Harvey Weinstein wants one of the class action lawsuits against him dismissed, and says Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lawrence prove the case has some major holes. Weinstein filed docs responding to the suit … which claims he — along with the…
Showing posts with label Harvey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harvey. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Harvey Weinstein & TWC Sued by N.Y. Attorney General for Civil Rights Violations
Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company are being sued by the New York Attorney General for alleged civil rights violations in the workplace. New York’s AG, Eric Schneiderman, just filed suit against Harvey, his brother, Bob Weinstein, and the…
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Steve Harvey Calls BS On Charity Lawsuit
Steve Harvey says the guy suing him for a gigantic commission for one of Harvey’s charities is a fraud. Harvey just filed legal docs firing back at Vincent Dimmock, who claimed in his lawsuit he struck a deal with Harvey back in April to raise $ 20…
Friday, February 9, 2018
Jill Messick, Ex-Rose McGowan Manager, Kills Herself; Family Blames Media and Harvey Weinstein
Horrible news out of Hollywood this week:
Jill Messick, a former Miramax producer who once managed actress Rose McGowan, committed suicide suicide on Wednesday, her family has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
She was 50 years old.
This is terribly sad – but it may have gone largely unnoticed by the mainstream press if Messick’s family had not released a pointed statement in response to the tragedy.
Released by Messick’s loved ones to The Hollywood Reporter, the statement places the blame for this suicide on Harvey Weinstein… McGowan herself… and members of the press for how they covered the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein, of course, is the former head of Miramax who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women.
McGowan has claimed for years that she is one of these women, while she’s now a leading voice for the #MeToo movement, which seeks to empower victims of rape and misconduct.
Messick, meanwhile, represented McGowan in 1997, at the time she says she was raped by Weinstein.
The late producer/manager later took an executive position at Miramax, then led by Weinstein.
“Jill was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact,” reads the emotional statement.
“She became collateral damage in an already horrific story.”
The full statement, which is available at The Hollywood Reporter, goes on to say that Messick was devastated after the film mogul’s attorney released an email in which Messick defended Weinstein.
“The speed of disseminating information has carried mistruths about Jill as a person, which she was unable and unwilling to challenge,” it says.
Messick’s relatives acknowledge that McGown told her about an incident with Weinstein…
… but they insist that Messick “stood up on Rose’s behalf” and “alerted her bosses to the horrific experience which Rose suffered.”
Continues the statement:
“She opted not to add to the feeding frenzy, allowing her name and her reputation to be sullied despite having done nothing wrong.
“She never chose to be a public figure; that choice was taken away from her.”
The family also mentions that Messick was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
After discussing with Messick and her management team what transpired with Weinstein, McGown is on record as saying she did not feel much support.
In their message to the public on Thursday, Messick’s loved ones criticized journalists for publishing the aforementioned correspondence between Messick and Weinstein.
“We must take a moment to consider the ramifications and consequences of what we say and what we do,” the family’s statement reads, concluding:
“Words matter. Someone’s life may depend on it.”
McGowan, for her part, has been on a mission to reveal the truth about Weinstein, the culture in Hollywood and everything else related to this ongoing sexual harassment scandal in entertainment.
It has thus far ended the careers of such A-Listers as Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K., among MANY others.
Weinstein’s attorney, Ben Brafman, previously responded to McGowan’s allegations in a statement to People Magazine that reads:
“Mr. Weinstein denies Rose McGowan’s allegations of non-consensual sexual contact and it is erroneous and irresponsible to conflate claims of inappropriate behavior and consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of rape.”
His spokesperson also has said that McGowan “chose to demand money” from the producer and worked and appeared with him later in her career.
On January 30, Weinstein’s lawyers released an email in which Messick said McGowan had told her she got into a hot tub with Weinstein “consensually” yet “regretted” it.
Her family here says the document was released without Messick’s consent.
“Harvey’s desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her. It broke Jill.”
May Jill Messick rest in peace.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Uma Thurman Recounts Being Attacked by Harvey Weinstein
It’s been a few months now since all the awful stories about Harvey Weinstein started pouring in …
And what a super depressing time it’s been.
Actress after actress has come forward to accuse Weinstein of everything from sexual harassment to sexual assault to rape, and though these stories have been coming out for so long now, we’ve yet to hear the end of it all.
We know that because today, Uma Thurman finally felt comfortable to reveal what Weinstein did to her.
