EYE ON THE NEWS
The Weinstein Silence
Liberal entertainers laud themselves for “speaking truth to power”—so long as the targets are safe.October 10, 2017
Politics and law
Arts and Culture
tps://www.city-journal.org/html/weinstein-silence-15484.html
Stephen Colbert, with arguably the sharpest tongue among America’s late-night TV ankle-biters, made his bones at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, laying a vile spiel on President George W. Bush and finding himself the man of the moment. How brave, to speak such truth to power, gushed the usual suspects, and Colbert has been riding that wave ever since.
But he had done no such thing. In the absence of personal risk, haranguing the powerful can be soul-satisfying, and sometimes it forges careers, but it isn’t brave by a long shot. Thomas More spoke truth to Henry VIII, and it cost him his head. Dietrich Bonheoffer spoke truth to Adolf Hitler and was hanged in a concentration camp. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spoke truth to the Soviet Union and suffered grievously for it. Stephen Colbert piddled on the president’s rug, and he’s been cashing big-bucks checks ever since. See the difference?
This isn’t to suggest that the powerful—presidents, especially—aren’t legitimate targets for partisan satire. “Have at it and let the people decide” has been the American way since John Adams survived the first contested presidential election in 1796. But the issue here isn’t presidents; it’s aiming topical spleen at easy targets, which, interestingly enough, we’re seeing less of since L’affaire Weinstein surfaced in the New York Times last week. Harvey Weinstein, movie mogul and ATM to progressive Democrats and their causes, was outed by the paper as an industrial-strength misogynist and hypocrite. This apparently wasn’t news to those who pay even passing attention to Hollywood, but kudos to the Paper of Record for finally letting the rest of us in on the open secret.
It doesn’t seem likely that Weinstein’s career
will survive this scandal. He was fired by his
production company over the weekend.
Hollywood is known for comebacks, but this
one would require Olympian moral
gymnastics, all around.
Still, Weinstein caught no grief from late-night wisecrackers. Colbert was dumb as a post on the topic for days, breaking silence only after Weinstein had been fired—and even then, only to call him “a bad guy.” His late-night colleagues in calumny weren’t any better. Saturday Night Live invented slow-motion political character assassination with its over-the-top post-Watergate treatment of Gerald Ford, and the show has been gleefully tormenting politicians of a certain party ever since (and Bill Clinton, for his Oval Office shenanigans). But SNL had nothing to say about Weinstein over the weekend. Lorne Michaels, the show’s top producer, dismissed the scandal as “a New York thing” early Sunday morning.
Nobody reasonably expects political balance in a comedy sketch—how boring would that be?—and it is generally understood that Hollywood, and the media in general, descended into a progressive sinkhole long ago. So ignoring Weinstein’s agony is not surprising, ideologically—not to mention his storied ability to vaporize careers. There’s no appetite in show biz to speak truth to that kind of power.
Of course, now that the great man lies harpooned and helpless, the carrion-feeders will gather. Soon enough, the late-night types will find their voices—as did Colbert, tepidly, Monday night. But those who depend on entertainers for political news—a distressingly large number of viewers, apparently—would do well to remember the weekend when one of America’s premier powerbrokers stood exposed as an abuser of women and the gurus suddenly had no words.
Ewan McGregor claims he heard 'rumours' for YEARS about Weinstein's sexual harassment and says it's 'about time' he gets his 'just deserts'
- Actor Ewan McGregor slammed Harvey Weinstein on Twitter, calling him a 'bully'
- McGregor was in the 2013 film August: Osage County, produced by Weinsetein
- The producer was fired by the company he co-founded and saw his wife leave him after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment and assault
- He has been accused of raping three women and assaulting or harassing others
Actor Ewan McGregor is the latest Hollywood star to slam Harvey Weinstein over sexual harassment allegations, saying the disgraced movie mogul was getting his 'just deserts'.
'It's about time this came to light and he is getting [his] just deserts,' the Trainspotting actor said on Twitter on Wednesday. 'Heard rumours over the years but this is awful. Bye Bully!'
McGregor starred in the 2013 film August: Osage County, which was produced by Weinstein.
Co-star Meryl Streep criticised Weinstein earlier this week over the assault allegations.
Actor Ewan McGregor slammed Harvey Weinstein on Twitter, saying he had heard 'rumours' over the years about the disgraced Hollywood film producer. Weinstein was fired by the company he co-founded and saw his wife leave him after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment and assault
'The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported,' Streep said.
