Charlie’s Cousin Adam reviews Mel Gibson’s new flick: Edge Of Darkness.

Rated R – 1h40 -

Just as much as Mel Gibson knows how to shoot his mouth off in the worst ways…he can also do just the opposite and make a really exciting action-thriller. This is one of them.

In the oddly named Edge Of Darkness, Tom Craven (Gibson) is a Boston Detective, whose adult daughter is murdered on her return home. Craven begins to put the pieces together to uncover a deeper conspiracy that proves to be a challenge to unfold.

High marks go out to our bad guy in this one. I won’t spoil who are what they are, but they are evil. They are double evil. The only way they could be worse is if they were peering out the castle tower window, tenting their fingers and delivering a low-toned bwahh-ha ha ha haaaa.

I wouldn’t justify Gibson’s acting performance here as a justification for his notable harsh words, but he does great work creating likeable characters. Tom Craven is just, honest and vengeful, like you expect a clean Boston cop to be.

Mel Gibson seems to be at his best when he plays a cop hell bent on finding the truth. seasoned few actors such as Clint Eastwood, who can enter their golden years on screen with more style than Georgio Armani.

It’s hard not to think of The Departed while watching this one considering all the similar connections. I think that’s Notably older than his Lethal Weapon mainstay, I wondered while watching this if he’s turning into the OK, because this isn’t trying to copy Martin Scorsese, it’s just got a similar background.

In any case this is probably the best flick in 2010 so far.

5. Samantha Harris is leaving “Dancing With The Stars”!!!!!!! She will not be there when the show comes back for its 10th season on March 22. But Samantha says it’s time for her to focus on other projects, like her work on “The Insider.” Awww…

4. When Bachelorette Trista Rehn married Ryan Sutter on national television, 17 million tuned in to see the first reality show wedding. But will anybody care to see Bachelor Jason Mesnick marry Molly Malaney? ABC thinks so and they’re broadcasting the wedding as part of a 2-hour special on Monday, March 8. We get to see Molly go through her dress fittings and plan her special day. Fomer Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants are among the invited guests, but I HIGHLY doubt Melissa Rycroft will be there. Jason famously dumped her on TV last March, but she has gone on to marry a much better man.

3. For the third year in a row, someone from “American Idol” will be singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. In the past 2 years, it’s been Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks, and this year, Carrie Underwood will sing the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLIV. Queen Latifah will also perform, singing “America the Beautiful.” The Who is performing the halftime show, which has been a bit controversial, actually. People who live around Sun Life Stadium in Miami have gotten an advisory, warning parents to watch their kids because Pete Townshend is coming to town. Pete became a registered sex offender after being arrested in a pedophilia sting in 2003. He claims he was doing research on the internet. Pete wasn’t convicted, but he was put on a sex offenders list. But he was supposed to be removed from that list after 5 years, so it’s not clear if he’s still a registered sex offender.

2. A source told “Us Weekly” that Jessica Simpson was having a big business meeting for her new denim line a few days ago and when one of the executives was speaking, Jessica let out a very loud toot. Her mom Tina turned around and yelled, “Jessica!!!” so there was no way to pretend it came from somebody else. The source said nobody was laughing and that they didn’t know what was thicker — the tension in the room or the smell.

1. The cast of “Jersey Shore” is still in the middle of negotiations for a second season and the outcome could be known today or Monday. The word is JWoww and Ronnie have agreed to MTV’s offer of $10K per episode, but the others are still holding out.

Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich’s patience is being tested by the stars during rehearsals. He says that some of them are trying to make their acts too over the top and have told him it’s the biggest night of their year and for some, their entire careers. He wouldn’t give away any names, but he said they want to beat past performances by Prince or Paul McCartney. Something Erlich is revealing is the performances! So far here’s the set-list:

• •Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli will join voices on Bridge Over Troubled Water.
• •Jeff Bridges will introduce a Les Paul tribute, How High the Moon, with guitar hero Jeff Beck and rockabilly singer Imelda May.
• •Eminem and Lil Wayne join Drake on his Forever, with Blink-182’s Travis Barker on drums.
• •The Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling will incorporate singalong videos submitted online by fans.
• •Green Day does 21 Guns, sharing the stage with the cast of Broadway’s upcoming American Idiot, based on the trio’s album.
• •Bon Jovi will play a song chosen by fans
• •Country pop trio Lady Antebellum performs Need You Now.
• •Pink tackles Glitter in the Air.

