Polanski Apologists Don’t Speak for All of Us in Hollywood
by Ed BerneroEnough.
Anyone who would sign a petition demanding release of a fugitive child rapist is actively hurting a business I love and DOES NOT speak for all of the entertainment industry. America needs to know that by viewing/buying our product, the public is not supporting these views.
Our industry is made up mostly of hard working, decent people who believe in this country and the justice system. I strongly feel that one of the bigger reasons for the decline in film and television is that the public, our customer base, has simply had enough of Hollywood. And I don’t blame them.
I have a question for those supporting Roman Polanski: Is there no line? Is there no line at which you won’t blindly support someone? He’s an artist? So what? Charles Manson was a decent guitar player. Hitler could paint. Roman Polanski is a good director. So-the-hell what? This man drugged and anally raped a thirteen-year-old girl. The transcript of her testimony can be found online. Read it. It should horrify you.
It wasn’t “rape-rape”? What the hell does that even mean, Ms. Goldberg? Are you suggesting that the little girl was at fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? For not more forcefully resisting an adult her mother placed her with? A famous man?
Or maybe you meant that “statutory rape” isn’t “rape-rape.” Even if you accept the insane notion that a drugged and drunk thirteen-year-old COULD consent to sex with a forty-year-old man, THAT ISN’T WHAT HAPPENED! Read her testimony. Polanski forcibly raped her. She told him “no” repeatedly. When asked why she didn’t fight more, the girl testified, “I was afraid of him.” That sure as hell seems like “rape-rape’” to me.
Is it something else in the view of a self-proclaimed “feminist”?
Another popular justification seems to be, “The victim forgives him.” As a former police officer I can tell you unequivocally that the victim of a crime is often the person least capable of making that decision. They are frightened and humiliated. They just want it all to go away.
Twenty-years or so ago, the Domestic Violence laws were changed in most states requiring police officers to sign complaints instead of asking the abused spouse to do so. Why? Because a lot of them wouldn’t. They were so afraid or so used to the abuse, they didn’t think they could stop it. Jaycee Lee Dugard, the little girl kidnapped by Phillip Garrido, held and raped for eighteen years and forced to give birth to two children in a tent in a backyard (one when she was fourteen), APOLOGIZED to her family. After enduring half a lifetime of abuse, she is the one who feels guilty. Does that mean we let him go?
No. It is a just society’s DUTY to seek justice for them, ESPECIALLY when that victim is a child.
I gratefully added my name to BigHollywood’s petition. Grateful for the chance to tell my customers, the public, that we in Hollywood are not all immoral. We are not all valueless. We are not all possessed by the kind of moral relativism that would excuse raping a child because “Chinatown” was a good film.
Enough.
Edward Allen Bernero, Writer/Director/Executive Producer
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149 Comments
I wonder if Ms. Goldberg would be so cavalier if the the 13 year old girl that was raped were black.
I guess you just don't understand. Roman Polanski has been punished enough. Do you know how many of Elton John's post oscar bashes he has missed? Do you realize that he's never even been to Chateau Marmont ?
Well said!
Very well said Mr. Bernero. Thank you. I wish we could know which shows, films, projects we could watch with wondering whether we are supporting a value system with which we completely disagree. Unfortunately the system we have allows dim-witted few to appear to speak for an industry. Would love for you to help change that; would even love to help you help change it. How?
great column…agree completely.
Send him to prison so he can really understand what rape-rape is.
Send Whoopi to although rape-rape for her will be a hard sell. I think I'd prefer to do Polanski.
I agree with point that Ed Bernero is making. The problem however is that the people in the entertainment industry that do have decent values are not the ones controlling the bullhorn to the public. Until you can grab that bullhorn away from the Leftists in your industry that control it, the entertainment industry will continue to decline.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sally Forth and Big Hollywood. Big Hollywood said: Polanski Apologists Don’t Speak for All of Us in Hollywood http://bit.ly/WmHBF [...]
I agree with the point that Ed Bernero is making. The problem however is that the people in the entertainment industry that do have decent values are not the ones controlling the bullhorn to the public. Until you can grab that bullhorn away from the Leftists in your industry that control it, the entertainment industry will continue to decline.
Great article. Thank you.
Thank you Sir! It does my soul good to hear decent human beings speak out, and strongly!
Thank you.
I was about to steam roll you with a reply till I got to the punch line and realized it was sarcasm. And pretty good at that.
Thank you, Mr. Bernero, for your decency and common sense. I love "Criminal Minds" even more now.
Whoopi Goldberg contacted the Today Show to clarify her "it wasn't rape-rape" comment, saying she was trying to keep it within the correct legal aspect.
Actually, Whoopi pretty well explains that in the opening part of that "View" clip – Polanski wasn't convicted of "rape", he was convicted of "unlawful intercourse with a minor". What Whoopi says in the beginning of that clip is this:
"All I'm trying to get you to understand is, when we're talking about what someone did and what they were charged with, we have to say what it actually was, not what we THINK it was."
Okay. But the conviction was due to a plea bargain. To me – and this is only my opinion, I'm not a lawyer – it's something like being charged with "murder in the second degree" and making a plea bargain for "second degree manslaughter". There are different criteria for each version. It's a lesser version of the crime, but that doesn't mean you didn't commit the crime that you were originally charged for – and in this hypothetical case, the victim is just as dead.
