Here's the Scoop...
I hate to say it, but more allegations and accusations have come to light. It's not surprising, it is disconcerting. It's horrible that things like this have gone on for so long in such silence. Some are hard to hear, but they need to be told.
Be Well,
Steve
Comments? Questions? Nooz?
Email Steve
************************
Anthony Edwards says writer-producer Gary Goddard sexually abused him as a child
Gary Goddard is denying recent allegations he sexually abused Anthony Edwards and his friends when they were child actors decades ago.
"I am responding on behalf of producer and writer Gary Goddard to allegations posted and made today by actor Anthony Edwards on the website Medium," publicist Sam Singer said in a statement to Deadline.com Friday.
"Gary first met Anthony more than 40 years ago. Gary was a mentor, teacher and a friend to Anthony, which makes this story all the more disturbing to him. As to the allegations that Mr. Edwards made in his post today, I can unequivocally deny them on Gary's behalf. Gary played an important role in helping start Anthony's acting career and acted as his personal manager. He has nothing but the greatest respect for Anthony as a person. Gary is saddened by the false allegations. The post by Anthony, as well as many of the news stories today reference a legal claim made against Gary approximately four years ago regarding sexual harassment. The complaint was demonstrated to be fraudulent as it was completely fabricated, and ultimately withdrawn by the complainant and his attorneys."
Best known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds, Top Gun and ER, Edwards published a personal essay on Medium.com Friday, describing Goddard as a "sick father figure" whom he met when he was 12. Edwards said he was vulnerable at the time because his father was a World War II veteran who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and wasn't emotionally available to his family, prompting Edwards to seek guidance elsewhere.
"Pedophiles prey on the weak," the 55-year-old actor said. "My vulnerability was exploited. I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him? -- ?and this went on for years. The group of us, the gang, stayed quiet."
Edwards said the main reason he and his friends remained silent was fear.
"Only after I was able to separate my experience, process it, and put it in its place could I accept this truth: My abuse may always be with me, but it does not own me," the actor said. "For far too many years, I held onto the idea that love was conditional? -- and so I would look for someone or something other than my higher self to define those conditions and requirements for me."
Edwards said that, over the years, he has gained strength through therapy and connecting with other abuse survivors. The actor also recalled how, 22 years ago, he ran into Goddard in an airport and confronted him about what he had done to him.
"He swore to his remorse and said that he had gotten help," Edwards said. "I felt a temporary sense of relief. I say temporary because when Goddard appeared in the press four years ago for alleged sexual abuse, my rage resurfaced. At 51 years old, I was directed by a group of loving friends to a therapist who specializes in this kind of abuse. By processing my anger in a safe place with a professional, I was finally able to have the conversation that I wish I could have had with my mom when I was 14. ... I did not go from being a victim to a survivor alone. No one does. I had to ask for help, and I am so grateful that I did."
Jenny McCarthy reasserts Steven Seagal harassment claim
Jenny McCarthy is reasserting her claim that Steven Seagal sexually harassed her.
The 45-year-old radio personality recounted her alleged experience with Seagal on Thursday's episode of her SiriusXM show after first sharing the story in an interview with Movieline in 1998.
"A lot of people know this story," McCarthy acknowledged before recalling how she read for Seagal during an audition for Under Siege 2. "I purposely wore a muumuu to the audition so the casting people would actually look at my face and watch my work."
McCarthy said she was alone in the room with Seagal, who reportedly asked her to sit next to him on a sofa. She refused to take a seat, but admitted the actor's request was alarming.
"In my head I'm like, 'Okay, here we go. Sound the alarms, this is not a test, this is the real thing, activate all defense systems,'" the star recalled. "But I so wanted to legitimately read for this part that I wasn't going to give up yet. So I told him, 'Listen. My agent says there's no nudity. I specifically asked her and she said no.'
"He says, 'Well, there is off-camera nudity,'" she said. "He then says, 'I can't tell what your body looks like in that dress. Can you lower it for me?' ... He says, 'I know you must have a beautiful body under there. Can you lower it so I can see your breasts?'"
McCarthy said she went from "shock" to "sadness," and told Seagal to "go buy her Playboy video" before leaving the room. The actor reportedly followed her out to her car and warned her not to tell anyone about the experience.
McCarthy's renewed allegations follow new sexual harassment claims against Seagal this month. Actress Portia de Rossi said in a tweet Wednesday that Seagal once unzipped his pants in front of her at an audition.
LOOSE LIPS:
"This is a door that will not be closed, we've got our foot in their now."
--Meryl Streep, praising the swift action that's been taken against disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein, to Vogue
??? Guess Who ???
Which Juno star has been cast in Netflix's adaptation of Gerard Way's 'Umbrella Academy'?
'Star Trek' icon George Takei accused of groping unconscious model in 1981
Former model and actor Scott R. Brunton has publicly accused Star Trek icon and LGBTQ rights advocate George Takei of sexually assaulting him in 1981.
Brunton told The Hollywood Reporter he was 23 when he struck up a friendship with Takei, who is about 20 years older, and went back to Takei's apartment where he passed out after a few drinks.
"The next thing I remember I was coming to and he had my pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to get his hands down my underwear," Brunton said. "I came to and said, 'What are you doing?!' I said, 'I don't want to do this.' He goes: 'You need to relax. I am just trying to make you comfortable. Get comfortable.' And I said, 'No. I don't want to do this.' And I pushed him off and he said, 'OK, fine.' And I said, 'I am going to go,' and he said: 'If you feel you must. You're in no condition to drive.' I said: 'I don't care. I want to go.' So, I managed to get my pants up and compose myself and I was just shocked. I walked out and went to my car until I felt well enough to drive home, and that was that."
BuzzFeed said it spoke to five of Brunton's friends who confirmed they have heard Brunton tell the story over the years.
Takei, 80, has not yet responded to the report. His representative told The Hollywood Reporter and BuzzFeed he is traveling and unavailable to comment.
Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' series to explore new storylines set before 'Fellowship'
Amazon says it has acquired the global television rights to the late J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings series of fantasy novels.
The streaming giant's planned multi-season series will explore new storylines set before The Fellowship of the Ring. The show is to be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
The deal includes a potential, additional spin-off series, the parties said in a press release.
No casting has been announced yet.
"The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen," Sharon Tal Yguado, head of scripted series at Amazon Studios, said in a statement Monday. "We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust , HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth."
"We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever, multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings," added Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins. "Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien's original writings."
Filmmaker Peter Jackson previously adapted The Lord of the Rings books as a trilogy of big-screen blockbusters. Jackson also helmed three movies based on Tolkien's The Hobbit, which is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings adventures.
??? Guess Who ???
Which Juno star has been cast in Netflix's adaptation of Gerard Way's 'Umbrella Academy'?
Ellen Page has been cast in Netflix's upcoming series based on comic book The Umbrella Academy from My Chemical Romance alum Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba.
The adaptation, Netflix says, follows a "dysfunctional family of superheroes ... as they work together to solve their father's mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities," Entertainment Weekly reported.
Page will be portraying Vanya, the black sheep of the family who has no superpowers who is struggling to find her place in the world.
Way is the co-executive producer on the project along with Steve Blackman (Fargo) who is executive producing and serving as showrunner, Deadline reported. The pilot script was written by Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist).
The Umbrella Academy is set to premiere on Netflix with 10 episodes in 2018.