Asia Argento, victim blaming, and #metoo

The plot thickens with the Asia Argento situation. As I mentioned in my last post, former child actor James Bennett accused Argento of raping him just two months after he turned 17. Argento and Bennett now 22, settled out of court. The settlement occurred while Argento made news when she accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of rape.

Argento initially denied the allegations against her. However, within a few hours the media reported that Argento claimed her late husband Anthony Bourdain pushed her to settle the case with the alleged victim.

How unfortunate that Baourdain is no longer here to respond to such a claim. Granted, it is possible that he made such a suggestion and it is common for celebrities to pay out settlements rather than risk unwanted criminal cases and negative press. It does seem unlikely, however, that Bourdain would make such a suggestion if Argento could prove she did nothing wrong.

If it only ended there, Argento would merely look scuzzy for tarnishing the reputation of her late husband. TMZ, however, published texts allegedly from Argento about the incident. According to the texts, Argento is the victim:

Asia Argento has her own #MeToo moment

Questions About the Cosby Verdict

On April 26th, 2018, a jury convicted actor and comedian Bill Cosby on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. He faces 10 years and a potential $25,000 fine for each count.

The media and #Metoo activists have hailed the conviction as the first “win” for the #MeToo movement. That is a fair assessment. While the allegations against Cosby predate the Weinstein scandal, many people have associated his situation with the scandal. They argue that this is another example of powerful men exploiting women.

Cosby’s situation is different not only in his alleged method of assault — drugging the women — but also in that most of the women accusing him claim the acts occurred decades ago. This leaves little to no physical evidence for most of the case, and little circumstantial evidence short of the women telling someone the claim over the years.

That said, I do not have a problem with the conviction per se. If the evidence were convincing beyond a reasonable doubt, then a jury should convict.

The problems I have with the case lie in the way it was prosecuted and handled. Let me start with the most bizarre element of the case:

The Depths of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

I thought I would start 2018 with something positive. I watched a Razorfist video a few days ago about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

I watched DS9 many years ago. I found the series very entertaining, particularly once it got to the Dominion War. The series is a turn in the Star Trek franchise. Rather than the utopia typically seen in the original series or the Next Generation, DS9 showed how the rest of the galaxy worked. While the Federation may be perfect, they live in a world where everyone else is not, and that has long-term ramifications. The series also chipped away at the utopian Federation concept, showing that they could be as shady as any other culture.

What I enjoy about Razrofist’s video series is his rapid-fire analysis. It is funny and engaging, but more importantly, it makes me want to rewatch the series. Benjamin Sisko is one of my favorite Star Trek characters, and I hold him as equal with Picard as my favorite captain.

Director Bryan Singer Sued For Alleged Sexual Assault

Cesar Sanchez-Guzman filed a lawsuit against director Bryan Singer, alleging the director sexually assaulted him in 2003. According to the media reports:

In the lawsuit, Sanchez-Guzman alleged that Singer was a guest at the party and took him on a tour of the yacht and sexually assaulted him. The lawsuit charges Singer with sexual assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and sexual exploitation of children.

Singer’s spokesman, Andrew Brettler, said the allegations were false, and this case would fail like another case brought against Singer in 2014 did.

I wrote about that case when it occurred. In that post, I mentioned that Singer faced a previous suit regarding a boy who acted in his film Apt Pupil.

Rumors regarding Singer suggest that he prefers teen boys and shows no interest legal young men who look younger than their age.

Police “find” 1993 recording of Corey Feldman naming abusers

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News that they found a 1993 recording of actor Corey Feldman naming abusers. The recording comes from the office’s investigation of Michael Jackson. A boy accused Jackson of molestation, and police interviewed several people who knew the singer to gather more interview. During this process, they interviewed then 17-year-old Feldman, who apparently informed them of several Hollywood people who either abused him or other children.

According to the office’s email to Fox New:

Following the recent inquiries into the Sheriff’s Office interview of Mr. Feldman in 1993, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office conducted an additional review for any stored items remaining from the Michael Jackson investigation. In a container which included the original reports from the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office located some detective working copies of audio recordings made during the investigation. A copy of Mr. Feldman’s interview was located. The recording is being turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department. Due to the fact that this case involves the alleged sexual abuse of a child, we are unable to comment further and any documentation or evidence related to this case is exempt from release.

There are several things worth note. First, the office stated in October that Feldman had never given them any names. This was in response to Feldman stating in an interview that he had already told the police about the abusers years ago. The office issued the following statement:

Charlie Sheen accused of raping 13-year-old Corey Haim

There continues to be more fallout over the Kevin Spacey allegations. Now other actors are being accused of sexually assaulting young actors. The latest to face an accusation is actor Charlie Sheen.

In an Enquirer interview, former actor Dominick Brascia stated that Sheen, then 19-years-old, raped Haim while the pair were filming the movie Lucas:

“Haim told me he had sex with Sheen when they filmed ‘Lucas,’” Dominick Brascia, a former actor and a close friend of the “Lost Boys” legend, exclusively told The ENQUIRER. “He told me they smoked pot and had sex. He said they had anal sex. Haim said after it happened Sheen became very cold and rejected him. When Corey wanted to fool around again, Charlie was not interested.”

But Brascia said Haim claimed he hooked up with the “Wall Street” star another time — when he was in his mid-to-late 20s. “Haim told me he had sex with Sheen again,” Brascia told The ENQUIRER. “He claimed he didn’t like it and was finally over Sheen. He said Charlie was a loser.”

The Enquirer claims that dozens of other people they contacted verified the accusation. The claim is similar to one made by Cory Feldman, Haim’s close friend, in his memoir: