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Hollywood Titan, Hillary Donor Harvey Weinstein Accused of ‘Decades’ of Sexual Harassment Against Young Women
‘Your Silence Is Deafening’: Oscar-Winning Actresses Who Worked with Harvey Weinstein Stay Quiet on Sexual Harassment Claims
The Weinstein Company Launches Independent Investigation Into Harvey Weinstein as Board Members Quit after Sexual Harassment Claims
Lisa Bloom Resigns as Harvey Weinstein Adviser as Sexual Harassment Scandal Intensifies
Harvey Weinstein Fired From The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company In Talks to Change Name Amid Harvey Weinstein Sex Harassment Scandal
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw...name-harvey-weinstein-sex-harassment-scandal/
Glad to see the self-rightious Hollywood gas bag brought down.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw...des-of-sexual-harassment-against-young-women/The New York Times dropped a career bomb on Harvey Weinstein, the multiple Oscar-winning producer and Democrat power donor. According to the report, Weinstein has settled no fewer than eight sexual harassment complaints over 25 years, between 1990 and 2015. Weinstein, who has been married for most of those years, told the Times Thursday that he is “working with a therapist and planning to take a leave of absence” from his film company.
In a deeply cynical and somewhat pitiful bid to retain the affections of the Hollywood crowd in the wake of these horrific allegations, Weinstein announced he would use this time to attack the NRA and President Donald Trump:
I am going to need a place to channel that anger, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give the NRA my full attention. I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party. I’m going to do it at the same place I had my Bar Mitzvah. I’m making a movie about our President, perhaps we can make it a joint retirement party.
Lisa Bloom, a high-powered attorney usually standing with accusers, is representing Weinstein in this matter and told the Times that her client “denies many of the accusations as patently false.”
That, however, is not a denial of all the claims.
Weinstein added, “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.”
Above and beyond the settlements are other accusations, including one from veteran Hollywood actress Ashley Judd. She claims that two decades ago, when she was still a movie star, and on the pretense of a breakfast meeting, Weinstein, who was then at the height of his fame, invited her to his hotel room “where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower[.]”
Things only went downhill from there, Judd alleged:
Mr. Weinstein soon issued invitation after invitation, she said. Could he give her a massage? When she refused, he suggested a shoulder rub. She rejected that too, she recalled. He steered her toward a closet, asking her to help pick out his clothing for the day, and then toward the bathroom. Would she watch him take a shower? she remembered him saying.
“I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,” Ms. Judd said. “It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining.”
This appears to have been Weinstein’s modus operandi: breakfast meetings in hotel rooms, appearing in a robe or barely clothed, a request for a massage:
In interviews, eight women described varying behavior by Mr. Weinstein: appearing nearly or fully naked in front of them, requiring them to be present while he bathed or repeatedly asking for a massage or initiating one himself. The women, typically in their early or mid-20s and hoping to get a toehold in the film industry, said he could switch course quickly — meetings and clipboards one moment, intimate comments the next. One woman advised a peer to wear a parka when summoned for duty as a layer of protection against unwelcome advances.
According to one accuser, Weinstein went beyond indecent proposals. Italian model Ambra Battilana claims Weinstein “grabbed her breasts after asking if they were real and put his hands up her skirt[.]” The police got involved but no charges were filed. According to the Times, Weinstein later settled with Battilana.
One of the eight settlements reportedly includes actress Rose McGowan. For three years, between 2006 and 2009, McGowan was dating and later engaged to Robert Rodriguez, a director who regularly works with Weinstein, including 2015’s flop Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
Several of the allegations stem from a two-year period when Lauren O’Connor, a Weinstein employee, documented numerous complaints and compiled them in a 2015 memo. O’Connor complained, as did other females employees, that she was “being used to facilitate liaisons with vulnerable women who hoped he will get them work.” This included setting up private meetings with aspiring actresses in Weinstein’s hotel room.
The Times story also notes that Weinstein’s behavior has never been much of a secret. Rumors involving sexual harassment, a volcanic temper, and bullying of subordinates have swirled around Weinstein for two decades. But as I wrote earlier today…
Although allegations like these are nothing new and have been floating around (and even joked about) since the 1990s, no one would have dared come forward until now. Weinstein was just too powerful for too long[.]
[…]
Everyone wanted to work with him.
Everyone wanted him to pick up and distribute their passion project.
Weinstein was the bear no one dared poke.
Also protecting Weinstein from the consequences of his behavior are his “correct” politics. Weinstein is a leftist, a Democrat power donor, and high-profile political activist who passed himself off in public as a male feminist:
In 2015, the same year Ms. O’Connor wrote her memo, his company distributed “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about campus sexual assault. A longtime Democratic donor, he hosted a fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton in his Manhattan home last year. He employed Malia Obama, the oldest daughter of former President Barack Obama, as an intern this year, and recently helped endow a faculty chair at Rutgers University in Gloria Steinem’s name. During the Sundance Film Festival in January, when Park City, Utah, held its version of the nationwide women’s marches, Mr. Weinstein joined the parade.
Today Weinstein is widely regarded as past his prime. Numerous reports indicate that the 65-year-old is in deep financial trouble. Moreover, he has not produced a hit or come near Oscar gold in nearly five years, and his highest profiles offerings have all bombed, including Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.
Weinstein no longer has the juice to ruin anyone. Without that shield, it looks as though Weinstein faces a reckoning that has been a long time in coming.
‘Your Silence Is Deafening’: Oscar-Winning Actresses Who Worked with Harvey Weinstein Stay Quiet on Sexual Harassment Claims
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw...in-stay-quiet-harassment-allegations-surface/Several actresses who worked with Harvey Weinstein on critically-acclaimed films have come under fire from one of their fellow stars for refusing to speak out publicly after a bombshell report Thursday detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations against the Hollywood movie mogul.
In posts to her Twitter account Friday, actress Rose McGowan said the “ladies of Hollywood” were conspicuously silent following a New York Times report earlier this week that claimed Weinstein reached financial settlements with at least eight women over his decades-long career in movies, including McGowan herself.
“Ladies of Hollywood, your silence is deafening,” McGowan wrote.
Yes, ladies of Hollywood, where are you? https://t.co/t91LcWn6SP
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 7, 2017
Ladies of Hollywood, your silence is deafening.
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 7, 2017
While a number of female celebrities have spoken out since the allegations broke, including actresses Amber Tamblyn, Lena Dunham, and Brie Larson, several A-list stars who worked with Weinstein on Oscar-winning films have remained silent, including Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Anna Paquin, Renee Zelwegger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judi Dench, and Penelope Cruz.
In fact, as the Daily Mail notes, some stars’ lack of any public statement on the allegations against Weinstein is made more conspicuous by the fact that Weinstein’s name has been mentioned almost more than any other during acceptance speeches at the Oscars, more than 20 times.
Weinstein has been credited with launching actresses’ careers and getting them in the Oscar spotlight; when Meryl Streep won in 2012, she expressed gratitude to “God – Harvey Weinstein” in her acceptance speech, while in 2014, Dench, who won an Oscar for the Weinstein-produced Shakespeare in Love in 1999, showed the producer a fake tattoo of his name she’d gotten on her backside.
Additionally, Oscar-winner Kidman, who just picked up an Emmy for her role on the HBO series Big Little Lies, used her acceptance speech just last month to highlight domestic abuse and violence against women.
One actress who did speak out about Weinstein’s behavior was actress Ashley Judd, who spoke to the New York Times on the record about an experience she had with the producer in his hotel room while filming the 1997 film Kiss the Girls.
“I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask. It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining,” Judd told the paper, adding: “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.”
The lack of a significant response from women in Hollywood comes as even more accusations have been leveled at Weinstein, and The Weinstein Company announced it would conduct its own investigation of its co-founder while he remains on indefinite leave.
Former television news reporter Lauren Sivan told HuffPost in an interview Friday that in an incident that allegedly happened more than a decade ago, Weinstein allegedly cornered her in a restaurant that was closed to the public and masturbated in front of her. The producer has not yet commented on the claims.
