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This Week In 'Seriously, F*ck That Guy': Weinstein "Witch Hunt" Gains Momentum

By Kristy Puchko | Celebrity | October 24, 2017 |

By Kristy Puchko | Celebrity | October 24, 2017 |


It’s only Tuesday, but there’s enough news on Harvey Weinstein and other alleged abusers that it’s time for another round-up.

Weinstein claims all sexual relations he’s had with his accusers were consensual. He blames growing up in the ’60s and ’70s for the sexual harassment he committed. He blamed sex addiction for what was long dubbed his “womanizing” ways. He begged for a second chance, and then tried to check out of sex-addiction rehab after one week. But once TMZ broke the story, it changed. “Weinstein will stay in Arizona for another month or so because he doesn’t want excessive distractions and wants to continue working with his doctors.” Or Weinstein wants to hide until he hopes this mostly blows over. (TMZ)

Good luck with that, Harvey. As of today, more than 50 women have come forward with allegations against the former King of Oscar season. (USA Today)

Weinstein did take time out from rehab to refute Lupita Nyong’o’s harassment claims with a pitiful statement: “Mr. Weinstein has a different recollection of the events, but believes Lupita is a brilliant actress and a major force for the industry. Last year, she sent a personal invitation to Mr. Weinstein to see her in her Broadway show Eclipsed.” (WaPo)

Harvey, she was inviting you to her turf. It was a power move, showing she didn’t need to play your game.

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Matt Damon has admitted he knew Weinstein had harassed Gwyneth Paltrow. But went on to say, “He didn’t do it out in the open. If there was ever an event where there was something I was at with Harvey in public and he was doing this thing and I missed it, and there’s some woman who was somehow assaulted and was at the Golden Globes or something and I somehow missed it, then I’m sorry.” (HuffPo)

Björk put out the world’s easiest to figure out blind item, accusing Danish director Lars Von Trier of sexually harassing her on the set of Dancer in the Dark. (Slate)

Von Trier has refuted her claims, saying this “was not the case. But that we were definitely not friends, that’s a fact.” (The Guardian)

The Weinstein scandal has made many realize that a culture that protects bullying men as long as they’re artists is one inherently contributing to a wide array of abuses of power. So let’s look back at notorious director David O. Russell. (The Daily Beast)

Artist Marianne Barnard has accused director Roman Polanski of raping her when she was just 10 years old. She’s the fifth alleged child victim of the filmmaker, who fled the United States in 1978 to avoid jail time in his first rape accusation by then 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. British actress Charlotte Lewis came forward in 2010. A woman who is choosing to go by Robin publicly spoke out last month, and former child actress Renate Langer went public earlier this month. (Vulture, LA Times)

Meanwhile alleged child rapist Woody Allen’s next movie, A Rainy Day in New York, centers on a forty-something man who reportedly has sex with a 15-year-old “concubine.” (Indiewire)

Griffin Newman, who has a small role in A Rainy Day in New York, has spoken out about his reasoning and regrets over working with Allen. Here’s hoping it will be a lesson for more performers moving forward. (thread)

On Sunday, 38 women came forward accusing director James Toback (The Pick-Up Artist) of sexual harassment. (LA Times)

Once the story went live, its author Glenn Whipp was contacted by more.

Then even more.

Magician David Blaine has been accused of rape. (The Guardian)

Bill O’Reilly continues to take no responsibility in the sexual misconduct of which he’s publicly and repeatedly been accused. You know who he thinks is to blame? God. Seriously. (CNN)

Journalist Beth Winegardner composed a disturbingly long list of all the Hollywood men who’ve allegedly committed acts of domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, and molestation of a child. (Medium)

Reporter Annalisa Merelli calls out Italy’s “deep misogynistic nature” for their treatment of actress and director Asia Argento, who gave a harrowing recollection of her rape at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. (Quartz)

Writer/actress Brit Marling takes on Hollywood sexism, Weinstein, and breaks down the economics of consent. (The Atlantic)

With a rousing open letter, 217 women and gender-nonconforming people who work in animation called on Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Sony, and DreamWorks to end sexual harassment in the industry. (Indiewire)

The “witch hunt” Woody Allen feared is taking shape. But instead of it being a persecution against unpopular ideas, it’s an uprising of abused people long ignored, silenced or demeaned, saying enough is e-fucking-nough. We are the witches, long maligned but powerful. And we’re coming to burn this rape culture bullshit to the ground.