This is where Hollowood does indeed go wrong IMO, at least ethics-wise. The false and politically motivated talking point is that liberalism in the motivation. The real issue IMO is the culture of Hollywood of always supporting other actors and entertainers regardless of propriety because it serves their individual and collective business purposes.

One thing I never hear any actor say about another is an unflattering comment or opinion. No matter if the director, actor or entertainer is a total POS personally and/or professionally, they'll always say how great they and their work is, how much of a pleasure it was to work with him/her, etc.

Example:

Q: "So, Mr/Ms X, what did you think of the new screen release of Blood Beach VI?"
A: "Oh, director Y is a genius in his directing and script writing, the plot was tremendous, lead actor Z was outstanding and the supporting cast was terrific and talented, blah blah blah."

Nobody will ever admit the film and/or actors completely suck. From all I've ever observed, there's very clearly an unwritten rule that no entertainers or actors will bash another. So long as they all say wonderful promoting things about each other, then they'll all benefit from the mutual backslaps and seal claps. When the talents of Paris Hilton and the Kardashians, et al, and other no talent a-holes with screwed up lives get sung to high heaven, it's easy to tell that it's just the standard BS that stinks to high heaven.

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Exactly.

Polanski pled guilty to statutory rape. He fled the jurisdiction to avoid sentencing. He deserves absolutely no break for the crime or the flight and should be brought back to the US to be held accountable for them. In fact, Polanski deserves extra prosecution and punishment for the flight. The opinion of the victim is irrelevant because what Polanski did is a crime against the state, and whether he is a talented director--and he is IMO--is equally irrelevant to whether he deserves to be held accountable for his crimes and conduct.

After all, there are plenty of cases where victims don't want the perpetrator prosecuted--especially in statutory rape and domestic violence cases--and where the perpetrator is talented in whatever profession he or she practices. None of that excuses the actual issue--the crimes and conduct itself and the need for accountability for them.

OJ Simpson was an outstanding American football player and a well known, popular and talented actor. It doesn't mean that earns him a free pass on his crimes. It's the same for Polanski.

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Joey Buttafucco only got 6 mos for a long affair involving many repeated acts. It was suspended and he only served time after continued misconduct violated his probation. In his case he drove, and almost certainly conspired with, his underage paramour to attempt killing his wife, and he was never even tried for that.

Polanski's victim has stated repeatedly that she feels she has been more harmed by the continuing controversy than she was by the original crime and even expresses sympathy for Polanski.


Polanski pled guilty under a plea agreement which was then reneged on and after it became obvious he was actually being further punished for being a foreigner, making controversial movies, and somehow for the 'guilt' of being married to a famous murder victim.

He's had a terribly truncated career due to his inablilty to work in the movie capital of the world. American "justice" allowed his beautiful young wife to be brutally murdered and would probably have never caught her killers had not one confessed while imprisoned for something else. Meanwhile, how many Edward Garridos continue to flaunt their abducted sex slaves for decades while being generally ignored by all and sundry but law "enforcement" in particular. This should go in the dictionary as a textbook illustation of the word "travesty"

One symptom of a decadent and declining culture is a paradoxical breakdown of justice. It will frequently persecute people mercilessly for small or medium transgressions while letting egregious and harmful violators off with little or no punishment at all.

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Alizee Jacotay, the reason god invented hips

IT'S ON YOUTUBE, IT MUST BE TRUE

I totally agree with your assessment here. Polanski committed a disgusting and vile crime aggravated by his flight from prosecution and deserves the book thrown at him hard and heavy the day he finally stands for his sentence along with a new one on top of it for the flight from prosecution. The only future acting job I want to see him do before he spends a long time in prison will be posing for his Megan's Law Internet and file picture.

Search California Registered Sex Offenders- California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General

Read my follow up post to Steve where I think the real issue lies as to why someone like Polanski gets the treatment he's gotten in that business. It's not liberalism in Hollywood and there are just as many GOPers involved with him, cheering his awards, etc. It's Hollywood's business attitude of never speaking ill and always praising 'one in the business' because it's deemed in their collective business self-interests to do so even if the praise is false on the merits as to their talent or work and/or inappropriate to do so given the person is objectionable. IMO, it's an unethical business practice--although it's been effective--to do that.

Someone like Polanski ought to be entirely shunned by the entertainment industry given he is a fugitive from the law for a very serious offence and committed another one by flight to avoid prosecution. And whatever positive can be said about his work talents, his crimes and flight ought to be condemned wholeheardedly wherever applicable in that industry and that he ought to be held accountable for them.

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Too add the last several posts, Hollywood is schizo. On one hand they would go far to cover up indiscretions then jump on the bandwagon and help tear someone down, (Fatty Arbuckle).
They have interests to protect. Bing Cosby reputedly had a penchant for younger woman, younger than 18. Errol Flynn you name it, Rock Hudson, gay, etc. etc.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

Bis interimitur qui suis armis perit...