Polanski raped and sodomized a thirteen-year-old girl (according to the girl's grand jury testimony), but was convicted on a lesser charge. Now, maybe according to the law he "didn't" rape her, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen – and by all accounts, it DID happen. If the victim wants this thing dropped so she doesn't have to go through a trial, I can understand and sympathize. My point is that he WAS convicted and he skipped town before sentencing. THAT is something he needs to answer for.
As for protecting the show – if Whoopi made this clarification solely for the purpose of keeping the show from being sued, I'm quite sure that the show's legal department has a disclaimer at the end saying something like "the views expressed here are not necessarily the opinions of this program of this station or any of its affiliates" and so on. If there is no such disclaimer, then that would leave the show wide open to lawsuits. And IMHO, that should be the legal department's worry, not Whoopi's.
According to Meredith Viera, Whoopi also said she is "not a supporter of Roman Polanski". I'll believe that when it comes from Whoopi's mouth.
I'm sorry, but Hollywood needs to be starved to death, and then buried in an unmarked grave. It's totally corrupt and too late to save it. I'm being naive to think that it can be demolished, but at least I'm not poisoning my psyche.
I agree with you, but it's not going to sound like it at first.
Hear me out, first off, good riddance. The next generation of the industry can't bloom while the current generation is sucking all the air out of the room. And by generation, I don't mean people's age, I mean the next stage in evolution of the industry. Free market economics in action.
Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources for which there are other uses. If a city is going to spend $5 million to build a bridge, the cost isn't just the $5 million, its also everything else that could have been done with it.
Put the paying customers in touch with those who are searching for their product, and if the like it, pay dirt.
I'll be these petitions are like ballots for the Academy Awards–the assistants actually do the signing,
The more the American public has to listen to the likes of Polanski, Goldberg and the entire Twisted Left (Letterman obviously is jealous of the media attention), the more I wonder how long we will allow our sensibilities and intelligence will be raped, rape-raped or x-raped (whatever daft definition these droolers will next call it)?
Thank you for this post, Mr. Bernero. I hope more people like you stand up in Hollywood. We need you to.
You Mr. Bernero, Ms. Ally. The French director Luc……., I apologize for forgetting his last name, no way to treat
such an upfront guy, all show a lot of guts. Since there are a few top guys that will hold a grudge
the support of you and a few others is imperative. I will attend any picture that you folks are involved with
as support, tho in such a small way, but important to me.
The point about the victim not wanting to press charges is not exactly true in this case. Neither she nor her family support Polanski in any way, she wanted him to be punished…she just does not want the media attention and feels that his prosecution (a thing she embraces) has been mishandled. She thinks she was raped as in "rape-rape."
I disagree, but understand your opinion, the current Hollywood "establishment" needs to go away. Funny how that's what these people protested against in the 60's. The establishment. Funny how that happens, over and over and over.
What needs to be done is the reallocation of scarce resources. There are paying customers, who are willing to spend, but they don't like the product the current Hollywood establishment provides.
They need to be put in contact with people selling the products they want to buy. Not that I'm a big fan of Mel Gibson as a person, but he nailed it with Passion nailed it.
The internet, youtube, BH, that's all filling the void as the customers migrate away from the old establishment. The question is, how to make it more efficient, easier, cheaper. That will do it.
Right on Ed, well said – enough!
Ed, great article! The best part to me is that you ask the question "is there no line?" and point out that just because someone has an artistic skill doesn't cancel the evil they do! Excellent examples completely comparable to horrible acts he did—–the rape—-and the drugging,. I hate the fact that most people think of the drugging as just an incidental vehicle to the rape. By itself it is sinister to do this to another person.
Bless you, Ed! You speak from the heart and from experience. Good to know that decency still lives in the Hollywood fever swamp.
If there is a disclaimer at the end of the show, they didn't add it because of Whoopi, it was because of Rosie's loud ass.
The moral relativists who snicker at the behavior of Letterman or excuse the crime of Polanski reveal their blatant ignorance of right and wrong. If a corporate executive or a Republican politician were guilty of either of these offenses, the same moral relativists would be screaming to high heaven for their scalps. However when a lefty celebrity or a Democrat President, for instance, is guilty of the same offense, it's just no big deal. In fact, it might even be amusing. These morally decrepit souls are simply evil. Not Letterman, Polanski or Clinton, who are just sinners, but the truly evil people are the ones who selectively excuse or condemn wrong-doing based on their own prejudices concerning the perpetrator. That, is true evil.
Jimmy Stewart = genuine good (in a non-relativistic way) guy. Appreciative. Didn't seem to care if he was doing the "approved" thing. A man of conviction, whether you agreed with him or not.
Paul Newman = Ditto.
Much of today's Hollywood = Ideology 'Я' Us. They're not doing their job if they're not involved in the group think du jour. Snarky towards dissension and the common folk.
As a film buff, I could not be more disappointed.
Proud to know you, Ed.
S/F,
JRH
Thank you so much, Mr. Bernero, for your decency and goodness. You offer a glimmer of light and hope to all of us who are so angered, dismayed, and just truly disheartened by the support this man has received from Hollywood. It is just unconscionable. Thank you.
She farted that much, huh?
I'm honestly against that idea. Hollywood producers should consider insuring stars against "couch-jumping."
You already insure against a car wreck or drug addiction removing them from a production, how hard would it be to insure against the star accidentally "poisoning the box office well" by throwing a public tantrum, insulting a major segment of your target audience, or marrying Tom Cruise?
