ITV

Tag: Harvey Weinstein

  • Disney, Pixar’s John Lasseter accused of misconduct, takes leave

    Disney, Pixar’s John Lasseter accused of misconduct, takes leave

    MUMBAI: Now it’s the turn of Pixar cofounder and Disney chief creative officer John Lasseter to lose his halo. The animation legend has apparently taken a leave of absence from the company following alleged misconduct and missteps. The leave is expected to be for six months.

    A number of reports appearing in the US media have Pixar employees over the years alleging that Lasseter hugged them or kissed them wantonly. In fact, many employees were petrified to come out in the open and talk about their sordid experiences with the twice Oscar winner wherein he intruded on their private personal spaces or commented on their bodies. Many stated that they had got used to his moves and even found ways to avoid. Some partners, over the years, chose to discontinue working with the studio, according to media reports.

    In a memo to his company staff Lasseter stated : “I’ve recently had a number of difficult conversations that have been very painful for me. It’s never easy to face your missteps, but it’s the only way to learn from them. I have always wanted our animation studios to be places where creators can explore their vision with the support and collaboration of other gifted animators and storytellers. This kind of creative culture takes constant vigilance to maintain. It’s built on trust and respect, and it becomes fragile if any members of the team don’t feel valued. As a leader, it’s my responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen; and I now believe I have been falling short in this regard.”

    Disney response to the media on the allegations and Lasseter’s sabbatical read as follows: “We are committed to maintaining an environment in which all employees are respected and empowered to do their best work. We appreciate John’s candor and sincere apology and fully support his sabbatical.”

    The last few months have seen a spate of senior executives and talents in Hollywood fall from grace following allegations that they abused their positions and made sexual advances or indulged in questionable behavior. Among these: Harvey Weinstein, Amazon’s Roy Price, actor Kevin Spacey, and director James Toback. Now the name of Lasseter has been added to the list of alleged sexual offenders.

    Surely, the characters Walt Disney Animation or Pixar – whether Woody from Toy Story or Moana from the Disney hit Moana – created must be cringing and holding their heads in shame.

  • Hollywood mogul Weinstein’s mansion on sale for $32 million

    Hollywood mogul Weinstein’s mansion on sale for $32 million

    MUMBAI: Hollywood producer Bob Weinstein’s 12,000-square foot mansion on Connecticut’s Gold Coast near Greenwich has been put up for sale, with an asking price of $32 million.

     

    The recently renovated six-bedroom home is owned by Weinstein, and sits on three acres, including 440 feet of shoreline overlooking Long Island Sound. Weinstein, the younger brother of producer Harvey Weinstein, purchased the sprawling Gold Coast property in 2000 but is now selling it following a divorce with his wife, Annie, last year.

     

    The 58-year-old is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company and is known for producing hit movies such as Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, Scary Movie and The King’s Speech.

  • Harvey Weinstein calls for summit to address on-screen violence

    Harvey Weinstein calls for summit to address on-screen violence

    MUMBAI: Legendary movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has opined that Hollywood should look in the mirror in the wake of the Dark Knight massacre. He has called for an unprecedented summit of the industry‘s top filmmakers to address how on-screen violence might lead to real-life bloodshed.
    “I think as filmmakers we should sit down – the Marty Scorseses, the Quentin Tarantinos and hopefully all of us who deal in violence in movies – and discuss our role in that,” Weinstein has been quoted as saying.
    The movie mogul insisted that the Hollywood elite can‘t “shirk our responsibility” for potentially inspiring the rampage in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 people and wounded 58 others. It‘s a question that I wrestle with all the time,” observed Weinstein.
    Insiders are of the view that Weinstein‘s call is sure to rankle some industry big shots.

  • Weinsten to produce French film The Intouchables

    Weinsten to produce French film The Intouchables

    MUMBAI: Harvey Weinstein, who produced the Oscar winning film The Artist, has decided to produce a new French film The Intouchables.
     
    Based on a true story, The Intouchables follows an inner city petty criminal, played by Omar Sy, who is hired to care for a quadriplegic aristocrat, portrayed by Francois Cluzet.
     
    And to make it sure that the film doesn‘t fail to set cash registers ringing in the US, the Weinstein Company has set an English-language version in the works. “We‘re happy to have The Artist and now to work on The Intouchables,” The Weinstein Co.‘s David Glasser has been quoted to have said.

    “Harvey has always been a lover of foreign films. And obviously this year, we have a lot of French films that are incredible.”

  • Harvey Weinstein mulls leaving MPAA

    Harvey Weinstein mulls leaving MPAA

    MUMBAI: Reacting to Motion Pictures Association of America‘s (MPAA) decision to upload the R rating given to Lee Hirsch‘s documentary Bully, Harvey Weinstein has said that he had no choice but to consider parting ways with the Association.


    Said Weinstein said in a statement, “As of today, The Weinstein Co. is considering a leave of absence for the foreseeable future. We respect the MPAA and their process, but feel this time it has just been a bridge too far.”


