Mel Gibson appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno last night and surprisingly, he willingly brought up his most recent secretly recorded meltdown.

He joked about it repeatedly, no less.

The now-infamous Mel Gibson rant, in which he RAGED at Joe Eszterhas (and was taped in his own home, unwittingly, by Eszterhas’ son), was over the top, he conceded. Still, Mel believes his privacy was violated and his actions were “justified.” Why?

Mel Gibson on The Tonight Show

Eszterhas’ script for The Maccabees was non-existent, then awful, Mel said, proceeding to slam the screenwriter for selling him out hardcore in a nine-page letter released online – before he leaked the audiotape.

“If he put half as much time and effort and creativity and imagination into a screenplay, which he was supposed to write, as he did into that letter, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Gibson said of Joe Eszterhas.

As for the rant itself, Leno asked, “So what were you doing, just swearing at the guy?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Mel deadpanned, before adding self-deprecatingly, “Maybe you don’t know this about me, but I’ve got a little bit of a temper.”

The Hollywood Gossip

Teen Vogue features the lovely Katy Perry on its new cover. The pop superstar says she has already tired of being famous … but it’s just the price of creating.

A heavy price, no doubt. The 27-year-old despises the massive fame that her success has brought her, calling it “disgusting by-product” of what she does.

The singer has endured heavy scrutiny after the end of her marriage to Russell Brand, and admits she’s sick of critics commenting on her personal life.

She tells Teen Vogue, “I’m tired of being famous already! But I’m not tired of creating. Fame is, I think, just a disgusting by-product of what I do.”

“It’s a delicate creature – a wild animal of sorts. It can love you, and then it can attack you. But really, I stopped focusing on what other people think a while ago.”

“If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll only end up completely confused.”

Perry admits she wants to be “as approachable and relatable as possible,” but can’t understand why some devotees break down in tears when they meet her.

She says, “When I meet fans and they’re crying, I’ll say, ‘Calm down, there’s nothing to cry about. I’m not going to bite or attack or grant you three wishes.”

“Let’s just hang out and have a good time.’”

Indeed. And enjoy these Katy Perry pics:

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On a JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas yesterday, a group of passengers were forced to band together and subdue Clayton Osbon, a pilot who simply flipped out, behaving erratically, banging on the cockpit door and screaming out numbers.

On his radio show this morning, meanwhile, Carson Daly referenced the incident.

“Most of the people were on their way to some sort of security conference in Las Vegas,” he said. “It was like a bunch of dudes and well trained dudes… thank God.”

The Voice host then added, laughing: “With my luck, it would be like… ‘this is the flight going to [the gay pride parade] in San Francisco,’” changing his tone to sound more effeminate and saying: “Uh, we’re headed down to Vegas for the floral convention.”

The implication, naturally? Folks such as that would not have been able to bring down the JetBlue pilot.

A few hours after making the comments, Daly Tweeted an apology: “This morning on my radio show I attempted to make fun of myself & offended others by mistake. I sincerely apologize.”

Do you accept this apology? Do you think he should have made one?

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On Friday morning, DMX took time out from getting arrested to make his feelings about Drake very well known.

Appearing on New York radio station Power 105.1, the controversial rapper said of his fellow artist: “I don’t like anything about Drake. I don’t like his f-cking voice. I don’t like the sh-t he talks about.”

Anything else?

“I don’t like his face. I don’t like the way he walks – nothing,” said DMX, concluding with the biggest shot of all: “I don’t like his haircut.”

DMX gave no explanation for his hatred. In unrelated, yet hilarious news: DMX has posed for 15 mug shots.

[Photos: WENN.com]

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Vanessa Hudgens is currently in Australia, premiering Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, posing on red carpets, showing off various dresses. Oh, and answering awkward questions about her ex.

Indeed, the actress appeared yesterday on a local news show alongside Josh Hutcherson, her co-star in the film and, yes, her ex-boyfriend. Only no one told the anchors this relationship was over, leading to an awkward exchange.

“How long have you two been going out?” one asked, as Josh and Vanessa stared blankly at each other before handling the situation very, very well.

“We’re not,” Hutcherson said. “We were at one point, but she broke my heart… no, I’m just kidding.”

Fast forward to the 3:30 mark if you wish to only watch this portion of the interview:

Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Hutcherson Interview

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Kim Kardashian is denying a series of celebrity gossip reports that she attended a fashion show and spent a fortune on herself during her recent visit to Haiti.

The star took to her blog to shoot down “malicious” rumors about her trip to the Caribbean country, which was hit by a earthquake in 2010, with her mom.

She and Kris Jenner traveled there for positive PR to learn more about the charity We Advance, not for a fashion show, which has been rumored this week.