The disgraced producer was fired by the company he co-founded and saw his wife leave him after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment and assault.
He has been accused of raping three women and assaulting or harassing many others during decades of predatory behavior.
After The New York Times and The New Yorker articles bringing accusations to light were published on Tuesday, more accusations followed.
One from a former actress who recounted Weinstein meeting her wearing a bathrobe with nothing on underneath at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, the other from actress Heather Graham, who says he implied she would have to sleep with him for a role.
Separately, the New York Times reported on Tuesday that actress Gwyneth Paltrow said she was sexually harassed by Weinstein and that Angelina Jolie said she 'had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth and as a result chose never to work with him again.'
Weinstein, pictured with his wife, Georgina chapman, has been accused of raping three women and assaulting or harassing many others during decades of predatory behavior
Paltrow said that Weinstein touched her and suggested having joint massages in the bedroom before she started shooting the 1996 film Emma. She said she told her then boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident and he confronted the mogul.
Jolie said she had to turn down advances from Weinstein in 1998. She said she warned other women about him.
The scandal-hit 65-year-old multi-millionaire has reportedly taken a private jet to Europe where he will stay in a rehab clinic and receive therapy for sex addiction.
The move to rehab came after his wife, Georgina Chapman, announced she was leaving her husband.
'My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband,' she told People.
'Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.'
BAFTA today posted a statement on its website which said that Weinstein's membership has been 'suspended, effective immediately'
Ben Affleck finally broke his silence to condemn Harvey Weinstein, saying the sexual harassment claims made him sick. Weinstein produced Good Will Hunting, for which Affleck and Matt Damon (all three pictured) won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar
In a statement, Weinstein said: 'I support her decision, I am in counseling and perhaps, when I am better, we can rebuild.'
He added: 'Over the last week, there has been a lot of pain for my family that I take responsibility for. I sat down with my wife Georgina, who I love more than anything, and we discussed what was best for our family.
'We discussed the possibility of a separation and I encouraged her to do what was in her heart. I understand, I love her and I love our children and hopefully, when I am better, I will be in their lives again.'
Meanwhile, Britain's film academy says it has suspended Weinstein over the multiple accusations of harassment and sexual assault.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts said Wednesday that Weinstein was informed 'that his membership has been suspended, effective immediately.'
The organization says Weinstein had supported its charitable work, but called his alleged behavior 'completely unacceptable and incompatible with BAFTA's values.'
Report: NBC News Passed on Ronan Farrow’s Bombshell Report of Weinstein Rape Allegations
NBC News passed on a story by contributor Ronan Farrow that it allegedly possessed in August about three separate rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein that eventually appeared in the New Yorker Tuesday, according to a report.
According to the Huffington Post, Farrow’s bombshell Tuesday report — in which three women, including actress Asia Argento, accused the movie mogul of rape — “was in NBC’s hands as recently as August, according to multiple sources both inside and outside the network.”
The Huffington Post reported:
By then, Farrow, an NBC contributor and investigative reporter, had already obtained damning audio of an encounter Weinstein had with a woman, in which Weinstein admits to having groped her… Instead, Farrow’s story — and the audio, from a 2015 New York Police Department sting — appeared Tuesday on the website of The New Yorker.
According to the outlet, NBC had “concerns” with the way Farrow’s story was sourced.
The New Yorker report contained a two-minute audio clip reportedly taken from a 2015 NYPD sting against Weinstein, in which the producer is heard begging a model to enter his hotel room, and appearing to admit to groping women in the past.
After the allegations against Weinstein were made public, Democratic Party politicians, as well as the Democratic National Committee (DNC), have pledged to give away Weinstein’s contributions to charity.
In a statement, the DNC claimed they would give away just $30,000 to left-wing organizations, despite the fact that Weinstein donated nearly $250,000 to the organization since the 1990s.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton issued a statement Tuesday on the allegations against Weinstein, five days after the New York Times first published the story about decades of sexual harassment allegations against him. Weinstein hosted a $33,000-per-plate fundraiser for Clinton at his Manhattan home last year, though it was not immediately clear if the former candidate would return or donate any of the money, as other Democratic politicians have done.
“I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein,” Clinton said in a statement issued through her spokesman, Nick Merrill. “The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.”
A number of celebrities also spoke out Tuesday about the allegations against Weinstein, including Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck.
