-month-old daughter Lucia. But RadarOnline now says that the DCFS is dropping their investigation against the former couple.

“The case will be officially closed when several more people that deal with Lucia are officially interviewed, and that should take place in the next few weeks,” says the source. “The people that play a key role in Lucia’s life have already been interviewed, and barring any bombshell developments from the remaining people that are going to be dealt with, the case will be closed, with no action being taken against Mel or Oksana.”

The investigation is currently still underway, but Radar reports that it should be over in about 2 weeks.

“Just because no action is being taken at this point, and the investigation appears to be wrapping up, doesn’t mean that officials won’t get involved again,” the source tells RadarOnline. “If there are concerns about Lucia’s welfare again in the future, DCFS will become active again.”

Chloe Melas

Two new reports claim that Mel Gibson was abusive towards his son and ex-wife, Robyn, and he sent threatening texts to Oksana — reiterating many of YOUR opinions that his actions are abusive and unforgivable

An unlikely Mel Gibson ally surfaced last week when one HollywoodLife.com reader, Karen, reached out to me, explaining that as a former victim of domestic abuse, she found Mel Gibson’s estranged girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, to be in the wrong. However, as more and more evidence against Mel comes out in the open — including angry text messages to baby mama Oksana Grigorieva — many of you actively disagree with Karen and say no one ever has an excuse to harm another person….no matter how much Oksana pushed Mel’s buttons.

Karen said she was frustrated because Oksana only spoke about a singular incident in January when Mel allegedly punched her in the head, saying “an abuser doesn’t do it once and stop.” However, two experts say that when you combine Mel’s rage-filled phone rants with the angry texts messages released Aug. 2, it’s proof that abuse can come in any form.

“Abuse is generally not one incident—however, it could be one type of incident, like physical violence. Then, the abuser can use sexual, verbal, financial, or technological violence as tools of power and control,” Chaitra Shenoy, the Policy and Technical Assistance Attorney at Break the Cycle, the leading, national nonprofit working to end teen dating violence, tells HollywoodLife.com. “Your commenter makes it a point to show that he has never abused someone else before, however, we don’t know that.”

Dr. CarolAnn Peterson, an adjunct associate professor at the USC School of Social Work agrees, and adds that just because Mel, 54, is still allowed to visit their eight-month-old daughter, Lucia, it doesn’t mean he’s not abusive.

“Many abusers never hit their victims, they use other forms of abuse – name calling (which Mel has done), financial abuse, intimidation and pointing loaded guns at victims but never pulling the trigger (this is abuse),” Dr. Peterson explains. “And just because Mel received visitation rights, doesn’t mean he’s not abusive. Many father’s have visitation rights, even if their former wife or girlfriend has a restraining order.”

Mel exhibits other characteristics of an abusive person by consistently blaming Oksana, 40, for all of his anger and rage, Dr. Peterson points out.

“Abusers don’t view their partners as partners, they view their partners are possessions…something they own,” she tells me. “In my opinion Mel comes across as someone who believes he owns Oksana. Also, abusers never believe they have a problem; it’s always the
victim’s fault….in this case, Mel continually blames Oksana, including for the alleged incident of where he hit her and knocked out two of her teeth.”

To prove her point, our angry reader, Karen, also says that Oksana didn’t report Mel’s abuse for six months, which seems suspect. However, both experts say many abused women are too scared to speak out against their abuser.

“Each survivor is different. There are survivors that take months, even years to share the abuse they faced,” Chenoy explains. “It doesn’t mean that the abuse didn’t happen or they should not be believed.”

Adds Dr. Peterson, “Most people, including formerly battered women [like your reader, Karen], are quick to blame the victim. But the real question is why men batter and why we as a society don’t hold them accountable….even for one incident.”

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