Harvey Weinstein megaproducer and executive ousted over sexual harassment

[overedge]

Agreed 100%. But I want to live in a world where people look out for each other. The abuse is the responsibility of the abuser alone. But if I was at a party and left someone underage alone there...where she/he was abused, I would be having feelings about my wanting to party and not being aware enough of my surroundings (and those present).

I haven't read whatever exact details Rapp revealed about the party - other than the specifics about how Spacey attacked him. AFAIK at that point in his career Spacey had a reputation as a fine actor but not a reputation as an abuser, so I am not sure if there would have been any reason to be suspicious of how he might behave.

I get where you are coming from about wanting a world where people look out for each other. But I also don't want to live in a world where I assume everyone is a potential abuser and treat them accordingly.

 

[meggonzo]

Rapp said he was bored at the party and went to the bedroom to watch TV and lost track of time, and he realized everyone had already left the party when Spacey came into the room drunk. He didn't tell his mother because he was confused about his own sexuality at the time.

Rapp said he came forward because of all the #metoo on social media, and my assumption was that he had probably heard Kevin Spacey stories from other people throughout the years to feel confident about making accusations publicly.

 

[screech]

I wondered, in the case of Anthony Rapp, if he first approached Kevin Spacey (if he hadn't already over the years) to try to sort it out, or did he go directly to media? Sure, now other people are coming forward about Spacey, but Rapp was the first, and I haven't seen anything in his quotes or the media story to say that he did. So it seems he chose to go to the media first, knowing it would get picked up, and thus ambushing Spacey in a very public way and instigating a trial and judgement via public opinion. Even if his story is all true, as @PeterG says, is this the way justice now works?

Though if true, Spacey is a complete jerkwad, I don't particularly like that Rapp essentially forced Spacey out of the (very transparent glass) closet. Spacey had said for years that he would never discuss his sexuality. Of course he's seemingly using the announcement as a way to divert attention from the sexual harassment, but I highly doubt he would have declared his sexuality if this was not brought forth.

 

[VGThuy]

If I’m ok with victims coming out and naming names the way Weinstein was named, then I’m ok with Rapp doing it too and now more men are coming out with their own Keven Spacey stories. It’s been rumored for years that he was a sexual predator who took advantage of young men. Sure it sucks that he had to out Spacey to do so, but he sort of had to in order to out Spacey as his assaulter in the first place. Every accusation like this outs the perpetrator as a sexual assaulter so outing Spacey as gay seems incidental to the bigger outing that he sexually assaulted a fourteen year old co-star.

I have a theory, but you probably will not like it. Election of Trump undermined the "Power of Hollywood" and exists as "open opposition" in the eyes of many people. The "victims" were part of "the Hollywood system". Not only they felt reluctant to go against "their own", but perhaps subconsciously did not feel there will be "ready and willing defenders" on their side. "Hollywood sexual depravities" is an ace card (big or small) in hands of conservatives, given that the Hollywood is against them. The victims now feel they have "undesired and unexpected, but still an ally who at least will not Liberal Hollywood sweep it under the rug".

I read this multiple times and I’m still not understanding your point completely. From what I understand I also think you’re giving Trump’s election win being a catalyst for this way too much credit. First, I’m sure a lot of the victims see Trump as a sexual predator himself, and probably related to the woman who accused Trump of raping her when she was thirteen, and how she was attacked by his supporters for doing so, and I don’t think his victory was an inspiration for that. My theory is that we’ve come a long way in understanding rape culture and sexual assault and the silencing of victims and people feel more empowered to speak out now that more people know how the cycle perpetuates itself and more women have come out (the Bill Cosby thing was a precursor to all of this). If Trump’s election win played any part in this, I think it’s more that a lot of women, like Ashley Judd who is far from a Trump supporter, became seriously angry at this election especially when sexual assault and male entitlement to female bodies was such a public issue, and thus they decided to become more active in speaking out and became braver and decided to share their stories.

Honestly sexual assault and rape culture is beyond simple right-wing/left-wing political binaries and to try to see this whole issue in that way isn’t respecting how large of an issue this is. On college campuses and in many circles where this conversation has been active before the whole Weinstein thing came out, you’d see how this whole thing goes beyond that. If anything, the talk about it colleges where the whole thing is still being figured out seeped outside of the college setting and many have adopted strategies of the victims and activists there.

