Worth a Look - Time's Up

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WriteGirlTaps Actors, Screenwriters to Support Young, Female Writers

Variety: Actors and screenwriters came together Saturday night to support the young women involved in WriteGirl at the organization’s annual Lights, Camera, WriteGirl! event.

Posted by David at 4/30/2018 12:54:00 PM

Tribeca Film Festival 2018: Time’s Up Staged a Tribeca Takeover

theglowup.theroot.com: Saturday was a day of reckoning at the Tribeca Film Festival as voices from the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements brought their message of survival, empowerment and advocacy from Hollywood to New York City. Oscar-winning actresses Julianne Moore and Lupita Nyong’o, Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo, actresses Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Ashley Judd, former NFL player Wade Davis, activist Tarana Burke—who was also awarded a Disruptive Innovation award at this year’s festival—and more were on hand to talk about the movement’s momentum and what comes next.

Posted by David at 5/01/2018 12:45:00 PM

Time's Up Women of Color Tell Their Industry to #MuteRKelly

The Mary Sue: We’ve already taken down Bill Cosby for his decades-long history of abusing and assaulting women. Now, it’s R. Kelly’s turn. The Women of Color of Time’s Up have banded together to call on their industry to boycott and investigate R. Kelly.

Posted by David at 5/01/2018 12:44:00 PM

A Matter of Legitimacy: Female Nudity On-screen

Balder and Dash | Roger Ebert: Hollywood is built on negotiations. Managers negotiate rates, stars negotiate their time. But actresses are often gifted an additional element to negotiate: the surrender of their bodies for the camera. Where a bare breast was once considered taboo, now audiences barely bat an eye at female nudity. It’s expected, anticipated, demanded. With the rise of #MeToo and #TimesUp we’ve seen women gain equal pay and a more comforting atmosphere regarding sexual harassment, yet on-screen nudity remains an ambiguous gray area.

Posted by David at 5/02/2018 11:50:00 AM

The Crown's Claire Foy to Receive $275,000 in Back Salary Following Pay Disparity

themuse.jezebel.com: In March of this year, Left Bank Pictures, the producers behind Netflix’s monarchy fantasia The Crown, found themselves in hot water after revealing that supporting actor Matt Smith (Prince Philip) takes home a larger salary than star Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth II).

Posted by David at 5/01/2018 12:45:00 PM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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Matt Smith Finally Speaks Out on The Crown Pay Disparity

The Mary Sue: Thanks to the Time’s Up movement, Hollywood’s gender pay gap is no longer a secret, and more stories are coming out. One egregious example came last month, when the producers of Netflix’s The Crown revealed that Claire Foy, who plays the title role of Queen Elizabeth II, was paid less than her co-star Matt Smith during the first and second season of the global hit. In fact, on a show reportedly budgeted at $7 million an episode, Claire Foy took home a comparably measly $40,000 per episode. That’s less than one percent of the budget allocated to the star.

Posted by David at 4/24/2018 09:26:00 AM

Viola Davis Comments on #MeToo at Power of Women

Variety: On the red carpet for Variety‘s Power of Women New York event Friday, Viola Davis shared her thoughts on the #MeToo movement, its implications, and the lasting effects of sexual assault. “I think the conversation now is people really feel like the impact is just a woman loses her career — it’s way deeper than that,” Davis said. “You lose your life in that moment.”

Posted by David at 4/24/2018 11:53:00 AM

Clayne Crawford Explains ‘Lethal Weapon’ Reprimands, Apologizes

Variety: Star Clayne Crawford apologized to the cast and crew of “Lethal Weapon” Tuesday in the wake of reports claiming that his behavior on set has endangered the future of the Fox drama.

Posted by David at 4/25/2018 12:13:00 PM

Former union leader denies allegations

Albuquerque Journal: A former New Mexico labor and film union leader has denied allegations brought against him in a lawsuit.
Jon Hendry is the former president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor and the former business agent for the local chapter of the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees.

