Post-Globe Thoughts / Linkings
Monday, January 13, 2014 at 2:00PM My apartment gets too much sunlight and I have no window blankets. So I can't see the TV during the day so I can't rewatch the Globes so I can't blog more about them until tonight and then who knows if any of us will be in the mood when I can't so maybe I won't and I just don't know anymore. The tragedy of it all!
Until then, I devour uneaten party snacks and commence with the linkings...
first a few non-Globes items
EW really thoughtful piece on Armond White and why he was just expelled from the NYFCC
Critic Wire "Should film critics give out awards?" Of course they should. Awards are just another form of evaluation and needn't be thoughtless. They just shouldn't do it badly, ot to "predict" the Oscar race.
THR Tang Wei falls for a money scam. I hope they find the culprits but the greater crime is the career momentum the Chinese government stole from her post Lust Caution. Can we prosecute that, instead?
Dark Horizons Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the upcoming Sandman adaptation
The Playlist Martin Scorsese on the campaign trail with Wong Kar Wai for The Grandmaster. I still have no firm read on whether or not that is making it into Best Foreign Film
today's must read
W Mag John Waters on staying famous once you've achieved celebrity. It's a pretty great read. Consider this bit:
If you’re really lucky, you might survive a disaster, and that’s a sure way to get your Wikipedia page updated if it’s been dormant for too long. My friend Pauline jokes that if she were in an airplane crash with me and she was the only one to die, the headline would read: air disaster! john waters lives. one dead.
okay back to the globes
Vanity Fair Bobby Finger's imaginary Globe conversations are super. I love Streep's world domination plot (although hasn't she kind of already accomplished that?)
NY Daily News ok, I need to understand whether or not Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence are together. Or are they like Friend with Benefits. Make up your minds!
Variety inside the after parties. Fun(nish) photos of the rich and famous at play
Zimbio more after party pics
TFE I looked back on my Globe predix and was shocked to realize that I did REALLY well (though I generally suck at Globe winner predictions) only missing stuff the mainstream media doesn't care about (but I do) like foreign, screenplay, & both music prizes among the film awards! I even somehow correctly predicted that 12 Years a Slave would only win Best Picture. I guessed HORRIBLY with the TV awards but I've never claimed to know any better there
drawing by Liza Donnellytoday's must see
Liza Donnelly took live-blogging in a fresh direction by live-sketching the Golden Globes. Damn fabulous.
On That Woody Allen Cecil B DeMille Thing...
Ronan Farrow twitter's favorite fusion of political pundit/celebrity spawn/hot guy, wasn't pleased. Lots of people joined in the Globe-shaming. But really, now. It's so easy to judge from afar but if we are going to deny artists prizes for their work based on their moral character, actual crimes, alleged crimes, grudges people hold against them and the like would we have any prizes at all? I'm not even exaggerating. Prizes for the arts should be about the arts always, and not about someone's character. There's no prize for "Most Nice" or "Best Person" and even if there was, wouldn't showpeople be terrible judges of it? (Including Mia Farrow who is willing to testify on Roman Polanski's behalf but Woody Allen honors are beyond the pale?)
Salon has some issues with it, too, although calling out the Globes for their lack of regular honors to women is relatively speaking, misleading, since they're SO MUCH BETTER ABOUT IT than the Oscars ever have been and only a few sites (like, um, this one you're on right now) take AMPAS to task for it.
Shawn Levy did a post earlier this summer that's especially relevant now, detailing how strong Woody's Oscar history is in terms of directing actors. It's not just strong but it's varied which he gets absolutely no credit for as the article amply illustrates.
Exit Image
Jason at MNPP dubs this Globe after party pic "The Picture That Broke The Internet" and then hedges with a "this could finally be the one to do it" but either way, yes! I mean, at least it broke tumblr. I haven't been on today but I'm quite sure it's dead.
If you somehow squeezed in Tom Hiddleston for a three-way, all the breakings, everywhere.