ETA: I reread your post and I think I get what you’re saying better now. You’re saying that Trump’s election weakened Hollywood as an opposition power against conservatives. That weakening made the victims feel more empowered to speak out against the rape culture in Hollywood and that because Hollywood was weakened as a political opposition power, the victims feel that they’ll get more support for coming out whereas if Hillary had won, the victims wouldn’t want to paint Hollywood in such a way because they were in “power” and the victims didn’t want to undermine or hinder the progress that could be done with Dems in power. I really don’t buy that and I think it plays too much into seeing this issue in a binary political warfare lens. I think this whole thing is way beyond mere American Internet political sparring.

 

[Tinami Amori]

ETA: I reread your post and I think I get what you’re saying better now. You’re saying that Trump’s election weakened Hollywood as an opposition power against conservatives. That weakening made the victims feel more empowered to speak out against the rape culture in Hollywood and that because Hollywood was weakened as a political opposition power, the victims feel that they’ll get more support for coming out whereas if Hillary had won, the victims wouldn’t want to paint Hollywood in such a way because they were in “power” and the victims didn’t want to undermine or hinder the progress that could be done with Dems in power. I really don’t buy that and I think it plays too much into seeing this issue in a binary political warfare lens. I think this whole thing is way beyond mere American Internet political sparring.

Yes...It’s not about Trump. It’s about existence of an opposition to a group that you’re part of, where you were wronged and don’t feel you can get support from your own. So you seek support from “enemies to your group”.

Let me try a primitive example. Your mother favors you, and your sister is the “bad sheep” who is in conflict with your mother and you.

One day your mother starts punishing you unfairly, and you have nobody to complain to. Suddenly your sister rebels, and weakens mother’s position. You see this as an opportunity to also stand up to your mother, because you know that this one time, your sister’s rebellion works in your favor. Does not mean you like your sister any better, but her resistance gives you leverage for your resistance…. Kind of like that…..

As far as doing it "while Dems are in power"..... When there is a political war, one can be reluctant for many reasons to stir things up in your own camp. When your mother spanks you unfairly, but facing some kind of law suit at work or for a car accident, you many not want to raise legal issues against her for spanking....

.. and i will not be expanding on “domestic life” examples…… because it’s so banal to quote Machiavelli and Sun Tzu….

 

[UGG]

I wondered, in the case of Anthony Rapp, if he first approached Kevin Spacey (if he hadn't already over the years) to try to sort it out, or did he go directly to media? Sure, now other people are coming forward about Spacey, but Rapp was the first, and I haven't seen anything in his quotes or the media story to say that he did. So it seems he chose to go to the media first, knowing it would get picked up, and thus ambushing Spacey in a very public way and instigating a trial and judgement via public opinion. Even if his story is all true, as @PeterG says, is this the way justice now works?

If he was sexually abused/harassed .. why should he "sort it out" with
Kevin Spacey? Kevin Spacey should not have preyed on a young boy. However the victim chose to deal with it is his choice. If Spacey was "ambushed" then oh well. He should have kept his dick away from children.

 

[overedge]

So apparently Alec Baldwin has now admitted to bullying women:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/alec-baldwin-says-ive-bullied-women_us_59fc4cb9e4b0b0c7fa397338

I'm not sure why he has to admit it because he is a well known bully toward women *and* men. That is how he got the nickname "The Bloviator" (as in, full of hot air and full of himself). I can't help but wonder if someone is about to make a more specific or damning accusation about him and he's trying to lessen its impact.

 

[Aerobicidal]

Though if true, Spacey is a complete jerkwad, I don't particularly like that Rapp essentially forced Spacey out of the (very transparent glass) closet. Spacey had said for years that he would never discuss his sexuality. Of course he's seemingly using the announcement as a way to divert attention from the sexual harassment, but I highly doubt he would have declared his sexuality if this was not brought forth.

I agree with you that forcing someone out of the closet is a bad thing, but I would question the assumption that a man who sexually abuses men is necessarily gay. The American public in general may associate sexual abuse with attraction rather than power, and also assume that men abusing men are gay because of our social history of homophobic discourses associating gay maleness with pedophilia/abuse (and also discourses associating sexual abuse with attraction instead of power), but I think that response should be questioned.

