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Predator and Prey: Assault, harassment, and other aggressions in the entertainment industry


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1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Its About Damn Time GIF by 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

I think they were smart to wait for the outcome of the trial. They were most likely trying to avoid another James Gunn fiasco. What if he had been found innocent and then sued them for lost wages and unfair termination? Better to wait until the court case was decided. Either way, not sorry to see him go. 

Edited by MadyGirl1987
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1 hour ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

I think they were smart to wait for the outcome of the trial. They were most likely trying to avoid another James Gunn fiasco. What if he had been found innocent and then sued them for lost wages and unfair termination? Better to wait until the court case was decided. Either way, not sorry to see him go. 

I think it makes them look worse that they were so quick* on the Gunn situation, even though the Majors situation was more serious.

*And when I say quick, I mean the fact that they took quick action when the tweets resurfaced even though they were old tweets and Gunn had apologized for them before he started working with Disney.  That's what made Disney look silly.  There was no new information between when he was fired by Disney and when he was rehired by Disney.

Majors was accused of something much worse and the prosecution felt they had a strong enough case to take it to court which tends to be an uphill battle for victims of domestic violence.  I'd have hard time believing that Majors would have a clause that would give him the leeway to sue for wrongful termination. 

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1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

Majors was accused of something much worse and the prosecution felt they had a strong enough case to take it to court which tends to be an uphill battle for victims of domestic violence. 

Exactly -- these are misdemeanor charges usually plead out for piddly fines and community service if they even get that far; it's pathetic.  And then, as a general rule, prosecutors consistently go harder when the defendant is Black, especially if the victim is white, but they also consistently go softer when the defendant is rich and, especially, famous*.

So it all shakes out this time?  Gross.  So there are intricacies of our fucked-up-by-design racist and sexist criminal justice system to be examined here, but he is guilty as hell and I will within that context be relieved by whatever pittance he receives in terms of jail time (again, this is misdemeanor, not felony) and the professional repercussions.

(*Let's remember the most-recent example of that fuckwit white kid from Home Improvement now an abusing adult who was convicted of his second DV offense, yet the DA plead down from nearly two years imprisonment to the whopping week he'd served in jail back when he was arrested plus probation.)  

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9 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

I think they were smart to wait for the outcome of the trial. They were most likely trying to avoid another James Gunn fiasco. What if he had been found innocent and then sued them for lost wages and unfair termination? Better to wait until the court case was decided. Either way, not sorry to see him go. 

I feel like the only risk with a quick firing would have been public opinion backlash. But that I think would have only happer if Majors was a beloved actor among MCU fans and there was some big evidence reveal at trial proving without a doubt that he did none of the things he was accused of. But it doesn't seem there was that kind of evidence and people don't seem to really love Majors/Kang.

 

And even if it was a totally inconclusive he said/she said Marvel could probably fire him just for making them look bad by association.

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Judge Orders Release Of Documents Identifying Jeffrey Epstein's Associates

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The list of names will include a range of people referenced in the civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell from Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of recruiting her as a 16-year-old to be a “sex slave” for Epstein and some of his friends, including Britain’s Prince Andrew. Giuffre and Maxwell settled the lawsuit in 2017. Prince Andrew has denied the allegations and settled a sexual abuse lawsuit from Giuffre last year.

The list of names, expected to identify over 150 people, could include co-conspirators and victims of Epstein. However, Preska ruled that a number of names should remain sealed or redacted because their release would “disclose sensitive information regarding an alleged minor victim of sexual abuse who has not spoken publicly and who has maintained his or her privacy.”

 

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16 minutes ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Good. It should really cause some trouble. A few interesting people will really be in for a bad time.

OTOH, there's a scale from 'met him once at a party before his reputation was known' to actual 'evil person who deserves to be hanged from the same rope'. Where do you say this person is innocent and that one guilty? Worse, everyone has their own definition. Will some innocent people suffer and guilty escape? I wish I had an easy answer.

