special edition of "hannity." unfortunately, that's all the time we have left this evening. my new book doesn't hurt to ask, it will help you make your case and the new year. check it out. thank you for joining us tonight. raymond arroyo is in for laura ingraham where he has an exclusive interview with the famous actor, mel gibson. >> merry christmas to you. great show. i'm raymond arroyo here for laura ingraham. this is a special edition of the "the ingraham angle." you will want to stay for the entire hour tonight. as the electoral college results are set to be certified by congress. congressman and former acting attorney general matt whitaker breaks down all of the real options. and every getting the truth about covid? doctors william grace and marc siegel explain what we are getting wrong about the asymptomatic spread and these covid passports thought could be in your future.

plus, as terry mentioned, oscar winner mel gibson's here. we will talk about his newest film, "fat man." plus those sequels that will be on the work. you do not want to miss this. but first, thanks to avoid in 2021. as this tumultuous year comes crashing to a merciful end, i've been thinking about the lessons we should take from 2020 and the things we should avoid in the new year. let's wear off rioting and 2021. the destruction of property and looting that swamped the nation following the death of george boyd was the most expensive and insurance history. costing at least $2 billion. there are certainly discussions to be had about race, bigotry, but they don't include this.

[shouting] >> raymond: the abuse on destruction of people, private property, or public works of art, are not credible means of protest. they should not be tolerated. the cancel movement continues even now. this happened today in boston. a statue of lincoln, the great emancipator, was removed. it should be noted that freed african-americans paid for the construction of that statue. if you don't like the depiction, discussediscuss it, challenge ie can't engage in this type of cultural and historical terrorism and the new year. our children deserve better. and in 2021, i also hope we can finally end the covid

fearmongering and level with the american people. look, we mourn the hundreds of thousands who lost their lives to this virus. the millions who have suffered hardship, financial, mental, and social due to these logons. later in the show, we will review the new scientific study that should be used by public officials to set policy going forward. that is following the science. that will exposed the altered death counts. but even as president trump's operation warp speed vaccines or been distributive to millions of people and therapeutics are abounded, this was joe biden today. >> things are going to get worse before they get better. all of this vaccination and protective gear will require more funding from congress. an additional tens of billions of dollars to get this done. >> raymond: basically biotin

is promising to do what trump has already done. it's once more money to do it. so that brings us to an important point. in 2021, americans should raise hell. over each and every appropriation bill coming. wasted in this $2.3 trillion covid relief bill is a joke. billions went to foreign governments, 40 million to the kennedy center, 1 billion for the smithsonian institution. i guess all of those former restaurant -- maybe that's an option for them. speaking of culture, here's a few things we want none of in 2021. harry styles, please stick to our money menswear or at least pants. the gender bending wardrobe is not edgy or artistic. you look where ridiculous. you are not breaking new ground,

david bowie did this decades before. and the pearls are overly bad luck. a few days ago, npr named carty be the best song of the year. the fact that i can't pronounce the entire title for you on tv tells you all you need to know. npr wrote of their decision to no one's surprise of women honoring their lady parts and the pleasures they dish out to the ire of the insecure, the moral grand standards. suddenly the calls for decency, civility, and decorum we heard from our political class for the next four years are out the window. let's hope some of those return in 2021. and that we can sing about something other than. there is one type of entertainment that i hope we have seen the last of. this.

>> now? okay, good. ♪ really can't stay well mel but it's cold outside ♪ ♪ >> raymond: we don't want zoom anything in the new year. not zoom performances or fund-raisers. no zoom award shows or glasses. a aside from business meetings, we want no zoom in 2021. finally, perhaps most importantly, we need election reform in the united states. the agony of the last few weeks, the national trauma caused by these elastic deadlines and the shifting election laws must be addressed in the new year. do you know there are still elections that have yet to be called nearly two months after election day? we need national standards for these federal elections. and we now -- what we are doing now is just not working. and if we were to thrive in the