Posted by David at 4/26/2018 12:03:00 PM

Why I Am Boycotting Writers Theatre in Chicago

www.clydefitchreport.com: The controversy at Writers, a widely respected company located near Chicago, is a few months old, so I’ll quickly recap. Last fall, CFR broke a story that former Writers intern Tom Robson accused longtime Artistic Director Michael Halberstam of sexually harassing him both verbally and physically in 2003. The story spread to other outlets; soon, the trade publication PerformInk released a more detailed account of how widespread Halberstam’s harassment had been, reporting that “what happened to Robson has happened to others,” and that schools were even warning students about auditioning for the company.

Posted by David at 4/26/2018 11:45:00 AM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

And five more...

Nondisclosure Agreements, Inclusion Riders + More U.K. Legal News

Backstage: After revelations about the use and abuse of nondisclosure agreements against staff at the now infamous Presidents Club fundraiser as well as their use in the silencing of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, there’s increased pressure on the government to look into the legality of NDAs and to better regulate or even ban their use. The Human Rights Commission, a U.K. rights body, released a major report and said that NDAs were being misused to sweep misconduct “under the carpet” instead of their original purpose: to protect the identity of victims.

Posted by David at 4/12/2018 01:01:00 PM

Molly Ringwald Revisits “The Breakfast Club” in the Age of #MeToo

The New Yorker: Earlier this year, the Criterion Collection, which is “dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world,” released a restored version of “The Breakfast Club,” a film written and directed by John Hughes that I acted in, more than three decades ago. For this edition, I participated in an interview about the movie, as did other people close to the production.

Posted by David at 4/10/2018 11:59:00 AM

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Carousel,’ After #MeToo

www.vulture.com: Billy Bigelow says he does not beat his wife. “I wouldn’t beat a little thing like that — I hit her,” he explains to the Starkeeper, head man in heaven’s waiting room. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.

Bigelow is the protagonist in Carousel, the second work by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and one that’s come to be known as a problem musical, or “the wife-beater musical.” And the problem is not that Billy hits his wife, Julie, but that Julie, seemingly, makes an excuse for him, thereby teaching their daughter Louise that abuse is a form of love.

Posted by David at 4/12/2018 12:50:00 PM

Why Should You Try Inclusion Riders? Because They Work — For Everyone

Variety: When Frances McDormand introduced the wider world to the phrase “inclusion rider” during the 2018 Oscars, it had an effect almost immediately. Weeks later, the production companies of Michael B. Jordan, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and Paul Feig were among those jumping on board, saying they would adhere to the riders’ mandate to include certain percentages of employees from traditionally marginalized groups. Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel even wrote a memo supporting inclusion riders.

Posted by David at 4/12/2018 12:52:00 PM

Kiss Me, My Fair Carousel Woman: Now Is the Season of Our Discontent

AMERICAN THEATRE: Is this really the right time for a spate of male-authored, male-directed musicals about subservient women to come to Broadway?

Posted by David at 4/09/2018 11:32:00 AM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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When Will Women Lead Storytelling in Hollywood?

www.clydefitchreport.com: “Look around, ladies and gentleman,” McDormand instructed us. “Because we all have stories to tell and projects we need to have financed. Don’t talk to us about it at the parties tonight. Invite us into your office in a couple days — or you can come to ours, whichever suits you best — and we’ll tell you all about them.”
McDormand ended her speech with two words that ignited a Google search frenzy: inclusion rider. A contractual stipulation in which actors and actresses can demand that as much of 50% of the onscreen talent and off-screen crew will be comprised of women and people of color. So far, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Paul Feig and others have publicly stated that their future projects will contractually impose inclusion riders.

Posted by David at 3/23/2018 06:47:00 PM

Sexual assault in Hollywood: Four women share their Me Too stories

www.usatoday.com: The office was small and dingy, a two-room space with a reception area, across the freeway from Universal Studios in North Hollywood.
Toy action figures and a jumble of movie paraphernalia covered nearly every surface.
But Megan Densmore didn’t dwell on the bachelors-left-to-their-own-devices feel of the place.
When you’re trying to land your first acting job, the 22-year-old Oregon transplant thought, you don’t start in shiny corner offices of Los Angeles’ biggest talent agencies.
You start small. And you’re thankful for what you get.