This awesome image unfortunately reminds that it was a very BRO evening at the Globes with lots of frathouse like back patting going on. This was probably best exemplified by Michael Douglas and Jared Leto's tone deaf acceptance speeches for gay roles (ouch, you really wanna play it like that?) though I think it's unfortunate that McConaughey is getting roped into that conversation because his speech was not offensive and people are stretching ungenerously when they go there, the Leo for Wolf win after that 'supermodel's vagina welcome' (Fey & Poehler, you delight), and a million photos of handsome powerful rich (mostly) white straight guys pointing at the camera, with smug smiles on their faces (lampooned by Melissa McCarthy as Matt Damon on stage in point of fact).
And so on and so on...
Dude.
Reader Comments (37)
armond white got expelled from that critics association apparently.
Man, I can't imagine being any of the Farrows last night. I can't imagine what it must be like to see someone who you think is a monster get nothing but praise, so much so that the praise he gets for his artistic achievements completely stifles the conversation about the sexual abuse suffered by one of your siblings by that same monster. I completely support the separation of the artist from their creation, but I would find it very difficult to do with the Farrows in front of me, which makes me wonder how strongly I actually believe they should be separated in the first place.
Flickah -- i get it but i mean where does it end. Should we take back Halle Berry's Oscar because of her hit and run accident which i think paralyzed someone? Should Mark Wahlberg be exempt from film awards because of his violent history before fame including supposedly blinding someone? I mean i just think it's too murky to look at someone's art and then have to put them through moral tests before we decide if the art is good.
i also think it just opens up these huge windows of opportunity for mob mentality. Or maybe that's because I just watched 'The Hunt' but if someone is accused of something in our culture, whether or not they did it, by and large most people believe the accusation. That includes me. I'm guilty of it too thinking "they did WHAT?!?"
on a lighter note on this topic i'll never forget Winona Ryder being interviewed once about gossip about her and after denying the allegations as wholly untrue she admitted, laughing at herself in the processs, that she always believed gossip about other celebrities
I think it was too soon for the Woody tribute. I love his films, but this is not something that should be swept under the carpet especially in light of how the stats for child abuse are rising. I agree that we should not fail to recognize the art, but we also can't fail to recognize the crimes. Time is needed before we can "understand" that this was a character flaw and not feel (as) icky about it.
I agree that the accusations against Woody shouldn't be swept under the carpet. It's pretty gross that one would put him being a good artist above who he is as a human being. We're not talking about stealing a candy bar, we're talking about child molestation, statutory rape and sexual assault. Those things shouldn't be taken lightly. They really shouldn't have awarded him IMO.
Now that everyone is talking about it, what was up with Sandy Bullock and Tom Hanks's attitudes towards JLaw's win last night? I understand that people are getting sick of her (and I'm sure they were both rooting for other people) but they could have shown a little enthusiasm or something. I felt their reactions were kind of bitchy. I mean, they're actors, they could have at least acted happy for her.
On JGL, possibly, being Dream: What!? What, in JGL's performance style, would convince anyone he could be ANY of The Endless? They're supposed to be otherworldly. Ooh. I think I have an idea what the cast could be:
Destiny: William Hurt/Donald Sutherland (depending on how old they want to play the character). They ARE the American sages, after all. If they want to go British, maybe Plummer or Tom Wilkinson.
Dream (If Morpheus): He has to be aloof and distant, but with those swirling layers of being truly horrible beneath the surface. Considering what he did on Observe and Report and how much he's slimming down from the days of Knocked Up, I'd actually LOVE to see what Seth Rogen could do with something extremely quite.
Dream (If Daniel Hall): I'll admit, if JGL wants to play one of The Endless, the first character I'd suggest is this one. It's an easy audience perspective character, due to him not knowing much of anything of how this all works. So, yeah, Joseph Gordon Levitt.