A little bit of background: Uma has known Weinstein for years and years, ever since she starred in Pulp Fiction.
Back in November, she was asked about all the stories that had been coming out about him, and she explained to the reporter that she didn’t have a “tidy soundbite” prepared.
“I am not a child,” she said then, “and I have learned that when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself.”
“So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry. And when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.”
She definitely seemed angry then, and she seemed even angrier a few weeks later when she shared a message about Thanksgiving with her followers on Instagram.
After talking about being “grateful,” she wrote that “I feel it’s important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so… Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!”
“Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators,” she added in parentheses. “I’m glad it’s going slowly — you don’t deserve a bullet.”
She advised everyone to “stay tuned,” and we have … and now in a new interview with the New York Times, she’s telling her story at long last.
To start, Uma explains that she began getting close to Harvey and his first wife after filming Pulp Fiction.
“I knew him pretty well before he attacked me,” she says. “He used to spend hours talking to me about material and complimenting my mind and validating me.”
“It possibly made me overlook warning signs.”
“This was my champion,” she continues. “I was never any kind of studio darling. He had a chokehold on the type of films and directors that were right for me.”
Later, she says that she had a meeting with him in a hotel room — unfortunately, you can probably tell where the story is going at this point.
As they were discussing a script, Harvey changed into a bathrobe, but Uma says that she “didn’t feel threatened,” that she “thought he was being super idiosyncratic, like this was your kooky, eccentric uncle.”
After that, he told her to follow him as he went to a different room, and he ended up leading her to a steam room.
“And I was standing there in my full black leather outfit — boots, pants, jacket. And it was so hot and I said, ‘This is ridiculous, what are you doing?"”
“And he was getting very flustered and mad and he jumped up and ran out,” she says.
Not too long after that, Uma says that she was meeting with Harvey in another hotel when he attacked her.
“It was such a bat to the head,” she recalls. “He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things.”
“But he didn’t actually put his back into it and force me.”
She compares the experience to being “like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard.”
“I was doing anything I could to get the train back on the track. My track. Not his track.”
The next day, he sent her roses with a card that just read “You have great instincts.”
How horrifying is that?
She went back to the hotel to confront him about what happened, but she says that his assistants tried to pressure her to let it go and to focus on the upcoming film projects she was working on with Harvey.
After finally agreeing to meet with him one more time, she told him “If you do what you did to me to other people you will lose your career, your reputation and your family, I promise you.”
She says that that was the last thing she remembered of that night, but a friend of hers who’d gone with her to the hotel for support says that Uma stayed upstairs in Harvey’s room for a long time, and when she came back down “she was very disheveled and so upset and had this blank look.”
Harvey has already denied everything, beyond admitting that he did make an unsuccessful pass at Uma during that first hotel incident.
What a terrible story that just keeps getting worse, huh?
Uma Thurman Says Harvey Weinstein Sexually Attacked Her
Uma Thurman recently said she was waiting until her anger subsided to reveal what she insinuated was a sexual assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein, and she’s now opened up. Uma says years ago she and Weinstein were in a Paris hotel room…
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Harvey Weinstein Denies Sex Trafficking Allegations
Harvey Weinstein says actress Kadian Noble is way off base with her allegation he engaged in sex trafficking when she met him in his Cannes hotel room. Weinstein is responding to Noble’s lawsuit, and insists there was no exchange of money or movie…
Friday, January 26, 2018
J.J. Watt Helps Move Hurricane Harvey Victims Back Home
Remember when J.J. Watt raised $ 37 MILLION for Hurricane Harvey relief?? Grab your tissues, ‘cause families impacted by the disaster are moving back home … and the video will hit you right in the feels. The Texans superstar shared the update on…
Harvey Weinstein Ex-Assistant Sues: He Made Me Clean Up His Semen!
We all heard the horrifying story of what Harvey Weinstein allegedly did to his former assistant. But, as you can imagine, the 65-year-old former mega-producer had multiple assistants over the years.
One of those assistants, Sandeep Rehal, is now suing over the way that she says Harvey Weinstein treated her. This goes beyond what most of us think of as workplace sexual harassment.
The accusation that she says that she was regularly required to clean up semen and condoms, which is gross, barely scratches the surface.
TMZ reports that Sandeep Rehal is suing Harvey Weinstein and also Rob Weinstein for “unspecified damages.”