“Our mission was to learn more about [Maria Bello's] charity, We Advance,” she says, “and meet the Haitian people who have made such amazing progress since the devastating earthquake in 2010, and celebrate the women of Haiti.”

Kim says they “inspired me more than I ever could have anticipated.”

When Kardashian returned, she says she saw “malicious” reports that say she “spent a fortune” on herself in Haiti … and was, like, so offended, because how could ANYONE possibly think Kim would put herself first in any situation?

“While my experience was completely life-changing … a very emotional and surprisingly positive journey I will never forget, some have tried to tarnish the motive behind my visit by writing completely ridiculous and untrue things,” Kim Kardashian laments.

The fortune she supposedly spent? She says this: “The truth is that I was at the Haitian Artisan Fair, where the amazing men and women who make their jewelry and crafts sell them to visitors to make a living, and I bought some beautiful jewelry!”

In the end, she said, she had a positive experience trying to give back.

“I have some really great stories and photos from my trip and I’m so excited to share them with you all,” she wrote … and we’re sure she will share them, early and often, in between plugs for various products. Just kidding. Probably.

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Will George Takei live long enough to prosper after making the following comments public?

In order to settle a feud between one Star Trek icon (William Shatner) and on Star Wars veteran (Carrie Fisher), this veteran actor has taken to the Internet and posted a message that he hopes will bring both sides together: let’s all hate on Twilight instead!

“What’s needed today now more than ever is star peace, for there is an ominous, mutual threat to all science fiction. It’s called Twilight and it is really, really bad,” says Takei.

George Takei: Down with Twilight!

The actor even gets rather specific in calling our Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and company, adding:

“Gone is any sense of heroism, camaraderie or epic battles. In its place, we have vampires that sparkle, moan and go to high school. Now, I’m not above mixing in a little sex appeal to spice up the fantasy, but sci-fi fans be warned, there are no great stories, characters or profound life lessons to be found in Twilight… In Twilight, the only message that rings through loud and clear is: ‘Does my boyfriend like me?’

“Let us band together to combat this mutual threat.”

Powerful words. Now you tell us: Which movie franchise is best?

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Sarah Palin is looking to produce a reality show about Todd Palin’s life as a snow machine racer. Astonishingly, the reception among networks so far has been … icy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Palin and producer Mark Burnett are pitching a show that would turn the camera on Todd Palin’s winning career on the circuit.

The price tag and subject matter have driven bidders away thus far, though.

Discovery Networks, the company that the former governor’s last show on TLC, paid over $ 1 million per episode for the rights to Sarah Palin’s Alaska, airing in 2010.

Now, Discovery is unwilling to pay that price, as is A&E.

Sarah Palin’s Alaska debuted to massive ratings, with network record audience of five million, but fell precipitously, including a 40 percent drop by its second episode.

The show certainly generated buzz, with her shooting animals, acting all folksy, hosting Kate Gosselin and her children and so forth. But the buzz ultimately waned.

It was cancelled after its first and only season. Having declined to run for president, and with little interest from the reality TV world, what WILL Sarah Palin do next?

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If cats could talk … they would say a lot of inane things, and probably mock you behind your back. But you should still adopt one anyway, because they’re furry and cute.

In this ad for the Shelter Pet Project, a Puss in Boots-like orange tabby talks to the camera about the family who adopted him … specifically a kid of intermediate age.

To us, this seems like normal, leisurely behavior. To a feline? Just mortifying.

Cat Criticizes Kid in Sand Box

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Presidential hopeful Herman Cain, already facing allegations of sexual harassment from four women, was caught joking about Anita Hill during a campaign stop this week.

A college professor, Hill infamously became the poster woman for such claims when she made them 20 years ago about Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

A Fox News camera caught Cain laughing about Hill during a campaign visit to Kalamazoo, Mich., Thursday, when a supporter brought up the professor’s name.

“You hear the latest news today? Anita Hill is going to come …” a man told Cain. “Is she going to endorse me?” Cain joked, as he and the crowd laughed heartily …

Herman Cain Anita Hill Joke

Herman Cain insisted later that he wasn’t trying to insult Hill.

“We walked into this room and … one of my supporters said, ‘Anita Hill was trying to contact you’ and my response was, ‘Is she going to endorse me?’” he said.

“He said it in a humorous way. I gave a humorous response.”

The Republican continues to fend off allegations that he sexually harassed four women when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

Karen Kraushaar allegedly received a settlement to leave the group along with another woman. Sharon Bialek alleges Cain tried to grope her at a later date.

Joking about Hill, while essentially harmless, is not likely to help Cain, who some say has been less than forthcoming, shake the story that has dogged him for weeks.

How will the sexual harassment allegations impact Cain?

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