EXCLUSIVE: It’s fair to imagine that Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Amy Pascal hasn’t had a peaceful moment since November 24, when a hacker’s skeleton emblem appeared on Sony Corp. computers around the world and signaled the arrival of a hack attack that has created unprecedented havoc for a media empire. The breach shut down every computer and e-mail; digital copies of unreleased films were posted; confidential data, ranging from employee information to e-mails from executives, was dispersed to media outlets and served up to embarrass and hobble the Sony regime. Pascal’s e-mail exchanges have been a focal point in the latter portion of this nightmare. Suddenly, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished female executives, a risk taker with a reputation for taste and strong talent relationships, felt like the girl who fell down the rabbit hole.
I have tried since to get Pascal to give Deadline readers a glimpse of what it has been like to weather this storm. She relented today, hours before the premiere of the controversial Sony comedy The Interview. The timing of the release of that film, about the attempt by bumbling journalists to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has created speculation that it might be a factor in this sophisticated hack attack.
DEADLINE: I’ve urged you to speak about this crisis for a week. So today you are. Why?
PASCAL: I didn’t want to talk before. I didn’t want to make this about me. Everyone at this company has been violated and nobody here deserved this. Then the most hurt email came out…I’m so disappointed in myself, that I ever would have had such a lapse in my thinking. Of all the things I thought might be said about me, this was the last one, and I feel awful. There are people here that I work with I love, and I don’t want them to be disappointed in me. I am mostly disappointed in myself. That is the element of this that has been most painful for me. I don’t want to be defined by these emails, after a 30 year career; I was even willing to let it all happen. But I’m just not going to do that now. Clearly, there are things that you say in a rash moment without thinking them through, and it takes ten seconds to say something stupid. When it’s blasted and it might become the way you are defined as a human being, I have to say it. It’s just wrong. It’s wrong about me. And it’s wrong to do to anyone.
Recent Comments
DEADLINE: Did you apologize to the president?
PASCAL: I don’t know Barack Obama. I worked really hard for him in both of his campaigns. I am inspired by him. I…I’m embarrassed, deeply.
DEADLINE: Rev. Al Sharpton just came out with a statement highly critical of your comment. How do you react to that?
PASCAL: I know I screwed up. So I called him and we spoke. And we are going to try to use this as an opportunity to make things better.
DEADLINE: Can you describe what it’s like to find yourself under siege, having to apologize for private e-mail thoughts dug up by these hackers?
PASCAL: I’m not a victim here. I’m going to be fine. It’s really hard on our employees. Their Social Security numbers are on display, there are potential identity theft issues. None of them deserved this. No one deserves this.
DEADLINE: You’ve run a studio for a long time, and you feel you understand the media and suddenly you find your old e-mails served up salaciously. What’s going through your mind in relation to what’s happening to you, and your studio?
PASCAL: That what this is, really is, is a crime. It’s stolen property. They’re stealing private property. It’s hard to believe what has gone on. I don’t want to say anything bad about journalists to you Mike, but it’s hard to swallow that otherwise reputable outlets are trafficking in this. I’m shocked. It’s like having someone go through your trash and talk about what they found.
DEADLINE: Nobody has died of embarrassment, but this seems very invasive.
PASCAL: Mainly, it’s distracting. I have a company to run, I have movies to get out. I have Annie to get out and The Interview. I have next year’s schedule of films. I have 6,000 people who work here.
DEADLINE: How do you not allow yourself to be a victim, and is there something you hope people reading these e-mails will factor into their thought process?
PASCAL: What you’d like to say is, don’t read them. Can we all make a pact not to read these, whether they’re mine or somebody else’s? Because I’m not the last person this is going to happen to. It would be wonderful for everybody to be willing to be forgiving of each other, and to not engage in this.
DEADLINE: That’s a lofty ambition; I want a pony but that isn’t happening, either. So address that question again, knowing that media outlets are serving this stuff as fast as it comes in, and people are gorging on it.
PASCAL: Look, I understand these things are juicy, salacious and tempting to the people who are reading them. I would ask that they reserve some kind of judgment about those stolen e-mails defining someone. This one e-mail was really hard for me. Otherwise, I realize I’m just going to have to move forward. I cannot worry every day, about the next thing that’s going to be read by the town about me, something I said in a moment of weakness, stupidity or tactlessness.
