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

[aradia22]

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Its old (2006) but the issues highlighted in the documentary, This Film is Not Yet Rated, about the problems with the MPAA and the rating system are still valid.

Haha. I see we all watched the same documentary.

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, merylinkid said:

They like the couch they have, they have no more desire to seek out more information about like where the fabric was produced and whether it was sustainably made or not.   Most people do not do deep dives on everything they like in their lives.

And tv execs (and other execs) are very aware of this.  This is why Michael Weatherly keeps a job.  Even though he cost the network 10 million dollars, that is pennies compared to what he brings in.  Meanwhile the showrunners of MacGyver and All Rise can be let go because 1) they are behind the scenes talent, not in front so no audience awareness and 2) their shows are probably generate less revenue.  They can make big a show of getting rid of expendable people like that to make it seem like they are doing something.  But yet they keep Weatherly because it would cost them money. 

Meanwhile it takes something super egregious to get rid of a popular character, e.g. Thomas Gibson's Hotch from Criminal Minds.  Basically for him it was actual physical violence.  But Criminal minds was a bigger ensemble that already had cast turnover and could absorb his loss a bit better.

[Mabinogia]

3 hours ago, WinnieWinkle said:

but as to googling the names of TV actors or TV shows he likes?  I don't think that would ever cross his mind as something he would want to do.

I mostly google if I am watching something and think I know the actor, to try to find out what I saw them in before, or if I want to know what else they are in because I really want to see more of them. I don't google any of the "news' stuff. That's what I have this site for. lol 

[WinnieWinkle]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

I don't google any of the "news' stuff. That's what I have this site for. lol 

Seriously true for me as well.  I've never been better informed than I have been since I came here!

[Kromm]

12 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Stop using their ratings. They aren’t a government agency or anything, they are a trade association of the movie studios and Netflix. They only have power because the studios want it that way so movie chains abide by their ratings so that they will continue to get films but there is no reason that they have to do that other than their agreement with the MPAA.

Its old (2006) but the issues highlighted in the documentary, This Film is Not Yet Rated, about the problems with the MPAA and the rating system are still valid.

Lots of places now rate movies for content for children that I know parents find a lot more useful than MPAA ratings.

The move away from default normal theatrical release is killing the authority of the MPAA anyway. They're inevitably doomed regardless. 

[Kromm]

3 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

Once I found out things about Patricia Heaton I never watched Everyone Loves Raymond again. 

At one point I went through that process with Leah Remini, back before she wised up and ditched the Scientology ravings (before she left, and publicly turned on them, she was one of their most rabid attack dogs). 

Is there something about being cast as a sitcom wife in the late 90s that drew nutters? 

[Kromm]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

And tv execs (and other execs) are very aware of this.  This is why Michael Weatherly keeps a job.  Even though he cost the network 10 million dollars, that is pennies compared to what he brings in. 

I'm wondering about that.  TV Ad rates have plummeted in recent years. 

Reading up on the show, Stephen Spielberg and Amblin, the original producers of the show, ditched it after the controversy. So that probably saved CBS money, bringing on cheaper producers, but I'm still wondering how much money that show could really be making. Obviously enough to keep it in the black I suppose.  I wondered if they kept it going just to reach a higher episode count to make it easier to sell the rebroadcast rights, but it's already at 103 episodes.  That's more than enough for restreaming or whatever passes for syndication these days. 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, Kromm said:

At one point I went through that process with Leah Remini, back before she wised up and ditched the Scientology ravings (before she left, and publicly turned on them, she was one of their most rabid attack dogs). 

Is there something about being cast as a sitcom wife in the late 90s that drew nutters? 

Maybe it's the fact that both Patricia and Leah had to act like they were deeply in love with their schlubby man-child husbands while staying trim.  

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Maybe it's the fact that both Patricia and Leah had to act like they were deeply in love with their schlubby man-child husbands while staying trim.  

Ray was trim and both of them were like this long before their television successes.

[Kromm]

Then again, in a third leg of those essential 90s family sitcoms, Tim Allen was the clear off-screen nutter and Patricia Richardson pretty normal. 