She says that she started working as Harvey Weinstein’s personal assistant in 2013.
According to her accusations, while she worked as his assistant, if they sat together in a car, he would rub her between her thighs.
She describes how he would allegedly press against her when they walked, and use derogatory language to refer to her — calling her things like “c–t” and “p–sy.”
Sandeep accuses Harvey Weinstein of repeatedly using the line:
“What’s wrong Sandeep, is the tampon up too far today?”
Obviously, that’s inexcusable to say under any circumstances, because it’s sexist and vile. In a workplace environment, it’s normally a reason to go to HR.
She also describes Harvey Weinstein in a way that matches the description of him as a leering, power-mad ogre that we’ve heard so much, saying that he was fond of the phrase:
“I am Harvey Weinstein and you are at Weinstein University. I decide whether or not you graduate.”
And then it gets worse.
Sandeep says that Harvey Weinstein had her manage an updated list of “available women” for his sexual conquests.
She did even more to facilitate that, making sure that he was stocked with Caverject shots for erectile dysfunction.
To be clear, TMZ isn’t suggesting that Sandeep is saying that she helped him plan Weinstein’s alleged rapes of various actresses. Just that she managed his itinerary.
But then comes what might be the grossest part that doesn’t involve Weinstein touching or speaking to her.
She says that she was regularly required to clean semen from Harvey Weinstein’s couch, and to pick up his used condoms. Ewww.
She also had to obtain clean underwear for him, but out of context, getting clothes for your boss is often a pretty standard job for personal assistants.
(In context … it’s still icky)
In response, Harvey Weinstein’s representation tells TMZ:
“Mr. Weinstein categorically denies these claims and his lawyers will respond in the appropriate legal forum with evidence proving they are untrue.”
So, your pretty standard denial. A little different from the “remembering things differently” line that came out in response to Lupita Nyong’o’s disturbing story.
“The evidence will show these claims for money are in the realm of a science fiction movie.”
Sandeep Rehal isn’t even the only woman suing, of course. It sounds like Weinstein’s lawyers are going to be very, very busy.
There has been backlash against the #MeToo movement, mostly by men who think think that each of the accused is being portrayed as being equal to the others.
(They aren’t; people have been very clear that James Franco is no Harvey Weinstein, because of course he isn’t)
And then there are the usual irritating defenses — reductions to the absurd like “what, I can’t talk to women anymore?” to which most of us just want to respond: “If that’s your takeaway, then yes.” Because if you can’t tell the difference between talking to a woman and saying inappropriate things to her, you shouldn’t be talking to anyone.
But even the most devoted contrarians seem to agree that Harvey Weinstein sounds horrifying.
He was the string that was pulled to unravel so many sex monsters.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Natalie Mendoza Forgives Harvey Weinstein
Natalie Mendoza says she forgives Harvey Weinstein for his alleged sexual assault on her. We got the Australian actress Wednesday at LAX and asked if she’d forgiven him for what she claims he did to her during a 2005 script meeting — allegedly…
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
James Franco Accusers Open Up: He"s Not as Bad as Harvey Weinstein
On Tuesday, the 2018 Academy Award nominations were accounced, and the list of honorees contained several surprises.
Perhaps the most noteworthy snub was that of James Franco.
Following wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, Franco was considered the frontrunner in the Best Actor category, and many stunned when he didn’t even receive a nomination.
Due to the secret nature of the nomination process, we may never know exactly why he didn’t receive more votes from his peers.
It’s worth noting that the Academy is generally less accepting of comedies than other award-granting bodies, and controversy over filmmaker Tommy Wiseau whom Franco portrays in The Disaster Artist may have also been a factor.
But the consensus in Hollywood is that it was the sexual harassment allegations against Franco that caused Academy voters to balk at honoring the actor with a nomination.
As you may have heard, when Franco won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, actress Ally Sheedy posted several tweets suggesting that he behaved inappropriately while directing her in an Off-Broadway play.
Shortly thereafter, several other women came forward to accuse Franco, eventually bringing the total number to five.
Yesterday, two of those women appeared on Good Morning America to discuss their experiences with Franco,
Sarah Tither-Kaplan was a student in Franco’s “Sex Scenes” actng class
Violet Paley is a former girlfriend of Franco’s who says she felt coerced into performing oral sex on her first date with the actor.