I’ll apologize to everybody, every day, but I have to run this company. That means taking care of the employees here and so I have to be strong because I have a big company here. The truth is, all anyone is talking about are these e-mails. It is important not to forget that a crime was committed and that this is the new way of the world. This could have happened to anyone. It happened to Target and it happened to Home Depot. This is what’s happening, and we have to figure out how to defend ourselves and how to take care of ourselves in this new world.
DEADLINE: Any closer to ascertaining who did this and why?
PASCAL: That’s not something I can talk about and that can’t be my focus here. For me, this is about moving forward.
DEADLINE: If people are concerned about working at Sony because of the leaked Social Security numbers and these e-mail breaches, what would you say to them?
PASCAL: That we’re going to have the best security in the business by the time this is over. I would also hope everyone remembers this might be about people not wanting us to release a movie. That’s another issue we should be talking about, something we need to band together about, and not divide with all this gossip.
DEADLINE: You’ve made bold unauthorized films before, including The Social Network and Zero Dark Thirty, and you took the leap on The Interview…
PASCAL: And that can never, ever change. No one will tell us what movies to release, ever. Nobody should be able to intimidate a company to not to do its business.
DEADLINE: Did Sony ever weigh not releasing The Interview?
PASCAL: No, because Michael and I are completely confident in it, and determined to release the movie.
DEADLINE: Still, there was discussion…
PASCAL: We wanted to make sure that everything in the movie was respectful, but the truth is, it’s a comedy. A comedy. It’s meant to be entertainment, and that’s what it is. I think when people see the movie they’re going to know that. Look, I don’t want to play defense here. I am eager to get back on offense, believe me. And I will. I just hope people understand that you prove yourself and your character and values over a long period of time, and that you should not be defined by an occasional stumble or a bad moment. That’s not fair.
She is owning it. Let’s move on. I wouldn’t want my private emails stolen. Horrible all around.
Ya think Sharpton will just move on? He isn’t going to go away…until Sony gives him a few $ to go away.
So what…her company makes $ off Black people! I hope he does…these bigots need to pay one way or another because they certainly are going to become (un)bigoted.
Tyra, her company makes money off all people who choose to pay for the content. Why are you only suggesting that Black people watch Sony movies? And why would any of that money go to Sharpton, as opposed to anyone else?
lol .. you are on Al Sharpton’s list now Pascal …. he will make ” dark seoul” look like child’s play. Fun, fun !!
Move on? 6,000 current and 1500 former employees had their identities stolen. And this is after Sony was seriously hacked not even 18 months ago. Her arrogance is largely at issue here, as she’s a millionaire: she’ll be just fine. On the other hand, PA’s making $125 a day cannot afford things like Lifelock and such.
No moving on. Let’s tackle this head on and see just how far the arrogance goes.
Exactly. However….. do you think that all of the race baiters in this country are going to let this go? My husband and I have laughed about this all day! Their conversation about the subject was classic! And hey, I’m white and my hubby is black – not JUST black, but a strong, confident, successful, black man. He’s still laughing! Perhaps a little education, evolution, and something to do with all of their spare time would calm down some of these losers.
Laugh. It’s funny!! Hah, if my hubby can laugh at this shit – then I’m okay with it.
Your husband is a weak black man, its nothing funny about those jokes, The only reason the joke is funny is to express black people have no taste in movies, all of their movies are below “our white standards” this is not funny, This is whats wrong with this country anytime people get caught being racist people come out defend them, then they killing kids and people still defend them.
They say we are race baiters, oh nobody is racist, then behind people back they are being racist lmao pathetic.
You’re an example of how PC SJWs are making the word “racist” totally meaningless. The joke is not that black people have no taste, the joke was that black people tend to go to movies that with more of a cast of black actors. It’s funny because it’s true, anyone who follows audience demographics knows this. It’s also true of white audiences. So what. Doesn’t mean that black or white people have bad taste if they go to movies where they relate to the actors.
Get over yourself and your self-righteousness. Attacking a woman in an interracial marriage, and calling her husband weak. You SJWs sicken me.
Well said. Thank you.
If your husband laughs at this, then clearly he has no respect for himself, thus highlighting his marriage to you. And you defending his strength? I’d say that’s laughable :)
You should be ashamed of yourself. You don’t know these people at all. Their reaction is valid. They find the joke in the emails funny. Who are you to say they, and in particular a black man, lack self-respect or strength. It sounds like this couple is just a lot more evolved than rude SJWs like yourself.
So, you’re in an interracial marriage…congratulations. My question to you would be do you have a white friend you would personally have that exchange with. You really can’t see how they revealed their bigotry through that? Please open your eyes…it’s clear!