new year, we must at least assure americans that their votes will be counted and that the rules won't be changed. no matter the challenges or the viruses that lie ahead in the new year. you may have read the president's tweet just before christmas urging his supporters to come to washington for a "big protest" in d.c. on january 6th. be there, we will be wild, he wrote. january 6th is the day that congress will certify the still contested electoral college vote. many are saying this is the trump team's last stand. so what can be done in congress to challenge or invalidate deal with doctoral vote of the contested state. what is the process and what are the real prospects for success? for that, we turn to alabama representative mel brooks who is planning to challenge the vote certification and matt whitaker, former acting attorney general. gentlemen, thank you for being

here. congressman books, i want to start with you. john quincy adams and josh were the only two presidents to be elected by a congressional vote. why do believe the 2020 election should should be subjected to this process? >> because it's quite clear to me that the evidence is overwhelming. if you were to count only lawful votes cast by eligible american citizens, joe biden did not win back the electoral college. you've got a report from a georgia senate subcommittee on elections that discusses the election process in georgia. they had affidavits, they have live witnesses, they had documents. and they concluded that george's own election system was unworthy in november of this year. >> raymond: but congressman -- >> let me finish. 15 legislators. >> raymond: congressman -- >> if i let you finish -- >> i will be totally out of time if i let you finish.

>> raymond: i spoke to some investigators about the ballot harvesting they saw, but the irregularities all over the place. but essentially you are trying to invalidate six states electoral votes. what do you want to see happen? what is the process in congress? you would have to come forward and challenge it and then you need a senator is welcome, correct? >> yes, we need a house member and a senator for each state that we believe has such a badly thought election system that is untrustworthy and should not be supported by the american peop people. we have dozens of house members who are going to sponsor or cosponsor these objections. we are hopeful we will have a senator. the president informed us of two names of senators that they would sponsor. until the senators go public, i don't count them as a burden. so we will see how that plays out. on the house floor of january the sixth at 1:00 p.m., there

will be a roll call of the states for those states to submit their electoral college votes. the vice president of the united states, mike pence, will ask if there's any objections after each state's name and vote is called. after the six states in question, michigan, wisconsin, pennsylvania, and georgia, and arizona -- i intend to interje interject. >> raymond: you need a senator to second it. >> no, to sponsor it. >> raymond: it seems congressman brooks and his allies are moving towards a contingent election. is there a path here, realistically, when pelosi has the votes and therefore could control the outcome of every electoral challenge? i mean, they will debate it for a couple of hours. and then the vote goes to the floor whether to accept the challenge or allow the votes to be certified. isn't that the process? >> that is the process, raymond. and thanks for having me on tonight. not only is it going to do that, but you also have this very

interesting lawsuit challenging the discretion of the vice president has as to which votes he can or which slates of electricity can in the or not accept. at that a lot of people think that's a long shot. i think there are many people that not only think this is about this year's election and a lot of the irregularities, but it's also about future elections. because the american people need to have confidence in the outcome of these elections. add right now, the polls are pretty clear that a lot of folks do not believe that this was a fair election. and to the congressman's point, there are a lot of folks that saw what happened in 2020 and sold-out support for president trump and are really mystified as to all of these votes that seem to have come out of thin air but ultimately tip the election towards joe biden. >> raymond: congressman brooks, what is your reaction? what say you object arizona. that will be the first date that comes up. you object to it, let's assume a senator joins you.

now the two houses -- each goes one way. you can debate this. when it is voted at the house, doesn't pelosi control the majority? she will just what a way that objection? >> no, she doesn't. here's why. the united states constitution does not define what a majority is in the house of representatives. under the 12th amendment to the constitution, it is a majority of the state delegations. republicans have 27, democrats have 23. or 50/50 splits. if that is the majority based on the 12th amendment, which in turn relates to the election of the president of the united states, if that is the legal standard, then we have the votes but i'm sure the democrats will press for the interpretation being a majority of 435, at which case they have the majority. as we do have some ambiguity there. and ultimately the supreme court with probably have to rule where the 12 amendment standard applies. >> raymond: matt whitaker, your take on this? i spoke to leadership in both