Actor Matthew McConaughey isn’t cutting it for his wannabe mother-in-law. Matthew is clearly committed to his long-time girlfriend Camilla Alves. They even have 2 babies together. However, her mother wants him to put a ring on it. Camila’s mom is very traditional and fears that her daughter will be left out in the cold if Matthew gets tired of her. She has supposedly said, “He wanted to you to carry his babies — he ought to take real responsibility!” If he won’t marry her, Camila’s mom at least wants a signed financial agreement. Matthew isn’t having any of this. He is not only opposed to getting married, but he thinks an agreement for money is completely out of the question. Needless to say, this has caused a serious rift between the couple.

A-Rod is up to bat again and he’s going back to the well. Since breaking up with Kate Hudson, A-Rod has been seen out on the town with various women, but he spent this past weekend at home with MADONNA! Madonna is still seeing Jesus Lutz as far as we know but a source claims that she doesn’t really respect him. When Madonna dates someone who she essentially takes care of, she doesn’t see them as an equal. Friends say that Madonna just can’t be a one-man kinda woman and has kept in touch with A-Rod throughout his relationship with Kate Hudson.

Seriously what are they thinking?!

It almost looks like a pet…I wonder, does it have a name?

Sunday night, the Grammy Awards get handed out live in Los Angeles.  We’ve put together our list of predictions of what will happen. Check it out…

- Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas will get confused with Lady GaGa’s nomination for Poker Face, and literally poke Lady Gaga in the face.

- All of the nominees for Best New Artist will be accused of plagiarizing each other.

- Dave Matthews will show up whiskey drunk, claiming to be the Groogrux King, and
challenge the Kings of Leon for ownership to the land of Groogrux.

- The Ting Tings will shake their thing things.

- Taylor Swift will swiftly tailor a beautiful afghan blanket for during the span of the show.

OK.  Kidding aside, here’s who will actually win.  We only did the top four categories, and we won’t make you sit through a 15 hour show to hear them.

Record Of The Year
Halo  – Beyoncé
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
Use Somebody – Kings Of Leon
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

Album Of The Year
I Am… Sasha Fierce – Beyoncé
The E.N.D. – The Black Eyed Peas
The Fame – Lady Gaga
Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King – Dave Matthews Band
Fearless – Taylor Swift

Song Of The Year
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Pretty Wings – Maxwell
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) – Beyoncé
Use Somebody – Kings Of Leon
You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

5. ABC has pulled the plug on “Ugly Betty.” They’ll wrap up their fourth and final season with 20 episodes instead of 22. The executive producer of the show says it was a mutual and difficult decision to end the show, but they are announcing it now so they will have plenty of time to write a satisfying conclusion.

4. Charlie Sheen’s wife Brooke Mueller reportedly was partying and smoking crack before checking into a NC rehab. In fact, Brooke was admitted to an LA hospital last week to be treated for an infection she developed after oral surgery, and sources say she was also partying hard before that. And then when Brooke was released from the hospital, she was told to go directly to rehab. And remember, she was legally drunk when officers were called out on Christmas Day and Charlie was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.

3. Drama behind the scenes of “American Idol” where sources say Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres are no longer speaking to each other. The rumor is that Simon showed up an hour and a half late for the first taping with Ellen, but a source who was at the tape says it was more like “exactly 14 minutes late.” But the show started taping without Simon and that immediately drove a wedge between him and Ellen. They say the tension is only growing thicker with each taping and that they are no longer speaking off camera.

2. Before landing a spot on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” DJ Pauly D was charging $1000 a night, working 4 or 5 nights a week at clubs in Providence, RI. Since the show, Pauly’s now charging anywhere from $10K-$25K to spin once every six weeks at three different clubs. Now he’s offering himself up for gigs across the country.

1. This model in Miami wants Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick to take a DNA test because he thinks there’s a chance he’s baby Mason’s father. Michael Girenti says he was hired to be a model on a photo shoot with Kourtney about 9 months before Mason was born. He says Kourtney didn’t want Scott on set that day and that things got real steamy while they were shooting. A few days later, they hooked up. Michael says it only happened that one time, but it was beautiful. And he says the next day he got an email from Kourtney saying she had so much fun but Scott was bugging her again and she didn’t know what to do….Shortly after that, she found out she was pregnant and told Scott he was the baby daddy. But now Michael says, “If Mason is Scott’s son, more power to him. But if he’s mine, I need to be with him, to be part of his life.”

When I think of cutting edge electronics, the iPad isn’t exactly the first name I think of.