I don't think Rapp--or anyone--should be held responsible if allegations make (even more) people assume Spacey is gay or make Spacey (erroneously, IMO) think it's okay to respond by trivializing Rapp's testimony and implying that this is about his gayness rather than his abusing a position of power.

I hope that all the various cases of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse that are being publicized these days can allow for a discussion that challenges the erroneous assumptions about sexuality and attraction that--in many ways--probably allow people like Spacey (and Weinstein, and etc. etc.) to get away with what he was doing for decades.

 

[Tinami Amori]

So apparently Alec Baldwin has now admitted to bullying women:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/alec-baldwin-says-ive-bullied-women_us_59fc4cb9e4b0b0c7fa397338.

How is this “bullying”??!!!
"Last week, Baldwin took heat for telling a female journalist to “stick to divorces and plastic surgery” as he expressed anger over being mentioned in her article about director James Toback."

Who is stopping this female journalist from telling him “put another potato in your jock-strap and go back to your martinis”??? There are no laws preventing her from answering him in the same style.....If we are equal, then we’re equal…..

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Ronan Farrow has a new article in The New Yorker about Weinstein.

*** Harvey Weinstein’s Army of Spies :
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/harvey-weinsteins-army-of-spies

In the fall of 2016, Harvey Weinstein set out to suppress allegations that he had sexually harassed or assaulted numerous women. He began to hire private security agencies to collect information on the women and the journalists trying to expose the allegations. According to dozens of pages of documents, and seven people directly involved in the effort, the firms that Weinstein hired included Kroll, which is one of the world’s largest corporate-intelligence companies, and Black Cube, an enterprise run largely by former officers of Mossad and other Israeli intelligence agencies.

In some cases, the investigative effort was run through Weinstein’s lawyers, including David Boies, a celebrated attorney who represented Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential-election dispute and argued for marriage equality before the U.S. Supreme Court. Boies personally signed the contract directing Black Cube to attempt to uncover information that would stop the publication of a Times story about Weinstein’s abuses, while his firm was also representing the Times, including in a libel case. ...

... Techniques like the ones used by the agencies on Weinstein’s behalf are almost always kept secret, and, because such relationships are often run through law firms, the investigations are theoretically protected by attorney-client privilege, which could prevent them from being disclosed in court. The documents and sources reveal the tools and tactics available to powerful individuals to suppress negative stories and, in some cases, forestall criminal investigations.

 

[Japanfan]

How is this “bullying”??!!!
"Last week, Baldwin took heat for telling a female journalist to “stick to divorces and plastic surgery” as he expressed anger over being mentioned in her article about director James Toback."

Um - it's mean, insulting, diminishing and sexist. As such, could definitely qualify as bullying - all the more so if other such statements were made.

Who is stopping this female journalist from telling him “put another potato in your jock-strap and go back to your martinis”??? There are no laws preventing her from answering him in the same style.....If we are equal, then we’re equal…..[/QUOTE]

Tinami, your solution to someone doing or saying something nasty is to do or say the same thing yourself. At the least, it puts you on a level with the other person. At the worst, it puts you in danger - as with your suggestion that a woman who was punched by a drank man in a roomful of drunk men should deliver a punch back herself, in which case she could end up seriously injured.

In addition, responses such as the above tend to inadvertently justify actions and words that really can't be justified.

 

[Catherine M]

While waiting for the plumber this morning, I was able to read Ronan Farrow's Web of Spies piece and it was . I'm just amazed that no one was hurt physically but the psychological damage will be around for awhile for those all affected by this evil, despicable man.

 

[skatesindreams]

I just read the article.
That monster needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

 

[Mayra]

Though if true, Spacey is a complete jerkwad, I don't particularly like that Rapp essentially forced Spacey out of the (very transparent glass) closet. Spacey had said for years that he would never discuss his sexuality. Of course he's seemingly using the announcement as a way to divert attention from the sexual harassment, but I highly doubt he would have declared his sexuality if this was not brought forth.

Say what?

Nobody forced Kevin Spacey out of the closet. Nobody has outed him as anything other than a sexual predator and pedophile who made sexual advances on young men(minors). This idea that Rapp somehow is responsible for Kevin Spacey's sexuality being made public is ridiculous. The only thing Rapp is responsible for is his own courage in revealing his story against a very public figure, and allowing others to come forward with similar accusations.