Any day I keep half expecting the hammer to drop on some inappropriate antics of Allen in line with this topic theme, rather than him just being politically extreme. 

[Kromm]

Did this come up here and I missed it?  Another CBS employee (well, former one...) 

Scorpion Actor Elyes Gabel Arrested for Allegedly Assaulting and Choking His Girlfriend

He was also on Game of Thrones, BTW.   

"Gabel, 38, was arrested at The Bowery Hotel on May 14 around 1 p.m., court records show. He was charged with five misdemeanors and one violation, including one count of assault with intent to cause physical injury, which is the top charge. 

The other charges include attempted assault with intent to cause physical injury, aggravated harassment, recklessly causing physical injury to another person, criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment in the second degree. Gabel denies the allegations.

According to a copy of the misdemeanor complaint obtained by E! News, Gabel's girlfriend accused the actor of allegedly "recklessly" injuring her and choking her.

The outlet reported that she told police that Gabel used his hands to "apply pressure" to her neck, "forcefully squeezing it," causing "redness and substantial pain."

She further alleged that he spit in her face and said, "I'm going to punch your f------  face in."

Edited May 23, 2021 by Kromm

[biakbiak]

Kevin Spacey cast in new film role.

[possibilities]

I guess they couldn't find any non-rapists to cast.

[Kromm]

WTF is broken in Franco Nero's head that he wants to cast Spacey? Does he deliberately want to be the stereotype of the European artiste who doesn't give a crap about what anyone says? 

And his wife Vanessa Redgrave is okay enough with this to co-star?  Then again, in her life she's often loved being a shit-stirrer. 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Kromm

[supposebly]

41 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Kevin Spacey cast in new film 

Ugh. I hope this tanks like no movie has tanked before. What did it take? 3 years until someone thought he's good enough too be cast over any non-criminal?

Just. Ugh.

[stonehaven]

My Mom has no access to a computer and doesn't want one. I'm it. Her local news(which she is addicted to) will cover entertainment stories but then, she'll call me and ask for details.

I provide a service for her.

[aradia22]

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Meanwhile it takes something super egregious to get rid of a popular character, e.g. Thomas Gibson's Hotch from Criminal Minds.  Basically for him it was actual physical violence.  But Criminal minds was a bigger ensemble that already had cast turnover and could absorb his loss a bit better.

Wait, what? I don't watch Criminal Minds (like I haven't seen a single episode) but I remember him from Dharma & Greg and this one Louisa May Alcott TV movie adaptation. Anyway, what happened? 

(I guess this helps prove the point that people don't look into actors that often and don't register stories unless they're prominently in the news.)

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Scorpion Actor Elyes Gabel Arrested for Allegedly Assaulting and Choking His Girlfriend

Gah! My experience with that show is recapping the first ep and trashing it and then rolling my eyes whenever I saw my dad watching it. His character was one of those 'awkwardly portraying someone on the spectrum' characters so I didn't have any kind of read on his on screen persona. 

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WTF is broken in Franco Nero's head that he wants to cast Spacey? Does he deliberately want to be the stereotype of the European artiste who doesn't give a crap about what anyone says? 

And his wife Vanessa Redgrave is okay enough with this to co-star?  Then again, in her life she's often loved being a shit-stirrer. 

Basically all of this. Did they work with him before? I don't know why they would risk their reputations for his sake. 

[DearEvette]

With Thomas Gibson it was a culmination of BTS events characterized as "aggressive" or "violent outbursts" enough to get him suspended for a couple of episodes and sent to anger management classes.  But then the hammer finally came when he kicked a writer/producer.  It sounds like, reading between the lines, he had been able to skate away from other aggressive acts where people felt he should have been let go.  But I remember reading that this particular writer was  not content for CBS to handle it quietly.  There was an internal investigation that resulted in him getting fired.  Now, knowing how CBS handles their own internal investigations, in order for him to get fired there must have been something really bad going on.  But anyhoo here is a link:

https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/thomas-gibson-criminal-minds-fired-violent-incident-1201836440/

 

[aradia22]

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Now, knowing how CBS handles their own internal investigations, in order for him to get fired there must have been something really bad going on. 