Hi Tyra ~
Please don’t ‘mock’ my marriage. The beautiful thing is, my husband and I don’t look at our marriage as YOU do. We’re two people who happen to have fallen in love, we’re raising two beautiful children who know exactly who they are, and rarely even think of our family as “interracial” (as you pointed out). You see, Tyra, not everyone looks at ‘skin color’ as you do. Skin color as nothing to do with culture OR pride. Every corner of this earth is inhabited with people of every shade…there is no such thing as ‘black’ culture. Just as there is no such thing as ‘white’ culture. We’re all different, that’s what makes us beautiful. I hope that our children grow up understanding that YOUR point of view is myopic, biased, and incredibly segregating in nature.
All jokes come from a place of pain. Fat jokes, ugly jokes, bad marriage jokes, racial jokes, etc.. My hubby and I understand this. And with that knowledge – live our lives filled with the understanding that SOMEWHERE the laughter is educating someone. We laugh because if we didn’t, we’d cry. Laughter IS good medicine, it can sooth historical pain — IF we let it.
Wow, I’m sure you and Amy Pascal are cut from the same Cloth. If there were no such thing as White Culture or Black Culture, Then there would have been no basis for the joke YOU and your “Husband” laughed at.
Yesss! Hit the nail on head!
Just because you are married to a black man, does not give you a pass. I’m an educated black women, and I find your response very racist, and disturbing. Sony race baited, by letting people know their true feelings.
You received a poor education. Sony didn’t “race baited”. Silly woman.
Maybe he’s a token
Hollywood never cared about blacks anyway.
“Race baiter” – someone who points out racism?
“…I said in a moment of weakness, stupidity or tactlessness.”
She’s not owning anything. She uses these words instead of a very simple word: Racist. Amy Pascal is a racist who believes black men and women are lower than she is because of their skin color. I’m sure she believes this about Asians, Native Americans, Indians, whoever the heck else. Irish and Italians, and she probably hates her own Jewish brothers and sisters, too.
Her true, deep-seated feelings ugly and indefensible. Her husband’s play was also the worst thing I’ve ever seen.
Really, so you know her personally do you? Grow up.
How exactly are you sure?
You are a moron
Pascal’s comments indicate nothing of being racist or believing POC are lower than she is. She make a joke about something that is an actual phenomenon, that audiences tend to see movies with actors that look like them. So what? That does happen. Filmmakers from Spike Lee to Tyler Perry depend on it. It enables low budget movies to make a consistent profit. Nothing low about that.
You just said “low budget” when referring to Spike Lee and TP… why?
Yes yes.
Move on. boot the movie.
Now my dinners cold.
Hahahaha
great article.
She’s finished.
Her apology is to boot the movie, the interview.
That’s an apology.
Amy dear, how would YOU respond to a movie about YOU, your two execs are plotting against you.
How about YOU MAKE THAT MOVIE.
After you boot the interview movie.
You don’t even get it, that you are assaulting a real foreign country , AND making idiots out of film people.
Like Pascal said, “We wanted to make sure that everything in the movie was respectful, but the truth is, it’s a comedy. A comedy.” If one country can’t handle it, then ban it. It happens on numerous occasions with video games and television shows, certain parts of games or episodes of a television series will be banned in countries because they feel it was culturally insensitive. Comedy can’t always make everyone laugh. Certain people laugh at things others don’t. Just like horror films, some will be scared some won’t.
‘mandog’ in Korean means a–h… .
Kim Jong Un would be proud of how you served your country well on the Internets.
Everybody makes mistakes. At least this media storm spotlights a problem which needs addressing.
She doesn’t *need* to run the company, there are other people who are perfectly capable of doing so. Many other people have paid for errors in judgment with their careers, why shouldn’t she? Would she be willing to make a Mel Gibson film?
Exactly. Why should she be different than all of the others whose careers dead ended when they made stupid comments that they regretted? Because she is an entitled witch to many? Not a good enough reason.
She needs to leave Sony already.
Why? What she said was actually funny.
It certainly was not funny. She may regret saying it, but it was not funny. And who is lucky enough to have an audience with the President and has no idea what to ask? Health care? The economy? the world? No, decidedly not funny to joke that a black man only watches black movies. Not.
Why? She’s been there for 30 years and brought them Sleepless In Seattle, Charlie’s Angels and Spider-Man. Her record speaks for itself.