Death: Hmm. This IS a tricky one, though less important than people think because she's not really used that much. I think Elizabeth Olsen could work pretty well, even though I haven't really done a full viewing of Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Delirium: Equal parts comic and tragic and I think is actually WITH Morpheus in more of the saga than Death is. Getting her right is crucial, so I think I'd go with Jessica Chastain. This kind of forces her to go to a darker place than The Help,
Destruction: Tom Hardy. I know, some of the basis was BRIAN BLESSED, but I think they might want someone more fit in this role to fit the concept better.
Despair: Melissa McCarthy (I know that it's almost exactly the opposite of what she's known for, but I don't know if anyone could make it work more.)
Desire: Tilda Swinton. (This one is supposed to be the androgynous one, and if they want that swirling gender thing to be played by just one actor? I can't imagine someone better suited for the part.)
jessica - tom hanks doesn't want j-law to join the back-to-back winners club!
I have no problem with people holding a grudge against woody. he will survive.
* Quiet. Oops. At least it's not in a professional publication.
@Nathaniel -- It would never end, you're right. People also have extremely different lines that are crossed, so it would be impossible to stick to them. For instance, Mark Wahlberg's sins would be harder for me to forgive if they're all true because he supposedly blinded a Vietnamese man while spouting awful racist terms, and that he felt that he didn't need to seek that man's apology because he had forgiven himself, which was what mattered. Being Asian myself, that stings in a very personal way, but I wouldn't expect everybody else to be as embittered as I would be.
I think there has to be a middle ground here somewhere -- God knows I'm fumbling along trying to find it -- where one's achievements can be respected without it overshadowing the real cost of personal trauma. Ronan Farrow is specifically informed by his circumstances to speak personally and knowledgeably about it in a way that is damning of Allen as a person to counter the effusive praise that Allen as a creator gets, and Farrow has a visible platform to do it. Could that be the best approach, I wonder, ensuring and spotlighting an equally strong voice and advocate on the other side so that the message gets heard above the din of praise?
But on to the topic of the Globes as a show itself. Nathaniel, who was your favorite scene stealer? Mine is Julia Louis-Dreyfus in both her Too-Good-for-ReeseTinaAmy persona as well as her humble hotdog eating pie version, followed closely by shoe-tossing, martini-swilling Emma Thompson.
Allen was never tried or convicted of child molestation. The accusations - however deeply Mia and Ronan Farrow and other members of their family believe them - are just that. Child abuse is a horrible crime and the accusations need not be swept under the rug, but they should not be taken as proven facts, as several commenters here have.
"The Picture That Broke The Internet"
Huh, weird, I have no idea who either of those two dudes is...
Marcelo - Tom is good friends with Julia Roberts so I assume that is who he really wanted to win. I was just kind of surprised he was so visible in his disappointment. I don't know who Sandra Bullock was rooting for but judging from her reaction when she read the name it wasn't Jennifer Lawrence.
As for Woody, sure they are just accusations but it's not the first time. As soon as there are multiple accusations (and let's not act like his situation with Soon-Yi wasn't sketchy) then I think a reasonable person can make up their own mind about him. I just think given the circumstance and how recent the accusations it's a little gross to be doing a tribute to him.
Jessica, people can make up their minds about Allen being a child rapist based on mere allegations that were never proved. Yes. That shows people WANT Allen to be a rapist and couldn't care less for evidence. Condemn him based on hearsay, if you want, but then please do not come here trying to act like some saint of moral rectitude.
Nathaniel, does a Holocaust of those hateful straight white men make you hard in the pants?
Jessica - the accusations are not recent. They were made in 1992 during custody hearings following Allen and Mia Farrow's separation, and have recently been resurrected thanks to a Vanity Fair profile and Ronan Farrow's tweet, among other things. There also were not multiple allegations, and I really don't think it's fair to associate his long term relationship with Soon Yi - together for over twenty years now, with children of their own - with child abuse, no matter how unsettling you might find the relationship's origins.