parties, democrats and republicans, today. at the capital, they said pelosi would have the majority here. your take on this? >> yeah, there's a little bit of a who controlled the chamber and who controls the rules. especially in the house, with the speaker having so much power. but that being said, if there is anyway -- and again the supreme court has not yet, even though there's a conservative majority, has not yet shown a desire to weigh into the 2020 election. but if they do, i think with the congressman says and the interpretation of the 12 amendment to the constitution would be determinative. and if they could issue an order compelling the speaker to do it by state delegation instead of the majority of the 435, the knot would be very interesting. >> raymond: that's a real narrow path here. i worry about that because, as i said, i spoke to leadership in

both parties. they maintained that the state representation, one vote per state, only kicks in if you have a deadlock in the electoral college vote. and that is the only way that would be triggered. congressman brooks, very quickly before i run out of time, rudy giuliani tonight and breaking news is saying that the trump administration is taking its wisconsin electoral complaint to the supreme court. no court has heard these challenges. will this be different, or do you think they just are allergic to getting involved in this 2020 election? >> under the united states constitution, article one section four, you boast got the 12 amendment. and title iii u.s. code 15 and related statutes, it's quite clear that it is the ultimate duty of the united states congress to resolve all election contests involving the presidency, and for that matter under article one section five, the house of representatives who arsenic about election contest. so i would submit that the courts are unprepared to handle matters of this nature on the

one hand, and on the other hand the courts understand that it is our job, congresses, to conduct the investigation and to render the final verdict. we are the ultimate judge, jury, and arbiter in these kind of disputes. spewing okay, we will see how that shakes out on january 6th. matt, congressman brooks, thank you for both of you. a new poll identified president trump as the most admired man in america. displacing barack obama for the first time in 12 years. what does that indicate? and what should the president do with the support moving forward? for that, we turn to conservative author and filmmaker. how does this poll square with the voting results we've been seeing? trump was the most admired with 18% followed by obama. then biden was down at 6%. where is the enthusiasm for biden? >> well, clearly there's very little. i think that one would have to

say that trump is the colossal figure, both on the positive and the negative side that defined the 2020 election. in other words, the people who voted for trump voted for trump. and the people who voted for biden voted against trump. so trump, in that sense, has defined the election. he has not sense not just men of the year, but men of the last four years. i don't see any way for the republican party to go forward without trump. and when i say without trump, i mean without the spirit of the leadership and the ideas and the fighting spirit that trump has brought to the republican party. >> here's the big question. what should he do going forward now? i mean, the fact that he is regarded as the most admired man and we see this new poll, 72% of republicans considering trump the model for the party's future. now assuming his electoral challenges are not successful, what should trump do in this next phase of his public life?

what would your advice be to him? >> well, particularly if he feels a little betrayed by the republican party, he will be tempted to pull away from the party. but i think that would be a serious mistake. trump needs the republican party as much is the republican party needs trump. now, there are many trumps don't trump supporters and patriots who say he doesn't need the republican party, 75 million ped for trump. no, 75 million people did not vote for trump. a lot of those people voted for trump because he is a republican. if trump had run as an independent or for some other party, he would not have gotten 75 million votes. as of the bottom line of it is that trump is penetrance transformativbeen atransformatie republican party. >> raymond: assuming the president loses the selection and these challenges fall apart, he should be the critic in chief. he should be the leader of his

maga movement paid otherwise pop culture will try to cast them as a smithsonian figure and write him off. and when you see this kind of a claim, the most admired man in the united states, he's got to put it to some use here. let me leave you with this. even the folks at msnbc believe the president is here to say. >speak audibly we see in the of the trump populism. you are going to see more of that competition the right as the struggle for an identity. because when an occult leader is not at the top of the stage anymore, what is everyone going to ascribe to? >> raymond: your reaction? are americans going to be wandering the streets looking for what to do tomorrow? >> well, first of all, anyone who it's -- talks to these trump