Girl…own who you are and what you said. You just got busted this time. No different than these rogue cops. Deep down (or maybe not so deep down) you hate Black people. No other way to slice it. You have the world in the palm of your hand and this is what you amuse yourself with…?? I really don’t care that many white folks hate us. That’s your sick business. I just ask that y’all leave us the h$&@ alone!
what is your deal, tyra? you are full of self loathing. get a life. no one ‘hates’ black folks just because you say so. actually, i’m thinking that since you’re so full of self loathing that perhaps you hate your own ‘blackness’. this getting sooooo old.
have a nice day.
No, self loathing here. I believe the more correct statement is she loathes Black people.
Tyra, you don’t speak for me.
Yes you’re right this woman needs a reality check not to mention a lesson in English.
Are you really suggesting her email is equivalent to the killings of African-American men at the hands of corrupt law enforcement? Really? I think you could make the case she needs to do some self-reflection about her sense of white-entitlement, that she could so casually make a racist joke about the POTUS, but that hardly puts her in the same camp as the police officer who choked Eric Garner to death.
Absurd comment and comparison. Blech, humanity is so stupid and predictable and self-serving. She has nothing to apologize for except for that dreadful Jolie project. Rudin was right on and very articulate about that, even if he otherwise seems to have particular venom for women. Their emails were amusing. Agreed with the other comments about feeling badly for them. They should just move on from this phony race baiting controversy. Deal with the actual issue of hacking and ID theft. The faux outrage machine only lives if you feed it.
Amy hasn’t worked with Angie since Salt, which was a HIT.
She did make a Mel Gibson film. THE PATRIOT.
You know, it’s no studios fault that Mel wasn’t a better husband to his wife and she was given 1/2 his money and 1/2 his production company in the divorce. If he never put himself in the position he’s in, he could have been able to get any movie he wanted made. Nobody’s fault but his.
#TeamAmy
Resign, Amy, resign. It’s your only option and urging people not to read the leaked emails is stupid. Your response is stupid. I just hope that FRanco and Seth Rogen were worth ruining your career over. (I’m laughing as I type that last sentence, as true as it is.)
This comment section is going to get filled up with comments from right-wing lunatics, but obviously rational people understand that this is a 24 hour story with no legs. I mean, honestly, there was nothing racist, just hacky attempts at humor. As they would say in a Disney franchise, “Let it go. Let it go.”
I admit that I’m reading these emails and getting a kick out of them. My bad! But, honestly, some of the pleasure in reading them is to realize that we’re all human and sometimes we get caught being human.
With people with whom we have close relationships, we’re allowed to be tactless. At least we should be allowed to be tactless and not have those moments aired for others to see.
Maybe we should all think about picking up the phone next time we have intemperate thoughts to express and not memorialize them via email.
Kudos JB…we’ve all engaged in tactless “humor”. Most of us have probably regretted it. But most of us don’t get busted for it. I will say, however, that I hope this is seen as an opportunity for anyone reading about this kind of situation to look at themselves and consider if what they think joking about is actually fair game, or if it reveals personal prejudices one may not be aware of. This is a chance for all of us to be introspective and look at what we feel is “harmless fun”, and see if it reveals unfair prejudices.
This explains why 64 whites got nominations compared to 6 people of color. Shame on SONY, I loved their products and movies but not anymore.
nominations? which nominations? the golden globes? SAG? none of those have anything to do with sony – you moron. you know nothing about how the industry works. it’s an embarrassment to see burger flippers casting aspersions when they’re ignorant.
i’ll take a small fry with my burger, lucifer arnold.
Sony does make movies and tv shows Anonymous and movies and tv shows are what nominations are based on. Oh and I am not a burger flipper. I am a producer who has to constantly fight an uphill battle with the studios who I view as one being. Sony is not alone in their approach as it is very difficult for projects of color to get set up at any studio in Hollywood unless they have a big name like Denzel or they are a comedy starring someone like Kevin Hart. Or they are a historical film about slavery or the civil rights then those dramas will get the instant green light. Try to do a black film outside of these parameters, say a black “Interstellar”, and you will have to rob a bank to get the funding. So yes, Sony is part of the reason that only 6 people of color got nominated and, for the record, this is not just an issue facing blacks. The lack of inclusion in Hollywood extends to Asians, Latinos and pretty much all non-whites but America has a tendency to focus on the longstanding beef between blacks and whites because it is safe to do so. I’ve come to realize that this is done by design so that the white establishment does not have to deal with race related attacks on all fronts. Also, focusing mainly on blacks as a problem keeps all non whites from joining forces because everyone is conditioned to view blacks as the losing group. Thank goodness “Jane the Virgin” got recognized in the Globes as it is one of the best new shows of the season and it stars mostly Latinos.