Spacey chose to out himself as gay, but being outed as a sexual predator and outing yourself as gay are not the same thing and should never be correlated. They are not the same thing. The fact that Spacey chose to do so, speaks more for him trying to save himself than anything else. That isn't on Rapp or any other of his accusers, who all have the right to come forward regardless of what the person's sexual orientation is. Any blame to go around lies squarely at the feet of Kevin Spacey and nobody else.

JMO

 

[MacMadame]

I agree, @Mayra. Many pedophiles identify as straight and are married to women. But they are attracted to children. Some are attracted to boys and some girls and some are attracted to both.

So saying an adult male is a pedophile doesn't tell if you if they are straight or gay (or something else).

 

[PeterG]

Louis C.K. Is Accused of Sexual Misconduct by 5 Women

Louis C.K.'s Movie Premiere Canceled in Advance of N.Y. Times Story

 

[Veronika]

The Louis CK rumors have been flying for over a year now, if not longer. So I am not surprised at all, but very disappointed.

 

[PeterG]

Allegedly, Louis CK's manager (Dave Becky) tried to silence two of Louis CK's accusers:

We Reached Out To Other Clients Of Louis CK's Manager And Got Radio Silence

Becky's other clients include:

Amy Poehler
Aziz Ansari
Kevin Hart
John Mulaney
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Maya Rudolph
Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is The New Black)
Jake Johnson (New Girl)

The article mentions how interviewers are brushed off or mistreated when asked about the Louis CK rumours, specifically with Ansari and Hart. The article also mentions that Poehler is "...the co-founder of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, an organization dedicated to empowering young women."

 

[MsZem]

Stand up comics need to think and react quickly to be successful, but this is a really serious issue, and I can understand people maybe wanting to take a step back and collect their thoughts before making a public statement. I do hope we'll see some thoughtful and meaningful reactions from Louis CK's colleagues in the coming days, however.

 

[VGThuy]

I've of two minds about the above article. First, I think ideally, they would have said something as a warning to others who may have come into contact with Louis CK. However, I also don't know about shaming people who were not personally involved or victimized thus having no personal knowledge other than rumors being put on the spot to say something about it. It would have had serious repercussions for them, especially if some of them turned out to be false and they got sued for it.

For Ansari, though the question was on topic, we don't know how much he really knew about Louis CK and even if he believed the accounts, why is he expected to verify accounts he couldn't possibly verify or publicly spread the rumors in a mainstream when the victims hadn't done so yet. Even if he didn't name any victims, it would have really forced the issue and people would start speculating. Even one of the victims who spoke about it in vague terms was confronted with whether it was Louis CK and she wasn't ready to name him for reasons. I am glad that more people are coming out and this will hopefully change the way we deal with sexual assault in the future and more people will feel empowered to come out and take the perpetrators to task for it.

Anyway, Louis CK admits it:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/louis-ck-responds?utm_term=.pqoZAAJDoO#.qrDpkk5LZg

In other new, Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone is accused by a male freelance writer of sexual assault and being offered a contract in exchange for sex:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/jann-wenner?utm_term=.spNW77rvVD#.xhVa99zpjl

 

[Veronika]

It's pretty darn amazing that Louis CK owned up to it so quickly and completely. I am not sure if his career will ever recover, but I appreciate that he didn't try to lie and spin his way out of the situation.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Anthony Edwards wrote a column about abuse during his teen years.

*** Yes Mom, There is Something Wrong. From victim to survivor.
https://medium.com/@anthonyedwards/yes-mom-there-is-something-wrong-f2bcf56434b9

When I was 14 years old, my mother opened the door for me to answer honestly about the rumors she had heard about Gary Goddard — who was my mentor, teacher and friend — being a pedophile. I denied it through tears of complete panic. To face that truth was not an option as my sense of self was completely enmeshed in my gang of five friends who were all led by this sick father figure. ...
... My vulnerability was exploited. I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him — and this went on for years. The group of us, the gang, stayed quiet.

Corey Haim's mother did an interview with Dr. Oz & named his abuser according to People.