The article says ABC was the producer. Maybe it's just that someone else was in charge. Because CBS seems committed to never doing anything.

This is disappointing. I haven't watched anything with him in years (or re-runs of anything even) but still, it taints his other performances. He definitely had a "nice guy" brand outside of Criminal Minds.

[Vermicious Knid]

It's ridiculous how many sitcoms still follow the blueprint of The Honeymooners. Boorish, unpleasant, blockhead husband with good looking, intelligent, long suffering wife who inexplicable stays married to him. I suppose we should be grateful they've at least dropped the threats of domestic violence pretending to be affection.

[Hiyo]

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Then again, in her life she's often loved being a shit-stirrer. 

I've usually enjoyed her shit stirring and agree with some of it.

But yeah, this is extremely disappointing, and I say this as someone who adores Vanessa Redgrave.

[wendyg]

10 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Kevin Spacey cast in new film role.

Yes, the Guardian has this story, too: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/24/kevin-spacey-return-italian-paedophilia-drama

Apparently it is neither a joke nor satire that he is playing a detective investigating a man wrongly accused of pedophilia.

[JustHereForFood]

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Kevin Spacey cast in new film role.

I think we could use a vomiting reaction button.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

I think we could use a vomiting reaction button.

While it's possible to give  the octogenarian Miss Redgrave the benefit of the doubt that she doesn't want to rock the boat re her husband's production  that she's participating in and is keeping her own counsel re what she thinks about Mr. Spacey's involvement (not that it's right or good for her to do so), it's utterly warped that Mr. Nero claims to be 'very happy' to have this performer participating in this.  Remember: there's a big difference between 'not our fault, we had this individual foisted upon us' and 'we are HAPPY to bring in and help financially support this person with a disturbing record '!

[possibilities]

I accept no excuses from anyone involved in this project.

[Ms Blue Jay]

14 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

It's ridiculous how many sitcoms still follow the blueprint of The Honeymooners. Boorish, unpleasant, blockhead husband with good looking, intelligent, long suffering wife who inexplicable stays married to him. I suppose we should be grateful they've at least dropped the threats of domestic violence pretending to be affection.

You know, I resisted "The King of Queens" for 20 years because I thought that's what it would be.  But I finally started watching it and it's really different than what I thought.  The show kind of subverts the expectations of that trope.  

Edited May 24, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[wendyg]

It's not fair to blame Remini for being a Scientologist; her mother brought her into the cult when was 10 or 12.  She didn't join as an adult of her own choice.

[emmawoodhouse]

55 minutes ago, wendyg said:

It's not fair to blame Remini for being a Scientologist; her mother brought her into the cult when was 10 or 12.  She didn't join as an adult of her own choice.

But she did stay well into adulthood of her own volition. That said, she has more than atoned for her former life. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

It's so sad to hear about how she was an "attack dog" in her Scientologist life.  That makes me so sad.  It's crazy how she was on KoQ for 9 seasons and the whole time she was a Scientologist!  By all accounts, she really gets/got along with the cast (???) and has continued to work with Kevin James after the show and the cast recently had a reunion as well.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It's so sad to hear about how she was an "attack dog" in her Scientologist life.  That makes me so sad.  It's crazy how she was on KoQ for 9 seasons and the whole time she was a Scientologist!  By all accounts, she really gets/got along with the cast (???) and has continued to work with Kevin James after the show and the cast recently had a reunion as well.

Leah has said that she was pressured to convert Kevin James for the entire run of the show. She refused because she knew he was Catholic and had zero interest. She was an avid defender of Scientology and used in their PR but, fortunately, she still had lines she wouldn’t cross which it probably why she got along with the rest of the cast. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Megadeth fires bassist David Ellefson, after explicit videos he sent to an alleged minor.

[Kromm]

23 hours ago, wendyg said:

It's not fair to blame Remini for being a Scientologist; her mother brought her into the cult when was 10 or 12.  She didn't join as an adult of her own choice.