Wait, am I a terrible face reader but why do people think Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock acted nasty when Jennifer Lawrence won? Sandra was laughing and seemed happy during her speech! Why are we examining every facet of Lawrence'a actions?
Aaron - I am not examining anything but people on the net are talking about both of their reactions to Lawrence's win and they don't look too pleased (especially not Hanks). Nobody is analyzing Lawrence's actions, we're talking about Tom and Sandra. I don't know how anyone can look at this and say they didn't seem pretty disappointed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKdmErfgfak
The allegations from Woody are not old, they were all recently brought to light and in greater detail because of that magazine article. There is still information coming out about Woody's disgusting actions. While we shouldn't jump to condemn him, we shouldn't jump to declare him innocent either - specifically not when we are talking about abuse of young children (and again he already has engaged in a questionable relationship with his ex-stepdaughter)
Nat-thanks for pointing out the Bro mentality of the night. Here's something I would love someone to highlight: The amount of time before the orchestra started playing people off last night. I was surprised by how quickly Amy Adams got played off-right at the minute mark, while Matthew and Michael Douglas both got over 2 minutes to ramble on.
@Alex -- bad, internet dweller, bad. ;) That's only superstars of tumblr/bloging/even-more-obsesive-than-usual-fanbases obsessive Benedict Cumberbatch and MIchael Fassbender
@Jessica, Roark, others --- the only allegations of this i've ever heard were from Mia in 1992 which she resurrects from time-to-time. if there's something new out there i haven't personally heard it. But the whole things pains me greatly as a huge fan of both Mia & Woody... together they changed the course of my life (purple rose of cairo, 1985) so i dunno. i don't like the situation because it's icky and i feel for everyone involved including Woody,It's not like he's ever been convicted of anything and Mia's history of relationship does not paint her in the most flattering light in terms of being a moral judge of the male character. By many accounts Frank Sinatra was not a very nice or good person and did not treat women well. Mia didn't seem to mind. Plus she testified on behalf of Roman Polanski in a libel trial in 2005 which is odd if she's that intent on speaking up for the rights of sexual abuse victims, alleged or indicted or anything.
anyway i wish people wouldn't rush to judgment on anyone because all we'd be doing is judging each other.
"Allen was never tried or convicted of child molestation."
Neither was R. Kelly if you want to go by that, but evidence and personal testimonies are endless regarding him and underaged girls.
Let's not act like Woody has never put his foot in his mouth regarding his relationship with women in his films. People look back at Manhattan more than understandably uncomfortable with the age difference. Then there was the flip-side in the deservedly under-scene Whatever Works.
I have mixed feelings on the matter as I am a proponent of separating man from the art. I really am not into the hate of the Farrows though. Woody will live. Not like this will make him unable to fund movies or have people skip out on his films- unless it is actually true and something comes of it. Acting like they should have a specific decorum to me is just a dumb expectation to have. Despite the Soon-Yi-Woody relationship going on 2 decades, I am not sure what you can expect when those siblings of hers had to let her go because the man who they saw as a father/father-figure had a secret relationship with her. That alone is pretty traumatic, even without the allegations.
amen, mr nr, on farrow allen. by the way why dont you get curtains? what exactly are window blankets and how are they different? i mean stores do sell thick opaque curtains. maybe its a nyc thing? or r u (like me) jst being lazy with diction? if so never mind. ;)
@Volvagia - RE: JGL as Dream. Check him out in Hesher, where he is a strange, mystical, and unsettling presence, and Manic, where he is just as intense and disturbing. Also check out his short films "Escargots" (which he narrated and directed):
http://youtu.be/2muxTHPdTe4
and "Patterns and Prayers" (which he wrote, performed, and shot):
http://youtu.be/7iu-8wMUzxk
He'd be amazing as Dream. But he could be even more amazing as director.
