Val Kilmer's New Mexico neighbors block actor's attempts to turn ranch into a hotel, demand apology

Val Kilmer is feeling the heat. The actor, who wants to turn his 6,000-acre New Mexico ranch into an upscale bed-and-breakfast, is under intense pressure this week from neighbors trying to block the project, the Wall Street Journal reported. Kilmer, 50, found himself in the danger zone with locals when he applied for permits for the venture, launching protests from fellow Santa Fe area residents still upset about comments he made in past magazine interviews. The actor was quoted in a 2003 interview with Rolling Stone as saying his neighborhood was "the homicide capital of the Southwest" and that "80 percent of the people in my county are drunk." At a hearing to discuss Kilmer's application for permits, The Journal reported, a group of area residents and veterans demanded an official apology from the actor before allowing him to host paying guests at his Pecos River Ranch. Jesus Lopez, the county attorney, agreed, told The Journal that Kilmer's quotes were "incendiary" and created a "clear and present danger threatening public safety."...more