Hollywood Gropers

mudwhistle

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The list is getting longer by the day.


STASI: It’s time to recognize male victims of Hollywood sex abuse
Nobody listened as Hollywood pedophiles allegedly raped, molested and destroyed male child actors' lives for decades. Few believed it. Even fewer cared. Most still don't.

To some, the newest revelations reinforce what they already believed about gay men — that gay men like underage boys. How crazy is that?

Pedophilia is no more gay sex than rape is heterosexual sex. Both are crimes committed by perverted beasts, not consenting adults.

The now-grown male victims of these Hollywood rapists and assaulters were laughed at, mocked, shamed, put down, degraded and some say threatened. They were called deranged and wacko opportunists, because, really, who doesn't want to get famous by admitting you were raped by a pedophile power broker when you were a frightened, helpless little child?

Corey Feldman, for one, has been mocked for years for trying to let the world know what happened to him and to his best friend Corey Haim, who he says was raped at 11 years old while filming a movie. He's now raising money for his own documentary about it.

Feldman ended up a Hollywood pariah for among other things, speaking out. Corey Haim wasn't as lucky. He ended up dead at 38 from untreated pneumonia after years of suffering from depression and drug addiction. Some wounds are so deep the only way to get relief is to die.

Now suddenly each day we're hearing about other Hollywood victimized kids, but unlike the tales of women who were sexually assaulted and harassed, the ordeals of these now-adult men tend to be smaller stories.

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Accused sexual predator Kevin Spacey should be taken to court.
(Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Take Kevin Spacey — or I should say take Kevin Spacey to court? The allegations he assaulted a child actor, (as well as other young men, which went on apparently for decades) should be front page news every day as each new allegation arises.

But new accusations from men are often relegated to a strip, a mention, a note, while Harvey Weinstein's crimes against women continue to capture the big news.

Spacey is not just seemingly unrepentant, but still so full of himself that he said of the accusation he sexually assaulted 14-year-old Anthony Rapp — in a tweet yet — that he didn't remember the "encounter." Encounter? An encounter implies a romantic interlude between consenting adults, not the sexual assault of a child.

Worse, he then wrote that if it had happened, he had no recollection of it because he would have been drunk at the time.

I once interviewed a notorious pedophile priest who had been accused of raping dozens of little boys. He said the same thing.

A man possibly rapes or assaults a child and he can't remember it? That only makes his alleged crimes that much worse. Do men like this feel so little for their victims that they can't even honor them enough to remember destroying their lives?

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Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of groping him when he was 14 years old.
(Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Spacey added in that same statement, that he'd had relationships with men and women throughout his life, as though coming out as bisexual would be so shocking that no one would care that he could be a pedophile. That's how sick this dude is.

Now another man has anonymously accused Spacey of attempted child rape, and actors and staffers at the Old Vic, where Spacey was artistic director for 11 years are claiming that a blind eye was turned on his sexual misconduct.

Oh, you missed those stories? Maybe because they weren't that big a deal. Unless you were that kid or those staffers.

In 2014, filmmaker Amy Berg made a documentary about the scourge of Hollywood child sexual assault titled "An Open Secret." Variety called it "nonsensationalist" at the time because the film treaded lightly to avoid lawsuits.

No one wanted to distribute the movie and few believed the accusations, which were met with disdain. It was recently released for free and has had more than 3 million views. Suddenly it's an "overnight" hit and no one's laughing anymore.

We all feel for the female victims of Hollywood sexual assault. Now it's time to feel for the men too — and well past the time for potential criminals all to be prosecuted.



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Bill Maher’s Half-Baked Rant Against Hollywood Predators

On Friday night’s edition of Real Time, host Bill Maher dedicated the final of his “New Rules” to the ongoing crisis in Hollywood: powerful men exploiting their positions of power to allegedly sexually harass and/or assault young women and, in the case(s) of Kevin Spacey, boys.

The first alleged serial offender to be exposed was film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who stands accused of varying degrees of sexual misconduct with close to 100 women; he was followed by independent filmmaker James Toback and his pal, hack studio director Brett Ratner.


“You probably have noticed in America lately that there’s something wrong with dudes. The recent stories of sexual harassment are about many things—like misogyny, and white privilege, and old-fashioned being a pig—but I’m telling you, there is something toxic about this male laziness,” offered Maher on his HBO program.

He continued: “If Harvey Weinstein had made even a minimal effort—joined Jenny Craig, shaved, listened, generally tried to not look like a Russian cab driver—he could have attracted women the old-fashioned way: by being rich and not entirely repulsive. With all these creeps, there’s no wining, no dining, no game, no effort to be charming or witty. Just open the bathrobe and, ‘Say hello to my little friend.’”