Adam Baldwin and Gary Graham would become A-Listers almost overnight. Tom Hanks would be co-starring in Gary Sinise films.
Robert Downey Jr. is a fantastic actor, but that didn't matter if insurance wouldn't cover him on the set. Apply that logic to political potheads like Whoopi and the market will correct itself.
Thanks, sir. Good to hear someone truly angry about all this.
Thank you for an outstanding and well stated commentary. There are a lot of good people in LA and in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately we seldom hear from the grown ups.
But I already threw away my copy of blade runner this morning after I saw harrison ford signed the petition. Natalie portman also signed it, So I am considering giving away my copies of Star Wars episode 1 2 and 3.
Under these circumstances, she probably would be. Her professed stance is keeping with the legal record to avoid legal problems for ABC, record says this was "sex with a minor" thus legally this was not rape-rape (whatever that is).
Also, I believe she is on record for decrying "abstinence only" as not working, the kids will have sex regardless. Plus there is rampant underage alcohol use as well as general illegal drug use. Given what she has said in the past about personal use of weed, it does not seem like that is a big deal with her.
So if we were looking at a girl, who happened to be black, who had alcohol, some drugs, then had sex, that does not seem to be a problem. Could happen a thousand times a day in a large metro area. She was underage with an older partner, big deal, we should be as "progressive" as Europe.
Now if we were talking about some average white older businessman and this was just a story in the newspaper, or God forbid involved a Republican politician, who had the girl brought to his house for something else and then did this… Oh yeah, not as cavalier. Does The View have at least a five-second delay?
I was a big fan of yours before I read this……….Now a "huge" fan ! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thanks for speaking up. There's hope for Hollywood.
Great Read.If all of these actors would have just done their job,instead of lobbying and trying to be political activists they would have gone under the radar longer.I am glad that their true colors have shown through.Between the prices of movie tickets and the movies being politicized(hidden themes,propanganda,etc) I stopped sending hw my money years ago.They are just shooting themselves in the foot and watching that show is more entertaining than most of their movies tbh.Don't forget to support the common sense real Americans as well if only to prove a point.
Ed,
Glad to hear it. Too bad most of the folks who feel as you do are acting like all those billions of folks who CLAIM to HATE TERRORISTS. They just don't do it out loud. They only say it when you specifically ask them.
Wish all the folks in Hollywood who are outraged were willing to SPEAK UP like you!
It's not like they don't have media access!
Thank you, great post. I still do not go to movies where the actor has politics or ideas I disagree with or have made fun of something I hold sacred. I am Mormon. If some of these actors, Tom Hanks comes to mind first can't keep their mouths shut, fine, I do not have to buy your product, and I will share my ideas with my friends.
So, no, we do not watch a lot of current movies but there are plenty of good ones and there are lots of books to read and games to play.
Sorry, but what did people do before movies? I think as a nation we were a more moral people.
Well said sir. Once upon a time I counted myself as one of your customer base, but like you said, I like many, have quit watching TV or going to the movies. I can not remember the last movie that I went to, and my TV watching has almost vanished.
Sad state of affairs. I hope it is not too late for you and those that think like you to bring the industry back. Good luck.
Bravo! Can we finally take Hollywood back from the lunatic fringe?
Careful. Subtle sarcasm doesn't always come across well in writing.
I could have done without that mental image a couple of hours before going to sleep. If Rosie so much as makes an appearance in my dreams tonight, I'm gonna give you thumbs down from now on.
j/k
The picture of Roman Polanski being applauded by Oliver Stone is indicative of the twisted way some Hollywood folks think. Oliver Stone made millions flaunting his contempt for the brave men and women who risk their lives on our behalf, but publicly celebrates a man who drugged, raped and sodomized a 13 year old girl and then fled like the coward he is to avoid punishment.
I hear where you are coming from Ed. And I understand that not everyone uses a Harvey Compass to help guide The Frantic Pedophile from a party in the hills above the Sunset Plaza to a party on Mulholland Drive.
Guilt by association sucks. But for far too long the 'wrongness' in the industry has silenced the voices with a more palatable compass. Perhaps in the last few months a new mantle has emerged for voices to be heard.
But what other way can one voice a complete and utter disapproval with the likes of a Harvey Weinstein, a Paltrow, a Robbins, a Streisand, an Allen, a Damon (good grief this list is long – I'll stop now) a Kanye other than with the checkbook.
I'll go out of my way to find your work because the only money I spend towards Hollywood right now is in a monthly DirecTV subscription. Maybe we can use more labels to differentiate productions….like a Harvey Compass with a big red X over it.
Well Said, Ed. & thanx for speaking up for those of us who work in/or with Hollywood and share your same feelings.
You're right, Debbie. Hollywood gets away with this kind of disgusting behavior because the rest of us tolerate it.
Very well put Ed, without equivocation, I like it.
This is complete BS. She was not talking about what he was convicted of, she was talking about what he did.
A couple of years ago I had the experience of being in a movie, fun, and more exhausting than one would think. Anyway, one day the director and I went into his secretary's office for something. The whole office was a shrine to Palestinian terrorists, or rather, freedom fighters. My jaw hit the floor, and then he started waxing eloquent about her being in Israel at some kind of commune or some such. Some kind of project that would show the world that the Palestinians and Israelis could work together. I'm sure, after looking at her office, that this project was a huge success. Her walls were covered with pictures of "martyrs", pictures of the damge done by suicide bombers, a huge palestinian flag, and cartoons about Israelis that would make Hitler blush. This wasn't some no name director either, he's pretty well known, and of course, in this movie the bad guy was an evil republican. So it doesn't surprise me that a large portion of Hollywood would defend someone like Roman Polanski, he's definitely one of them!