supporters recognizes there is nothing cultic about their support of trump. it runs all over the spectrum beauty of people who say things like i don't really like trump, but i do like the issues he stands for creative people on the opposite side who say, i don't agree with everything standhestands for, but i like ty he fights. i like his tell it like it is personality. he doesn't hold back, he's not politically correct. when you're dealing with occult leader, people are like saying everything he is saying is great. that is not the view of the people who support trump. there's a great deal of nuance and the people on the left of absolutely no idea about. >> raymond: we will leave it there. happy new year. talk to you soon ed we are now learning how rome so many experts were about in the way in which covid is spread. dr. marc siegel and william grace explain what the new data means. plus, mel gibson joins us later in the hour in an exclusive interview you will not want to miss. ♪ two medical societies have strongly recommended to doctors

to treat acute, non-low back muscle and joint pain with topical nsaids first. a formulation they recommend can be found in salonpas. a formulation they recommend can be found in salonpas. salonpas. it's good medicine. hisamitsu.

- i'm lea.steve. and we live in north pole, alaska. - i'm a retired school counselor. [lea] i'm a retired art teacher. [steve] we met online about 10 years ago. as i got older, my hearing was not so good so i got hearing aids. my vision was not as good as it used to be, got a change in prescription. but the this missing was my memory. i saw a prevagen commercial and i thought, "that makes sense." i just didn't have to work so hard to remember things. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

♪ >> raymond: raymond arroyo sitting in for laura ingraham. we are now hearing more about the ace don't not asymptomatic of covid. they found that covid positive

people without symptoms are less infectious. professor neil ferguson, one of the doctors on the report, says this analysis provide some of the first evidence that a asymptomatic infections are less contagious. it shows growing evidence of the importance of household transmission. especially in the context way symptomatic cases are not isolated outside the home. joining us now is dr. william grace who is in an ecologist and hematologist. and dr. marc siegel, fox news medical contributor. thank you both for being here. dr. siegel, how big of a difference with this have made if we knew this earlier? and shouldn't this asymptomatic report have some effect on these new lockdown orders we are seeing in california and elsewhere? >> raymond, that's a great point. i thick at the beginning of the pandemic, multiple studies suggested that it was 80% of the cases due to asymptomatic

spread. that was a whopping number. the center for disease control was talking about 40%-60%, all of which shaped policy. it was like it was hanging in the air. anywhere you went, you could encounter covid. and the person wouldn't have symptoms. those of us who have been studying infectious diseases for our careers -- contagions never really completely bought that, ray meant, because sneezes and coughs are loaded with virus. loaded with respiratory virus. so now, more recent analysis out of australia says it's 17%, only 17. it dropped from 80% down to 70% as you just said. as you just said, looked at 45 studies and found about one quarter as likely. four times more likely to spread the sleep you are symptomatic. >> raymond: dr. siegel -- >> from what we would've suggested. >> raymond: very quickly, i said a lower viral load? is that what explains the noneffective validity of asymptomatic people?

>> that's only part of it, raymond. we know that young children have a very high viral load in their noses when they are asymptomatic. i think it's the combination of what the viral load is, but also what are you doing with that? if you sneeze across the room, particles are spreading. if you are not some dramatic, you are not as likely to be -- you might take more precautionsu don't have symptoms. and also you are not coughing as much beer to all of things are in combination. >> raymond: dr. grace, to minnesota lawmakers have obtained documents that show coronavirus deaths could be inflated by 40% after reviewing various death certificates. any statement to "the ingraham angle," the minnesota department of health cited it is certainly possible that physicians have made errors in some death certificates, which is why the mdh takes the time to review all reported

deaths and a competing death certificates before ascertaining that reporting a death as due to his covid-19. every death matters, but -- and look, we mourn every victim is a set up at the beginning of the show. but 40% sounds like a big overcome. how does that happen? >> i think there's a lot of pressure among the lot of possible administrators to try to get as much credit as they can to have covid be the cause of death. you have a lot of patience with a lot of other diseases. you might have 1 foot on the grave ed one on a banana peel and covid is the last thing that knocks them into the grave. there are a lot of people who try to make covid the actual cause of death. in many cases, you see physicians object to the cause of death as being covid, but hospitals administrators forcing them to make it covid for whatever reason. whether it's economic, political, i don't know. but you've seen this on the

