Mel Gibson – Hollywood’s bird on a wire

It appears 2006 is the year of living dangerously for perennial frontman Mel Gibson.

Gibson is known the world over for icon entertainment international in scope, but his recent drunken driving arrest launched the chain reaction of events destined to end with a yet-unknown punishment.

While Hollywood is often chided for seemingly rewarding the foolish behaviors of its braveheart children, the screen maverick forgot what you're not supposed to do when facing a tequila sunrise -- getting behind the wheel while drunk turns any vehicle into a lethal weapon (even if you've gotten away with it 1, 2, 3 or 4 times).

And investigators say there is no conspiracy theory behind the manner in which they are dealing with the man who made a fortune delivering exactly what women want. The river of police statements indicate they are not assigning the case to the singing detective.

However, the bounty of insider info coming from those close to Gibson points to someone unsuccessfully addressing an "I-never-promised-you-a-rose-garden" time in his life.

Unnamed sources said they saw signs that Mel's driving stunt was no chicken run -- he may have been suicidal at the time. Whatever his motivation, the unbecoming media attention surrounding his anti-Semitic comments have left the Aussie wishing he were the man without a face.

My prediction: Mel will pay his attorneys a ransom to stay out of the million dollar hotel. Come next Father's Day, we'll all be remembering the patriot for the right reasons, not what the paparazzi would have you think.