On Friday night’s edition of Real Time, host Bill Maher dedicated the final of his “New Rules” to the ongoing crisis in Hollywood: powerful men exploiting their positions of power to allegedly sexually harass and/or assault young women and, in the case(s) of Kevin Spacey, boys.

The first alleged serial offender to be exposed was film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who stands accused of varying degrees of sexual misconduct with close to 100 women; he was followed by independent filmmaker James Toback and his pal, hack studio director Brett Ratner.


“You probably have noticed in America lately that there’s something wrong with dudes. The recent stories of sexual harassment are about many things—like misogyny, and white privilege, and old-fashioned being a pig—but I’m telling you, there is something toxic about this male laziness,” offered Maher on his HBO program.

He continued: “If Harvey Weinstein had made even a minimal effort—joined Jenny Craig, shaved, listened, generally tried to not look like a Russian cab driver—he could have attracted women the old-fashioned way: by being rich and not entirely repulsive. With all these creeps, there’s no wining, no dining, no game, no effort to be charming or witty. Just open the bathrobe and, ‘Say hello to my little friend.’”

New Rule: Toxic Male Laziness | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

To recap: Maher is attempting to blame these men’s sexual predation on their being lazy. But sexual assault isn’t about passivity—it’s about power. Laziness, it seems, has very little to do with why these men did what they did.

In fact, what Weinstein stands accused of doing took considerable effort. He wined and dined many of these women, and invited them to events. Sometimes, he would prey on a woman for months on end, as in the case of Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, who claims that as a Yale graduate student she was invited to Weinstein’s home in Connecticut, to “dinner meetings,” you name it. He would often attempt to inveigle and manipulate these women—to establish a rapport, to earn a degree of trust—before he allegedly violated it, and them. He had no issue attracting “women the old-fashioned way,” as Maher claims. Rather, most of these alleged sexual assaults occurred while he was married to striking women. Heck, Brett Ratner dated Serena Williams and Mariah Carey.

The Real Time host went on: “And when they get turned down, what is with this epidemic about, ‘I give up, you win, I’ll just masturbate in front of you.’ Cosby didn’t even want his women conscious. Apparently [journalist] Mark Halperin’s m.o. was just to rub his erection against a woman in the office, like he’s some horny spider monkey that dabbles in political analysis. Someone needs to write a book called, ‘How to behave with a woman like you’re not an asshole.’”

Now, these men are certainly assholes. But it’s hard to believe that they preyed on women out of laziness or their inability to get laid. Most of these men, according to the women’s (and boys’) horror stories, felt that their positions of power entitled them to the privilege of their bodies.

It would also be remiss not to mention that Maher himself has long stood accused of a certain degree of misogyny (though, to be fair, there is a great deal of distance between the comedian’s casual misogyny and sexual harassment or assault). His good friend Ann Coulter once remarked on his program that the proof of it was in “every single thing you say about women”—like, say, constantly referring to Sarah Palin as a “bimbo”—while one of Maher’s exes, Karine Steffans, said of him, “Bill wants someone he can put down in an argument, tell you how ghetto you are, how big your butt is and that you’re an idiot. That’s why you never see him with a white girl or an intellectual.”

What Bill Maher Gets Wrong About Sexual Predators in Hollywood (and Beyond)
 
WME’s Adam Venit on Leave Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations Involving Actor Terry Crews (EXCLUSIVE)
By Cynthia Littleton and Justin Kroll
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Adam Venit, the longtime head of WME’s motion picture group, is on leave from the agency as it probes an allegation of sexual harassment involving actor Terry Crews.

Crews disclosed via social media on Oct. 10 that he was groped last year at a “Hollywood function” by a “high-level Hollywood executive.” Sources close to the situation said Crews in recent days has been preparing to cite Venit as the unnamed executive. Crews is a client of WME.


Reps for WME and Venit declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for Crews.

Details about the incident, including the setting of the event, remain sketchy. It’s unclear if Venit’s alleged intent was overtly sexual or if it was aggressive horseplay that crossed a line. Crews said the groping occurred in full view of his wife.

“Jumping back I said What are you doing?! My wife saw everything n we looked at him like he was crazy. He just grinned like a jerk,” Crews wrote on Twitter.

WME’s Adam Venit on Leave Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations Involving Actor Terry Crews (EXCLUSIVE)
 
In a long-hidden video, The Donald reminded someone many years ago that people with money and/or celebrity could "grab [a woman] by the pussy" and get away with it.

And it was true.

But what The Donald didn't count on is that there is apparently no "statute of limitations" on when the offended person can publicize his or her victimization.