I've never said that I agree with Buttafucco's sentence either...whether it was consensual or not, it was illegal for him to have sex with a 16 year old kid. I also think he should have been tried for his role in the shooting of his wife.

He was being punished further for being foreigner, making movies and for being married to Tate???? Give me a break! The rapist deserved to be in jail for a helluva lot longer than 42 days and he would have been had he not fled.

Forgive me if I don't feel any pity for him and his inability to work. The rapist drugged a 13 year old girl and raped her so fuck his career limitations.

Edward Garridos? I thought it was Phillip...

ALL child rapists should be given the death penalty, IMO.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

Shame on France ? Why ? Does the US extradite its citizens to other countries, regardless which crimes they allegedly committed there ?

Shame on France for knowingly harboring a man who confessed in a court of law to raping a child.

If you can't see a problem there, I can't help you.

Matt

Sorry, but is is by no means a "travesty" to jail a man who pled guilty to a crime and then fled to avoid his sentence.

Doesn't matter a whit what the victim thinks. As OSB noted, Polanski's decision to flee was a separate crime for which he should also do jail time.

Polanski could have, at any time, been a man and faced up to the consequences of his actions.

Matt

It just seems like such a plastic and dirty business in so many respects too. For example, I'll hear someone singing the praises of someone because that is the expectation (and if you want to keep your job prospects going and get reciprocal praise instead of smears and daggers thrown at you) but you won't get some frankness that's deserved, like:

Q: So, Mr/Ms, X, what did you think about working on your new film project?
A: Well, I hated it but hopefully the money will make it all worth it. But I hated it. The director is a coke addict and he likes to only hire women who fuck him. He basically has the job because of his family and friends connections in the industry, not because of any particular talents. In fact, it's others in the crew that do the good work that's been made possible for him given his connections, but he takes all their credit. A few really talented actresses didn't get the part because Ms Y started fucking him to get the part. She's a wooden actress and took loads of coaching, but her lack of talent still shows, and that brought down the quality of the film and we are all going to lose some money on account of her poor performance. She's also a cokehead so they partied and fucked and she not only got the part but also special treatment on the set. She'd show up late, under the weather, and not prepared very often, thought she was hot shit because she's banging him and mistreated the cast as a result, and he's a real asshole to anyone not on his 'pet list' which made working the set really frustrating. Hell, we would have loved to have called the director's wife to tell her what a scumbag her husband is and spread the word about her to get even, but of course we didn't want to get blackballed for other jobs by people who don't want to deal with anyone who speaks out.

And then you have to deal with all the niche groups and cliques, even cultish religions like the Mormons and Scientologists who have influence and pressures, etc.

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Do you have a link for that, because this is the first time I've heard that. Every time I've heard reference to the 42 days, it spoke of it being an evaluation period which would precede his sentencing. That sentencing didn't happen, because the scumbag fled...

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Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings...

The US does agree to extradite its own citizens, and has done so. It all depends on the the kind of extradition treaty a nation can negotiate with another and its terms.

Polanski pled guilty to the charges so he was no longer just accused. He is guilty of the accusation by his own admission and it is an established fact. One common extradition treaty reservation regards shared criminality of the particular act at issue. In other words, the accused or proven crime in the jurisdiction seeking extradition is also a crime in the jurisdiction in which extradition is sought. Polanski's admitted act is a crime in both jurisdictions.

But, France will not agree to extradite one of its own citizens unless it consents and that was therefore made a condition of the US-France extradition treaty. It can consent, however, to do so. The treaty also allows the French to perform the prosecution of people accused of violating US laws against one of its citizens in France should the US permit it. Given the French tolerance of Polanski's vile conduct and his flight from sentencing from a crime he had already pled guilty in CA, it was common sense that CA and US authorities wanted to continue handling the case themselves. They asked for his extradition, but France refused.

As for the French reaction here, it's shamful and condoning of a child rape and flight from prosecution from it. French Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand is already taking Polanski's side claiming he had already suffered enough in his life. What a load of tosh. The man admitted to drugging and raping a child and they've protected him from any accountability for it.

The Zurich Film Festival has also cancelled Saturday’s ceremony and condemned the arrest. And shame on them too for sticking up for a fugitive child rapist. Heck, IMO, they should stay cancelled until they get some basic human decency and ethics.

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Actually, I think it is a perfectly noble business, with many, many plastic, dirty, morally ambiguous people.

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"It's a good feeling to shoot a bad guy. Something you democrats would never understand. Americans are homesteaders, we want a safe home, keep the money we make, and shoot bad guys!"

----Denny Crane

With regard to the fact that he has appealed his guilty plea, I don't think fugitives should have any access to the courts. If he wants to appeal, he should have to present himself in order to do so.

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"It's a good feeling to shoot a bad guy. Something you democrats would never understand. Americans are homesteaders, we want a safe home, keep the money we make, and shoot bad guys!"

----Denny Crane

Yeah, I'd agree with that characterisation. I do appreciate the arts and its merits, that's for sure.

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