internet. i've seen it. >> raymond: i've had a couple of corners tell me when they have to cite the cause of death, it's somebody smashed in a car accident and the corpse tested positive for covid, they write covid as the secondary cause of death and that counts and the statistics. is that true? dr. siegel, are you see more of that across the country? >> i think it's blurred. because sometimes covid is what puts you over the top. he might have an underlying condition and like heart disease, lung disease, and sometimes it's completely not the cause of death. and it might be listed on the death certificate and then because covid is all we are focusing on right now and hospitals, it ends up being the main cause of death, therefore inflating the results. i think we have to speak to the science here. >> raymond: yeah, i agree. i want to share something with you. it joe biden today talked about masks and a mask mandate.

this was today at >> debriefing. and when i heard it, my ears perked up. and i thought "what is the science here to back this up?" listen. >> our administration will require mask wearing where i've the power to do so. for federal workers, federal facilities, and interstate travel like planes and trains. and we've been working directly with county officials, mayors, governors, to influence mask mandates in their cities and towns and their states. >> raymond: dr. siegel than dr. grace, your response to this? >> well, the problem is i don't know that mandates really help. because people rebel against mandates and they may be less likely to wear a mask or where it appropriately. i'm a believer in distancing, i'm a believer in masking. but i think we have to figure out a way to get public health compliance without forcing it. it's a personal freedom issue. you just pointed out at the beginning of the segment that 21% of the spread is occurring

within households. what are you going to do in households? people are not going to wear masks and households. and that is where the lockdowns force you into the households. you don't have a mask and you end up spreading it. so these mask mandates aren't really the answer. it's a matter of trust and leadership. >> and the randomized trial and done marcus in denmark showed it change the nature of this part of the disease outside the hospital. so these randomized trials can't support the science that joe biden talks about. >> raymond: the people have the double whammy here because they are told you have to mask and you don't know if it's necessarily having an effect. if it did, why are we seeing outbreaks in the places that already have masks mandates and where they are mandated to. their home, which the new study says this is where the outbreak happens in the home. i've got to move on before i run out of time. or have a coronary. a secondary cause of death.

spain is creating a registry of those who refuse to get a covid vaccine and will share that other information with other european states. there's even reports eight covid-19 passport may be needed for travel. dr. siegel, your reaction? >> i think that isn't going to be something that should be on the table. because i think people are more afraid of the virus than they are of the vaccine. i think we are moving in the direction where we are going to get plenty of people to take this vaccine. i think we have to monitor side effects, but i think people are eager to take it. at the gets good that health care workers got it first, the people in nursing homes. i think the vulnerable populations and populations at risk are going to take the vaccine. if we end up with something more orwellian here, we are not going to get the compliance we need. >> raymond: dr. grace, were going to have covid passports in our future? >> i don't think so be it i think there will always be a

group of people who are nondoctors who do not want vaccines of any kind. many in the orthodox jewish community. they have not had their children vaccinated. but i see them all lining up now in the orthodox jewish community to get the covid-19 vaccine. >> raymond: doctors, we will leave it there. thank you for your insight. happy new year. the alibi drinker re-in lakeville, minnesota, again minnesota, has become the latest bar embroiled in a legal battle for violating governor tim maltz's ban on indoor dining. minnesota attorney general keith ellison filed a motion for a temporary restraining order which was granted. the bar has been forced to shut down until further rolling from the court. joining me now is the owner of the alibi drinker e, lisa monet saar is a and her attorney. lisa, how far are you willing to take this legal fight? >> we are willing to take it all the way.

we've got a restraining order put and we're just just waiting for the decision to see where we go from there. >> raymond: lisa, the video from inside your bar it shows almost no masks or social distancing. did the court have a right to shut you down given you don't have the practices in place? >> absolutely not. everyone's right is protected by the constitution. i respect anyone's decision to not wear a mask. the front of our building has windows, so anyone who was wondering if they want to come in with the masks -- they have a right to do it as an american citizen. >> no social distancing at all? >> our staff wear masks unless they have a health condition. >> raymond: we had an oregon salon owner on last night to accused her governor of retaliation for it i want play this for you.

