Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ An avalanche of allegations poured out Tuesday against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in on-the-record reports that detailed claims of sexual abuse and included testimonies from Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Three women, in a story published online by The New Yorker, accused Weinstein of raping them, including Italian actress Asia Argento and a woman who said she was an aspiring actress in college when she caught Weinstein’s eye. A representative for Weinstein vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to the magazine. The New Yorker story said 13 women claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them between 1990 and 2015 in incidents ranging from unwanted groping to forced sex. Some overlapped with eight allegations of sexual harassment previously reported by The New York Times, with all of those eight resulting in financial settlements. The unfolding scandal surrounding Weinstein led to his firing Sunday from the Weinstein Co. Attorneys for Weinstein did not immediately return messages Tuesday. The New Yorker quoted Weinstein spokesman Sallie Hofmeister as saying that “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.” Hofmeister also said Weinstein never retaliated against women for refusing his advances. She said Weinstein has begun counseling and “is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.”
■ Actor Patrick Dempsey said giving back to his home state through the creation of a cancer center is more satisfying than fame without good deeds. The former Grey’s Anatomy star and Maine native said his Hollywood fame gave him an ability to create something special through the cancer center and a ninth annual bike-and-run cancer fundraiser that wrapped up Sunday. “I think fame, in general, if you don’t do anything with it, is really quite empty and unsatisfying,” he told the Sun Journal in Maine. “If you can use it in a way that’s a positive thing, it’s far more fulfilling. And I think, at the end of the day, that’s what life is about. It’s not about one’s personal achievements, it’s about what you can do as a group of people and as a community.” Dempsey created the Dempsey Challenge to raise money for a cancer center he and his sisters formed in 2008 in partnership with Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Dempsey said he firmly believes in the services that are offered, including yoga, acupuncture, massage and reiki, a form of Japanese healing. “With all the technology and breakthroughs we’ve had, you can’t beat the human touch,” Dempsey said.