OSCARS BODY SEEN KICKING OUT SEX PREDATOR WEINSTEIN
LOS ANGELES— The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was due to hold an emergency session on Saturday to discuss kicking out Harvey Weinstein amid mounting sexual harassment, assault and rape accusations.
An avalanche of claims have surfaced since the publication last week of an explosive New York Times report alleging a history of abusive behavior dating back decades.
On Thursday, American actress Rose McGowan became the fourth woman to accuse the 65-year-old of raping her.
The Academy issued a statement describing the nature of the allegations as “repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical” to its standards ahead of the meeting of its 54-member board of governors.
Disciplinary action
The Producers Guild of America was also set to meet on Saturday to “consider disciplinary proceedings and the status of his membership,” a source close to the union said.
Since the outbreak of the scandal, several actresses in- cluding Mira Sorvino, Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Lea Seydoux have said they were sexually harassed by the producer.
Weinstein was seen in public for the first time in days when paparazzi descended upon him as he left his daughter’s home in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“Guys, I’m not doing OK but I’m trying,” he said in a video obtained by ABC. “I got to get help. You know what, we all make mistakes.”
As he climbed into an oversized sports utility vehicle, he said he hoped people would give him “a second chance.”
Celebrity gossip portal TMZ reported that Weinstein later flew to rehab in Arizona, possibly at The Meadows, a facility near Phoenix where golfer Tiger Woods and supermodel Kate Moss had been treated.
No sympathy
Weinstein appears to have garnered little sympathy from the public, however, according to a survey conducted by celebrity branding expert and best selling author Jeetendr Sehdev.
Some 82 percent of 2,000 people questioned as part of an ongoing study into American attitudes to celebrity and entertainment said he should be kicked out of the Academy.
Six in 10 said they would be less likely to watch the annual Oscars ceremony if Weinstein was allowed to remain and 40 percent said he should be stripped of the Oscar he won for producing “Shakespeare in Love” (1998).
More broadly, a striking half of respondents said they now viewed Hollywood as a “sleazy” brand.