GG You are right on point. Having gone from living in Harlem (back in the 80s and 90s) to living in an affluent neighborhood in a mostly Republican state, I can say that while the Black/White issue gets tons of press, we are far and away not the only discriminated group. We however tend to forget that.
That said though, I am not sure I could call her racist though. Similarly I don’t know of anything she’s actively and intentionally done to Blacks or other minorities to keep them from succeeding in the business and from being in her films. However, I think her reaction to the release of her emails and her comments to that effect are definitely disingenuous. And while I certainly see the cringe factor in her comments given her position of relative power, I also saw the tongue in cheek aspect too. Own that moment. Admit that you told the jokes because you thought it was funny but you didn’t mean it to be harmful. Admit that you didn’t think of the ramifications or that it would upset anyone who may be a casual observer. Sitting around when I was in the military we would tell dirty, awful jokes (both males and females would chime in) that could get us in trouble if we were in the wrong venue. Truthfully though, I could care less about her comments in the grand scheme. The most hurtful (and damaging) about all this are the leaked social security numbers and other PII. That actually upsets me.
On a separate note, I hope your projects find the funding it needs. I would be very interested in watching (or working on) a film, documentary, or show that tackles subjects about Blacks/minorities/other that aren’t just about slavery or some tired, often repeated subjects. The world has a rich and robust history and it needs to be better represented. Heck, often times I think of trying to write some of it as film (this is before I laugh and wake up of course). I left my acting/writing days behind in the dust long ago (which is sad since I am still relatively young).
Of course Sony makes movies and TV shows, duh. But, smarty pants, Sony has nothing to do with voting for the Golden Globes, etc.
Why is it that if a black movie is not given kudos for being ‘award worthy’ that it’s always a racial bias. Maybe they’re just not as good as other projects. No, not everyone gets to ‘win’. But I’m sure that eventually there will be BLACK Golden Globes, BLACK Oscars, BLACK Emmy’s, etc., you know, so no one gets their feeling hurt.
This is just ridiculous bullshit. What’s that saying? if you can’t stand the heat…
I bet your mom flips burgers.
Don’t go see Annie, that’s a Sony movie with blacks. Boycott the film. The actors were paid already, it won’t hurt them, but it would hurt Sony.
This entire “scandal” is a crock of shit. She’s not a racist, she’s not going to make hiring or firing decision based on race, that’s all that matters here, not some lame joke between friends. People should seriously grow the fuck up.
Huh? She is a racist. A non-racist would never think or say the things she did.
She is a bigot! Who makes comments like that and is amused by it? I’m not suggesting she quit her job…that’s not the issue. Bottom line she’s a bigot and if there is a consequence for that, then let the chips fall where they may.
Tyra, got a chip on your black shoulder my dear? *snap*
“he’s not a racist, she’s not going to make hiring or firing decision based on race”
And you know this how?
Her entire career.
Your comment doesn’t make sense as an answer to my question.
hi, deleted!!
i totally agree. oh to be a fly on the wall in al sharpton’s house, or queen latifah’s office after her show was cancelled. i bet the ‘words’ fly out of their mouths! and, who cares. we’ve become too sensitive in this country. laughter is a good thing…and since when is joking in private illegal!!
those in glass houses.
Agreed.
Uh…who asked her for an apology? No, the jokes on them …busted…bigots! And I’m sure this was a first for them…ha, ha!
The truest indicator of who we really are is how we behave away from the public view.
Sure people love to repeat that canard but it’s an infantile simplification. I don’t care what people say or feel in private, 99 percent of people have some sort of bias, positive or negative, the only thing that matters is what they do, not how they feel.
this is completely overblown and I cant believe i’m saying this but I feel bad for her. its understandable that in this day in age where people are hyper sensitive that the media will take it and juice it up even more. much respect for how deadline is handling this. also amy’s joke could be interpreted completely differently in the sense that she was merely being self-deprecating –as if she would be so tactless to only bring up all black films
totally agree, jayson. great comment.
Bu!?sh/?! Open your eyes and brain! What did she apologize for? If it was as you stated…why couldn’t she say it. You have decided not to believe it was just this innocent exchange and it could have been, but they both are still bigots.
NEVER should of been greenlighted – ever. No one in fly by states is interested.