In another bombshell report from the New York Times published Tuesday, actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rosanna Arquette, among others, disclosed their own encounters with Weinstein during the early part of their careers.
**Live Updates** — Harvey Weinstein Scandal: Disney Had No Idea! Weinstein Company Had No Idea! Major Deals In Jeopardy.
All the latest news in the mushrooming Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal. Refresh for updates…
UPDATES BELOW: All times Eastern…
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Update – 12:40 p.m.: Affleck Flashback “Sunday morning? That never stopped you before from getting those t**ties out.”
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Drudge posted that 2004 video. Affleck was consensual,. The encounter looks consensual but he was a big movie star, she was a small time on-camera reporter. Some comments from the women in the Breitbart News office:
“That doesn’t look all that consensual to me. She’s laughing nervously the whole time.”
“She looks uncomfortable for quite a bit of it and like she’s just trying to smooth it out or something.”
“Also she just angrily says ‘You don’t care about me.'”
Update: 12:31 p.m.: Although the story is more than two hours old, neither Deadline Hollywood or The Hollywood Reporter have published the grope allegation against Ben Affleck.
Update – 12:24 p.m.: “There are other peculiarities about Affleck’s statement.”
We know Weinstein and Affleck have worked together for more than 20 years. Miramax, the company that Weinstein co-founded, produced Good Will Hunting back in 1997 and helped launch Affleck’s career.Yet not once does Affleck mention Weinstein’s name in his statement. In fact, the statement is largely about Affleck and his own feelings: how “saddened and angry” he is, how the allegations of assault made him “sick,” how he finds himself wondering what he personally can do to make sure “this doesn’t happen to others.” He doesn’t even mention Weinstein’s victims until the very last sentence of his statement, at which point he offers some vague platitude about needing to support them.Affleck might want it to seem like coming out with this statement is a brave move, but there’s little bravery in condemning the actions of a predator a full five days after he’s been publicly outed and denounced for his behaviour.
More here.
Update – 12:19 p.m.: Grope Allegation Against Batman Ben Affleck Creates PR Nightmare for ‘Justice League’
Moreover, Justice League — a tentpole coming out in less than five weeks, a blockbuster the entire industry is counting on to salvage the 2017 box office, a crowd-pleaser needed to remind people why they love going to the movies, an investment that with promotional costs probably reaches $250 – $300 million — is now in serious jeopardy.Affleck, the star of that film, not only stands accused of sexual misconduct, he does so in the eye of a hurricane, a rampage to make examples of powerful men, a perfect storm that could capsize his entire career.
Update – 12:17 p.m.: Rose McGowan Tells Ben Affleck to ‘F*ck Off’ after Statement on Weinstein: ‘You Lie’
Breitbart’s Daniel Nussbaum:
Actress Rose McGowan accused fellow actor Ben Affleck of lying about the extent of his knowledge of the sexual harassment allegations against disgraced Hollywood super-producer Harvey Weinstein in a series of Twitter messages this week.Affleck released a statement Tuesday condemning the allegations against Weinstein, five days after the New York Times first broke the story, but didn’t directly name the producer. The actor said he was “saddened and angry” by the allegations and called them “completely unacceptable,” and added that more serious allegations of assault “made me sick.”
Update – 9:52 a.m.: BOMBSHELL –> Hollywood’s Greatest Fear Realized!!!! Ben Affleck Accused of 2003 Grope!!! The Scandal Turns!!! FLOODGATES OPEN!!!!
‘I had to laugh so I wouldn’t cry’: Hilarie Burton claims Weinstein protege Ben Affleck groped her breast on TRL in 2003 ‘when she was just a kid’
Update – 9:19 a.m.: Asia Argento tweeted out a scene she directed that apparently portrays her experience with Weinstein. She has accused the mogul of raping her.
Update – 9:16 a.m.: Lindsey Lohan defends Harvey.
She made an Instagram story saying, “I feel very bad for Harvey Weinstein right now. I don’t think it’s right what’s going on.” She added, “He’s never harmed me or did anything to me – we’ve done several movies together. I think everyone needs to stop – I think it’s wrong. So stand up.”
Update – 8:42 a.m.: Daily Beast reports that there was only ONE Harvey Weinstein joke in all of Late Night last night.
Update – 8:37 a.m.: Mia Farrow: “They All Knew … Dissolve the Board.” Farrow’s son Ronan, is the reporter behind the New Yorker bombshell that includes three rape allegations against Weinstein. She is calling on the Weinstein Company board to be dissolved with the claim that they all knew about Harvey’s behavior.