Posted by David at 3/23/2018 06:44:00 PM

Reports Lay Bare Gender Pay and Bonus Gaps in British TV

Variety: ITV revealed Tuesday that its male employees earn, on average, 16.4% more than female employees – the latest British media and entertainment company to publicly acknowledge its gender pay gap. The BBC, Channel 4 and ITN have also reported figures showing that, across the board, men collect significantly bigger paychecks and bonuses on average than their female counterparts.

Posted by David at 3/21/2018 12:05:00 PM

For Women Behind The Camera, Sexual Harassment Is Part Of The Job

HuffPost: When David offered Mary a job on the set of a major feature film in 2016, it seemed like a golden opportunity. She’d moved to Vancouver the previous year to start her dream career and, at 28, found herself working 100 hours a week on various gigs across production sites. Now, David, in his 40s, an assistant location manager with a great reputation, was offering her a job she couldn’t pass up: production assistant in the location department of a big-budget production.

Posted by David at 3/19/2018 12:00:00 PM

#MeToo -- What should I do?

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: With a barrage of revelations in recent months about sexual harassment by high-profile men in the worlds of media and entertainment, local attorneys and advocates aimed to provide information and support to women at a panel discussion Sunday.

Posted by David at 3/19/2018 11:57:00 AM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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Why Hollywood's 'Inclusion Rider' Mania Could Hurt the Equality Cause

Hollywood Reporter: When Frances McDormand uttered the words "inclusion rider" in her acceptance speech at this year's Oscars, Google lit up with folks searching the term. Even the entertainment industry's savviest lawyers had to ask around for the exact meaning and derivation, although most could guess that it had something to do with ensuring diversity through contracts. Two weeks later, an increasing number of production companies are saying they will adopt inclusion riders, while WME co-CEO Ari Emanuel announced inclusion riders have become "imperative."

Posted by David at 3/16/2018 10:35:00 AM

Sexual Misconduct in the Music Industry Addressed at SXSW Panel

Variety: In a frank, freewheeling and intense hour-long discussion, the subject of Sexual Misconduct in the Music Industry took center stage at SXSW on March 15. The talk came on the day that panelist Andrea Domanick, west coast editor of Noisy, published a two-years-in-the-making article on the subject culled from interviews with dozens of women in the business.

Posted by David at 3/16/2018 10:34:00 AM

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon adopt Frances McDormand's proposed inclusion rider.

slate.com/culture: Changes are brewing in Hollywood. Movements like #OscarsSoWhite and #TimesUp have thrown down the gauntlet for broader representation in the entertainment industry, both on screen and off. Both A-listers and fans want to see the industry, which has been historically dominated by white men, employ more women and people of color. Frances McDormand voiced such a request during her Best Actress acceptance speech, which she concluded by saying, “I have two words to leave you with tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.”

Posted by David at 3/14/2018 09:38:00 AM

Paul Feig Adds Inclusion Rider in Feigco Entertainment Productions

Variety: Director-producer Paul Feig has adapted the inclusion rider as part of all the feature film and television productions at his Feigco Entertainment.

Posted by David at 3/14/2018 09:37:00 AM

IATSE New Mexico Boss Facing New Harassment Allegations; 2nd Woman Comes Forward

Deadline: A second woman has come forward with allegations that Jon Hendry, the boss of IATSE Local 480 in Santa Fe, NM, sexually harassed her. Hendry, who until recently was one of the most powerful labor leaders in the state, was ousted as president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor AFL-CIO on Monday after Christa Valdez, the local’s former outside public relations rep, sued him last week for sexual harassment.

Posted by David at 3/16/2018 10:38:00 AM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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90th Oscars dance between honoring and correcting the past

Chicago Sun-Times: Held one year ago, the 90th Academy Awards would have very likely been a rose-colored nostalgia fest.