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A moderate fan of Charmed back in the day.  It's sad and crazy even over 20 years later drama still resurfaces from that show.

 

I don't know the truth but yeah even as a fan of hers back in the day Alyssa Milano's image there don't come off too good.

 

 

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On 3/11/2021 at 3:59 PM, kieyra said:

(I don’t think I’ll ever understand this “cancel culture” business. Isn’t it just capitalism at work? Stop being an asshole if you don’t want to become a product people no longer want to buy.)

Just browsing. But, no. I think ‘cancel culture’ is political, I mean that when people use the term they mean something more than many individuals making that individual choice.  
 

I find zack snyders movies unmemorable and I probably won’t buy a theater ticket to one of his movies again.  Hey, i might not buy a ticket to a Woody Allen movie, for reasons. If someone can’t get a job because he is a known asshole, so be it. those are individual choices. 
 

i think ‘cancel culture’ implies something more public and based on emotional responses and involves people forming groups and taking sides. It is less an individual opinion than an attempt to sway opinions and therefore actions. It is not all bad. Antismoking campaigns have worked, fur coats are rare. But using the techniques against individuals can be brutal. 
 

Yeah, you are right, just don’t give them jobs, don’t go to the shows. 

Edited by Affogato
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Canceled Culture really only seems to be said by people who are upset that when they get called out for something they said or asshole behavoir. Usually racist, prejudice, or homophobic joke, remarked or all up in arms at POC and LGBQT in movies or characters.   

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52 minutes ago, BlueSkies said:

I never believed Shannen quit-everyone "knew" she'd been fired. But that said, I don't see how Alyssa's actions are considered predatory.

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18 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Canceled Culture really only seems to be said by people who are upset that when they get called out for something they said or asshole behavoir. Usually racist, prejudice, or homophobic joke, remarked or all up in arms at POC and LGBQT in movies or characters.   

Yep. Many of the same people who now lament cancel culture had zero issue when they were the ones deciding who was cancelled. Then actions having consequences was a good thing and now they see it as a great injustice. 

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I never believed Shannen quit-everyone "knew" she'd been fired. But that said, I don't see how Alyssa's actions are considered predatory.

I’m not sure if I would call it predatory but Alyssa used the same problematic elements in the industry that lead to predatory behavior to paint herself as a victim and force Shannen out. The Charmed showrunner has since been accused of sexual harassment and Rose McGowan has accused Alyssa of making the Charmed set toxic. 

Even when the show first aired, you could see a lot of the issues specific to Alyssa, bleed onto the screen with the plot choices. Without knowing any of the details, the decision to write Shannen off the show felt like a big red flag that Alyssa had undue influence over what happened behind the scenes. 

It doesn’t help that she has since positioned herself as an advocate for women in Hollywood. 

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3 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

The article annoyingly does not link to the letter, just quotes from it, so I'll go look for it later, but the quotes are all about what a great artist he is, up to and including literally saying, "When people attack Gerard Depardieu in this way, they are attacking art."  Therefore, my favorite of the quoted responses to this bullshit is:

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"Is rape part of the 'work' when it's produced by an artist?" Sandrine Rousseau, a French lawmaker and feminist, said on X (former Twitter).

Because, yeah.  I was never terribly impressed by the little of his work I saw, but even if he was the greatest actor cinema had ever seen -- so what?!  That's more important than more than a dozen women alleging sexual harassment or assault (and, with that many coming forward, that means there are probably oodles more women who have not felt comfortable making their own experiences public)?? 

And people aren't trying to "erase the indelible imprint of his work on our times" as the letter claims -- those films will exist forever, so those who can separate the art from the artist enough to still enjoy them in a vacuum, idiots who think he's innocent, and those who don't care can all watch them over and over.  Saying people should choose, going forward, to work instead with some of the "cinema giants" who have not been accused of sex crimes by over a dozen women is an entirely different thing.

