You’re broken
Sharpton demands changes at Sony Studio boss fights to survive scandal
AS MORE hacked emails exposed tales of harassment, racism and a “Ghostbusters” lawsuit, Sony Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal faced a tough question: Who ya gonna call?
She dialed the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said Friday that her apologies to the White House and others insulted in her private missives meant nothing without a change in the way her company does business.
“There needs to be a fundamental change in Sony, and in leading the way in Hollywood, for us to even think about her as sincere,” Sharpton said Friday in the wake of Pascal’s embarrassing email scandal.
“She said maybe this can be a teaching moment. I said, ‘No, it’s a changing moment. The jury is out on you.’ We will meet with her, and then deal with whether her apology is legitimate.”
The embattled Pascal reached out to Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson after hackers leaked email exchanges with Hollywood producer Scott Rudin where the two mocked public figures from President Obama to Angelina Jolie.
Pascal was particularly embarrassed over a series of racially offensive emails riffing with Rudin about asking the President if he liked certain slavery-themed films.
The first two mentioned were “Django Unchained” and “12 Years a Slave.”
Sharpton said he expected Pascal to get together with black leaders at some point to discuss her next move.
“The culture of Hollywood makes it acceptable for people to speak like this,” he said. “If she’s really sorry, she can deal with her company’s content and policy.”
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Pascal’s mea culpa was the right thing to do.
“It’s my understanding that the Sony executives, or at least one of the Sony executives, whose emails were made public has apologized for the content of those emails,” Earnest said.
“And I certainly think that was appropriate . . . A lot of people who read those emails cringed a little bit when they were reading them.”
While Pascal released a formal apology for her “insensitive and inappropriate” remarks, she has not reached out to the White House with a personal apology.
It remains to be seen wheth- er apologizing will help Pascal or seal her fate. The Washington Post reported her contract is up next year and other media reports suggest she could become the fall guy for the scandal.
In other developments Friday:
Shonda Rhimes, the creator of the hit shows “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” blasted the use of less-offensive terms to describe the email content.
“Calling Sony comments ‘racially insensitive remarks’ instead of ‘racist’?” she tweeted. “U can put a cherry on a pile of s--- but it don’t make it a sundae.”
The hackers uncovered a threatened legal campaign against Bill Murray to force his participation in a “Ghostbusters” sequel, according to the Daily Beast.
Sony Pictures legal head David Steinberg suggested “aggressive litigation” against the beloved comedian was a possibility — although he feared the fallout from going after Murray.
Steinberg suggested consulting with attorneys a bit off Hollywood’s beaten legal path.
“Personally, while I’m fine with aggressive, I think we are in much worse shape if this goes public so it seems to me we should look for someone who isn’t seeking the spotlight,” he wrote.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd promised to show Pascal’s husband, Bernard Weinraub, a version of one column before it was published, BuzzFeed reported.
Pascal emailed her hus-