But this year, with a culture-wide reckoning over decades of sexual misconduct, a film business in decline, a volatile political climate and the fact that last year the esteemed show couldn’t even manage to present its biggest award correctly, the film academy and host Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday staged a complex and sometimes incongruous dance of attempting to both honor and atone for the past.

Posted by David at 3/06/2018 12:35:00 PM

Hollywood Desperately Needs More Women Cinematographers

themuse.jezebel.com: The number of women working in the field of cinematography has always been, and remains, remarkably poor.

In a piece about the historically low number of women DPs in Hollywood, The Washington Post notes that membership in the American Society of Cinematographers has grown “painfully slow,” with only 18 women out of roughly 375 members.

Posted by David at 3/09/2018 12:15:00 PM

Michael B. Jordan’s production company will adopt inclusion riders

The Verge: Michael B. Jordan posted on Instagram last night that his film production company, Outlier Society Productions, will adopt inclusion riders for all their forthcoming projects. An inclusion rider is a clause in an actor’s contract where they can set out baseline diversity requirements for the cast and crew before the actor commits to a project. The concept was mentioned by Best Actress award-winner Frances McDormand during her acceptance speech and quickly went viral.

Posted by David at 3/09/2018 12:11:00 PM

David Arquette and others sign #AskMoreOfHim open letter ahead of Oscars.

slate.com: Ahead of the 90th Academy Awards, men in the film industry and beyond are joining a new campaign to fight sexism and sexual misconduct. David Arquette, Justin Baldoni, David Schwimmer, Don McPherson, and Matt McGorry are among the signees of an open letter in support of #AskMoreOfHim, a movement that encourages men to promote women’s rights and to help end sexual harassment and violence.

Posted by David at 3/05/2018 10:40:00 AM

Suit accuses NM union leader of sexual harassment

Albuquerque Journal: One of New Mexico’s most prominent union leaders has been accused of harassment and discrimination by a former employee, who also alleges that the state’s largest film industry union abetted his behavior.

Posted by David at 3/08/2018 12:13:00 PM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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Equity's code should be applauded, but it is respect for the arts that will provoke change

WhatsOnStage.com: The theatre union Equity has just released a sensible report, called Agenda for Change, which seeks to use the Harvey Weinstein moment and the #MeToo campaign to establish, once and for all, safe spaces for its 43,000 members to work in, free of sexual and other harassment, bullying and abuse.

Posted by David at 3/02/2018 12:24:00 PM

The Problem With Broadway Revivals: They Revive Gender Stereotypes, Too

The New York Times: Billy Bigelow hits Julie Jordan. Henry Higgins molds Eliza Doolittle. Fred tames Lilli. And Edward rescues Vivian.

Amid a national reckoning with sexual harassment and misconduct, Broadway is mounting a cluster of musicals this season and next that, some theatergoers already contend, romanticize problematic relationships between women and men.

Posted by David at 3/01/2018 11:45:00 AM

Love-struck hero or creepy harasser? Suddenly we’re seeing our favorite rom-coms in a new light.

The Washington Post: Two years ago, film critic Sara Stewart sat down to re-watch “Sixteen Candles,” one of her favorite 1980s John Hughes comedies. She was mortified. One scene, played for laughs — the ostensible hero gifting his drunk girlfriend to another boy — seemed like a manual for rape. Stewart wrote a column about the offensive aspects of the movie, and was met with vitriol. Readers accused her of being humorless, of ruining something beloved.

“But if I wrote that column now,” she speculates, “I feel like people might be in agreement with me.”

Posted by David at 3/01/2018 11:33:00 AM

Female TV Writers in the U.K. Demand a Better Shot at the Top Series

Variety: A group of 76 female TV writers has sent an open letter to drama commissioners in Britain, asking that women be given greater opportunities to write, and write for, the biggest shows.

