In an elaborate effort to head off the press, Mel Gibson attended screenings of his new movie Apocalypto in two Oklahoma towns wearing a disguise and after first issuing a press release saying that the screenings had been canceled. The Hollywood Reporter said that at one of the screenings Gibson compared the collapse of the Mayan civilization depicted in the film with what is occurring now in the U.S. "What's human sacrifice," he asked, "if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?" Gibson, who has lent his name to Republican causes and candidates in the past -- an effort aimed at drafting him to run for president was launched last year -- has reportedly become increasingly critical of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq. Apocalypto is scheduled for release on Dec. 8.