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Danny Masterson started serving his prison sentence, he's eligible for a parole hearing in 25 1/2 years, the entire sentence is 30 years.  Of course, that's only going to be if his appeals fail.  

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/12/27/danny-masterson-starts-prison-sentence-rape-conviction/72043038007/

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Paula Abdul Sues ‘American Idol’ Producer Nigel Lythgoe Over Sexual Assault Claims

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The singer claims the 'So You Think You Can Dance' producer sexually assaulted her during two alleged incidents, one during the “initial seasons" of ‘American Idol’ and the other in 2014.

 

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(Obviously, but since the letter was brought up here,) Not all French support Depardieu:

https://deadline.com/2023/12/gerard-depardieu-divides-french-entertainment-world-as-counter-petition-1235683530/

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Some 600 French art and entertainment world figures have signed a “counter-petition” decrying moves to defend iconic actor Gérard Depardieu in the face of multiple accusations of sexual assault and one of rape.

The petition described a recent open letter in support of Depardieu, signed by 56 cinema world celebrities, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s public defense of the actor on a talkshow before Christmas as a slap in the face for all victims of sexual violence.

“It is the sinister and perfect illustration of the world which refuses to let things change,” read the letter posted on the site of investigative news website Mediapart on Friday.

 

The article also mentions that some people are trying to distance themselves from the initial letter of support; and other actresses have come forward about their experiences with Depardieu's behavior.

Edited by Trini
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“It is the sinister and perfect illustration of the world which refuses to let things change,” read the letter posted on the site of investigative news website Mediapart on Friday.

“It is the reversal of roles where the executioner (the ‘monster’. the man, not at all sacred, but just obscene) places himself as a victim, with the help of his friends. As always in cases of gender-based and sexual violence against women, the ‘presumption of innocence’ for the aggressor sounds like a ‘presumption of lying’ for the women who testify against him,” it continued.

Sadly true, but there's a glimmer of hope that about 600 people signed onto this disgusted response, compared to the 56 who penned that ridiculous letter of support.

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The article also mentions that some people are trying to distance themselves from the initial letter of support

But only because they don't like the guy behind it, not because they've realized it was a disgusting thing to do:
 

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A handful of the signatories have since sought to distance themselves from parts of that initiative, in the light of the revelation that the journalist who instigated the open-letter, Yannis Ezziad, has connections to far-right politician Eric Zemmour.

Bouquet, who was in a relationship with Depardieu from 1997 to 2005, posted on her Instagram account on Friday that she had signed the petition “for Gérard Depardieu” but did [I assume it should say "not" here] support the “ideas and values” of the journalist behind the open letter.

“Giving him visibility via the intermediary of Gérard has made me, as you can image, deeply uncomfortable,” she wrote.

Filmmaker and writer Nadine Trintignant outright withdrew her support of the letter due to the fact it was written by Ezziad.

“I didn’t know who was behind the petition when I signed it,” she said in a statement. “I ask all of those who were shocked not to hold this grave error against me.”

And this asshole doubled down on the "lynching" language:

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In the meantime, actor Yvan Attal gave an interview to the BFMTV news channel, in which he explained that he had signed the original open letter in reaction to the media backlash rather than any personal support of Depardieu.

“I feel uncomfortable, because I signed a petition that I’m not totally in agreement with, but I signed it for reasons that were stronger than what disturbed,” said Attal.

“There are too many things that aren’t right… He has the right not to be publicly lynched month upon month upon month. It’s in the papers every day, and for the very reason that there is a case against him, we should let justice do the talking,” he said.

 

Edited by Bastet
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On 12/30/2023 at 5:33 AM, BetterButter said:

I was surprised to see this.  I’m wondering how she decided to do it now.  I’m in no way implying it’s not valid. I like Paula and watched AI for many years, so I will be interested to see how it unfolds.  Has Simon Cowell made any comments about this?  