Ace, I totally agree. There are the odd Gary Sinise's, John Voit's, and Tom Selleck's, but most of the remainder would serve the public better being buried and forgotten. I hate elitists of any stripe. I hope the middle-class continues to get organized and makes these bastards all the more irrelevant. There is one 'star' who deserves what he has coming more than any other: David Letterman. He is no longer funny and has no honor. He is the purest and most overt form of coward.
Just to be clear, I'm not saying that Polanski's a terrorist apologist! I'm talking about that whole mindset there which sees Palestinian terrorists as something to be admired, the mindset that sees nothing wrong with their methods. So, yeah, if killing teenagers and kids in a pizza parlor is fine, then drugging and raping a 13 year old is no big deal.
[...] ED BERNERO: Polanski Apologists Don’t Speak For All Of Us In Hollywood. [...]
Polanski is presumptuous here. He has seen, as have we all, that millions of Americans, perhaps a majority, were willing to look the other way from Bill Clinton's numerous rapes and lesser assaults, including in the Oval Office. The Polanski Defense, rightly decried, is nothing more or less than the Clinton Defense with only the profession of the principle being changed. Clinton raped Juanita Broderick and others and no one wants to hold him to account in the merest fashion. This of course is not confined to the entertainment industry but you can bet Clinton defenders are thick on the ground there.
What if Mr Polanski were "Father Polanski"? What Then Ms Golberg?
Thank you. More in hollyweird need to speak up because I am one who will vote with my precious few dollars I have to spend on intertainment and I refuse to give it to those who are morally corrupt or who are helping to corrupt our country.
Enough. G*d shows you what is inside people for a reason. Beware because a man is known by the company he keeps.
In her filmed interview she said she forgives him and doesn't want him prosecuted.
Thank you Mr. Bernero! For years I have been very particular about which Hollywood projects I support. I have missed out on many great works I am sure but refuse to knowingly give my money to the fringe fraction of Hollywood because it has been my only “voice” in the industry, until now. Thank you for speaking for me, my neighbors and most especially for young victims of violence all over the world.
To fully demonstrate my appreciation, I will be buying the entire series of Criminal Minds on DVD. I was considering it anyway because it is one of the best shows on television but you just closed the deal!
Your industry no longer speaks to the larger public. It speaks with no common or shared truth and it does not reflect the human condition, at least as that it is recognized by the vast majority of americans and the lives they lead. It has not for years and without that link it has not produced what I would describe as art in any meaningful sense of the word. What we get instead is spectacle, special effects, cinematography and curiosity. Mr. Polanski's situation and the reaction to it from a significant segment of your "arts community" only highlights that deficiency. If onecannot recognize justice or essential truth how can one reasonably expect the creation of great art? Just a questiion posed from one of the great unwashed. I would be curious about your response.
Mr. Bernero,
Thanks for speaking up-it is desperately needed, especially when you have people like Weinstein speaking for 'Hollywood.'
And you're right about the decline in movies and television. I've gone to the movies 3 times in about 10 yrs., never rent movies, and rarely watch anything other than TCM and political shows on TV, all due to my loathing of Hollywood.
And the thing is, I don't feel I'm missing anything because there are a lot of other things to do and enjoy. It's too bad the decent people lose out because of the morally corrupt. I'm more than happy to support people and a product I find to be worthy of my support, but the entertainment industry makes it hard.
Hey you guys! It's not as if Polanski questioned that absolute certainty of global warming! Come on. It's not as if he voted Republican, or anything. Cut him some slack. The girl doesn't want to go through another trial! So let's just drop it right now. Look how cute he is. I would do him, so why wouldn't a 13 year old?
"It wasn’t “rape-rape”? What the hell does that even mean, Ms. Goldberg?"
I guess it means that he didn´t send her to the hospital with a bloody nose and a broken jaw. Rapists, take note: Not beating the victim into a coma gets you points from Whoopie Goldberg.
Thank you for speaking out, Mr. Bernero. I don´t watch a lot of TV but I did enjoy "Third Watch" a lot. A very fine show.
Throwing it away hurts only yourself. Give it away or sell it on ebay, then you can keep a new copy from being sold. Don´t you guys know how markets work!?
All rapists should be hanged by the b@lls and beaten to death with broom handles.
I'm still waiting for Whoopi to "clarify her remarks".
(Sound of crickets…)
This tweet from Allahpundit just about perfectly describes the immoral degenerates in Hollywood and beyond:
"Word on the street: Polanski's next film is so good, Europe's going to let him bang an eight-year-old. It's THAT GOOD."
The 99% of Hollywood that are complete perverts give the other 1% a bad name.
Thank you, Mr Bernero. For years now I have been a fan of your work and have nothing but respect for you. This just made it bigger.
Thank you for being one of the few decent people in this industry. And I don't speak for the crews, who actually do work and get no recognition. I speak for those shameless names who would do anything to make into after parties and "exclusive circles".