But maybe there should be.

BTW, in my opinion, people who do this are swine, and deserve nothing but contempt.
 
The (incomplete) list of powerful men accused of sexual harassment after Harvey Weinstein - CNN

The (incomplete) list of powerful men accused of sexual harassment after Harvey Weinstein
By Doug Criss, CNN

Updated 2:05 PM ET, Wed November 1, 2017

(CNN)It's only been a few weeks since the sexual assault allegations against media mogul Harvey Weinstein exploded into public view. Since then there have been new allegations made against other powerful men in various industries seemingly almost every day.

From companies taking a second look at their sexual harassment policies to the tide of #MeToo stories flooding social media, the controversy has sparked the biggest national conversation on sexual harassment since the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas battle in the early '90s. Prominent actors and actresses have come forward with stories that put fellow Hollywood A-listers sharply in the spotlight.
This list of men who've been accused of sexual harassment focuses just on allegations on which CNN has reported. There are accusations against other powerful men out there. As the days and weeks go on, this list will undoubtedly keep growing. This list also doesn't include powerful men like Bill Cosby, Roger Ailes or Donald Trump; allegations against them came before Weinstein.
Movies
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Harvey Weinstein
Weinstein's web began to unravel in early October, after The New York Times published a story detailing numerous accusations of sexual harassment against the powerful movie producer, whose films have won a number of Academy Awards. The Times story detailed three decades' worth of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact accusations made against Weinstein by a number of women, including actress Ashley Judd. The piece also mentioned at least eight settlements Weinstein had reached with his accusers through the years.
It started a flood of new accusations from dozens of other women, including some who said Weinstein had raped them. Weinstein has denied any claims of nonconsensual sex. He was later fired from his own film company and his wife left him.
Rumors and stories about Weinstein had been circulating through Hollywood's grapevine for years, leading many to ask how such alleged behavior could go on for so long.
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Kevin Spacey
Actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance toward him when both of them were working on Broadway in 1986. Rapp was 14 at the time and Spacey was 26. Rapp alleged Spacey approached him in a bedroom at a house party and "picked [him] up like a groom picks up the bride" and put him on the bed, falling on top of him.
While Spacey said he could not remember whether the alleged encounter happened, he apologized. In the same tweeted statement on October 30, he also came out as a gay man. Many criticized his response, saying his sexuality had nothing to do with what amounted to possible sexual assault of a minor.
Spacey stars on the popular Netflix series "House of Cards." After the allegation became public, Netflix announced the next season of the show, Season 6, would be its final one. Though the announcement was based on a decision pre-dating Rapp's revelations, Netflix and Media Rights Capital, which produces the series, later announced production on the final season would be halted as well.

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James Toback
The Hollywood screenwriter and director behind films like "The Pick-up Artist," "The Gambler" and "Bugsy" was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment throughout the years in a piece from the Los Angeles Times. The women said Toback would lure them to hotel rooms, movie trailers and other places for what was billed as interviews or auditions. But the women say these meetings would quickly turn sexual in nature.
Toback told the newspaper he had never met any of the women -- or if he did meet them, it "was for five minutes and (he had) no recollection." He said that for the last 22 years, it was "biologically impossible" for him to take part in the behavior the women described in the article, saying he had diabetes and a heart condition requiring medication, the Los Angeles Times reported. He declined to elaborate.
The Los Angeles Times said after it ran its initial story, more than 300 other women contacted it to describe similar encounters.
Actresses Selma Blair and Rachel McAdams also recounted sexual harassment from Toback in interviews with Vanity Fair. Blair alleged that Toback asked her to audition for him naked during a meeting and then requested that she let him rub himself against her. She also said he threatened her with violence if she said anything about the encounter.
McAdams met with Toback under the guise that they'd be talking about work, in particular, a role in 2001's "Harvard Man," which Toback wrote. Instead, McAdams said their meeting was filled with inappropriate comments from Toback that left her feeling uncomfortable.
Toback's agent, Jeff Berg, told CNN in October he would pass a request for a comment on to his client. Berg has since ceased representing Toback.