Posted by David at 2/28/2018 11:56:00 AM

Director Lynne Ramsay: ‘I've got a reputation for being difficult – it's bullshit’

Film | The Guardian: I’m not sure what I think film directors look like (Do they wear visors? Carry a loudhailer?), but I am very sure Lynne Ramsay doesn’t look like one. In her big beanie hat and jumper, her jeans and boots, Ramsay is a dead ringer for an art student bunking off lectures. Before she sees me, I spot her smoking a roll-up at a table outside the west London cafe where we’re meeting. She’s making notes in an exercise book; she looks perfectly happy.

Posted by David at 2/27/2018 02:51:00 PM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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Sexual assault experienced by 94% of women: Exclusive USA TODAY Survey

www.usatoday.com: The first number you see is 94% — and your eyes pop with incredulity.

But it's true: Almost every one of hundreds of women questioned in an exclusive survey by USA TODAY say they have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault during their careers in Hollywood.

Posted by David at 2/21/2018 12:08:00 PM

 

Disney Theatrical’s Thomas Schumacher Accused of Sexual Misconduct

Variety: Former employees have accused Thomas Schumacher, the president and producer of Disney Theatrical Productions and the chairman of the Broadway League, of harassment and inappropriate language.

Posted by David at 2/22/2018 12:48:00 PM

 

Six Women Allege Physical, Emotional Abuse at Dream Theatre Company

www.clydefitchreport.com: Amidst increasingly widespread allegations of sexual misconduct in the performing arts, six Chicago-based actresses report an extensive pattern of verbal and physical abuse by Jeremy Menekseoglu, artistic director of the Dream Theatre Company (DTC), a small non-Equity company which recently relocated to the Atlanta area from Chicago.

Posted by David at 2/23/2018 12:37:00 PM

 

Soulpepper loses $375K of planned federal funding in wake of sexual harassment scandal

Toronto - CBC News: A planned increase in federal funding for Soulpepper Theatre has been voted down by the Canada Council for the Arts' board of directors.

On Thursday, the council's board voted to rescind an increase of $375,500 the theatre company was set to receive. That was on top of a $184,500 "core grant" which the company will still collect this year and again next year, Canada Council said in a statement sent to CBC Toronto.

Posted by David at 2/21/2018 12:07:00 PM

 

The History of Hollywood's Difficult Women

Balder and Dash | Roger Ebert: When the revelations of rampant sexual harassment and assault against former Miramax CEO Harvey Weinstein came out last October, industry veterans on social media commented about how much of an open secret it was. In its wake it revealed a string of actresses whose careers, once promising, were derailed after refusing Weinstein’s advances. Since then the movement against sexual harassment in Hollywood—from #MeToo to #TimesUp—has brought forward one word that’s brought down the careers of many females and was utilized by Weinstein against those who rebuffed him: difficult. Difficult is far from a career killer for male actors; Mel Gibson’s aggressive temperament has become a part of his filmic persona. But looking at its connection to actresses throughout film history, and especially its ability to stall or outright stop a female’s career, showcases it as a term of inherent sexism, labeled and controlled by men to demean and undermine female agency.

Posted by David at 2/19/2018 11:02:00 AM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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Live Nation, CAA, UTA, & WME Join Los Angeles Mayor's Fund to Promote Diversity in Entertainment

Amplify: Live Nation has signed on as a partner for Evolve Entertainment Fund, a public-private partnership aimed at creating new opportunities for communities that have been historically excluded from the entertainment industry. The concert industry giant joins agencies CAA, UTA, WME, and 50 other entertainment companies.

Posted by David at 2/13/2018 02:19:00 PM

SAG-AFTRA Releases Sexual Harassment Code of Conduct

AFL-CIO: SAG-AFTRA recently released a code of conduct on sexual harassment as part of a broader program to protect its members, confront harassment and advance equity in the workplace.

Posted by David at 2/15/2018 11:40:00 AM

UK Construction Week bans "inappropriate" outfits after showgirl backlash

www.dezeen.com: UK Construction Week is introducing new equality guidelines following the outcry against the use of promotional models wearing Vegas showgirl outfits at last year's event.

Media 10, a publisher and the organiser of the annual trade show, has released a code of conduct for exhibitors "setting the standard" for equality and diversity in the industry.