I'm so ashamed of Natalie Portman (who thinks herself to be so inteligent), Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen (whose signature just reminded me the fact that he married who once was his stepdaughter) and names such as David Heyman, who produces the Harry Potter movies (this one really shocked me), and many more who I still can't believe think that being an artist/director trumps being a child rapist. Or worse, only signed this because they are friends with this man. Who in the world would be friends with someone like this man. What's next, let him babysit?
This 43 years-old man raped a 13 years-old. Think like this, three years before that happened, this girls was 10, that man was 40. And people are still making excuses as if there are any.
He had a hard life? How many people have gone through horrifying traumas and still don't think that gives them a free pass? Or for those who do think they have some kind of right to ruin someone else's life, don't we punish them as it's made fit?
Punish this man. Put him in jail. And let's shut this absurd mass of idiots, who have no respect for anybody out there who won't get them something.
Thank you so much for your post, Ed. I agree completely.
Thank you… and it's people like you that I will support in Hollywood.
Too bad your new show (Washington Fields) hasn't been picked up yet… it sounds intriguing and I really like Gina Torres.
That's sort of the whole point here.
I don't care what anybody's name is, social status, religion, or lifetime achievements.
If Gandhi had raped that girl…..rape is rape.
Every day Billions of people get up, live their lives, and don't break the law.
It really is JUST that simple.
Count me in. I love the show and this is just one more reason to make it part of my collection!
I think the best thing we can do about Whoopi is to just ignore her. I used to respect her back in the 80s but now she has become a media whore who is more about getting attention for herself.
Criminal Minds fan here. Good to see some in Hollywood speaking out against the Polanski-apologists.
[...] the article here: Polanski Apologists Don’t Speak for All of Us in Hollywood This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
Let me get this straight. If Polanski forgives Manson for slashing open Sharon Tate's belly and killing their unborn child, we should let Manson go?
Look, buddy. I don't know you from Adam and can't tell you what to do, but it would be nice to know the director's name who employs this twisted fruit-bat of a secretary. We have boys half-a-world away dying because of these terrorist bastards. Their parents, brothers, sisters, wives, childrens, and friends might be buying tickets to this guy's movies. This results in those good people unwittingly financially supporting and validating the agenda of someone who wishes to destroy America. I hope one day you name these peoplet. If more people stood up and outed these bastards, we would have a safer world. Personally, I would be dropping these names at every stop.
Well said Edward Allen Bernero I commend you for speaking out! You should be proud of yourself!
I wrote to T-Mobile today about their spokeswoman Whoopi Goldberg's "it's not rape-rape" statement. Their email address was harder to get a hold of than a flea's teat. So far I have received one reply from the address. They said they forwarded my message along to the advertising team. I can't believe she still has her job on The View.
And OMG! You are producer of Criminal Minds?!!!!!! I LOVE that show!
I'm so glad that I'm already a huge fan of Criminal Minds, because after this I really would had had to become one. Three cheers for speaking up.
You know CalDavey I get where you're coming from and agree with your lucid post. Polanski and attorney plea bargined down to a lesser charge obviously, as well as, he obviously fled the jurisdiction, which is the crux of his current legal difficulties. As earlier stated by many, he fled before his sentence was passed down and avoided serving. THAT cannot be tolerated whatsoever.
I'm finished reiterating what you said. As for Whoopi and her crew View, I surmise that there is a lot of CYA mode going on.
RIGHT ON!!! As well we all should. I would like to know, who the hell this director and secretary are too!!
It is foolish to throw away a recording that you already paid for. They already got your money. Besides, "Blade Runner" was a great movie.
Learn to enjoy the movies that you like without feeding the beast.
BitTorrent is your friend.
Good post and very true. I have had some thoughts and am happy for the chance to vent here.
It is sad and also infuriating for me to watch these so-called artists circle the wagons around such a disgusting little creep. I am reminded of the Mel Gibson debacle when he was arrested in Malibu for DUI and he chose to use some foul, anti-semitic words to demean a police officer. The backlash was immediate and very harsh.
I recall that some ladies on 'The View" ( home to pedophile lover, Whoopi Goldberg) were very quick to judge Mr. Gibson. Their responses on air ranged from suggesting public circumcision(Behar) to a threat to "never see another movie by Mel Gibson"(Barbara Walters).
Read the foxnews story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206740,00.htm...
I would have LOVED to see the same swift anger and disgust fired at Roman Polanski by the same folks who were disgusted with Gibson. To her credit, Joy Behar stated on air that she agreed with Sheree Shepherd, while Whoopi kept on defending the little rapist.
(continued below)
I am still waiting to hear ONE person from this fraternity make the same threat about Polanski's films that Walter's made toward Mel's.
I am not equating the 2 crimes and I am not condoning what Mr. Gibson did. I am simply wondering why there was so much easy and public condemnation for one, but NOTHING for the other until the public started showing their disgust and anger.
My feeling is, the refusal to view Polanski's "art" will not come from the Hollywood "elite", but from the people who really matter; the ones that actually pay for their tickets and DVDs.
Take THAT Hollywood.
I'm pleased we've entered the era of non-patriarchal, completely feminist, social justice. If she says 'no' it isn't 'rape-rape.' I hope our progressive courts, who so often overturn antiquated prohibitions against sexual behaviors, drug use, and prison sentence progress the law to this new standard.
