Come for the Rehab, Stay for the Margaritas
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
MEL AND BACK Gibson How far has Mel Gibson gone to distance himself from the ugly events of July 28? About 1.9 miles. That's the distance between Moonshadows, the Mel-ibu bar where Gibson partied before his DUI arrest and anti-Semitic rant, and Promises, the rehab center where the Passion of the Christ director reportedly went for treatment. (A Promises spokesperson would not confirm the facility's exact address but it's listed on several websites.)
A longtime industry observer tells Radar that Promises, which has treated a host of wasted stars (Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck) and local wastrels (Brandon Davis) over the years, has become the go-to cure for party boys in need of a PR fix who don't want to deal with all that buzz-killing "not drinking or doing drugs" stuff. (Perhaps that's why prosecutors insisted Gibson's plea deal include a year's worth of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on top of the rehab.)