    Weinstein said that he is personally going to ask public figures and celebrities around the world–from First Lady Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga to the Duchess of Cambridge to help allow the movie to be seen without any restrictions.
     
    However, it is not clear whether the Weinstein Co. that isn‘t an official member of the MPAA is mulling with the idea of no longer submitting its films to the ratings board.


    The Classification and Ratings Administration has strict rules regarding language, which resulted in Bully, a documentary about schoolyard bullying, getting an R rating.


    Bully was filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year and looks at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. The film also documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviours besides capturing a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.

  • Star World focusses on ‘Hollywood Shootouts’, Christmas next month

    Star World focusses on ‘Hollywood Shootouts’, Christmas next month

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will during the yuletide season next month focus on Christmas as well as on a new show Hollywood Shootouts.

    Hollywood Shootouts will air every Sunday from next month at 5 pm. Two of Hollywood’s big shots – Variety editor Peter Bart and producer Peter Guber – take on some of moviedom’s biggest movers and shakers: top actors, directors, producers and studio executives who make Hollywood what it is today.

    The show gets behind the hype and into the minds of some of entertainment’s most elusive and fascinating personalities. Names to watch for include Dustin Hoffman, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson and Harvey Weinstein.

    The two hosts have attracted critical acclaim for complementing each other perfectly as two sides of the Hollywood coin. The A-list guests are willing to discuss their careers with frankness.
    All the episodes revolve around the general topic of surviving and thriving in Hollywood. However the varied guests shape each episode according to their individual identities.

    Since next month is the time to spread good cheer the channel will air the special Christmas Miracles on 19 December at 8 pm, 20 December at 11 amand on 24 December at 9 am. Celebrities Halle Berry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melissa Joan Hart and Richard Karn serve as first-time Santa’s helpers by fulfilling the wishes of children and their families, from specially selected letters that were written to Santa and found in the “dead letter” bins at the U.S. Postal Service.

    Also showcased are stories by everyday people who have, in some way, been miraculously touched at Christmas time. Some of the soul-warming highlights include: Melissa Joan Hart and the cast of Sabrina The Teenage Witch fulfilling a young girl’s Christmas wish to experience what it’s like to be an actress. Jennifer Love Hewitt redecorates a young boy’s bedroom and presents him with the gift of his dreams – his very first bed.

    Halle Berry helps a nine-year-old boy create a better Christmas for a group of less-fortunate children with a surprise visit from Santa Claus. And Richard Karn uses his “Home Improvement” skills to create a yard filled with snow for a young girl who dreamt of having a “white Christmas”.

    On Christmas Eve 24 December at 1 pm the channel will air a classic film The Man Upstairs. It is about the unlikely relationship that grows between Victoria (Katherine Hepburn) – an elegant, lonely reclusive, and a fast-talking fugitive, Moony Polanski (Ryan O’Neal), who she finds hiding in her attic one day. It is a story about how love and life can be found in the strangest places, Ryan soon finds the family he never had in Victoria, while the older woman’s loneliness disappears with his presence.

    But idyllic though this life is, it couldn’t stay the same with Moony’s checkered past haunting them. The climax is played out on Christmas Eve, where the two celebrate over a true-blue Christmas tree, only to find out that more than just presents are waiting for them.

    The channel has also lined up a slew of episodes of its comedy shows that have the Christmas theme. These will air on 24 December from 3 pm and on Christmas Day 25 December from 8:30 am onwards. An episode of Scrubs that will air is called My Own Personal Jenus. While his friends don’t really feel like celebrating ther birth of Jesus, Turk makes a huge deal about it. But his faith and happiness are gone after a very busy night at the hospital. Dr. Cox has J.D. videotape the birth of the child of one of his friends.

    In the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond called The Thought That Count Robert gives Ray a great idea on what to get Debra for Christmas, but he isn’t very happy when Ray takes all the credit for it.

    An episode of Just Shoot Me is called Christmas? Christmas!. In the episode of Still Standing
    Judy is excited to host Christmas in the Miller house for the first time, but her plans are scrapped when Bill’s mom insists on having Christmas dinner for the entire family in her tiny apartment. Meanwhile, Linda’s good deed for Christmas – making over her helpless co-worker – goes better than planned.

    Even The Simpsons get into the holiday spirit. In the episode Tis The Fifteen Season the Simpson family goes Christmas shopping at the Springfield Heights Promenade, where the rich people shop. Homer spends the remaining portion of his share of the money for a gift for himself (a personalised talking astrolabe) and has no money left to buy the family a nice Christmas tree.

    Marge and the kids find out what he’s spent the money on and are disappointed in him. Spending the night on the couch, Homer watches “Mr. McGrew’s Christmas Carol” and the story works its magic on Homer, and Homer wakes with resolve to be good and unselfish.

    In the Malcolm In The Middle episode called Christmas Tree Hal and the boys begin selling Christmas trees, but every time that they are about to gain money for actually doing it, something unexpected happens. At the ranch, Francis and Piama are reminded of home when Otto’s relatives come to stay at the ranch, while Lois recruits the help of vagabonds in order to find a squirrel that bit Craig, to confirm if it has rabies.