How Mel Gibson Became Trump’s Accidental Ambassador

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Surprise! You’ve Just Been Named Envoy to Hollywood

Some individuals become great through birth, others earn their greatness, and some have greatness forced upon them when Donald Trump announces it on Truth Social. This seems to be the case with the president’s latest “ambassadors” in Hollywood – Mel Gibson, Jon Voight, and Sylvester Stallone – who now find themselves as Trump’s informants within the entertainment industry. Trump declared a few days before his inauguration that they would serve as Special Envoys, tasked with bringing Hollywood back, making it better, stronger, and more prosperous than ever before. He stated, “It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!” Surprisingly, one of them, Gibson, claimed he wasn’t even aware he was being considered for the role. According to a source, he found out just like everyone else – people started calling him after reading about it online.

As a fan, I’ve found an interesting tidbit about three Hollywood legends – Voight, Stallone, and Gibson – who have had varying degrees of interaction with the former president. Voight and Stallone have had direct encounters with him, with Voight expressing Trump’s election as the “greatest win of all time” at an inauguration eve event, while Stallone introduced him as a “second George Washington” at an America First gala in Mar-a-Lago. Gibson, on the other hand, seems to have only exchanged friendly waves at a basketball game.

Regarding their roles as potential ambassadors for some cause, it’s unclear if any plans have been made yet, and as far as I know, there haven’t been any conversations between them about boosting Hollywood. However, Kelsey Grammer, Zachary Levi, Dennis Quaid, and Roseanne Barr might be feeling a bit left out of this trio.

Are Scorched Teslas Spewing Toxic Fumes in Malibu and the Palisades?

It’s interesting to note that Tesla vehicles may not always be more eco-friendly than conventional gasoline cars, particularly in instances where they catch fire.

One challenge faced by first responders battling wildfires in L.A. over the past few weeks has been dealing with a high number of electric vehicles (EVs) that have caught fire due to the blazes. California, being the largest market for electric vehicles in the U.S., accounts for approximately one-third of national sales, with densely populated areas such as Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena having particularly high concentrations of EVs. Although EVs are less likely to catch fire compared to gasoline cars by a factor of 10, when they do ignite, they are much harder to put out. EV fires burn at extremely high temperatures (up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit), last significantly longer (as long as 40 times other vehicles), and require vast amounts of water to extinguish (often tens of thousands of gallons). When an EV catches fire in a large wildfire, it can also release harmful substances like heavy metals from its batteries, contributing to the toxic smoke caused by the burning of homes, appliances, furniture, solar panels, pipes, and infrastructure.

According to Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at the University of California, Davis, smoke produced by burning buildings and vehicles is significantly more harmful than that produced when burning wood. Moreover, after fires have subsided, toxic ash remains on the ground which also needs to be addressed. This ash may contain hazardous materials such as lithium-ion battery remnants from electric vehicle fires, along with lead and asbestos from household fires. As a result, cleaning up these areas can prove difficult, often necessitating specific disposal methods. Wexler further notes that federal agencies like FEMA may eventually need to step in for the cleanup process.

Nevertheless, Wexler doesn’t advocate abandoning electric vehicles (EVs) due to wildfires. He explains, “Operating a gasoline-powered vehicle isn’t an immaculate action.

Today, the Gulf of America. Tomorrow … Trumpland

Donald Trump has a history of altering geographical boundaries, such as when he manipulated Hurricane Dorian’s path using a Sharpie in 2019. However, he’s never attempted to exert his influence on maps like this before. Will Google Maps rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America following the president’s first executive order? Might Apple Maps revert Denali back to its old name, McKinley? And what about Rand McNally, one of the world’s most renowned atlas makers? How will they handle the president’s renaming efforts, considering they market maps in Mexico as well?

At the moment, responses are unclear. A representative from Rand McNally nonchalantly indicated that they would reach out again as soon as the 169-year-old map company finds a solution. As for Apple, there has been no response to Rambling’s query for clarification. However, Google recently declared on date X that they will be altering the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America and reverting Denali (renamed by President Obama in 2016 as a tribute to Alaska’s Athabascan people) back to McKinley. Google stated, “We consistently apply name changes once they have been updated in official government records.

The Department of the Interior’s Geographic Names Information Services stated that they are making swift efforts to comply with the president’s executive order, as reported by THR. However, not all parties have followed Trump’s directives promptly. The Associated Press has opted for a partial adjustment, renaming Denali back to McKinley but retaining the Gulf in Mexico. Additionally, an air travel source claims that at least one major airline’s in-flight map continues to refer to the body of water off the coast of Tamaulipas as the Gulf of Mexico.

Indeed, the true measure of Trump’s influence on geopolitics may be revealed when he successfully acquires Greenland, a prospect he frequently mentions. It appears that a ‘Trump Territory’ could become a historical certainty in time.

You can find this article in the January 29 edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Why not consider subscribing to it?

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2025-01-31 21:28