Sometimes, taking commercial airlines could have saved many people much heartache
2
Pathetic how some men need to have other men to deceive women to their infamous dens. Pathetic that any man would accept such a role.
They both need to be charged. One is a criminal, the other an accessory to the crime.
5
Dear New York Times journalists, can you please stop downplaying the charges against Mr. Weinstein? Asia Argento accused him of rape, not "sexual harassment". I have noticed this paper's reticence in qualifying Weinstein's actions as rape or sexual assault. Words have power. Let's hold these men accountable for the criminal behavior they carried off (or abetted).
9
Also will be boycotting Damon and Clooney movies. Why else would they speak about this and defend themselves this week?
Weinstein did a job on a lot of people.
Who can we trust? Seriously.
4
Samuel Johnson, in 1775, described patriotism as the last refuge of a scoundrel. The word chauvinism had not yet been devised.
Ambrose Bierce, a superior lexicographer, pointed out that patriotism is not the last, but rather the first refuge of a scoundrel.
Which leaves open the question: what is the last refuge of a scoundrel?
Rehab.
4
Just you wait and see; Harvey will soon come out with a tell-all book and burn everybody in Hollywood. It will be optioned for a film before the ink is dry on the publishing deal. I say let Polanski direct it. It will be a smash hit...and the beat goes on.
4
lombardo, doing an interview in his lawyer's office ... this guy is feeling very vulnerable, as he should well be.
1
I've concluded that the abuse heaped upon women in the entertainment world, is just a microcosm of the nationwide abuse they are subjected to in every business, and in their ordinary lives, evidenced daily by what each and every one of us sees, and has seen, as we encounter them in our daily existence.
I dare to say that there is not a man or woman who has not seen this abuse, in his or her own circle, whether in the workplace, or in ordinary daily living.
It's a travesty, and further evidence of the general debasing treatment we see all over our nation of nearly all minorities, the LBGT community, and any ethnicity which differs in any way, from the so called "Christians", at the top of the food chain.
What a sorry lot we all are, especially we men, for remaining willfully blind, to not only this savagery, but also to so much that we know is not right in our nation.
4
You're right.
1
Just rewatched Hitchcock's "The Birds" last evening, and vaguely recall stories I've read on Tippi Hedron's tortured, abusive relationship with the famous director. There's nothing new under the sun.
2
If a poor man on the streets plied in this trade he would be called a pimp. And there he is Lombardo, a smooth talking smoocher whose qualifications though unclear, he became the right hand man of a lecherous movie mogul, facilitating the mogul's penchant for ravishing, ravishing women and all Lombardo yearned for, in the end, was an executive producer credit, to impress his daughters that he too belonged in the movie industry. Pathetic. Where is Harvey Weinstein now? Hopefully not in sunny Italy, drinking copious wine and plotting his next come back move/movie. Bill O'Reilly blames god for his downfall. I wonder if Weinstein is also planning such an assault on the divine.
4
Does anyone really think that any of Weinstein's male friends (aka facilitators) were not "treated" to stories of Weinstein's prowess and conquests from the man, himself? They brought him victims and listened to him brag without qualm because of money. There is a word for that in criminal law "conspiracy".
5
How about a movement to create divisions of the various State and Federal Justice departments empowered to investigate what are clearly systemic violations of women's rights. Seems too few resources are dedicated to rooting out this massive destruction of human potential.
6
Cocaine leads to this sort of behavior..Feeling untouchable...
6
Isn't it ironic that most all of these men who sexually harass and abuse women with their 'power' are all ugly. Trump included...oh, and very very very out of shape.
34
This greedy sleaze probably helped Berlusconi ensnare his girls too.
11
He could be the facilitator for bringing beautiful woman to Weinstein hotel rooms.
1
Facilitator, aka PIMP.
Everyone even vaguely involved with this world knows the routine, modeling agencies facilitated meetings with rich powerful men through the likes of this guy. It’s a polished up version of the sex trade. It is high time women were respected in the professional world, men were valued in the role of stay at home parent and the society at large disabused itself from celebrity worship and the grotesque envy of material wealth. Blame Harvey all you want - he unquestionably deserves it. Then look in the mirror and ask yourself how can you be in it but not of it? EVERYONE in the industry knew about HW. Our shared values create the HWs of the world. DT being the ultimate example. Real change takes personal honesty and starts at home, thats why everyone’s so outraged by HW, it’s easier and costs less.
23
Slo, such a glib, disingenuous answer. Many of us have no problem looking in the mirror. We're outraged at what predatory people do to others. We aren't part of the problem.
4
All of these stories leads back to the same conclusion: the show business industry that Harvey Weinstein was a major part of was rife with enablers, handlers, manipulators, spin doctors, and, ultimately secret keepers. Makes me see look at all of Weinstein's films through a different lens. And the question then arises: How many human beings were hurt during the production of this movie? Seems like we take better care of animals.
20
It seems like the films are secondary, or more likely a front, to disguise the main purpose of business, which is the raping, forced prostitution, assaulting, and so on of vulnerable women and men for the sick pleasure of gross men and women in positions of power.
