Posted on 10/13/2017 6:17:39 PM PDT by markomalley
The University of Southern California has rejected a $5 million donation from Harvey Weinstein in response to allegations that Weinstein sexually abused scores of women for decades.
The Hollywood movie producer’s generous $5 million donation would have funded — wait for it — an endowment for women filmmakers at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Southern Cal administrators decided to refuse the gift after a USC student, Tiana Lowe, launched a Change.org petition urging the school “to finally muster the moral spine to refuse Harvey Weinstein’s blood money in exchange for its soul.”
“Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood kingmaker and production pioneer, is not only a serial sexual harasser, but an alleged rapist as well,” the damning petition charges.
“We don’t need this money. What we need is some damn principles,” Lowe also wrote.
“I’m done with respectable institutions readmitting monsters into honorable life. USC tells us to take back the night, and they say that ‘it’s on us.’ That’s easy to say when railing against some vague notion of ‘rape culture’ or a dishonest caricature of Greek life. When confronted with Hollywood royalty and a political ally, that’s a lot harder.”
USC officials confirmed their decision to refuse Weinstein’s cash in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter this week.
“The USC School of Cinematic Arts will not proceed with Mr. Weinstein’s pledge to fund a $5M endowment for women filmmakers,” the statement said.
Weinstein had pledged to fund the endowment for women filmmakers last year.
Allegations of sexual assault — and rape — have streamed continually in recent days after a New York Times bombshell report detailed allegations against the Hollywood studio head from current and former employees, including actress Ashley Judd. The Times uncovered at least eight cases in which Weinstein paid the women a settlement to keep quiet about his behavior.
The countless accusations, detailing Weinstein’s advances came from former assistants, actresses, models and others who have all allegedly reached settlements with the film executive over the years. Most accusers spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A number of women including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have since spoken out about harrowing experiences they say they endured with Weinstein.
The University of Southern California is famous because the former dean of its prestigious medical school, Harvard-educated Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, routinely partied hard with a band of strung-out, drug-addled losers which included a 21-year-old prostitute and a karaoke deejay with a lengthy rap sheet.
Three weeks before resigning, Puliafito was using illegal drugs with the 21-year-old prostitute, Sarah Warren, in a hotel room at the $249-per-night, Jetsons-esque Hotel Constance in Pasadena.
Warren said she overdosed during the festivities. She was purposefully using gamma-hydroxybutyrate — the date-rape drug — but she had consumed too much.
About six hours after Warren was rushed to a local hospital for overdosing, Puliafito stopped by to retrieve her and the pair “went back to the hotel and got another room and continued the party,” according to an astonishing exposé by the Los Angeles Times.
Videos recorded in 2015 and 2016 show Puliafito using a butane torch to heat up a big glass meth pipe, Puliafito hosting Warren on his lap as she smokes meth, Puliafito preparing a “hot rail” of meth for Warren to snort and Puliafito inhaling meth fumes from Warren’s mouth as she exhales — a practice known among meth heads as “shotgunning.”
Warren said Puliafito spent an inordinate amount of time with her and a merry band of drug buddies. He spent the night with her often. He’d leave for a while, then come back with breakfast.
“He was always with me,” Warren told the Times. “It was as if he had nothing else to do.”
Puliafito’s annual salary at USC was $1.1 million.
A single year of undergraduate tuition, fees and room and board at USC costs $69,209.
Rats abandoning the sinking ship.
If it’ a program that will help women, I say go for it.
Don’t be an idiot.
This guy deserves to pay a penance, and $5 million is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to a women’s program.
Sometimes I think folk lose rationality on these things.
They cut off their nose to spite their face. (old saying)
Warren said Puliafito spent an inordinate amount of time with her and a merry band of drug buddies. He spent the night with her often. He’d leave for a while, then come back with breakfast.
“He was always with me,” Warren told the Times. “It was as if he had nothing else to do.”
There is really no side to root for in this. Harvey is
going to need that money himself anyway.
Ha ha ha. USC another day, another headline.
The “wait for it” is better than that... it was going to be named for his mother.
‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’.
Agreed.
Weinstain meant well.
He just got overpowered by his sexually abusive evil ways.
Besides, what he did is no different from what Bill Clinton did, although within different professions.
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I remember during the Clinton years as president, when a bunch of women came forward and accused him of many “indiscretions”, including sexual harassment and sexual abuse and rapes....
when there was some liberal woman (I forgot her name) who said that, Clinton should be allowed to get his way with his sexual appetites, because, he was president and should be rewarded for the hard work he was doing for the country and party. (I don’t recall the exact words, but it was something to that effect).
So, it’s actually the same with liberal Hollywood and Weinstain, where they tolerated his sexual abuse because he was doing “good” for the industry.
So, Rudy should have took the Saudi money after 9/11?
Take the money. Do a bunch of infrastructure work...roads, garages, bathrooms, pipes, roofs....and then name a toilet after him.
No sweat, I’m sure Hillary will accept it.
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