Okay, I can't resist anymore to throw in my two cents about the Woody Allen subject. I have first heard of these accusations when I saw a (very biased) TV movie about it in the nineties, I think it had Dennis Boutsikaris as Woody and Patsy Kensit as Mia if I remember correctly. Though I didn't really find the movie good even then, but after having seen it I was absolutely convinced that he has absued his the 7-year-old adoptive daughter, and is despicable for it. But I was young and naive. I questioned it later, and didn't think much about it then. Still the Soon-Yi thing does undoubtably feel let's say inappropriate of course. Anyway, I had almost forgotten it until this year.
I got a new job this year where I don't have much to do really (I try to find another, because I actually hate it), and it has given me a lot of time to procrastinate on the internet. Through that I also once came to the website of "Emma", the magazine published by Germany's legendary women's rights activist Alice Schwarzer (I don't know if she's known outside Germany), and read some articles there. I'm a straight male, extreme feminism often annoys me (because I don't feel I'm a profiteur of the inequalities that are still there undoubtedly, and it often seems to accuse all men of being)... but anyway, while I found some articles I read to be really misandric, kind of crazy and hard to believe, I found many others quite enlightning, plausible, suprisingly balanced and important. You can't take everything she writes without reflection, because as an activist, it's kind of her job to be biased after all.
But back to Woody, she also wrote about this affair repeatedly. Once back when it happened in the 90's, and lately when appearently the daughter confirmed the allegations publicly again. Interestingly, I hadn't heard about that in ANY OTHER MEDIA! I started to think about it again...
I did not initially think of that at all surrounding all this whole Cecil B. DeMille award thing. I have to confess, I haven't seen many Woody movies. Only "Bullets over Broadway" and "Mighty Aphrodite" come to my mind, maybe I'm forgetting something. I don't care much anyway, it seems to be always the same: Love story between old man (Woody) and young hot woman, I don't buy it. I have only seen Mia in "Rosemary's Baby" not to long ago, nothing else. When I saw the clips from his movies during the broadcast though, one thought just came after the next in my mind, kind of like this: Oh look at that awkward guy there everybody loves so much (funny enought, I consider myself a more than awkward guy, too, actually), I haven't seen many of his movies, but why should I care about his misadventures anyway? Oh, and remember what he did? I guess I'll never watch another of his movies. I don't want to too much anyway, and why not make it an agenda?
Then I saw the mention of Ronan Farrow's tweet again today this afternoon.
Long story short, normally I'm the first to say that everybody should be assumed innocent until proven guilty, and some of you posters before me reminded me of that (so, thanks, kind of, I guess...) ... but I just can't help feeling he's guilty, and he got away because he has influence and influential friends, and many in the industry have committed similar crimes.
But yes, Nathaniel, judging each other sucks, and yes, everybody, we should judge the work of art seperated from the person (or at least it shouldn't be seen as morally wrong to do so.) Re Polanski, I tend to be lighter on him. Maybe because at least it wasn't his daughter, maybe because of all he's gone through personally, maybe because I like his work better or am more interested in it, but maybe most likely because the victim herself has publicly stated that she forgives him.
Man, I should have waited to post my comment until the Woody Allen part of the discussion wound down. If anyone wants to share their views on my choices, I'm all ears.
CMG -- but even the treatment Soon Yi gets when all this comes up... i mean "she doesn't exist" from her own family? isn't this unduly harsh? I just hate HATE thinking about this and i don't think anyone comes off looking well from Mia to Woody to Ronan to whomever. And I find it bizarre that everyone who rushes to Mia's defense on the internet doesn't question her loyalty to Roman Polanski -- not that *I* want Polanski tried constanly in the court of public opinion (also gross and witch-hunty and unproductive since even his victim would like to move on) but let's at least have less hypocrisy about it.
xander -- window blankets. it was a dumb joke.
