Nick Nolte barely escaped his Malibu home, which was on fire, after he broke out a window, and jumped around 11:30 am. The home was burned to the ground. Nolte cut his hand.

The Sheriff’s Department says an electrical malfunction caused the fire, which caused an estimated $3.5 million in damage and left the home a total loss.

Nick is lucky he only hurt his hand. Whew!

Robert Downey Jr. portrays a white man Kirk Lazarus, who is an Oscar-winning actor who dyes his skin black in order to play a black character in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever made. Tropic Thunder is the movie, and Ben Stiller wrote, and directed the movie.

Stiller says that he and Downey always stayed focused on the fact that they were skewering insufferable actors, not African-Americans. ”I was trying to push it as far as you can within reality,” Stiller explains. ”I had no idea how people would respond to it.” He recently screened a rough cut of the film and it scored high with African-Americans. He was relieved at the reaction. ”It seems people really embrace it,” he says.

Also appearing in the movie are Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Tom Cruise (in a fat suit), Matthew McConaughey, and Tobey Maguire. Owen Wilson was supposed to appear, but that was right about the time he tried to commit suicide.

Seeing a white guy trying to act black might be as funny as seeing Dave Chapel in white face trying to act white. The difference is, Dave is a comedian, and Robert isn’t, so …

Nick Nolte was at the Kauai Airport this week having a little trouble staying awake. Here’s more:

These photos taken by one of Nolte’s fellow passengers, who told TMZ that the incoherent actor drifted in and out of consciousness on the airport floor for more than two hours Monday night, after their flight was delayed because of engine problems.

According to the source, Nolte was still extremely friendly despite his groggy state — chatting with fans and allowing passengers to snap photos, however, he wasn’t entirely functional. "At one point we helped him put a dollar in the vending machine."

What’s wrong with a harmless and homeless looking drunk drooling and rolling around on the floor of the airport waiting area passing the time while his plane gets fixed? It’s not like Nick was flying the plane, and it’s hard to imagine how he drove himself to the airport. I’m not even sure he was getting on the plane at all. Maybe he just wandered into the airport so he could get a snack from the vending machine. Normally Nick is laying in the gutter next to his mansion, peeing on his neighbor’s flowers, and puking in the sandbox at the kiddy park. I’d say this was a pretty good day for Nick.