Meanwhile, three board members at TWC reportedly resigned their positions Friday after a two-day emergency meeting to discuss the allegations. The company, co-founded by brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005, says it plans to continue with its production and awards season campaign slate.
Weinstein apologized for his behavior in a statement to the Times, and said he would seek outside help, though he blasted the paper for what he called its “reckless reporting” and announced he intended to sue for $0 million.
The Weinstein Company Launches Independent Investigation Into Harvey Weinstein as Board Members Quit after Sexual Harassment Claims
Weinstein reportedly knew the New York Times report released Thursday was coming, and had hired several attorneys to help him defend against it, including the high-powered trio of David Boies, Lisa Bloom, and Charles Harder.
The Times reported that Weinstein had reached financial settlements with at least eight different women dating back to the early 1990s after sexual harassment complaints, including with the actress Rose McGowan. In the story, actress Ashley Judd — who first worked with the Hollywood mogul on the 1997 film Kiss the Girls — is quoted as saying that women in the film industry have discussed Weinstein’s conduct amongst themselves for years, but had never said or done anything about it.
“I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go,” Weinstein told the paper in a comment for the story, adding that he planned to seek help for his behavior.
The Weinstein Company’s decision comes as new allegations surfaced Friday when a former Fox News reporter claimed the producer once confronted her inside a restaurant and allegedly performed a lewd act in front of her.
Former reporter Lauren Sivan told HuffPost in an interview Friday that Weinstein cornered her in the hallway of a restaurant that was closed to the public and masturbated in front of her in an incident she claimed happened more than a decade ago.
The revelations also come as several Democratic politicians have announced they will donate contributions they received from Weinstein over the years to charitable causes. Senators donating contributions include Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), while the Democratic National Committee announced it would donate $30,000 of the more than $250,000 the mogul has contributed to the organization since the early 1990s.
Weinstein co-founded TWC with brother Bob Weinstein in 2005, and the company has since gone on to produce or distribute several Oscar-nominated and winning films, including 2011 Best Picture winner The King’s Speech, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, The Fighter, Inglourious Basterds, and Philomena. The Weinstein brothers had previously been at Miramax for nearly two decades, where they helped launch the careers of current A-listers Quentin Tarantino, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck, among numerous others.
In its statement Friday, TWC said Co-chairman Bob Weinstein would continue to lead the company along with COO David Glasser, “who plan to proceed with business in the ordinary course.”
Lisa Bloom Resigns as Harvey Weinstein Adviser as Sexual Harassment Scandal Intensifies
Lisa Bloom, the high-profile lawyer known for defending women in sexual misconduct cases, has resigned as an adviser to Hollywood movie executive and Democratic Party mega-donor Harvey Weinstein amid an intensifying scandal over claims of sexual harassment.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw...dviser-sexual-harassment-scandal-intensifies/“I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein,” Bloom tweeted. “My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement”:
I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein.
My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement.
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) October 7, 2017
Bloom, who has built her reputation on defending women in high-profile sexual harassment cases, resigned on Saturday after receiving a wave of criticism on social media for her links to Weinstein.
One of Bloom’s most prominent critics was her own mother, lawyer Gloria Allred, who suggested she should not represent a man accused of sexual harassment.
“Had I been asked by Mr. Weinstein to represent him, I would have declined, because I do not represent individuals accused of sexual harassment,” Allred said, according to Variety.
However, Bloom defended herself against the allegations, claiming the pair are different types of lawyers.
“I have a different kind of law practice. My mother does only plaintiff side discrimination and harassment work,” Bloom said in the Variety interview, adding:
I have a successful, 12-lawyer general practice law firm that includes business litigation, defamation, revenge porn cases, entertainment matters, family law, and much more, I believe that we can do good by suing, but also working behind the scenes to encourage accused people to respond with dignity and respect.
Weinstein has, so far, vehemently denied the allegations and has threatened to sue theNew York Times for what he describes as “reckless reporting.”
