Today in Sexual Harassment

I didn’t think the morning news that Melissa Gilbert has accused Oliver Stone of sexual harassment way back in 1991 (I’d kinda forgotten who Melissa Gilbert is, and Oliver Stone is best forgotten on general principle), but then I saw the news that came out later that Pixar’s major creative force, John Lasseter, is “taking a leave” from the animation powerhouse because of the usual problem:

John Lasseter, the head of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios and one of the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry, acknowledged Tuesday that he had crossed the line with employees. He is taking a six-month leave of absence.

Lasseter sent a memo to staff apologizing for making employees feel disrespected or uncomfortable, Variety has confirmed. . . His name has continued to be mentioned privately, with a number of former Pixar employees telling Variety that he has behaved inappropriately and describing a culture at the company as “toxic” and “sexist” for women.  . . Since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke in October, however, some female employees have begun to discuss how Lasseter’s behavior has crossed boundaries, describing it as creepy.

Lasseter isn’t quite the Hollywood presence that Weinstein was, but I have long held to the axiom that only Pixar should be allowed to make children’s movies, as their offerings were so far superior to the formulaic Shrek fare of Dreamworks, IMHO. The Dreamworks stable of kids movies always try too hard to make subtle nods to the parents, and almost invariably have an annoying baby boomer music soundtrack. Pixar movies are consistently more original. This just isn’t debatable.

Reminder of how the next Oscar night is shaping up:

And here, a special schadenfreudetastic moment—Kevin Spacey defending Bill Clinton on . . . Charlie Rose. It really doesn’t get better than this:

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