Both women opened up about their individual experiences in a remarkably candid interview:
“James abused his power by exploiting the non-celebrity women that he worked with under the guise of giving them opportunities,” Tither-Kaplan said.
She added that she felt pressured to perform nude while appearing in a film directed by Franco:
“There were a lot of scenes that were added after we were given the original scripts that I felt I wished I had more time to consider them or understand the artistic value of them…sex scenes, nude scenes, yes, a lot of the time they seemed gratuitous and exploitative.”
But while she maitained that Franco abused his power over young women, she also concedesd that his misconduct is not nearly as egregious as that of disgraced studio head Harvey Weinstein.
“He’s absolutely not a Harvey Weinstein,” Tither-Kaplan said.
“He is not an unfeeling monster who has no sense of reality. He created exploitative environments for non-celebrity women on his sets and I also think James is a talented and valuable person.”
Tither-Kaplan elaborated:
“It is a pyramid and at the top is rape and sexual violence and at the bottom are the other abuses of power that when they continue to happen over and over build and build and build and create a culture that allows the most heinous examples of sexual violence and misogny and discrimination to happen and if we allow any of them, we’re allowing all of them.”
For her part, Paley says her story is “complicated” by the fact that she later entered a relationship with Franco, but maintains that she was pressured into performing a sex act with which she didn’t feel comfortable during one of their first interactions.
“I am regretful. I was young, he was a celebrity that I looked up to,” Paley says.
Both women agreed that Franco is “not unforgivable,” and made a simple request to the 39-year-old during their time on air:
“Please just apologize,” Paley said, addressing Franco.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Harvey Weinstein Porn Parody Not in the Cards
Harvey Weinstein won’t be parodied by the porn industry because the allegations made against him are just too nasty. We talked to a bunch of porn execs who tell us straight-up … they feel Harvey’s alleged conduct was disgusting … so…
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Nancy Grace Says if Allegations are True Harvey Weinstein Needs to Do Hard Prison Time
Nancy Grace wants the courts to show Harvey Weinstein no mercy … but she has grave reservations that will ever happen. Nancy arrived at LAX late Saturday when our photog asked about Weinstein. Listen carefully … she says on the one hand…
Friday, January 12, 2018
Harvey Weinstein"s Ex-Wife Says He"s Crying Poverty, Can"t Pay Child Support
Harvey Weinstein’s low on cash flow, so he’s telling his ex-wife he can’t afford to pay child support for a year … maybe more … according to her, anyway. Eve Chilton made the claim in docs submitted when she tried to get a one-time advance…
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Harvey Weinstein and Wife Georgina Strike Divorce Settlement
Harvey Weinstein and estranged wife Georgina Chapman have reached a divorce settlement … TMZ has confirmed. The couple hashed out both a property settlement agreement and a custody arrangement. The couple has 2 kids — 7 and 4. The settlement,…
Harvey Weinstein, Audio Proves He Was Not Belligerent
The guy who attacked Harvey Weinstein lied when he said Weinstein was belligerent when he asked for a photo … and audio obtained by TMZ proves it. TMZ broke the story, Weinstein was eating dinner at a Scottsdale, Arizona restaurant when a guy…
TMZ Live: Harvey Weinstein: Attacked On Video!
ON TODAY’S SHOW O.J. Simpson: I’m Not Khloe’s Dad! Oprah vs. Trump 2020 James Franco: Sexual Misconduct Allegations Gene Simmons: Kiss Would Play In North Korea!
Harvey Weinstein Video Shows Attack in Restaurant
Harvey Weinstein was on the receiving end of 2 backhanded slaps to the face … that’s what the newly-obtained video shows. TMZ broke the story … Weinstein was dining Tuesday night at Elements restaurant in Scottsdale when a guy named Steve…
Harvey Weinstein Attacked at Scottsdale Restaurant
Harvey Weinstein was attacked Tuesday night at a restaurant … TMZ has learned. Weinstein was at Elements restaurant at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Scottsdale, eating dinner with his sober coach when 2 men sat at a table next to…
Monday, January 8, 2018
Seth Meyers Slams Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey to Open Golden Globes 2018
Seth Meyers came out swinging against Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey in a blistering opening monologue at the Golden Globes … and he didn’t pull any punches. Meyers — who’s this year’s host — threw out two jokes aimed at the disgraced movie…
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