Batman star Christian Bale apologized Friday for his expletive-laden tantrum during filming of a new Terminator film, saying he was “out of order beyond belief.”
Bale’s meltdown became an Internet sensation after a recording of his rant at a cinematographer found its way on to the Web.
The 35-year-old old British-born actor called a Los Angeles morning show on KROQ radio to apologize for the outburst.
“It has been a miserable week for me,” Bale told the show’s hosts. “I know I have a potty mouth but I was way out of order.
“The thing that I want to stress is that I have no confusion whatsoever. I was out of order beyond belief. I acted like a punk.
“I regret that and there is nobody that has heard that tape that is hit harder by it than me. I make no excuses for it, it is inexcusable, and I hope that is absolutely clear.”
Bale also said he hoped the fallout from his tirade would not deter people from watching Terminator Salvation when it hits screens later this year.
“I’m asking people, please do not allow my onetime lapse in judgment, my incredibly embarrassing meltdown, to overshadow this movie and to have all of those people’s hard work [from the film’s cast and crew] go to waste.”
In the audio clip of the incident, which took place on location in New Mexico in July, Bale can be heard lambasting cinematographer Shane Hurlbut for apparently wandering into the actor’s line of vision.
Bale repeatedly calls for Hurlbut to be kicked off the set and threatens to tear down the cinematographer’s lighting rig.
Bale’s rant is the latest incident involving the actor, who is renowned for his fiercely committed approach to acting.
Bale was arrested in London last year for allegedly attacking his mother and sister. Police later said the actor would face no charges because of insufficient evidence.
Actor James Whitmore, famed for his one-man stage shows and an Oscar-nominated turn as US President Harry Truman, died on Friday at age 87. Whitmore died at his home in the seaside enclave of Malibu, just northwest of Los Angeles, of lung cancer, with which he was diagnosed in November, according to his son, Steve.
Rags-to-riches drama Slumdog Millionaire continued its sweep through the Hollywood movie industry awards, on Saturday winning top honors for an adapted screenplay.
The Writers Guild of America honored the film, along with the biographical drama Milk, at its annual award ceremony for film writing.
The honor further cements frontrunner Oscar status for Slumdog, which is based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup. The film has collected 10 Oscar nominations.
Other films nominated for the screenwriters award were Doubt, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Slumdog Millionaire also on Saturday won top honors from the Producers Guild of America Awards.
The film is considered a leading contender to collect an armful of gold statuettes at the Feb. 22 Oscars ceremony, including possible best picture honors.
The estate of The Godfather author Mario Puzo got an offer it couldn’t refuse and settled a US$1 million lawsuit relating to a videogame loosely based on the film, lawyers said Friday.
Lawyers for the Puzo estate had filed suit against Paramount Pictures Corp in June, alleging it was owed profits from sales and rentals of the game The Godfather: The Game, licensed by Paramount in 2006.
But the possibility of a trial was averted on Friday after the two sides reached a settlement, the terms of which were not immediately clear.
“We think it’s a terrific settlement,” said the Puzo estate’s attorney, Bert Fields. “This involved one of the most admired films of all time.”
Paramount attorney Hajir Ardebili was not immediately available for comment. In court papers filed in August, the studio denied it owed any money.
Puzo died in 1999.
His best-known novel The Godfather, charting the rise of a Sicilian mafia family based in New York, was published in 1969 and became one of the 20th century’s best-selling novels, with more than 20 million copies sold.
The book was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie by Francis Ford Coppola, followed by a sequel, The Godfather: Part II.
Rockers, rappers and record executives gathered in Los Angeles last night for the annual Grammy Awards, but there was little to celebrate at the music industry’s biggest night. Album sales have tumbled for the past decade, last year’s viewership was among the lowest ever, and now a recession is generating more layoffs at the major label. —AGENCIES
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