Update – 8:13 a.m.: Per TMZ, Harvey Weinstein believes his brother Bob, his longtime business partner, sent his personnel file to the New York Times:
Sources connected to H.W. tell TMZ, Harvey firmly believes it was his brother Bob who fed The New York Times the information for its sexual harassment story. He believes it was a well-orchestrated plan by Bob to remove Harvey from the company he built.Weinstein, we’re told, firmly believes the entire board knew about his sexual harassment troubles for years. Our sources say 7 months ago Bob received Weinstein’s entire personnel file which detailed a number of the claims, and he believes Bob leaked the filed to The NY Times.
Update – 7:55 a.m.: Benedict Cumberbatch disavows.
“I am utterly disgusted by the continuing revelations of Harvey Weinstein’s horrifying and unforgivable actions,” Cumberbatch said in a statement to the media. “We need to collectively stand up and support victims of abuse such as the brave and inspiring women who have spoken out against him and say we hear you and believe you.”
Update – 7:50 a.m.: Amazon may drop two, high-profile Weinstein Company series.
The executive producer credit for Harvey Weinstein already is being removed from all TWC series, including the two on Amazon, in wake of the scandal. On top of that, rumors about Amazon eying potential partying of the ways with TWC altogether and the David O. Russell series being in danger surfaced yesterday when the streaming company would not confirm them. That has since changed as the accusations against Weinstein escalated to sexual assault with a second devastating expose in five days, this time in The New Yorker.“We are reviewing our options for the projects we have with the Weinstein Co.,” Craig Berman, VP communications at Amazon Entertainment, said in a statement[.]
Update – 7:41 a.m.: The other problem, for the Weinstein Company — outside of the obvious one — is that Harvey is the company’s genius, its idea man, its reason for being. Brother Bob is no slouch, he did a fabulous job running the Dimension division of Miramax back in the Scream days, but Harvey is the secret sauce. And now TMZ reports that one major funder is pulling out — not because of the scandal but because Harvey has been fired.
Update – 12:05 a.m.: The remaining board members of The Weinstein Co. issued a statement late Tuesday saying they were “shocked and dismayed” by the allegations against Weinstein, and that they came as an “utter surprise” to the company. Three of the company’s nine board members resigned after the initial allegations broke last week, and the company is reported to be preparing to change its name.
Full statement, via Deadline:
The Weinstein Company’s Board of Representatives – Bob Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar – are shocked and dismayed by the recently emerged allegations of extreme sexual misconduct and sexual assault by Harvey Weinstein. These alleged actions are antithetical to human decency. These allegations come as an utter surprise to the Board. Any suggestion that the Board had knowledge of this conduct is false.We are committed to assisting with our full energies in all criminal or other investigations of these alleged acts, while pursuing justice for the victims and a full and independent investigation of our own.
Update – 11:19 p.m.: TMZ reports that Harvey Weinstein will fly to Europe tonight to seek treatment for sex addiction at a rehab facility.
The outlet reports that Weinstein “will enter a live-in facility and will deal both with sex and other behavioral issues.”
Our sources say Weinstein is surprisingly calm, considering the PR nightmare engulfing him. As one source put it, “He has his moments where there are bursts, but for the most part he’s pretty calm.”We’re told Weinstein still believes he can get help, come back and make a fresh start. As a source close to Weinstein put it, “He wants to come back with fresh, new ideas.” As we reported, he and his team are in settlement discussions with The Weinstein Co. and the idea of him serving in some outside capacity is still on the table.
Update – 10:05 p.m.: Barack and Michelle Obama released a statement late Tuesday, saying they have been “disgusted” by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein.
The Obamas and Weinstein developed a close relationship through the years with the former president benefiting from the numerous star-studded fundraisers the disgraced producer hosted on his behalf during the 2008 and 2012 elections.
“I have to thank Harvey and Georgina for once again extending incredible hospitality to us,” Obama said during a Weinstein-backed fundraiser in 2013 in Manhattan. “We are so grateful for their friendship and support, and for the amazing movies that they’ve made.”
Weinstein also visited the Obama White House at least 13 times, according to visitor records.
Malia Obama recently wrapped up an internship at the New York City offices of The Weinstein Co.
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Update – 9:04 p.m.: Leonardo DiCaprio: “There is no excuse for sexual harassment or sexual assault – no matter who you are and no matter what profession.”