This isn't a Left-Right issue. There are plenty of people on the Left who have been just as aghast at Polanski's defenders…you know, like feminists? This isn't about politics, this is about the privilege of being a powerful, wealthy white male and the fact that if you're an unfamous little girl, apparently you don't matter to some people.
Clinton never raped a little girl, dude. Lewinski was a consenting adult. It's not "the same offense" by a long shot.
Whoopi's remarks are not feminist, nor do any real feminists agree with her. Peg Yorkin can also kiss my feminist ass.
Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with your political leanings. There are plenty of liberals that I know who are absolutely appalled by the circling of the wagons that has been done by some in Hollywood. This has more to do with protecting their own class than anything else.
Kudos to Ed, Kevin Smith, Bill Maher, and others who had their BS meter pegged on something like this.
'Whoops' about my spelling errors, it was about 4 AM and I was falling asleep. I hope you all can make sense of it, and Anonomouse please take what I am saying into consideration.
'Whoops' about my spelling errors, it was about 4 AM and I was falling asleep. I hope you all can make sense of it, and Anonomouse please take what I am saying into consideration.
[...] building. Unsurprisingly Kevin Smith, who has a young daughter, isn’t down with it [...]
I do not support Roman Polanski in any way neither do I support acts of terrorism.
But I have to point out the fact that why is it acceptable to call the Palestinian terrorists instead of the Israelis? The Palestinians are trying to defend heir home from Israelis, they are being attacked by the Israelis who have far more technological weapons which causes more damage yet the ones whom are terrorists are the Palestinian instead ? I am not trying to be a terrorist apologist but the media in America is unfair. They cast a negative light on Palestine and only show the negativity of Palestine;the few nutheads whom terrorize and cast it off as the whole nation while ignoring the negativity in Israel instead. Are you aware that in Israel they launched missiles attacks at Gaza and the crowd gathers to watch as if it is some kind of Fireworks events? Are you aware that while the Israels uses tanks and guns to invade Gaza, the Palestinians only has few means of protection by using rocks and stones and old technological rifles? I just have to make it clear to the American public that; Israels is not as innocent as they seemed so before judging Palestinians as the terrorists reconsider the Israelis actions. They attacked Gaza in their own home and that seems even more of a terrorist action to me. The Israelis lives in Luxury while neighboring Gaza lives in poverty and yet they deem it necessary to attack them.
Because Dave Letterman slept with women on his staff he has no honor and is a coward? He refused to be bullied by a man looking to make a quick buck off of his romantic affairs, confessed his "creepy" actions (his words) on air to his vast audience and owned up to his issues. How is that cowardly?
Mr. Bernero, I'm not gonna shullbit you — I don't like Criminal Minds. But if I am ever again chosen to be surveyed by Nielsen (which I have been three times over the past ten years), I will suffer through it to reward your courage.
Ted Kennedy didn't kill-kill Mary Jo Kopechne, and Robert "Sheets" Byrd didn't belong to the Klan-Klan.
Besides, it's not like Polanski voted for Palin or Bush. Now THERE is the line that can't be crossed.
i would have thought they had staff to PREVENT them from diving headlong into such a PR disaster. their agents must be furious with them.
you should've kept blade runner…throw away episodes 1-3 for sure though
This is fantastic. Thank you.
We may be focusing on Whoopi's comments and the Hollywood pundits defense of Roman the Rapist, but in truth, there has been for the past 40 years a vast " left wing conspiracy " to undermine this great nation and it's Judeo/Christian values. They all seem to worship at the alter of Moral Relativism/Secular Humanism, and It is just not Hollywood. It is happening in TV shows, The news Media, Broadway shows,the world of Rock and Soul Music, the arts community. This diverse community of cultural elitists consider themselves the in crowd. To be part of this " chosen ones " group, you must be ultra-liberal, religion hating( especially Christians ), anti-conservative and amoral. To think or act otherwise condemns you to be a social outcast in this circle of urbane intelligentsia. They are all apostates, they have no moral center, this Roman the rapist defense is just another example of their mind-set.
This is the most asinine comment on this board. They are terrorists. Are the media also casting negative light on the plotters of 9/11? Jesus, you are messed up.
Your comment is almost as asinine as Selena. If this secretary had pictures of suicide-bombers and the destruction of property, deaths of innocent people naturally follow suit. So you think he had an over-the-top reaction? Maybe you will be lucky enough to try "negotiating" with some of these palestinian barbarians some day.
like i said, we haven't actually seen what's on display in this woman's office – we're only going on anonomouse's impression of it. are pictures of ground zero glorifying 9-11? pictures of destruction can be memorials or reminders that what is happening is wrong.
it's unlikely i'll never need to 'negotiate' (although i'm not sure mass murder/ethnic cleansing is technically 'negotiation') as i'm not attempting to systematically wipe them out or drive them from their country.
Luc Besson is the man you are referring too, as quoted below.
French director Luc Besson told RTL radio he liked Polanski but was unsure about the case. "I have great deal of affection for him, he's a man I like a lot, who I know a bit…I don't know anything about this case but I think if you don't show up for a trial, you put yourself in the wrong. I don't have any judgment to make on this but it's true, I have a daughter, she's 13 and if she were raped, I wouldn't think quite the same thing, even 30 years later," Besson said.
He directed Nikta, Leon – The Professional, The Fifth Element and wrote and produced a heap of others like Transporter and Taken and obviously even more French films.