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Ben Affleck
The Oscar-winning actor and director was one of the first to come out and denounce Weinstein's alleged behavior. But then he found himself the target of a sex harassment accusation after old videos began to surface of Affleck on "MTV's Total Request Live" with actress Hilarie Burton. She said Affleck groped her during an appearance on the show, which she co-hosted at the time.
"I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize," Affleck later wrote on Twitter.
Politics
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George H.W. Bush
The 41st president of the United States apologized to an actress after she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that Bush sexually assaulted her while she posed for a picture with him. Heather Lind said Bush touched her inappropriately from behind twice and told her "a dirty joke."
"President Bush would never -- under any circumstance -- intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind," the former President's spokesman said.
Later, in a second statement, spokesman Jim McGrath said:
"At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures. To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women's rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely."
Two other women -- actress Jordana Grolnick and a woman who wishes to remain anonymous -- later came forward with their own similar accusations.
Television
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Chris Savino
Nickelodeon fired the creator of "The Loud House" animated show after a dozen women accused him, in a story from the Hollywood Reporter, of "sexual harassment, unwanted advances and inappropriate behavior."
The accusers also said Savino would threaten to blacklist women he was no longer involved with.
"I am deeply sorry and I am ashamed," Savino wrote in a letter posted on his Facebook account. "Although it was never my intention, I now understand that the impact of my actions and my communications created an uncomfortable environment."
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Roy Price
Price, the head of Amazon Studios, quit five days after being put on leave after a producer accused him of sexual harassment.
Price was suspended after a story from The Hollywood Reporter detailing harassment allegations against him made by Isa Hackett, a producer of the Amazon series "The Man in the High Castle."
The harassment accusations stemmed from an incident in 2015 at Comic-Con. Hackett alleged that Price repeatedly made lewd comments to her, despite her rebuffs.
Hackett told The Hollywood Reporter that she reported the improper behavior to Amazon at the time.
Dining
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John Besh
The celebrity chef stepped down from the company he founded after about two dozen current and former female employees accused him and other male workers of sexual harassment.
They described a hostile corporate culture where sexual harassment flourished. The accounts included inappropriate touching and comments from male employees and managers, some of whom tried to leverage their power for sex. Those who complained were berated, ostracized or ignored.
One former employee filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that Besh "attempted to coerce" her during a "monthslong sexual relationship."
Besh, who has not responded directly to the allegations, enjoyed celebrity status in a city whose identity is tied to its food. His restaurant group employs more than 1,000 people in New Orleans, San Antonio and Baltimore in top-rated restaurants such as August, LĂźke, Domenica and Shaya. Harrah's New Orleans Casino said it is terminating its relationship with the restaurant group.
Media
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Mark Halperin
At least a dozen women have accused journalist Mark Halperin of sexually harassing them or assaulting them, with at least some of the incidents coming during his time as political director at ABC News. At first, five women accused Halperin of propositioning employees for sex, kissing and grabbing one woman's breasts against her will and other forms of inappropriate touching. Days later, more women came forward with other claims, including that Halperin masturbated in front of an ABC News employee and that he violently threw another woman against a restaurant window before trying to kiss her.
Halperin issued two apologies in response to the accusations, saying in the first he "did pursue relationships with women" that he worked with but that he now understands "that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain." He did, however, deny grabbing a woman's breasts and pressing his genitals against the bodies of three other women.
Widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent political journalists, Halperin, 52, also co-authored the best-selling book "Game Change," which was made into an HBO movie starring Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin; and anchored a television show on Bloomberg TV. He served as an analyst for NBC News, making frequent appearances on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Both NBC News and MSNBC severed ties with him once the allegations surfaced.
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Michael Oreskes
At the end of October, Oreskes was placed on leave from his position as a top editor at NPR after two female journalists came forward and said Oreskes had made unwanted sexual advances towards them. The alleged incidents happened two decades ago, when Oreskes was working at the New York Times and the women were seeking jobs there. Both women said Oreskes kissed them during career-oriented business meetings. A third accuser, who works at NPR, filed a complaint about Oreskes' behavior in 2015 after she said he "hijacked a career counseling session into a three-hour-long dinner that delved deeply into personal territory."
Oreskes admitted to wrongdoing in an internal memo obtained by CNN.
"I am deeply sorry to the people I hurt. My behavior was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility," Oreskes wrote.
"To my colleagues, I am grateful for every minute I've had to work with each of you," he wrote. "NPR has an important job to do. Public radio matters so much and I will always be your supporter."
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Lockhart Steele
Lockhart Steele, the editorial director for Vox Media, was fired, the company said, after he admitted to "engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with our core values." Vox is also investigating claims made in a blog post by former employee Eden Rohatensky in which Rohatensky accuses multiple co-workers of sexual misconduct, and detailed one particular incident involving "one of the company's VPs" while riding in the backseat of a cab with other co-workers. Rohatensky did not mention Vox or any co-workers by name in the post.
After getting fired a month later "due to lack of productivity," Rohatensky reported what happened with the unnamed VP, but later learned that "his punishment was being told he could not drink at corporate events any longer."
Vox has hired a law firm to look into the accusations, and Rohatensky has met with the investigators.​
 

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