>> she came out with me with the full weight of the state. she terrorized myself, my stylists, my family. she took every government agency she could and she put her full weight into intimidated me into closing, including sending child protective services to my home and threatening the removal of my children. >> raymond: lisa, are you feeling this type of government pressure? and what are your workers telling you? >> i'm definitely feeling that. we've had the temporary restraining order and cease and desist. it they are trying to suspend our liquor license, and also trying to shut us down. see akamai to fully understand what that salon owner is feeling. my staff and i -- we've had so many millions of people in support of us.

it's insane how many people are at supporting us. but there's also a lot of people that have threatened us. yeah, it's definitely -- people have an opinion either way on what we are doing. >> raymond: before i let you all go, do you see this as a fight for freedom? is this about the independence of an operator to do what they want in their place of business? is that what this is about? >> yeah, based on the u.s. constitution, so yes, that's a big part of it sure. >> raymond: okay. lisa, mike, we wish you the best. thank you for your time. we will check in with you on the days ahead. you know "braveheart," mad max, the patriot, so many other massive hits. but wait until you see mel gibson's latest role. the oscar-winner joins us next exclusively. stay there. get exceptional cae every step, unparalleled safety at evervisit, and flexible payment options for every budget.

now, during the everyday smiles event new patients get a full exam & set of x-rays with no obligation. no insurance? no worries, it's free. plus, now all patients can get 20% off their treatment plan. find every reason to smile. every day at aspen dental. call 1-800-aspendental or book today at aspendental.com - hey kaleb, what's up? how you doing? - hey, i'm good. guess what? i just had my 13th surgery. - [alec] really? - how are you doing? - i'm doing good. i'm encouraged by seeing how people are coming together to help each other during times like these. - kinda like how shriners hospitals for children is there for us. imagine if i couldn't get my surgery. who knows what would have happened? - same for me. i know my shriners hospitals family will continue to take care of kids like us who need them most. all because of caring people like you. - like me? (alec laughs) - no, the people watching us right now at home. we hope you'll call the special number

on your screen right now. - you'll be making sure our amazing doctors and nurses can keep helping kids like us who need them now and in the days to come. - with your gift of $19 a month, we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue blanket as a thank you and a reminder of the kids you're helping with your monthly support. - so what are you waiting for? you can use your phone and call, or go to loveshriners.org to give and join with thousands of other generous people who change lives with their gifts every day. - i think that's about it buddy. good job! - my pleasure captain! please, call now. if operators are busy with all the other caring people, please wait patiently. or you can go to loveshriners.org to give right away.

♪ >> raymond: raymond arroyo sitting in for laura ingraham.

my next guest is an academy award winning, legendary actor whose films of touch generations, this being the fifth day of christmas and his latest film "fatman" he plays a besieged santos struggling for survival in a cynical age. mel gibson joins us from l.a. mel, thanks for being here. i want to ask you about covid, the university of "braveheart," but like many i happened across "fatman" over the holidays. directors who directed this told me today they saw you at an event with that. and said this is our crisp crinkle. why did you want to do this film? >> well, he kind of revealed the humanity of who santa claus might be. every is just a regular guy who lost his faith in humanity a little bit and sort of was a little down and depressed about perhaps the cynicism around the world. and it was dragging him under.

