Robert Downey Jr has decided that enough is enough. We've hounded poor Mel Gibson to the point of insanity (quite a bit further, actually) and it's time to leave him alone, time to let him work on being an actor, time for us to concentrate on other things, like how well his last film did at the box office. Say what? You don't want us to talk about that either? Oh Robert Downey Jr., you really are too much sometimes.

Speaking after receiving his recent American Cinemateque award (who doesn't want one of those?), Downey Jr had this to say about Mad Mel:

"I couldn't get hired and he cast me. He said if I accepted responsibility – he called it hugging the cactus – long enough, my life would take meaning. And if he helped me, I would help the next guy. But it was not reasonable to assume the next guy would be him."

"Unless you are without sin – and if you are, you are in the wrong fucking industry, you should forgive him and let him work."

Then Mel, close to tears, blurted out this little verbal hand-job for his new best pal: 

"He taught me many things and I will use the 'C' word, courage. There's nothing so much wrong with him. Of course you have to worry about the guy making the judgment here. He's a good dude with a good heart."

There really is nothing sweeter and lovelier than the friendship between two Hollywood A-Listers. Some might say it's the purest form of love there is. No-one who's allowed a bank account or shoelaces, of course, but people nonetheless.