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Update – 8:04 p.m.: Former DreamWorks chief Jeffrey Katzenberg shares a letter he wrote in response to Weinstein after the disgraced mogul wrote to him begging for supportbefore he was fired from The Weinstein Company Sunday. Katzenberg says he was unsure at first whether to respond at all, but decided to share the letter to show that many in Hollywood feel the same way about the allegations.
Hey Harvey, Here is the bottom line. You stated in your email below that “A lot of the allegations are false as you know.” Well actually I don’t “know” and given the timing of the circumstances, I have no way of knowing.However, you yourself, in your quotes, have acknowledged that you have behaved inappropriately…so it seems to me we are now down to degrees of horrible.You have done terrible things to a number of women over a period of years.I cannot in any way say this is OK with me…It’s not at all, and I am sickened by it, angry with you and incredibly disappointed in you.
See the full letter at THR.
Update – 7:55 p.m.: Weinstein’s wife Georgina Chapman tells People magazine she is leaving him, and that her “heart breaks” for the victims of his behavior:
My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.
Weinstein said earlier this week that Chapman “stands 100 percent behind me.”
Update – 7:46 p.m.: Weinstein could reportedly still face criminal charges if the rape allegations described by three separate women in a New Yorker article published Tuesday prove true.
The New York Post reports:
“If the allegations are true … they would support a prosecution for criminal sexual act in the first degree,” said Daniel Alonso, a former top prosecutor with the Manhattan DA’s Office. A conviction on the charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.Misdemeanor charges of sex abuse, sexual misconduct and forcible touching would have also likely been tacked on if he committed the act more recently.
More at the Post.
Update – 6:45 p.m.: Page Six TV reports that Weinstein knew the bombshell New Yorker article containing rape allegations was going to come out, but that he remained “defiant” in a Monday night phone call with them, and even said he was already “planning a comeback.”
“We spoke to Harvey last night,” Page Six reporter Carlos Greer said. “We’ve spoken to him a lot actually, he’s been calling the newsroom panicking, and his mood tends to change. He started out being extremely cavalier about all these allegations, never fully admitting to what people claim he has done.”
“But we spoke to him last night and he was defiant,” Greer continued. “He said that he was gonna fight these accusations, and he also even said that he was planning a comeback, He expects to continue working, and to come back next year. So I don’t know how he’s going to be able to do that after this [New Yorker] bombshell.”
More at Page Six.
Update – 6:28 p.m.: NBC News was reported to have had Ronan Farrow’s blockbuster story on three rape accusations against Harvey Weinstein as early as August, but decided against publishing it.
The Huffington Post reported:
NEW YORK ― Ronan Farrow’s investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s long history of alleged sexual misconduct was in NBC’s hands as recently as August, according to multiple sources both inside and outside the network. By then, Farrow, an NBC contributor and investigative reporter, had already obtained damning audio of an encounter Weinstein had with a woman, in which Weinstein admits to having groped her, sources told HuffPost.
Instead, Farrow’s story — and the audio, from a 2015 New York Police Department sting — appeared Tuesday on the website of The New Yorker. Sources told HuffPost that NBC had concerns related to the story’s sourcing and cleared Farrow to take it to The New Yorker.
More here.
Update – 6:15 p.m.: Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner claimed he had “no idea” what Weinstein was up to when Disney owned Miramax in the 1990s and early 2000s. Eisner says he fired the Weinsteins because they were “irresponsible,” and “Harvey was an incorrigible bully.”
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Update – 6:05 p.m.: Weinstein apparently told radio host Howard Stern in a 2014 interview that the “risks are too great” to engage in sexual relationships with actresses.
As unearthed by the Daily Beast:
“Come on, every girl knows that if she’s a competent actress, she could get on your good side, you could make her a star over-f**king-night,” Stern insisted to Weinstein in the 2014 interview. “Don’t tell me it doesn’t work that way.”A cheerful Weinstein emphatically denied it: “Howard, the movies are too expensive, the risks are too great,” he said. “It doesn’t happen that way anymore.”
More here.
Update – 5:50 p.m.: Nicole Kidman issued a statement Tuesday on the allegations against Weinstein, though she didn’t mention his name.
“As I’ve stated before publicly, I support and applaud all women and these women who speak out against any abuse and misuse of power — be it domestic violence or sexual harassment in the workforce. We need to eradicate this behavior.”