I have never met this woman but reading her response below demonstrates what a class act she is to own up to what she did. All of us are guilty of talking smack about others and she just got outed in the worst way possible. She also has amazing hair – just saying.
She got busted! Class act…really? Who talks like that…a bigot! She should just own it. There is no way a reasonable person would believe this was the first and only time she had that sort of exchange with someone. You have to have come to a certain level of comfort with your bigotry to actually have that sort of exchange with someone. She didn’t accidentally type those words…she was getting a kick out of it the entire time of the exchange. Why is she apologizing and to whom? Is she ashamed of being a bigot?
@Tyra
You are really filled with some anger, girl. Give it up. She’s no more a bigot than YOU are. So, my dear, tell us all how you REALLY feel about white folks? I’m thinking that YOU are filled with a sense of unrequited entitlement! Meaning, you’re a woman of colorl who hates everything. You know EXACTLY what I mean, sister. Hey, try looking in the mirror instead of trolling with your hate. If she’s a bigot, my dear, so are you. How do YOU like being called a horrible name like that by someone who doesnt have a clue about you – except for what they’ve read?? it sucks, doesn’t it.
Sorry to bust your bubble but, ‘who ever you are’, calling me a bigot doesn’t bother me one iota. Actually, it’s quite laughable. She revealed her bigotry and just got busted. I didn’t go looking for it. It is what it is…dear.
Hey Amy, stop posting things as Anonymous on this site. You are not a class act at all.
she’s just mad she caught got being a racist because that’s what she is
You’ve never told an inappropriate joke in your life? Not even privately?
here we go again! Some “hacker “illegally” Hacks something of a hi profile person that is conntraversial politically incorrect etc. ! Then some “tabloid conspiracry tabloid “hack” steals it & shadesof big brohaha of exposes it! shadeoaf reme ber big exec of National football league “allegendly said something “racially insensiive!/ Let me end with this?! What do we do if the “government are hackers????!!!! Eclectic “whistle blower!”
Is this your first attempt at articulating a thought?
LOL
So funny…! I just laughed out loud…thank you. I needed that.
“The Brohaha” – Now THERE’S a movie title.
Here’s what people in Hollywood need to understand about Pascal and Rudin’s comments about Obama’s “favorite” movies. Yes, what they said barely registered a 1.0 on the racism Richter scale, but they simply got caught saying what all black and brown people know about the industry: You don’t respect us. At all. You don’t respect black people. You vilify Middle Eastern people. And you straight up ignore Latinos and Latinas.
You think the only movies that African-Americans watch are Tyler Perry’s latest flick, as if nobody with melanin is interested in Birdman. You give rewrites on scripts with Latino characters asking “Why hasn’t Carlos said something in Spanish? It’s PAGE TWO” as if every Latino constantly speaks Spanish… or even knows Spanish to begin with. You cast movies about Arabs and Iranians and Afghanis with white people and continue the myth that Jesus Christ was a Caucasian instead of a brown skinned Palestinian (the less said about the supposedly liberal-dominated industry’s view of Palestinians, the better).
I’m sure many of the people in these comments were angry about Chris Rock’s essay in last week’s THR. And I’m sure you won’t change anytime soon. But don’t worry. Just like the rest of America, Hollywood is slowly and surely changing demographically. And by that time, nobody will ever ask Kevin Hart to cross over.
What a B.S., stupid-ass comment. You’re just silly and dont understand this business at all. I work in this business, I know it.
You’re right, they should stop treating her like they treated Eastwood after the RNC convention.
Are you kidding me? This was one of the most insightful things I’ve read all day.
Yes. A fundamental lack of respect. THAT is the heart of the matter.
The historical revisionist idea that Jesus was a Palestinian denies the rights of Jews and Christians. Jesus was a Jew. As a religious figure his Judaism is biblically supported – but more importantly – this attempt to erase the cultural experience of Jews and Christians and replace it with a false narrative is exactly the type of prejudice you are ranting about.
Your name exposes your own ethno-separatist racism.
Or maybe it exposes that I’m a Mexican who works in the industry.
How Mexican are you? Are you a Mexican citizen? Is English your second language? Do you listen to Banda really loudly? Do you really think it matters?
Frank, if you don’t see what IM sees, which is generalized but essentially true, you’re either not really “working in the business,” or you’re naive. Read Chris Rock’s THR Op-Ed. It’s ok to admit we’re not where we need to be, that’s how we change.
