Brits Bristling at Michael Moore's One-Man Act

NEW YORK – Filmmaker and cultural commentator Michael Moore has been accused of mocking Sept. 11 victims and acting up during his one-man show in London, according to press reports.

A columnist for the London newspaper The Independent expressed outrage at one of the Michael Moore – Live! shows, when the Bowling for Columbine creator criticized passengers on the jets hijacked on Sept. 11.

"Moore went into a rant about how the passengers were scaredy-cats because they were mostly white," Yasmin Alibhai-Brown wrote in the Jan. 6 Independent. "If the passengers had included black men, he claimed, those killers, with their puny bodies and unimpressive small knives, would have been crushed by the dudes."

"God save us from such stupid white men," the columnist fumed, referring to Moore's best-selling book Stupid White Men. He added that Moore was promoting the very violence in the black community that is tearing it apart.

In addition, a Jan. 7 report on the Independent Movie Database said Moore lashed out at the staff of The Roundhouse theater in North London – which was hosting his one-man show – causing a huge blowup with theater officials.

"He reportedly flew into a rage, verbally attacked everyone associated with the theater because he thought he wasn't being paid enough," the IMDB.com piece reported.

Moore apparently complained that he was only earning $750 a night for the show, which drew a packed house during the two months leading up to Christmas.

IMDB quoted an unidentified crewmember who said, "'He completely lost the plot. He stormed around all day screaming at everyone, telling them how we were all con men and useless. Then he went on stage and did it in public.'"

In reaction to his outburst, Roundhouse staff reportedly fought back by refusing to work the next night, causing Moore's act to be delayed by an hour, according to IMDB.

"Eventually he made a groveling apology to staff and the angry audience finally took their seats," the Web site said. "A source reports that Moore then packed his bags and flew to New York the next day without saying thank you or goodbye to anyone."