Posted by David at 2/16/2018 11:55:00 AM

Viola Davis Talks MeToo, Inequality for Women of Color With Tina Brown

Variety: Is the #MeToo movement a true tipping point? Or will this moment pass with no real impact on our culture?

That was the main question posed at the Women in the World salon, held Tuesday at NeueHouse in Hollywood.

Reprising a powerful quote from her speech at the Women’s March in Los Angeles last month, Viola Davis said, “Nothing can be great unless it costs you something.”

Posted by David at 2/14/2018 02:04:00 PM

SAG-AFTRA Releases Official Code of Conduct for a Post-Weinstein World

Backstage: With Hollywood still reeling from the onslaught of sexual harassment revelations, the nation’s union of screen actors, SAG-AFTRA, has released a code of conduct for sexual harassment, revealing a “Four Pillars of Change” initiative.

Posted by David at 2/14/2018 02:03:00 PM

Worth a Look - Time's Up

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Performers And Staffers At “Sleep No More” Say Audience Members Have Sexually Assaulted Them

www.buzzfeed.com: Audience members wander through dozens of elaborately decorated rooms as dancers perform a blood-and-sex filled adaptation of Macbeth at the immersive theater production Sleep No More. The lighting ranges from dim to very dark; guests are intentionally separated from the people they arrived with. Before the performance, an actor usually declares that “fortune favors the bold,” and the 400 or so audience members are instructed to wear — and not remove — ghoulish white masks, fueling a sense of anonymity amid the production’s fantasy setting. And sometimes, former staffers said, audience members just reached out and groped them.

Posted by David at 2/06/2018 12:04:00 PM

Guest Column: Actors’ Equity’s Mary McColl on Leadership, Misconduct

Variety: A number of major regional theaters are changing artistic leaders at the moment. Over the last few months, that number has only grown as charges of sexual harassment and misconduct roil the industry. The two trends are linked — and make a call to action ever more critical.

Posted by David at 2/07/2018 11:55:00 AM

How much longer will 'auteur' filmmakers torment women for art?

www.usatoday.com: Hollywood, as we have been learning, is a mean place to work. To obscene pay inequities and outrageous sexual misconduct, now we can add abusive on-set treatment of female actors to extract the most realistic performance for the screen.

Thanks to Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino for this latest conversation about the uglier aspects of Tinseltown, where a mania for onscreen "authenticity" comes dangerously close to abuse — or even death — on set.

Is the jig finally up? One can only hope.

Posted by David at 2/07/2018 11:58:00 AM

He helped Halle Berry and Taraji Henson to stardom. Now 9 minority women are accusing him of sexual harassment.

The Washington Post: Tamika Lamison was a 27-year-old stage actress living in New York City in June 1996 when she stepped into Hollywood manager Vincent Cirrincione's hotel suite, excited by the unexpected opportunity to audition for the man behind Halle Berry's rising stardom.

Lamison said she had been introduced to Cirrincione the previous night by one of his clients at the Tony Awards dinner. Soon after her arrival at the hotel, Cirrincione's phone rang. It was Berry. He put the famous actress on speaker as Lamison listened in silently, in awe — thinking that perhaps Cirrincione could steer her own acting career to Hollywood success in an industry with few leading roles for African American actresses like her.

When the call ended, Lamison began reciting a poem she had written. Midway through her performance, she said, Cirrincione grabbed her and started kissing her, sticking his tongue in her mouth.

Posted by David at 2/05/2018 11:42:00 AM

Ava DuVernay Clip From 'Half the Picture' Documentary

The Mary Sue: It’s a special time in Hollywood right now. Women in the entertainment industry have never been so visible, or so vocal. While there’s still work to do, people are more conscious of how widespread and pervasive gender bias is in the industry. In her documentary, Half the Picture, director Amy Adrion tells the stories of other female filmmakers, like herself, who’ve had to navigate sexism at every turn in order to make any of their projects happen.

Posted by David at 2/07/2018 11:55:00 AM