I totally agree. This is just confirmation that these people in power really do not respect people of color. They perpetuate stereotypes then smile in the faces of their non-white employees and feel they are doing them a favor by smiling in their direction. Saying hello in an elevator doesn’t make you friends or help you understand who we are and the kinds of quality cinema we would like to see. It’s time for something other than Tyler Perry. And please bring ethnic TV shows back. There is almost nothing to watch these days…
@ Industry Mexican
Well, my proud Mexican. This Irish American finds YOUR online ‘name’ insulting, and not inclusive of ALL people. Shouldn’t you call yourself the “Industry Inclusive Gender Neutral Human”?? Get with the program you racist and bigoted ass.
Add Asians to the ‘Hollywood ignore list’.
Last time I checked, there was nothing racist about the Obama e-mail. Racially insensitive, absolutely. Tacky, absolutely. Stupid, absolutely. Racist? No. How are they going to compare this to Donald Sterling, who went on a full fledged ASSAULT about African Americans?
When, exactly, was the last time you checked?
Donald Sterling refusing to rent out his apartments to African-Americans for DECADES was an assault. Donald Sterling telling his 25 year old mistress that she could sleep with black men, but not to put them on Instagram was simply the hilarious straw that broke the camel’s back.
Definition of racism, Oxford dictionary: belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
It’s racist in the sense they look at Obama, the president of the United States, and 1) all they see is another black guy, and 2) therefore he MUST like Django or Kevin Hart or some other shit. It didn’t even occur to either one that maybe he has other taste, or ANY taste. Maybe he likes Iranian cinema. Or Adam Sandler movies. Or whatever. You know, the usual broad range of interests associated with educated people who got somewhere in life. But he’s black, so that’s gotta be where it stops. Always with these people.
Doesn’t really upset me, as black people generally expect this kind of thing, but it is a drag.
I feel you John.
What has this nation come too? Shouldn’t there be a difference between stereotypes vs. racism? When people make stereotype comments about my race, I laugh at it because it is more a reflection of the speaker than myself (black people like their fried chicken, Asians their rice and ramen, Mexicans their beans and tortillas). Racist comments have an inferior tone meant to hurt, demean, vilify an entire race.
Do we have to censor everything we say because Big Brother ( social media/media) is watching over us? If this hack was North Korea, I would say they are succeeding at making us a fearful nation and may eventually succeed with censorship.
I understand that racism should not be tolerated, but we can easily go overboard and go all the way to the other side. We sound so self-righteous and judgmental.
I work in Tinseltown and it is not easy or pretty. It’s a business and like most, it is fallible because we are no saints but we are all sinners. Even Clinton, JFK, MLK all amazing leaders but all weak in their commitment to their wives.
If you knew Amy or Clint, you would understand their funny and crazy fiery humor. Kevin Hart understood it cuz it was funny and knows Clint.
In all I feel saddened that the criminal hackers are succeeding at destroying us as all.
What has this nation come too? Shouldn’t there be a difference between stereotypes vs. racism? When people make stereotype comments about my race, I laugh at it because it is more a reflection of the speaker than myself (black people like their fried chicken, Asians their rice and ramen, Mexicans their beans and tortillas). Racist comments have an inferior tone meant to hurt, demean, vilify an entire race.
Do we have to censor everything we say because Big Brother ( social media/media) is watching over us? If this hack was North Korea, I would say they are succeeding at making us a fearful nation and may eventually succeed with censorship.
I understand that racism should not be tolerated, but we can easily go overboard and go all the way to the other side. We sound so self-righteous and judgmental.
I work in Tinseltown and it is not easy or pretty. It’s a business and like most, it is fallible because we are no saints but we are all sinners. Even Clinton, JFK, MLK all amazing leaders but all weak in their commitment to their wives.
If you knew Amy or Clint, you would understand their funny and crazy fiery humor. Kevin Hart understood it cuz it was funny and knows Clint.
In all I feel saddened that the criminal hackers are succeeding at destroying us all.
You’re wrong John. Pres. Obama probably does like Django better than some Iranian film, and he probably does like a Kevin Hart movie like Ride Along more than some Adam Sandler movie. And yes, it’s because he’s black. Audience demographics prove that audiences tend to go to movies that star actors who look like them. Black audiences tend to go to movies with black stars. The same is somewhat true of white, asian, etc. That’s reality, not racism.
So the emails’ joke isn’t racist and it doesn’t mean that Obama lacks taste. Because that’s normal audience behavior.