How many Israelis are 'suicide' bombers? There is this moral relativism that exists leading people, like you, to compare Israel's infringement of 'Palestinian land rights' with Palestinian suicide bombers that actually kill innocent people. The difference between civilization and barbarianism is that Israelis are not strapping themselves with bombs and going into a mosque. Just for the record, most Americans are not on your side on this issue. And it just so happens we are right.
That's my belief too…and there's a lot of that CYA going around. But ABC and The View won't fire her. They love her too much.
A bullseye Ed !!!! PS "Brooklyn South" was probably one of the BEST single season shows ever made. If you have not seen it, get the DVDS ASAP.
A bullseye Ed !!!! ………PS and if anyone here hasnt seen "Brooklyn South", it was probably one of the BEST single season shows ever made. If you have not seen it, get the DVDS ASAP.
the horror of it all, the poor man!!!!
thats the logic yes….they seem to think this way
go buy "Brooklyn South" if you have never seen it
Thank you Scott, I was too much of a hurry to give Mr. Besson the respect he
deserved and look up his name. I enjoyed the Professional very much, as well
as the 5th Element and others which is coincidental to my admiration for his stand in this
argument. Unless you have some principals, the easy way is to agree with the many,
or at least remain quiet. He chose neither.
There be a liberal/media CYA-fest going on with not only this, but the latest Letterman brouhaha. I'll be sitting back and enjoying the ride and watching it all unfold before us.
I don't think Whoopi will suffer any consequences from her comments by either The View, or ABC, too. Nothing to see here, move on, move on, move on…
Oh no – you said "move on" three times. That's how you summon George Soros!
But he's BEEN prosecuted and pled guilty. He fled the country before he was sentenced. That's what he has to answer to.
What did people do before movies? According to Hollywood, we just stared at the cave walls and scratched ourselves.
Thank you for your service to this country.
Thank you, Mr. Bernero, for standing up for what is right. (Should I mention that Criminal Minds is my fave network show?)
I'd sure like to know what my old high school buddy, the current editor of the Hollywood Reporter, thinks of all this, but she never answers her e-mail. *sigh*
Whoopi Goldberg is an idiot. She was getting the details of the issue through an earpiece AS she was telling the other panelists that they were being unclear on the details, and that it upset her that people were being passionate about something without knowing the details – what? While openly receiving her info-feed of the most basic facts of the case AS she spoke? This stuff is beyond parody.
this woman (the secretary) shouldn't be glorifying violence (if that is the case – the fact that she's in israel working on a project to 'show the world that palestinians and israelis can work together' suggests that Anonomouse had a way over the top knee-jerk response to something far less extreme than he's painted it) but selena's nailed the reality of the situation. israel is persecuting palestinians as they themselves were persecuted – as has been pointed out with regard to polanski, surely people who have suffered such horrors as the holocaust should have the compassion not to inflict violence on others less powerful than themselves.
like i said, we haven't actually seen what's on display in this woman's office – we're only going on anonomouse's impression of it. are pictures of ground zero glorifying 9-11? pictures of destruction can be memorials or reminders that what is happening is wrong.
it's unlikely i'll never need to 'negotiate' (although i'm not sure mass murder/ethnic cleansing is technically 'negotiation') with palestinians as i'm not attempting to systematically wipe them out or drive them from their country.
and 'barbarians'? nice touch. so the difference between barbarianism and civilisation is having slick weapons, amirite? go israel.
I have to disagree here: I totally understand how Polanski feels. It IS unfair that he can't work in Hollywood.
I don't have a writing job in Mazatlan, would everyone please put a petition together for me? And I haven't even raped anyone! But maybe I should, since it seems to get celebrities rallying around you and making you their hero.
Oh yeah, and "rape-rape" means, you know… not "like, THAT kind of rape." You didn't know that? Geez, you're accusing Ms. Goldberg of just pulling some bizarre, ignorant and offensive definition out of thin air.
thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. i can't tell you how much it means to me to read this.
As others have said, this really isn't a left-right issue, it's a class issue. Their argument is very simple and totally apolitical: "Roman Polanski is old and rich and famous, so he should get off scot-free no matter what he did."
What is wrong those people??? I know they are dumb, bu t how warped of human beings are they.
That is why I don't go to movies anymore. Just can't stand them, with good reason.
I am just curious if all the big names in holliwood, that signed the petition for Mr.polanski have actually read the court documents of what this 13 year old girl had to go through? I did and I am sure as hell shocked that anyone(especially women, or people with children) would signing it knowing the details. It was rape-rape, any way you look at it. Anyone that signed the petition is just as twisted as he. Even if it was consensual it would be wrong! This is a child we are talking about! It wasnt unfortunately consensual it was rape!
I dont even think its a 'white male' thing….its just a sick thing we are forced to encounter in society. Plenty get away with it
Okay, former law enforcement officer turned actress here. I agree with you one hundred percent. I just didn't get a chance to respond earlier. I'm stage managing a show right now so all of my spare time is devoted to that. Thanks for the voice. I hear the abject frustration in it that I hear in my own thoughts.
.
Regarding "Third Watch": I always thought it was strangely realistic. Now I know why!!
thank you sir
It has nothing to do with politics — I (an avowed bleeding-heart liberal) and all of my left-leaning friends are horrified by the "Polanski has suffered enough — let him go" bullshit and the idea that because he's a talented director he's somehow above the law. Don't you dare drag politics into this.