John Waters is one of our most valuable social commentators. Sure, he's an artist first, as a formally underground auteur-provocateur, but his musings are gold.
i adore that spike joaquin kiss. would love to see the two of them wrapped up in a window blanket somewhere. ;)
Cinephique: Okay, maybe he could be ONE of the "Dream" characters (I even wound up saying he could be a VERY good choice for Daniel Hall further down the casting list). Going with Daniel Hall could, actually, be interesting, the film story acting as something completely new and, in it's newness, thrilling in the same way the comic was. But, I don't at all see JGL GETTING how to articulate Morpheus' full character. He'd be mystical, slightly aloof and otherworldly, sure, but it probably wouldn't FEEL callous, dangerous and building toward as much of an inevitable end. And that latter element is why I suggested Seth Rogen as an unexpected angle
Nathaniel- Again, I can't really judge because there are family members, celebrities and normal people, not on speaking terms and act the same way toward each other for things not as traumatic as that. Nobody is really looking good, true, but where I am from is where Maureen O'Sullivan lived most of her life so there was always a Farrow-O'Sullivan connection that I have kindred feelings about. Mia was never painted as a Saint by people up here, people thought she was kind of nuts for all those adoptions and bleeding her mother dry of money, but the topic of the Woody stuff is almost 100% on her side so I've been long aware of the Woody rumors that Soon-Yi was not just an anomaly. So I come from a biased setting on the matter in the way I am sure New York artists come from a biased setting of supposedly being in the know on what supposedly is the truth on the matter too.
I am not really into the Polanski defenses but admittedly that trial was botched. Samantha Geimer should not be treated the way she has in the media by his most ardent defenders but she was also mistreated by the judge who had no idea what he was doing. I was only aware of Mia's opinion on the matter recently so I have no idea what she has said.
OT but not really: Could you imagine social media dealing with the moment when Nicholas Ray found his then wife Gloria Grahame in bed with his teenage son, Anthony, and what possible contempt each person would have when the other would be showered with lifetime achievement awards? Not to mention the fact that Grahame and Ray had a kid who would then have a half-brother who was also his stepfather who would also have biological half-brothers who would actually also be his cousins from the younger Ray-Grahame marriage. To me that is one of the most twisted, fascinating Hollywood stories.
Nathaniel, I'm gonna quote a friend: "No one's asking anyone here to convict Woody Allen - just let their awareness of his actions and the allegations against him inform how they engage with him, not just as an artist but as a public figure. The Golden Globes ceremony didn't show a shred of evidence that they did that." By which he means: Diane Keaton singing a GIRL SCOUTS ANTHEM is the height of impropriety, stupidity, and grossness.
Regarding Roman Polanski: there's no contradiction in thinking he's a great artist who should be be tried. If he's found guilty, it's for his crimes. It doesn't change my feelings for Chinatown and Repulsion or a couple others. I did find the Hollywood block (including Allen) lining up to support him in 2009 a disgusting thing.
Nathaniel- It does seem harsh at a distance but I've seen families no longer speak and act like the other didn't exist for stuff not nearly as traumatic and public as that. I agree nobody comes off well but let me also give the disclosure that I am from around the area where Maureen O'Sullivan lived most of her life. So enough old money are still around here who knew the Farrows-O'Sullivans and there is occasionally gossip from decades ago. Mia is not considered a Saint but considered a little kooky for the adoptions and that she was constantly turning to Maureen for money. But everybody knows she has a good heart and everybody is on her side during that whole Woody ordeal. And yes, I did hear things besides Soon-Yi as some anomaly. But I am in a biased setting. I'm sure you can find New York artists who were close to Allen or anybody close to him that they have their own tales/opinions on that matter.
Cannot speak for the Polanski stuff. I only know she did the Conde Nast libel suit on his behalf.
OT but not really: Would social media have survived the whole insanity of the Gloria Grahame-Nicholas Ray-Anthony Ray ordeal? A famous bisexual director finds his famous actress wife, who had his child, with his 13 year-old son in a previous marriage. They divorce. Years later, that woman marries the son and suddenly that child from a previous marriage has nephews/half-brothers. Have mercy. It's such a fascinating, twisted story.