go on. >> raymond: go ahead, no, you go. >> i'm good. that's all i wanted to say. >> raymond: okay, there's a lot here. we had just watched "miracle on 34th street," and then we screened "fatman," and without giving too much of the plot, santa is in trouble. he's going broke, he's got an assassin chasing him. i told my kid this is like miracle at the o.k. corral. what did you bring to this character, how did you see them? >> basically, it does kind of have a western format, you know? it's like watching high noon or something. this bad guy coming, what is santa going to do? he's kind of fighting for his existence. you know, he's taking a job with the u.s. military to make components for scud missiles or something. he's got to break the news to the elves. i mean, it's kind of like -- he

feels pretty bad about the whole thing. >> you also brought a gravitas to this? when i watched it, i kept thinking -- she feel this guy has been around for a long time. and there is a dignity and a just part to him. he's really offended at the age, particularly what happened to kids. there's no more good kids left. >> raymond: sure, more coal these days. he's been around for like 3-400 years. the last guy that had the job must've dropped off. but it's an unspecified amount of time. what did the mines used to call it? there was a time. come i can't remember what it was called, but he's like an old cowboy. >> raymond: you get that feeling. i want to give people a sense and a glimpse of you as the "fatman." watch this. >> i don't know what i'm doing

wrong. maybe it's time i retired. speak of this what people actually think of me. christmas is a farce, i am a joke. there hasn't been any real spirit of the season anymore, not for years. >> raymond: this is partly why it works. there is such a commitment to this. you believe this relationship between you and mrs. crinkle. it makes it very credible and grounds the absurdist messages. did that relationship surprise you between -- >> no, not at all. she's an accomplished actress. i like that she kept her british accent. how did this to people ever get together? the cowboy and the british lady. and one gets a sense that they are real married couple. they seem real in their relationship. and you get the idea that they actually love one another. so it's kind of a cool story from that point of view. at the heart of this kind of western with this assassin coming to kill santa -- this boy

he gave coal to you, hit man hired to whack santa. it's actually very good message into sweet film film underneath it all even though -- >> raymond: i agree. look, "fatman" was the number one film at red box. the number to film and all of streaming when it premiered. for weeks it's been in the top ten. why do you think audiences are drawn to it now? particularly during this lockdown period. >> i think streaming come of course, is the main way that people receive their entertainment. they go out to the dash they can't go to the cinema anymore. it is that time of year when they are looking for christmas films. it was kind of different. i mean, it's taken a bit of a different direction. it's a little dark, but ultimately not dark. and i thought it was amusing come i thought it was funny. >> raymond: it's funny, it's got a moral component to it. i don't want to ruin it for people, but it surprises you because you are set up to believe it something else, and

then it kind of fits you from the side. you had covid earlier this year. and you were hospitalized. what was the worst part of that, has there been any aftereffects? >> no, not so bad. in fact, my whole family got it. they were out of it like to life in three days. the kids. and women don't get it as bad. the guys that seem to get at our older guys. i don't know why got it. >> raymond: you come i don't know. >> me neither. i ended up in the hospital for a week and it's kind of left in the same amount of time it came in. and it leaves you -- the fatigue was the main thing of that. getting your vitality back. >> raymond: you seem to have recovered. >> almost. >> raymond: how much has covid changed hollywood? at least in the time being? >> i had a friend that she was a exhibitor. and i asked him. he's from texas and i said "how are you doing?"

they're in this covid thing. what is it doing to the exhibition business with the screens? he said he's bleeding for about $48 million a month. that's pretty hefty. that's hefty for the sky. and for anyone. so it's going to change the biz. you seen where warner has taken the whole slate and moved it over to hbo max. a lot of stuff is going to streaming that didn't -- it wasn't conceived that way. but that's where it's going to end up i think. >> raymond: is that good for storytellers, independent creative storytellers that have had trouble finding distribution? you had trouble finding distribution in the past with another project another project. >> of course. there was heavy competition for the distribution. there's only so many screens and a lot of powerful players in there. so it's easy to get swept aside in the rush of all of the big boys, you know? but i think it's easier this

way. and look, i think storytellin storytelling -- if it's a good story and do do a good job and you execute it well in your original -- i think you are always going to you -- cream is going to rise to the crop top. >> raymond: okay, i want to keep you right there. i want to keep your cream at the top. so stay there. when we return, we will talk about the 25th anniversary of "braveheart" and those sequels audiences have been awaiting. more with mel gibson when we continue. >> share. welcome to silversneakers, are you ready to get moving?

our new virtual classes were designed for you and millions of seniors like you. you can now choose from thousands of live virtual classes every week. get moving wherever you have an internet connection. and when you're ready, enjoy access to thousands of locations nationwide. with silversneakers, you're free to move. enroll today at no additional cost by visiting the website on your screen.

♪ >> many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from the state at that, for one, just one, to come back here until her enemies that they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom. >> raymond: one of the most iconic moments in film history, "braveheart" celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. it joined me once again as the director and star, mel gibson. mal, randy wallace who wrote "braveheart" told me you considered other actors for that lead. why don't you want to do double duty? or is that true at all? >> yes, i did. i was looking at other people.

but nobody trusted me as a director so i had to jump in there myself. that's partially true. it just came to the point where i just had to jump in myself and paramount and fox were financing the film said well, that make sense. we want you to be in it. but the workload was like -- tremendous. five in the morning to 11 at night. >> what's the secret to the longevity of that movie? it seems to go on forever. >> it holds a very well. and i noticed that the last time there was a big screening of it. i think it was like five years ago. i thought wow that held up surprisingly well. i think it just talks about values and it talks about freedom. and it's talking about things that we all prize. and the links we will go to to preserve those for ourselves and for our families. and i think things like that and eight country like the united states is really

important. in any country. people want to be free. see you can't really mess with the universal theme like that. >> raymond: barring doing a story, i think his story kind of ended. i guess a sequel is out of the question there. the second passion -- where are those two sequels? >> i think they are in the wor works. the man who concedes and directed and did all of those lethal weapon films -- he wants to do another one. and he is going to jump back on the horse again. and he can do it. he's like 90 years old now. >> raymond: richard donner -- amazing. that will be great. the passion, of course, is the resurrection. that is the work in progress. very difficult material. it's a very big subject, as you might imagine. it's going to take some massaging to actually get it to work just right. because if you are going to do it, you've got to go all the way

and it has to be spectacular. >> raymond: all right, we will look forward to that. finally, you never and rarely way and on politics. which i appreciate. is not a deliberate choice? >> it is. i think so. who the hell cares who what i think? i'm not an expert -- what am i qualified to talk about? >> raymond: i will tell you. storytelling. acting. you do those pretty well. >> it's all right. it allows you a sense of anonymity so that in the performance you can come out and just be anything. you're not already carrying a lot of baggage. it's partially intentional. >> raymond: i love that. well, mel, happy new year. merry christmas. and thank you for giving us this little gift before christmas expires. >> think it. >> raymond: check in with you soon.

mel's latest film "fatman" is in all the streaming platforms, prime, apple, red box. for teens and adults, it is such a great christmas tale. unexpected and has a heart and a great moral lesson. and you didn't think he would get through a show with me without a "last bite," did you? stay there.

welcome, today's discussion will be around sliced meat. moms want healthy... and affordable. land o' frost premium!!! no added hormones either. it's the only protein i've really melted with.

land o' frost premium. fresh look. same great taste. >> raymond: joe biden today might have had a little freudian slip. listen. >> hope the president will clearly and unambiguously urge all americans to take the vaccine once it's available. i took it to instill public confidence in the vaccine. president-elect harris took hers today for the same reason. >> raymond: president-elect harris. now that's news. we'll keep watching that as it develops. thank you for watching the special edition of "the ingraham angle." i'm raymond arroyo. you can follow me on facebook and twitter. my book is still in bookstores

and it is still christmas. that is all the time we have for tonight. shannon bream and the "fox news @ night" team take it from here. shannon, it's all yours. >> shannon: listen, raiment, that book, you know i am a huge fan. it is beautiful, and i heard so many families it would be a new tradition because it was a story many had not heard before. >> raymond: you are awesome. merry christmas, shannon. >> shannon: merry christmas and happy new year. ♪ in case you missed it, get this, the boeing 737 and return to the skies for the first time in two years. the cutting edge jet was crowded after deadly crashes overseas, and despite that, american airlines night flights to and from miami where nearly full. largely open for business, florida has topped the list of destinations over the holiday, despite the coronavirus pandem pandemic. it's got a republican governor.