Names and faces
The fallout from actor Kevin Spacey’s response to being accused of sexual assault continued Monday, with the two-time Oscar winner being harshly criticized on social media and the plug pulled on his hit show House of Cards as “deeply troubled” producers of the political thriller arrived on set to comfort cast mates. Though the decision to end the series was announced on Monday, the decision to wrap up the series was made several months ago, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. On Sunday, Spacey, 58 and a two-time Oscar winner, said he is “beyond horrified” by allegations that he made a sexual advance on a teen boy decades ago. He posted Sunday on Twitter that he doesn’t remember the encounter. “But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years,” he said. In an interview with BuzzFeed, actor Anthony Rapp said he was 14 when he attended a party at Spacey’s apartment in 1986. Rapp said that at the end of the night, he escaped from an inebriated Spacey, who picked him up, placed him on his bed, and climbed on top of him. Rapp, who is now 46 and starring in the TV show Star Trek: Discovery, said he came forward after allegations against Harvey Weinstein sparked conversations about sexual abuse and harassment in the entertainment industry. Spacey spoke publicly about his sexual orientation for the first time Sunday on Twitter, writing that “I choose now to live as a gay man.” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the gay-rights group GLAAD said in a statement that the story was really about unwanted sexual advances on Rapp, not Spacey’s sexuality. “Coming out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault,” she said.
m New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knows what he’ll be doing on his first night out of office next year: Seeing Bruce Springsteen on Broadway. The term-limited Republican and avid Springsteen fan announced his plans Monday during a TV appearance on Good Day New York on the city’s Fox affiliate. Christie’s term ends on Jan. 16. He and his wife plan to see “The Boss” the next evening. When asked whether Springsteen knows Christie is coming, the governor said “he’ll know when he sees it.” Christie has attended more than 140 Springsteen concerts. But the 68-year-old singer’s intimate Broadway show features him performing several songs alone on stage and telling stories about growing up in New Jersey.