She herself (rightly) accepts a decent portion of the blame.  She VERY viscously went after a lot of people when she was active.  Not being responsible for the formation of a situation doesn't make you blameless for the followup actions. 

I kept waiting for her to apologize for certain nasty things she did while in their power, and thankfully eventually she did.  It took a few years though. Even in her anti-Scientology TV series it wasn't until like... the second season where she explicitly said it was about atonement. 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Kromm

[Stats Queen]

On 5/23/2021 at 6:02 PM, Kromm said:

Any day I keep half expecting the hammer to drop on some inappropriate antics of Allen in line with this topic theme, rather than him just being politically extreme. 

Why? He’s been on the air for years, do you have any insider information besides him having differing political opinions than your own? I am unclear on how he is politically extreme, he is definitely center right or maybe middle right  - but that doesn’t make him an extremist. 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Stats Queen

[Hiyo]

Marilyn Manson: active arrest warrant issued for alleged 2019 assault.

New Hampshire police have published a warrant for the arrest of Marilyn Manson on two counts of simple assault, regarding an incident involving a videographer at a concert in August 2019.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/22/2021 at 8:11 PM, biakbiak said:

I know Eliza Dushku fans from Buffy who had no idea that happened. News, specifically entertainment news, is very siloed due to all the different ways people get information. CBS and Bull skew older so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a lot of the audience didn’t know about it all or the specific details. 

Yea I think I am pretty well informed but the only thing I know about the show Bull is that it has some vague connection to Dr Phil (which may explain the assholes behind the scenes). As for Dushku I had no idea she was even ever on the show and just assumed that her career at this point was doing convention appearances and maybe direct to streaming movies (and not even good streaming, I'm talking like direct to Tubi).

[Luckylyn]

It’s sad so many actresses were fired for just for getting pregnant.   

 

There are creative ways to work around a pregnancy.  

 

 

[Kromm]

3 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

As for Dushku I had no idea she was even ever on the show and just assumed that her career at this point was doing convention appearances and maybe direct to streaming movies (and not even good streaming, I'm talking like direct to Tubi).

Her career looks like it hasn't been that bad for someone who's main appeal wasn't really her acting, but rather her looks and image (to be fair to her, more the later than the former, because while she was always attractive, her thing was more being a kind of attractive tough/quirky girl character more than just a pretty face). 

Looking at her CV, she got creative to support herself.  A lot of Video game acting.  A bunch of animated Voiceover work.  Plus, although both failed, she was the main lead in two series after her Buffy/Angel days.  

It's interesting she never had issues with Joss Whedon but much later in her career had the problems she did with Weatherly.  Apparently she also was molested at age 12 by a stunt coordinator on the movie True Lies (which I didn't remember she'd even been in, but there she is in the cast list as Arnie's daughter). 

[Macbeth]

6 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

It’s sad so many actresses were fired for just for getting pregnant.   

 

There are creative ways to work around a pregnancy.  

 

 

Cosby fired Lisa Bonet for getting pregnant.  His creepiness is never ending.

[aradia22]

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Her career looks like it hasn't been that bad for someone who's main appeal wasn't really her acting, but rather her looks and image (to be fair to her, more the later than the former, because while she was always attractive, her thing was more being a kind of attractive tough/quirky girl character more than just a pretty face). 

I know what you mean. I'd put her in the same category as Angelina Jolie, Zoe Saldana, Alexa Pena-Vega, etc. Not necessarily bad actors but they started up as "action girls" to some extent and they needed to find the right roles to show off what acting talent they did have or the right opportunities to be in big-budget action movies. My issue with Eliza is the same as all the other Joss Whedon actresses of this type like Amy Acker which is that they don't look like they can throw a hard punch. There's just something more satisfying about watching Lucy Lawless or Hayley Atwell do fight choreography. 