*** Corey Haim's Mother Names the Man She Alleges Sexually Abused Her Son :
http://people.com/tv/corey-haim-mother-names-his-alleged-abuser/

During an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show on Friday, Judy Haim addressed a recent National Enquirer report in which former actor Dominick Brascia, who was close with Haim, alleged that a 19-year-old Charlie Sheen sexually assaulted a 13-year-old Haim on set of the 1986 film Lucas.

A spokesperson for Sheen previously told PEOPLE the actor “absolutely denies the claim,” and on Friday, Judy alleged that it wasn’t Sheen who sexually abused her son, but rather Brascia himself. “This guy Dominick is the guy that abused my son,” she said. “My son said so.”

 

[skatingguy]

Anthony Edwards
Official Anthony Edwards Twitter Page
Nov 10
Yes Mom, There is Something Wrong
From victim to survivor.
https://medium.com/@anthonyedwards/yes-mom-there-is-something-wrong-f2bcf56434b9

 

[PeterG]

Anthony Edwards
Official Anthony Edwards Twitter Page
Nov 10
Yes Mom, There is Something Wrong
From victim to survivor.
https://medium.com/@anthonyedwards/yes-mom-there-is-something-wrong-f2bcf56434b9

Gary Goddard is the accused in Edwards' article. Goddard a movie to be released in 2018 called Broadway 4D, starring Hugh Jackman, Harvey Fierstein, Christina Aguilera, Matthew Morrison and Lea Salonga. The movie is produced and co-directed by...Bryan Singer.

 

[Coco]

@PeterG ^^ shudder....

 

[Jay42]

Andrew Kreisberg who is an EP and showrunner for The CW's DC shows (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl & Legends of Tomorrow) has been suspended by Warner Bros. pending an investigation of harassment allegations from 19 people (15 women, 4 men) who chose to remain anonymous because they fear retaliation. From what I've been able to gather the bulk of the complaints come from The Flash which is his main show. However considering some things I've gathered from behind the scenes going ons with Supergirl, especially in season 2, there's almost definitely been some issues there too.

Emily Bett Rickards (Arrow), Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh (Supergirl) all made posts on their social media today that don't name Kreisberg specifically, but is pretty clear in what they're referencing.

On the other side of the DC Universe, Gal Gadot has reportedly threatened not to sign on for the Wonder Woman sequel if Warner doesn't buy out Brett Ratner's contract.

 

[overedge]

And allegedly the reason why Gal Gadot has the negotiating power to be able to make that demand is....when she did Wonder Woman, she didn't get signed to one of those multi-film franchise contracts because the (male) studio execs figured that no one wanted to see movies with a female superhero. So if Ratner doesn't get turfed, the studios don't get any more Wonder Woman.
Bwahahaha.

 

[cocotaffy]

And allegedly the reason why Gal Gadot has the negotiating power to be able to make that demand is....when she did Wonder Woman, she didn't get signed to one of those multi-film franchise contracts because the (male) studio execs figured that no one wanted to see movies with a female superhero. So if Ratner doesn't get turfed, the studios don't get any more Wonder Woman.
Bwahahaha.

Sweet sweet backlash, is it wrong of me to immensely enjoy this ? Gal Gadot turns out to be as as her character, good for her.

 

[PeterG]

Five Old-Hollywood Starlets Who Endured Sexual Harassment Long Before 'Weinstein Effect'

Tippi Hedren, Maureen O'Hara, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple are the five women mentioned in this article. It mentions that the harassment that Garland occurred when she was 16 (and onwards) and for Temple, at 12 years of age.

Another article about the harassment Garland faced:

‘I’ll ruin you’: Judy Garland on being groped and harassed by powerful Hollywood men

It mentions an autobiography that Garland began to write, but did not complete. It included this section, which Gerald Clarke later included in his biography about Judy, entitled "Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland":

Another executive — Judy did not identify him — summoned her to his office, as he had summoned so many other, more glamorous Metro stars. Eschewing any pretense of small talk, he demanded that she, too, have sex with him. “Yes or no, right now — that was his style,” Judy recalled. When she refused … he began screaming. “Listen you — before you go, I want to tell you something. I’ll ruin you and I can do it. I’ll break you if it’s the last thing I do.”

 

[Deleted member 19433]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the George Takei allegations yet.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/11/entertainment/george-takei-sexual-misconduct-allegation/index.html
https://www.avclub.com/the-george-takei-sexual-assault-story-just-keeps-gettin-1820394008