Mel Gibson is making another historical movie in an ancient language

Mel Gibson is set to begin filming a movie set in a 500-year-old Mayan culture...and like "The Passion of the Christ," it will feature actors speaking an ancient dialect.

The film, "Apocalypto," is slated for a 2006 release, and Gibson's Icon Productions is partnering with Disney to make the movie.

Nothing is being released about the plot, and reportedly it will feature unknown actors. So far, nothing is making me want to see this movie, but I'll take a wait-and-see attitude.

I remember, just after "The Passion of the Christ" was released, Gibson was talking about making a movie about the ancient British heroine, Boudicca (this article is dated April 2004). The movie had already been tagged with the moniker, "Braveheart in a bra." At the time, it was reported that no less than four films were being developed about Boudicca, including one by Steven Spielberg.

Now with the buzz accompanying this Mayan movie, I'm not hearing anything else about the Boudicca film. Frankly, the Boudicca movie intrigues me more. But again, I'll wait and see.

Braveheart, by the way, is one of my favorite movies of all time. Yes, I have to close my eyes during the more gory parts. And that is probably my biggest complaint about Gibson--he overdoes it with the blood and gore. Yes, he does it all in the interest of historical accuracy, but it's just too much for my sensibilities.

However, while I've always been fascinated with all things Irish, Braveheart launched my twin passion for Scotland. I think it's a wonderful movie, rich with history, drama, power and feeling.

One of my favorite things about Braveheart was Angus Macfadyen, the wonderful Scottish actor who played Robert the Bruce. Macfadyen got robbed in that he didn't get an Oscar nod. The role called for him to display strong emotions, sometimes in his facial expressions alone. He is truly an under-rated actor, especially in that role.

I got an e-mail from Saddam Hopkins...

Lately, my inbox has been flooded with e-mails from "people" whose obviously computer-generated names include a lot of unlikely (although, granted, not impossible) combinations. Japhet Bryan. Haled O'Connell. Ferguson Espinoza. Gerfried Moran.

Apparently, they're trying to fool me into thinking they're real people sending me a real e-mail, but I'm not buying it for a second--especially when the subject lines are phrases like "Really Works GGreat," "If Youu Need It," and "Feels Biggerr." By the way, just the fact that this company apparently can't spell correctly would be enough to put me off buying its product. But if the misspelled words are aimed at allowing the spam to slip through my filters, unfortunately it's working.

Sure enough, "Saddam Hopkins" was trying to sell me Viagra--something I'm not in the market for, and if I were, I wouldn't buy it over the internet from someone named Saddam.

I was telling my co-host, Darren Marlar, about the e-mail yesterday. "Like people named Hopkins would actually name their child Saddam," I huffed.

"I dunno," he grinned. "Maybe they had a feeling he was going to be a real terror."

I spewed the water I had just gulped, that struck me so funny.

But, don't you just hate spam?!? Despite my best efforts to filter it out, it still worms its way into my e-mail. One of the worst annoyances of modern life.

Thought about who you would vote for in '08?

(Via Hugh Hewitt), Patrick Ruffini is conducting a straw poll including some '08 GOP hopefuls. Go vote and take a gander at the results.

Ruffini does have this disclaimer: "...of course...All of this means very little three years out."