I do remember her in True Lies (I watched it for the first time relatively recently). She does fine in a thankless part where she shows initiative in stealing a key at a pivotal moment but then ends up devolving into streaming and tears so Arnold can save her. Horrible that happened to her. I don't know if she could rise to the occasion if given a better part. I watched all of Dollhouse and it was... very bad. But it's a shame she isn't the right type to pivot into Hallmark movies or something like that. No one is owed a Hollywood career but the kinds of things in this thread shouldn't be what keeps you from one either.

[bobalina]

According to TMZ Cosby was denied parole. He fail to do anything he was supposed  to.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Information from the Danny Masterson rape trial

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-05-27/danny-masterson-rape-trial-secretive-scientology-polices

[merylinkid]

10 hours ago, bobalina said:

According to TMZ Cosby was denied parole. He fail to do anything he was supposed  to.

it's kinda well known you don't get parole if you don't admit your guilt.    

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

it's kinda well known you don't get parole if you don't admit your guilt.    

 I suppose we should relieved that Cosby didn't attempt to fake contrition just long enough to slip out the door- only to revive that tired old saw of him being 'framed' and 'railroaded' once he was outside prison. 

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, merylinkid said:

it's kinda well known you don't get parole if you don't admit your guilt. 

Yeah, this is such a non-story; he's waiting for a ruling from the state Supreme Court on his appeal, so of course he hasn't admitted guilt, completed the sexual violent predator program, and expressed remorse, so of course the board told him he ain't getting out in September (when he'd first be eligible for parole, after serving three years).

[Vermicious Knid]

Marilyn Manson sued again.

Quote

The lawsuit was filed by a “Jane Doe,” who claims she started dating Manson, aka Brian Warner, in 2011.

In its most sensational claim, the lawsuit contends Manson showed her a video he kept locked in a safe. The video allegedly depicted abuse of a groupie after a 1996 appearance by the band at the Hollywood Bowl. The young fan is allegedly forced to drink urine, was threatened with a gun, and may have been pistol-whipped.

TMZ reported that a source claims the video is actually a scripted short film intended for a project that was shelved.The film, the woman claimed in the legal documents, left her afraid for her life. But when she went to return a key to Manson’s home, she alleges he forcibly raped her and threatened to kill her.

 

[Blergh]

33 minutes ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Marilyn Manson sued again.

 

Aren't rapes and direct threats to one's life prosecutable offenses? WHY didn't the authorities throw the book at him right then and there?  Just ARRGGGHHH!!!!!!!

[Ailianna]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

Aren't rapes and direct threats to one's life prosecutable offenses? WHY didn't the authorities throw the book at him right then and there?  Just ARRGGGHHH!!!!!!!

They are, but victims have to report the conduct to police, first. If the police don't know it happened, they can't look for proof or collect evidence to support the victim's account.

Then police and prosecutors have to find evidence to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. This is the highest standard in law, and it is a lot different to get 12 jurors to unanimously believe something happened beyond a reasonable doubt than to convince a majority of civil jurors that it happened by a preponderance of evidence (essentially more likely than not). Civil court and criminal court are entirely different things. And that makes it more difficult to file criminal charges than a lawsuit, as well as more difficult to win.

[BetterButter]

Charlie Hanson: Bafta suspends producer over sexual misconduct allegations

[catlover79]

19 hours ago, Blergh said:

Aren't rapes and direct threats to one's life prosecutable offenses? WHY didn't the authorities throw the book at him right then and there?  Just ARRGGGHHH!!!!!!!

Two words - red tape.

[catlover79]

On 5/24/2021 at 6:47 AM, wendyg said:

Yes, the Guardian has this story, too: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/24/kevin-spacey-return-italian-paedophilia-drama

Apparently it is neither a joke nor satire that he is playing a detective investigating a man wrongly accused of pedophilia.

It's bad enough that they would hire him for any role, but as a character falsely accused of being a pedophile is just an enormous slap in the face of his victims (and any victim of sexual abuse, really). I hope everyone boycotts this movie and that it's the biggest flop in cinematic history. 😡😡😡😡😡

On 5/27/2021 at 8:50 PM, bobalina said:

According to TMZ Cosby was denied parole. He fail to do anything he was supposed  to.

GOOD!!!