1
So his aiders are being revealed...I could not help but notice Uma Thurman is mentioned (she was apparently dating Fabrizio according to Harvey) who has yet to release a statement of any kind, except for a brief and rage filled answer to the Harvey question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs4gK8DuuWY
I am very curious, what does she know?? but respect her right to say something when she is ready
6
It's no wonder I go to the movies only once or twice a year if that often, when men like these with hearts of flint run things.
8
We now have a great mean people who said they knew of and Weinstein`s criminal behavior (i.e., rape) and some others, such as Lombardo, for whom there is a strong suspicion of their complicity. It's time for a complete investigation of the and for many people to go to jail.
24
So interesting that Tarantino knew and now, at least as of a few days ago, Damon and Affleck knew ( Damon says that Ben told him about Harvey harassing Gweneth) but Lombardo (who Damon vouched for) and Hillary Clinton were the only ones who didn't know?
3
Yes! Because making acting safe for actors is a top priority!
I guess now his daughters will truly know he was once "someone" in the film business!
71
Weinstein's spokesperson sums it well, doesn't she? "Mr. Lombardo made contributions that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues for the company". So I guess as long as you make big bucks for Hollywood, it's quite okay to be an accessory to sexual harassment and abuse.
29
For the love of anything or everything, his ability to settle sex assault/harassment lawsuits was written into his contract with his company. EVERYBODY KNEW
35
I have never seen such a monumental and concerted effort to demonize and persecute and individual as has been the effort against Weinstein by feminists and the media (especially the New York Times). Not even serial murders have been so demonized. Not even brutal dictators who have murdered and tortured people by the thousands.
I defend nothing that Weinstein has been accused (without any evidence) of doing. But the greater evil is the enormous campaign of injustice by feminists and the media.
11
Some people sure seem paranoid about feminists, given that the idea is simply that men and women should be treated equally in all regards.
26
Women are tired of being sexually assaulted and harassed. He epitomizes the man who gets away with it: white, wealthy, powerful, able to intimidate, able to have handlers who manage these things and make them go away. So, in part, he symbolizes everything women are tired of. That said, he also has rightly earned the disdain for abusing and humiliating women for decades. In short, injustice is men getting away with this violent and traumatizing behavior; injustice is not feminists and the media responding.
23
“No evidence?” Do you mean because you, personally, are not privy to evidence that none exists? Do you think Miramax and The Weinstein Company paid out MILLIONS and MILLIONS of dollars in restitution to women who were sexually assaulted and RAPED over many years because there’s “no evidence?” You’re hilarious – but not in a good way. Talk about “evil!” Ridiculous people like you are the reason this stuff happens in the first place.
13
When, not if, the smoke clears on this fiasco, the films that Weinstein produced will still remain and stand on their own merits. At this moment of passion and reaction, they will understandably serve as nothing more than targets of wrath at which to throw rotten fruit. But it doesn't take any sort of genius to understand, nor does it mean any approval of the brutality that is part of Weinstein's personality, that he knew what he was doing when it came to recognizing talent and films of artistic merit. And also, the fact that he produced them does not slight those to whom he gave the space to actually create them.
For me this is something of a Caravaggio test. Who in their right mind would gaze at the wonder of his paintings and think nothing more than that he murdered someone? In the disparaging way that people now are talking about the films that Weinstein produced (or how the self-described witch Lindy West suffered the work of Woody Allen to her wrath in her recent NYT op-ed), we face the risk of judging the art based on the character of the artist. If that is truly the future we want in regards to how we view art, if it isn't already well-established, then let's not be hypocritical and just set fire to the museums, theaters and libraries now and be done with it all. But I submit that hypocrisy is the better deal, all the way around.
11
The Caravaggio test metaphor does not really work here. Caravaggio painted directly onto the canvas. Weinstein "selected" the actresses who were the artists. How? What was his objective standard. I suggest that there was none, but a subjective standard. We will never know how much better some of his films might have been with actresses who were turned down because they would not go to his hotel room. I can think of several movies that he made that had me scratching my head as to why the female lead got the part. Maybe a male actor was cast to keep quiet-you see it is a slippery slope. A Caravaggio is a Caravaggio whether he murdered someone or not.
5
I'm a little unclear on the thesis here. But let's not mistake producers for "the talent." They don't direct, they don't write, they don't act. They typically don't even do casting (though now i'm beginning to wonder). Oh, sure there are exceptions, but the vast majority of them who didn't get into it from the acting end are slick business hustlers.
I understand that the slick business hustlers are essential to the process, but let's not go overboard. This is the same logic that creates a pantheon of immortals from the ranks of Wall Street and CEO mega-wealthy. Who really creates? Surely it isn't the MBA guys.
And comparing them to Caravaggio is a travesty.
13
Metaphors, being poetic, are inexact. Let me put it in a simpler manner.