Letterman didn't call his own actions creepy. He called the man "looking to make a quick buck" creepy. And then he got the audience to laugh about his "dalliances". Because cheaters and liars are soooo much better than the people that blackmail them. Give me a break. He owned up to nothing. Letterman IS a coward and a has no honor.
He's a coward because he constructed a punchline to whitewash his affairs. He would never have to respond to the audience's dismay if he could get them to laugh about it. And he has no honor because he cheated on a woman who stood by him for years. Who is the mother of his child. And he lied to his audience when he ridiculed others for the same activity.
Precisely. Which is why this guy shouldn't.
The Polanski affair just adds one more piece of evidence that the idiot lefties in alternate universe of Hollywierd are among the most morally bankrupt people on the planet. I hope the saying "God Will Get You For That" rings true. Anyone that signs the list in support of this child raping scumbag is outing hemselves. Can Big Hollywood publish the list? I would like to see it plastered all over the Internet.
The Polanski affair just adds one more piece of evidence that the idiot lefties in alternate universe of Hollywierd are among the most morally bankrupt people on the planet. I hope the saying "God Will Get You For That" rings true. Anyone that signs the list in support of this child raping scumbag is outing themselves. Can Big Hollywood publish the list? I would like to see it plastered all over the Internet.
Not to kill the joke or anything, but it should be noted that:
1. Polanski admitted to having a reputation in college for going after very young girls. Apparently his friends thought he was silly for engaging in this behavior, but he just loved them young.
2. After his wife's (Sharon Tate) death, he admitted to having cheated on her during the marriage. I don't know how many times or with whom, but he couldn't even be faithful to a wife of only two years. This man may "know women", but he cleary doesn't have any respect for them.
3. In 1975 he engaged in a relationship with Natasha Kinski. When she was 15. Although I'm sure she looked more like 15 1/2. He would have been 40 at the time.
4. 1979 was the year he drugged, raped and sodomized a 13 year old child. Then admitted guilt. Then jumped bail before sentencing.
Con't.
5. In an interview after the rape he told a reporter “If I had killed somebody, it wouldn’t have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But… f—ing, you see, and the young girls. Judges want to f— young girls. Juries want to f— young girls. Everyone wants to f— young girls!” Clearly there is no remorse. And worse, he actually thinks that everyone wants to have sex with children.
6. While he lived in France he had a reputation for illicitly picking up 16 year old girls from their boarding schools and driving them to his home for sex. Is anyone seeing a pattern of behavior here?
7. In a 1994 interview, Polanski stated in regards to the rape, "I have a hard time to persuade myself that it was wrong." Again, no remorse. Even more disturbing is his inability to recognize how vile his actions were.
Polanski was a child sexual predator who was not deterred by marriage or the law. This wasn't a one time event. Anyone who believes that he is not a danger at this point is rolling the dice with other people's children. Now I will stop posting so that I can go take a shower.
NATALIE PORTMAN has lost it. That, or there wasn't too much of it in the first place. You started your career as a kid, you could have been that girl, you're defending a criminal. Why? because it's Roman Polanski, period. EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES. This is awful, I'm shocked.
SHAME ON YOU, NATALIE PORTMAN. SHAME ON YOU. I hope you read this. You have made clear that being able to pass a test and having brains are opposite things. In my country we say: Everybody sees what you want them to see, just a few see who you really are. You just showed who you really are.
The people who made up and/or signed that petition shame themselves as does Whoopi. They are as twisted as Polanski in my eyes. I'm happy to say that I, as well as millions of others, have a good enough head on our shoulders to know that not everyone in hollywood is this twisted.
It's amazingggggg, as Natalie would say lol I'm writing this, I used to worship her less than two years ago. Silly of me for worshiping someone I don't know, but that's how Hollywood brainwashes people.
Natalie Portman has definately screwed up more than once, but this is by far her worst. We don't know her reasons, but whatever these are, it's inexcusable. She should know about empathy, about what is right and wrong, moral and immoral…specially having such a big mouth which she uses to talk down on everything and everyone but herself, and the funny thing is that eventually she ends up doing what she used to criticize. But I guess she saved the nice writing for Harvard and the good talking for her FINCA videos.
I guess she'll apologize, somehow. She can't stand not being adored.
I've been a fan of Natalie for a long time but this has really given me a turn, I don't know if I'll keep being a fan. Not that she cares about fans anyway, she has a fame for being quite reserved/unpleasant., it's something I didn't expect her to do. I expected Allen, Scorsese and so on, but not her. Maybe that's the problem, the more you know about your favourite movie star, the sooner you fall out of love with the movie star.
Anyway, we'll see.
Being Leftist has nothing to do with it. There are people with poor morals in all political and religious walks of life. You should know that. I'm an artist and consider my self to be of the left. I know many many like me and none of us support letting Polanski off the hook. What he did is horrible. He is a pedophile and a rapist.
Don't be ridiculous. Last time I checked, condemning rape was a prominent feminist position.
Love,
The Lefty
I cannot believe the first comment on this completely reasonable article is one accusing Whoopi Goldberg of "reverse racism." Please. This is about Polanski's status, not anything at all about the little girl who was raped. I'd think that was obvious given the way Goldberg and so many other people have completely ignored her testimony about the rape.
its scary to see so many angry people, who love judging and condemning just because pedophilia is in trend right now…collective hysteria…now this is immoral…
i am ashamed of you more! you need angr therapy…
bravo…
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