Update – 5:42 p.m.: A petition circulating online is calling on the University of Southern California to reject a $5 million grant pledged by Harvey Weinstein last year to help women directors in the film industry.
From the Hollywood Reporter:
On Tuesday, university student Tiana Lowe launched a Change.org petition calling on USC to “refuse Harvey Weinstein’s blood money in exchange for its soul.”“As a woman at USC, the prospect that my university might sell an indulgence to ease Harvey Weinstein’s non-existent guilt saddens me,” the petition reads. “The prospect that, given their pattern of atrocious tolerance to violence against women, they almost certainly will disgusts me.”
The petition can be viewed in full here.
Update – 5:28 p.m.: Actor Terry Crews writes on Twitter that the Weinstein saga has hit him particularly hard, because a Hollywood executive once groped him at a party. He said a “high-level” executive touched him inappropriately at a “Hollywood function.”
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Update – 5:24 p.m.: Rose McGowan has seemingly accused Ben Affleck of lying about the extent of his knowledge of the allegations against Weinstein.
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Update – 5:15 p.m.: Weinstein has reportedly retained the services of attorney Patricia Glaser for a potential upcoming legal battle with The Weinstein Company, which terminated his employment on Sunday.
It could be a battle of the brothers in the courts very soon as deposed and much accused Harvey Weinstein has retained attorney Patricia Glaser to represent him in a possible looming action against Bob Weinstein and the Weinstein Company.As more revelations of sexual harassment and even accusations of rape are coming out against Weinstein, Deadline has learned that the Hollywood heavyweight could be taking a legal shiv to the younger brother and TWC for terminating the 65-year old’s employment with the company on October 8.
More here.
Update – 4:10 p.m.: The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is defending itself from claims it should have prosecuted Weinstein in 2015, after the NYPD reportedly conducted a sting on the producer that led to the audio recording of an encounter with a model in a hotel.
From the New York Post:
“If we could have prosecuted Harvey Weinstein for the conduct that occurred in 2015, we would have,” Chief Assistant DA Karen Friedman-Agnifilo said in a statement.Friedman-Agnifilo’s explanation came in response to a bombshell New Yorker exposé published Tuesday that said Weinstein admitted on a secret NYPD recording that he fondled Italian model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez.
More at the Post.
Update – 3:59 p.m.: More allegations from actress-screenwriter Louisette Geiss, who alleges that Weinstein masturbated in front of her at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. Geiss detailed her claims in a press conference Tuesday with Gloria Allred, mother of Hollywood attorney Lisa Bloom, who was part of Weinstein’s defense team before resigning last week.
From the Daily Mail:
She told how in 2008, Weinstein invited her to his office for a meeting during the Sundance Film Festival in Utah under the pretense of discussing her new movie.Geiss said that he insisted on listening to her pitch in his hot tub after emerging from the bathroom 30 minutes in to the meeting naked in an unfastened bathrobe.She claims that he asked her to watch him masturbate and that when she told him she was leaving, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bathroom.
Update – 3:34 p.m.: Matt Damon gives a lengthy interview to Deadline in which he denies an earlier account from The Wrap chief Sharon Waxman that he and Russell Crowe had helped spike a New York Times story in 2004 that was going to reflect badly on Weinstein’s behavior.
On the phone call:
My recollection was that it was about a one minute phone call. Harvey had called me and said, they’re writing a story about Fabrizio, who I knew from The Talented Mr. Ripley. He has organized our premiere in Italy and so I knew him in a professional capacity and I’d had dinner at his house. Harvey said, Sharon Waxman is writing a story about Fabrizio and it’s really negative. Can you just call and tell her what your experience with Fabrizio was. So I did, and that’s what I said to her. It didn’t even make the piece that she wrote.…
For the record, I would never, ever, ever try to kill a story like that. I just wouldn’t do that. It’s not something I would do, for anybody.
On the allegations against Weinstein:
This kind of stuff can’t happen. This morning, I just feel absolutely sick to my stomach.…We know this stuff goes on in the world. I did five or six movies with Harvey. I never saw this. I think a lot of actors have come out and said, everybody’s saying we all knew. That’s not true. This type of predation happens behind closed doors, and out of public view. If there was ever an event that I was at and Harvey was doing this kind of thing and I didn’t see it, then I am so deeply sorry, because I would have stopped it.
Full interview here.
Update – 3:16 p.m.: TMZ with a reminder that this was such an open secret in Hollywood, Seth MacFarlane joked about it during the Oscar nomination announcements in 2013.
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