Forget any question of whether there is a singular artist involved. When you look at a Caravaggio, you see his name attached. When you look at a film produced by Weinstein, you see his name attached. I meant the comparison not as a question of equivalence of artistry (that's ridiculous), but as a question of a sullied name behind/part of/attached to the work, and how one should or should not view the work upon knowledge of that.
1
The film and modeling industries are built on using women as sex objects, and any woman who aspires to enter these businesses must know that from the get know.
So why are these women so shocked when they end being treated like sex objects? Do they really expect that when they're being invited up to a producer's hotel room it's for a sober business meeting?
26
Hope springs eternal, gentlemen.
Women are trained from day one to be helpless, and it takes a lot to break free from traditional notions of femininity. and quit knocking feminism. Just looking for parity and respect.
6
Um, it's actually quite common and normal in many businesses, especially when lots of travel is involved. And men are treated like sex objects too, but seem to be raped just a wee bit less... But the victim always should've known better, eh? What other crimes do you believe the responsibility of the victim to prevent?
9
You are not suggesting these women should simply expect to be groped, assaulted, and raped as part of their profession are you? And that the men who do it are somehow okay for doing so?
14
Matt Damon and Russell Crowe supposedly vouched for Lombardo as a legitimate executive (according to Sharon Waxman who wrote the 2004 article). Has anybody contacted them to see if they still stand by that?
37
They are busy said their publicist
6
Fabrizio didn't know, Hollywood didn't know, brother Bob didn't know, and, of course, Harvey himself claims to be unaware. Apparently, the only ones who knew were the victims. They, unfortunately, know all too well.
166
Everyone knew.
6
He is lying. If he didn't know his reaction would be "Oh my God, I can't believe I brought women to a sexual predator. I feel horrible! Please accept my apology." Not "I didn't know so shut up."
80
You're projecting his attitude. He didn't say "shut up". He has a right to defend himself as much as anyone. Is a kangaroo court all you're interested in?
5
Lombardo was not a wingman. He was a willing accessory to rape.
130
Brad:
You either do not know the definition of "rape" or you are intentionally misusing the word to inflame and deceive.
4
Dear Editor, can you please STOP printing photos of Mr. Weinstein? Is it really necessary to continue to subject your readers to that unappealing, unshaven predatory mug? It turns my stomach every time I see his smiling face knowing that he was likely abusing women only hours before, or after the photo was taken.
205
But what if Mr. Weinstein looked more like his handsome friend, Lombardo? Would photos of him then be less likely to "turn your stomach?"
6
Seriously - I never thought I'd see a public figure less appealing than Steve Bannon.
43
Nope. Bannon still "wins." And then there's Newt Gingrich.
8
Terrific piece. Fills in a missing piece of the predator puzzle: who enabled the predator? Mr. Tarantino had direct knowledge of problems and has said so, but he does not seem to fit the role of enabler/procurer. Here we have a preponderance of evidence about one probable procurer. A man with zero industry experience who's very job appears to have FOLLOWED his performance as a procurer, and whose compensation continued after any plausible contribution he made to Mr. Weinstein's company.
I am beyond being able to apply benefit-of-the-doubt to powerful men accused of bad behavior. Not sure what my threshold is, but I'll hazard that half-a-dozen plausible accusations, even a single payment associated with a gag order, and a rumor mill about bad behavior are enough for me. I don't need to wait for proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" since I'm not on a jury adjudicating potential punishment. I get to use simple common sense.
At the same time, I want a threshold high enough not to ensnare actually innocent persons. Even a handful of accusers should not brand someone in the absence of corroboration - payments, rumor/gossip.
50
No fire, Very little that may appear to be smoke, But probably just fog.
3
COME ON, Fabrizio! We know how this story goes.
You have the attractive wingman, who hunts for women for the average wealthy mogul, who would otherwise be out of his league with these women, if it weren't for his cheque book and perhaps opportunities dangled and empty promises. We've all seen these movies,heard these stories.
Denial?...Try again! More like in denial!
101
More like lying through his teeth.
7
Lombardo's denials, excuses and refusal to take responsibility for his actions, or condemn Weinstein's heinous behavior is, sickeningly and grotesquely, par for the course.
His behavior - the predatory part and the lack of remorse or responsibility -
has lots of company with the other predatory men recently slithering out of the woodwork: Weinstein (both brothers, now), O'Reilly, Ailes, Trump, Chris Savino, James Toback and Steven Seagal.
85
Stop throwing Trump in with all these others - all he was guilty of was locker room talk. It diminishes your broader point.
3
Along the same lines of Cosby, there are so many allegations of Trump actually assaulting women that it is almost impossible that some are not true. Also, given the abuse and humiliation women accusers are subjected to, they'd need to be insane to step out and say something. Furthermore, there is at least one deposition - under oath, no less - that alleges rape. From his ex wife.
OK, innocent until proven guilty. But let's own the fact that when there is this much smoke, there is typically a fire. And all of the allegations about Trump came before he was ever a political figure, so that argues against a political hit.
Oh, and every apologist in this comments section is male. The women know.
13
Agree, it seems someone or some group is trying to down play Weinstein.
4