Look, we know film gossip and we can all cite examples of perversity from Old Hollywood. The point is if it a critic in 2014 is going to praise Allen for Insight Into Women I would ask the critic to pause and take a breath (fortunately Cate Blanchett's fussy, performance does little to animate Allen's shallow conception; he can't write smart lead women without making them crazy).
I'm not exempt from my own advice. Several weeks ago Jessica Hopper interviewed Jim DeRogatis and unearthed a wealth of affidavits and testimony about the extent of R. Kelly's pedophilia -- more than I could have wanted. To praise him for putting the fun back in sex songs and using animal metaphors or something without including what we've learned about him is suspect to me. I can't blame anyone who says "That's it." Then again, the felonious activities of an R&B singer weigh less than the most acclaimed active American director outside whose door actresses line up to star in his movies.
alfred - agree with you about polanski. the whole deal with that petition was embarrassing, particularly the "film festivals are a special place" or something. it does show what movie people think of themselves.
I love of some of his movies, but find him a creep. (really, I remember reading something he wrote, don't remember exactly what it was, and it was like I was reading "lolita") can't we do both?
@CMG
Gloria is burnt the fuck out for that one!
Alfred, happy to know I'm not the only one who was disgusted, disapointed and nauseated when everyone in Hollywood's clique of happy (uber)wealthy people were lining up in defense of Polanski, signing petitions plegding suspension of international laws so that he could collect some award at some fancy industry event. That was disgusting, revolting and offensive.
They were treating him lime some poor innocent victim. As if he were Nelson Mandela.
He drugged and raped a 13 year old girl. He vaginally raped and then sodomized her as she was unconcious due to the effects of the drugs he gave her. It doesnt matter if she was or wasnt a virgin, if she did or did not have a boyfriend, if her mother was a pimp, if her mother was pushing her to it. He drugged and raped a thirteen year old.
The Polanski trial files are available online, anyone can read it.
And if the victim said she wants This whole debate to end, is because she is now the mother of two and doesnt want the shadows of This horrific event hanging over her family. She wants a life away from it. She wants to move on.
Allen's story involves a seven year old girl. We are not talking about destroyed hotel rooms, about drunk bar fighting, about offending a federal office or even drug possession. We are talking about Child abuse, Child molestation, statuory rape, sexual abuse of a Child. This kind of thing leaves a person scarred for the rest of his/her life. There's no going back. The person will be forever damaged and broken. The person will be haunted every single day for the rest of his/her life.
I thought it was tasteless to celebrate and awards him in such fashion so soon after the article in which the girl spoke for the first time. It was a very moving, haunting, disturbing piece.
Was it all true? I dont know. She was seven. She was the victim. He was the adult. He was her stepfather, or mother's longtime companion, either way he was in a position of power and influence. Maybe we dont know every thing but even so, I thought it was disrespectful to Dylan and all child abuse/molestation/rape survivors.
What makes the whole Woody/Dylan case even worse is that it is, in itself, a cliche. He was the stepfather/mom's boyfriend/companion. Most cases of Child sexual abuse are comited by a parent figure or a family member or close friend. Someone the child knows, relates to, looks up to, cares for, and respects.
And precisely because This is someone the child knows, respects and feels safe with that the abuser gets to do What does. The helpless, defenseless child will even take it as a model of love, and will take This model of love into her adult life. And sometimes, because of that, of This idea of What love is, abused becomes abuser and the cycle goes on, endlessly.
He was This person to this girl. He never legally adopted Soon-yi but I think he adopted the others, Dylan included. Even if he didnt, he was a relative/parental figure/trustable adult.
History repeats itself, in and endless circle of misery and pain.
But that's not the only known case in Hollywood. There are other Polanski cases, Natassja Kinski, Kirk Douglas/Natalie Wood, Jack Nicholson and many 13/14 year old girls, Drew Barrymore included, if rumours are to be believed.
Guess you can't argue with what everybody says about Polanski.
Never heard that Nicholson/Barrymore rumour before, eww!