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19 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I was surprised to see this.  I’m wondering how she decided to do it now.  I’m in no way implying it’s not valid. I like Paula and watched AI for many years, so I will be interested to see how it unfolds.  Has Simon Cowell made any comments about this?  

Considering the rumors going around about Simon, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was complicit in all of this.  Tons of blind items about what a POS he is too…not really surprising though 

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It just takes one domino for the others to fall: Nigel Lythgoe faces second sexual assault suit.

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In the new lawsuit, Lythgoe faces allegations from two contestants on “All American Girl,” a competition show that aired on ABC in 2003.

The women, identified in the suit as Jane Doe K.G. and Jane Doe K.L., allege that the producer brought them to a house after the show’s wrap party and made sexual advances on both of them. One of them alleges that he pulled his sweater over her head and attempted to kiss her, while the other accuses him of pinning her against a grand piano and forcing his tongue onto her face as she tried to pull away...

Both lawsuits were filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which created a one-year window to file lawsuits that would otherwise be too old under the statute of limitations.

The window closed on Sunday, Dec. 31.

 

But this suit was filed on January 2 so it may get thrown out. 

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10 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

It just takes one domino for the others to fall: Nigel Lythgoe faces second sexual assault suit.

But this suit was filed on January 2 so it may get thrown out. 

Since the last day to file fell on a weekend, the deadline was pushed back to the second. 

T.I. and Wife Tiny Accused of Drugging and Sexually Assaulting a Woman in New Lawsuit

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The anonymous plaintiff filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, January 2, claiming she met T.I., 43, (real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) and Tiny, 48, (real name Tameka Dianne-Cottle-Harris) at a Los Angeles nightclub in or around 2005.

 

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2 hours ago, BetterButter said:

I'm not familiar with them, but once I read this I swore I'd read their names before associated with the same sort of accusation, so checked that article and sure enough:

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This is not the first time that T.I. and Tiny, who tied the knot in 2010, have faced sexual assault allegations. In February 2021, attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn approached law enforcement authorities seeking a criminal investigation after multiple individuals claimed to have been victimized by the pair.

Blackburn said that the allegations spanned more than a decade and included claims of “sexual abuse, forced ingestion of illegal narcotics, kidnapping, terroristic threats and false imprisonment,” The New York Times reported at the time.

Steve Sadow, a lawyer for T.I. and Harris, said at the time that the couple “deny in the strongest possible terms these baseless and unjustified allegations.” He called the claims “nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media and now attempts to manipulate the press and misuse the justice system.”

Los Angeles officials announced in September 2021 that the couple would not face criminal charges for the allegations as the 10-year statute of limitations for such cases had expired. In January 2023, California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act went into effect, opening a year-long window allowing survivors of sexual abuse to file lawsuits where the statute of limitations would have otherwise run out.

 

Edited by Bastet
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On 1/5/2024 at 7:39 PM, DearEvette said:

 Nigel Lythgoe is leaving SYTYCD. He says he is doing it voluntarily with a heavy heart.  I am thinking it was less volunteer and more voluntold.

He's an executive producer, so he'll still be raking in the cash. It's more like a business publicity move for him. 

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1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

Kind of a random question, but does anyone know if the previous thread about the abuse in the industry that was replaced by this one is archived somewhere? I was unable to find it in Everything Else forum or in the Vault.

I don't think so; I once went looking for something like that - the old Celebrity News thread, maybe - and couldn't find it.  @OtterMommy, can you confirm (or let us know where they're archived if we're just looking in the wrong places)?

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20 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I don't think so; I once went looking for something like that - the old Celebrity News thread, maybe - and couldn't find it.  @OtterMommy, can you confirm (or let us know where they're archived if we're just looking in the wrong places)?

Yes, this thread replaces the old thread.    The previous thread included Harvey Weinstein in the title and wanted the thread to reflect that he's not the only predator in the entertainment business.

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