Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and movie producer Scott Rudin are at the center of the Sony leak over a string of nasty emails. Also, a 78-year-old man is being charged with raping his wife who was suffering from Alzheimer's. Then, who have been the most notable actors turned directors?
Email hack sends Sony Pictures Entertainment into crisis mode
Sony Pictures Entertainment is reeling after reams of private emails between company executives and big Hollywood figures were released on the Internet. At the center of the leak: Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and movie producer Scott Rudin. Among other things, email exchanges between the two reveal discord about an upcoming Steve Jobs biopic and racially-charged comments regarding President Obama. In one exchange, Rudin calls actress Angelina Jolie a “minimally talented spoiled brat,” and in another he jokes with Pascal about what to ask President Obama at a breakfast hosted by DreamWorks Animation. “Should I ask him if he liked DJANGO?” Pascal writes, referring to the film ‘Django Unchained,’ about a freed slave. Both Rudin and Pascal have issued public apologies for their comments since the email leak.
What remains to be seen is just how bad the damage to Sony Pictures’ public image will be. The leak opens Sony up to lawsuits and has elicited backlash from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Actors Kevin Hart and Zoe Saldana and director Judd Apatow are just a few of the celebrities who have spoken out publicly against Pascal and Rudin’s comments.
The source of the leak is still unclear, though federal officials are looking into the possibility that North Korea was somehow involved. They have publicly condemned Sony’s upcoming film ‘The Interview,’ which is about an American TV host and producer who land an interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and are then recruited to assassinate him.
Do you think people should be held responsible for the things they write in communications like email that are supposed to be private? How careful are you about what you write in emails sent from your work account? From your private account?
Guest:
Michael Fleming, reporter for Deadline, has been covering the Sony hack
Jane Kirtley, professor media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
Can someone suffering from Alzheimer’s consent to sex?
78-year-old Henry Rayhons is being charged with a felony for allegedly raping his wife, Donna Rayhons, who suffered from Alzheimer’s at a nursing home where she resided.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says that because Donna Rayhons lacked the mental capacity to consent to sex, she was raped. The couple married in their 70s and they were described as inseparable. About four years ago, Donna was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and on the recommendation of a family physician, she was later put in a nursing home. Donna’s two daughters from another marriage started suspecting that Henry was having sex with Donna and were concerned whether she was able to give consent.
Prosecutors will have to convince a jury that a sex act actually happened in Donna Rayhons' room at the nursing home where she was staying. If they can prove that, a conviction of Henry Rayhons will hinge on whether his wife wanted sex or not and whether her illness prevented her from communicating her wishes.
Donna died four days before her 79th birthday of complications from Alzheimer’s. Henry was arrested soon after for alleged rape. He pleaded not guilty.
Guests:
Katherine Pearson, professor of law, Penn State Dickinson Law whose specialty is elder law who’s been studying the case
Daniel Reingold, President and CEO of Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York, the first long-term care facility to create a sexual expression policy
Filmweek: 'Inherent Vice,' 'Exodus: Gods and Kings,' 'Top Five' and more!
Larry and KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Tim Cogshell review this week’s releases including "Inherent Vice," "Exodus: Gods and Kings," "Top Five" and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide
Multi-hyphenate Chris Rock delivers latest hit film by an actor-turned-director
To create this weekend's "Top Five," Chris Rock took a turn as writer, producer, director and lead actor. It's the third film by the comedic performer and it is getting rave reviews.
This Christmas Day will see another feature directed by Angelina Jolie. In "Unbroken," Jolie the director once again deals with dramatic and dark storytelling from behind the camera. Other high-profile actors-turned-director include Barbra Streisand, Jodie Foster, Sofia Coppola, Ben Affleck, Mike Nichols, Marlon Brando, Jodie Foster and many more. Once someone is a celebrated on-screen presence, the pressure can be immense to make a solid directorial debut.
Who have been your favorite multi-hyphenate filmmakers? How does an artist master the control necessary for directing and the abandonment needed for acting?
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide