Sheriff's detectives are investigating a claim that Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva engaged in attempted extortion against the actor-director, an official said Wednesday. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore declined to provide further details an the claim by lawyers for Gibson or say when the inquiry might conclude. Grigorieva's spokesman Stephen Jaffe denied any wrongdoing on the part of his client, a Russian singer. Since the celebrity website RadarOnline.com gradually released recordings, the tapes have been used for comedy fodder across the Internet, inspiring remixes, mash-ups and an endless stream of tweets. Letterman has joked that the biggest problem of Apple's iPhone 4 is that it “only accepts calls from Mel Gibson.” Comedian Dane Cook has said he's going as Gibson for Halloween this year. Michael Ian Black (“The State,” “Stella”) had a one-word suggestion for the actor: “Podcasts.” Bill Maher mused that watching “What Women Want,” the 2000 film Gibson starred in, “just feels different now.” One of the most common subjects to lump in with Gibson has been the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. “BP has successfully placed a containment cap on Mel Gibson although there have been reports of some n-word seepage,” tweeted comedian Kevin Nealon. Several mock Gibson Twitter feeds have been started. The obviously fake “Real Mel Gibson” has some 14,000 followers.