“[The Times] had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain,” Weinstein told Page Six. “This is a vendetta, and the next time I see [Times executive editor] Dean Baquet, it will be across a courtroom.”
Weinstein’s production company, The Weinstein Company, announced on Saturday that Weinstein would take an indefinite leave of absence while the company launches an independent investigation into the claims made against him.
So far, several Democratic politicians, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), have also announced they will donate contributions they received from Weinstein over the years to charitable causes.
Harvey Weinstein Fired From The Weinstein Company
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/10/08/harvey-weinstein-fired-weinstein-company/The Weinstein Co. board of directors has terminated Harvey Weinstein, effective immediately, less than a week after the New York Times published a report alleging decades of sexual harassment allegations against the Hollywood super-producer and Democratic party donor.
“In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company […] have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” TWC’s board of directors said in a statement released Sunday.
The company, which Weinstein co-founded and thrust into perennial Oscar glory, decided within days of announcing that its embattled boss would take an indefinite leave of absence.
In the wake of the Times bombshell report, three of the nine members of The Weinstein Company board — including billionaire publishing heir Dirk Ziff, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, and Technicolor Deputy CEO Tim Sarnoff — resigned.
Weinstein had hired high-powered attorney Charles Harder, who won a $140 million settlement for Hulk Hogan against Gawker, before the Times story broke. But hours after the story went to print, Weinstein vowed to sue the paper for $50 million over what he called its“reckless reporting” and “inability to be honest with me” about the term of an alleged previous agreement.
The Academy Award-winning producer told Page Six last week that the Times “had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain.”
Weinstein has denied wrongdoing but apologized for the “pain” he has caused in a statement to the Times.
“I admit to a whole way of behavior that is not good. I can’t talk specifics, but I put myself in positions that were stupid, I want to respect women and do things better,” Weinstein said, vowing to change.
The Times reported that Weinstein had agreed to no less than eight financial settlements with women, dating back to the early 1990s, who had accused him of sexual harassment. The report detailed accusations from actresses Ashley Judd — who first worked with Weinstein on the 1997 film Kiss the Girls — and Rose McGowan, among others.
The story and the allegations in it caused several Hollywood actresses to call out Weinstein. A growing number of Democrat Party lawmakers have promised to return or donate the mass amounts of money Weinstein had donated to them over the years. And there has been a deafening silence from late-night hosts, Saturday Night Live, and a number of A-list actresses in the wake of the scandal.
The Weinstein Company In Talks to Change Name Amid Harvey Weinstein Sex Harassment Scandal
The remaining board members at The Weinstein Company are expected to change the name of the film and television production outfit following the ongoing sexual harassment scandal surrounding company co-founder Harvey Weinstein, according to a report.
A source with knowledge of the situation told the Wrap Sunday that the six remaining members of the board had discussed the name change, and were expected to follow through. The source said the name of the company, which Harvey Weinstein founded with his brother Bob Weinstein in 2005, had been irreparably harmed by the allegations.
The individual also said the name change could happen before this awards season.
The news comes just hours after Harvey Weinstein was officially fired from his position at TWC, amid continued fallout from Thursday’s bombshell New York Times report detailing decades of alleged sexual harassment against actresses and associates in the entertainment industry.
Since the initial story broke, other women have come forward with their own; a television journalist alleged that Weinstein once masturbated in front of her in a restaurant, while a British artist and writer claimed the movie mogul once invited her for a meeting at a swanky London hotel, only to propose a bath when she arrived at his suite.
Three TWC board members — billionaire publisher Dirk Ziff, Technicolor exec Tim Sarnoff, and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry — quit after the first round of emergency meetings over the scandal. The company announced that Bob Weinstein and COO David Glasser would assume operations following Weinstein’s departure, although no permanent CEO has yet been announced.
TWC announced Friday that it was conducting an internal investigation of sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein, which included reported financial settlements with at least eight separate women dating back to the 1990s. The board moved to fire Weinstein just two days later.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollyw...name-harvey-weinstein-sex-harassment-scandal/
Glad to see the self-rightious Hollywood gas bag brought down.
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