Hello again, Amy.
This is more than just a crime. It seems most likely that this is an action sponsored by a nation with which we are still officially at war. This is more than a massive crime; it’s cyber-warfare.
Sure, it’s useless to hope that the media–press, social, etc–would refrain from rolling around in these revelations like pigs in mud, but let’s at least admit that with every click we are all rewarding the hackers, creating all the reasons for this kind of attack to repeated, and making a certain dictator very, very happy.
We are officially at war with North Korea? That’s strange considering the United States hasn’t declared war on a country since the early 1940s.
There has been no resolution to the Korean conflict; there has only been a six decades-old ceasefire
Right. For the “Police Action” that we engaged in back then. Not a war. A police action. At least that’s what Truman called it so he could take action the way he wanted to.
The US never declared war on North Korea, it was a UN action. Thus the “Korean Conflict”
Sony needs to come up with software that will pick which movies get made. Paying these old clowns millions each year to sit in a room and say… I think a 16 year old would like that… is ridiculous. They’re job is to pick which movies get made… that they would never go to see. They have the best job in the world and still need to bitch… because… uh… that’s all they have to do. Angela is the ego freak? Clown holes. Retire and give the people who pay your salary… the share holders, a break.
Oh, please…think before you speak…if you really don’t believe in those racist comments, then that would never be part of your mental process or vocabulary…those stupid moments clearly express what you really think and you’re personality/mental process is easily malleable.
Heads up!
Opened emails are NOT protected by privacy laws, only unopened emails are protected. Industry wide solution – go offline at the end of the business day – work less, live more, yada, yada, yada
What’s the difference between the so-called “rude” comments from the studio execs and the same type of rudeness, especially the one’s aimed towards the president, on the internet from the “Everyday people”? — oh wait, there’s not!
Stop being hypocrites!
right but those people don’t pretend to be huge Obama supporters. Typical Hollywood limo liberals.
limo liberals? really? liberals can afford limos? I thought we were all free-loaders who want to sponge off of hardworking conservative Americans?
TV Watcher is right. What happened to her and the employees is absolutely a crime and horrible but part of her job is to also oversee operations and she failed in a ground breaking way. I bet she has personally fired people for way less. It’s a new world as she said and technology is part of the equation. Sounds like the time for Sony to hand the challenge to the next person who can adequately handle every facet of the company.
This just confirms what people of color always feel — that white people make fun of us and reduce us behind our backs, no matter how accomplished we are, or how liberal they think they are.
Dolly –
Well, isn’t THAT comment brilliant. Should we, people of whiteness, judge all black people by a black crack addict? A black thief? A black murderer? A black high school drop out? A black football player that beats up his future wife and drags her out of an elevator like a sack of trash? I bet that you’d say NO. So, quit doing the same! If what they said is what it takes to confirm to YOU your own persoanl bias and, obvious, bigotry – YOU, my friend, are a pathetic example of the ignorance that is bloating our society and heindering us from ever coming together.
Re-read what you wrote. Quit crying like a little girl, and grow the hell up.
Really? Two people’s actions confirm your stereotype about all “white” people?
Come on.
Let’s move on like we did with Paul Deen.
@ DS
Who cares what Paula Deen said? NO one, that’s who. Her fans adore her and always will.
this is modern racism. behind closed doors by people whom you’d least expect it from, judging you based on your skin color
Oh please…u know how many black friends I have who make similarly innocent jokes about whites or other races? Hate is very different from this. We need to grow up.
well said–this woman completely doesn’t understand the depths of her own CASUAL EVERYDAY prejudice…she needs to take her 3 million dollars and go home. No takebacks!
Indeed. Patronizing two-faced racism.
Pretty much. Racists are a strange bunch. Because when cornered on their backwards views, they never own it. They will backtrack, pathetically apologize, or yap on about their one friend of color. Whether it’s idiotic studio execs or random racists scum on twitter. If you confront them, they will cower.
I disagree on “letting this go.” I’m a female executive who has worked in this town tirelessly, and would Never, ever, make such a crass, insensitive, UNFUNNY comment that Amy and Rudin both did. It’s not even mildly funny or appropriate. Perhaps Sony should look into the way Amy and her “good relationships” are helping to grow Sony’s business, and not just giving her an ego trip that she’s close with other powerful, insensitive, out of touch people in Hollywood.
Still ignoring the former employees whose information was compromised as well, I see?
If yo have comrade Al Sharpton on your enemy list, Amy – you know you have got it made !!