Before I get too critical, I do think the new Apple device might have some practical uses.  It looks like an iPhone on steroids, it can surf the web, you can put apps on it. That’s some cool stuff.

Here’s some of the downsides that I’ve picked up on:

• - Its not a fully functional laptop.
• - When you take it to 88 MPH, it doesn’t travel through time.
• - It keeps asking if you want to play “Global ThermoNuclear War.”

I just think they could have spent a little more time developing the name.  Especially when MadTV came out with this sketch in 2007. Does no one at Apple watch MadTV? I know the show kinda faded away at the end, but they had a good run.

Alrighty then.  I don’t think I need one of those.

The catfighting has begun on American Idol. The first week of Hollywood has begun shooting and Ellen is starting to realize what she’s gotten herself into. Ellen has a busy schedule and often tapes 2 of her own shows on Tuesdays. Her people say that she is very organized with her time and arrived on the Idol set for her first episode this week ready to film. Simon decided to come an hour and a half later. Ellen was furious and Simon could care less. Sources are saying she called him out on it and thinks he should just leave the show now since he’s already checked out. Some sources are saying that Ellen grabbed her things and left, but one thing is for sure: Ellen made a quick phone call to Fox alternative programming chief Mike Darnell to make a simple request: hire his replacement already!

Tila Tequila seems to be through with her grieving and she’s back on Twitter gossiping. She says she’s pregnant and she’s willing to confirm it — for a price. She’s apparently shopping her ultrasound pictures around to various media outlets. She told E! News that she wants to sell it within the next few days to the highest bidder. Here are her thoughts on the matter, “I just wanted to give proof that I am not lying, but I am not going to further exploit the child, who the father is, how far along I am with the pregnancy”. She claims she is going to save all the money for the baby. Yea right.

Did Gary Coleman Trade Nudity for Bail?

Gary Coleman’s movie producers are claiming that they paid his bail as long as he permitted them to use nude photos of him for their upcoming movie. What’s troubling is that the producers sent out a press release to make the announcement of what they had done. Here’s the hole in the story. Several reputable media outlets in Utah are reporting the person who fronted Coleman’s bail isn’t a movie producer at all — he’s a fan who owns a loan business. When the producers were called and confronted, they apparently wouldn’t answer the question. Smells like a publicity stunt.

5. RadarOnline.com is reporting that Ben Affleck has fallen off the wagon. Back in 2001, Ben swore off alcohol for good when he went through rehab. But this past weekend, Ben was seen drinking vodka at the Sundance Film Festival. A source says Ben was at a party, went to a VIP table, grabbed a bottle of Absolut and poured himself a drink. The source said those around him were stunned because they know Ben is an admitted alcoholic and they shooed away all the photographers in the area to protect him.

4. Of course Kim Kardashian will be in Miami for the Super Bowl, and she will be one of the most protected people there. Reggie Bush had already hired bodyguards to protect her from some psycho stalker fan, but this is going above and beyond. Kim will be riding around Miami in a Vault XXL2 Limousine by Armor Horse. It’s a tank/limo hybrid built with composite ballistic panels and bullet-proof windows. Both doors on the limo are also fitted with emergency gun ports just in case something bad goes down.

3. Celebrities are continuing to do what they can to raise money for Haiti. Britney Spears is auctioning off a shimmery silver Versace dress she wore to the MTV VMAs in 2008, which was her comeback appearance after a very public meltdown. Kate Bosworth is putting up a size 2 halter dress by Chloe she wore to a benefit. Susan Sarandon is donating the size 6 Dolce & Gabanna LBD she wore to the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards earlier this month. Lady Gaga is selling Haiti Relief tee shirts on her website with 100 percent of the profit going to relief efforts. And Jessica Simpson is teaming up with Soles4Souls to send shoes to earthquake victims. Just five dollars buys 2 pairs of shoes. Her personal goal is to help them raise 50,000 pairs. Go towww.50Kshoes.com to donate.

2. The cast of “Jersey Shore” may have held out a little too long for more money. MTV reportedly offered each of the castmembers a $10K bonus on top of $5K per episode. The cast banded together as a team and said no. So MTV countered with $10K per episode. The answer again was no. So now MTV reps reportedly are scoping out bars and clubs along the Jersey Shore looking for their replacements.

1. Meantime, get ready for even more Jwoww. Jenni Farley apparently posed for some topless photos and there are at least 3 pictures being shopped around to the highest bidder. Who’s offering the photos? Nobody’s saying, but it wouldn’t be too shocking to find out Jwoww herself was behind it.