HOLY FUCKING HELL, AL FRANKEN. THIS IS REALLY SHITTY AND BAD. AND I AM FURIOUS ABOUT THIS, NOT JUST BECAUSE THE RIGHT IS GOING TO BEAT LIBERALS OVER THE HEAD WITH CHARGES OF HYPOCRISY OVER IT — WHICH THEY ARE — BUT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WHAT YOU DID WAS UNEQUIVOCABLY AWFUL.
~deep breath~
According to his accuser, on a 2006 USO trip, Franken forced a kiss on her and then took a photo of himself groping her while she was unconscious. Part of the problem here is the boys club in comedy, most of it is rape culture in general.
I can’t get inside of Franken’s head when it comes to the gross allegation about the kiss, but I’m sure in his mind he was just joking when that photo was taken, that it was meant to be “harmless fun” — it’s not like she was awake to be embarrassed or traumatized by it, right? Come on, lighten up, ladies!
But that “joke,” along with countless other “jokes” at women’s expense feed the rape culture. Anyone who “jokes” this way with women, or who shrugs about 8th graders or 10th graders dating adult men, or who just assume Hollywood is one big casting couch and young actors and actresses surely know what the price of entry is are contributing to a violent misogynistic culture that sends an explicit message to our daughters and sons that men are inherently more important, more valuable and that women’s bodies (and vulnerable men) are playthings for the taking.
Hopefully, this is the moment in time when that changes. Women in Congress are currently sitting on a time bomb of names of their male colleagues (Time to name names, Congressladies. BRING US THEIR HEADS.), and men on both sides of the aisle are going to be held accountable — and soon. As they should, no matter what their political stripe. Because a cultural change cannot happen until we are all honest about our own contributions to the toxicity we want to eliminate.
Franken’s behavior is shameful, it’s especially disappointing to come from someone who was supposed to be a feminist, and his initial apology is frankly lacking:
More women better not come out, Franken.
As for everyone else: teach your boys better.
The producers of Transparent are reportedly considering a fifth season without Jeffrey Tambor.
Natasha Henstridge detailed being harassed by Brett Ratner and Harvey Weinstein on Megyn Kelly’s show and neither story is surprising.
The Old Vic has released 20 stories of abuse by Kevin Spacey during his 11-year run as Artistic Director.
Oh, Vice Media is a rat nest of sexual harassment culture? How shocking.
Tom Sizemore has been dropped from one movie but not from another.
Women in Animation are really leading the charge in this fight.
Gal Gadot confirms that Brett Ratner is out on Wonder Woman.
In Other TV News
This isn’t exactly news, but Veep has officially halted production until Julia Louis-Dreyfus undergoes cancer treatment.
While we’re discussing Cable News and Roy Moore, if you haven’t seen this clip from MSNBC, do yourself a favor and spend the minute and enjoy:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/930837883732287488
David Chang is going to serve as NBC’s Korean ambassador during the Winter Olympics. JUST GIVE US THE RECIPE FOR THOSE BRUSSEL SPROUTS, CHANG.
Legends of Tomorrow just revealed that Wonder Woman exists in their universe. OK.
Tywin Lannister would like to return for the Game of Thrones prequels, but I’m not sure how that works exactly …
John Rhys-Davies knows why the Lord of the Rings show is happening.
LEAVE MILLIE BOBBY BROWN ALONE, YOU FUCKING CREEPS.
The Rock’s daughter will be the Golden Globes Ambassador — no longer “Miss Golden Globes,” THANK GOD.
Please fire Jerry Jones please please please please ple…
I’m so old, I remember when Blake Shelton picked a Twitter fight with Joey Guerra on Tubular.
Premiere Dates
Renewals
- You’re the Worst has been renewed for a fifth and final season.
- Crackle has renewed StartUp for a third season.
Cancellations
- School of Rock and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn have both been canceled at Nickelodeon.
In Development
- Starz bought Family Crimes, a Latino drama by the writer of Suicide Squad.
- NBC is adapting Danni Lowinksi, a German comedy about a mall lawyer.
- FX is turning Crimetown, a podcast about crime in Providence, R.I., into a series. I have looked at multiple headlines about this, and each and every time I read “Chinatown.”
- NatGeo has bought Valley of the Boom, a tech industry drama.
- Hulu is going to stream Page Six TV daily.
- The book Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami, will be turned into a limited series.
- TV Land’s Nobodies is moving to Paramount Network.
- Netflix has purchased Baby, an Italian teen prostitution drama. It also purchased Psychokinesis, a Korean superhero movie.
Casting News
- Jenna Elfman is joining the cast of Fear the Walking Dead next season. What is going on here with the actors we’ve actually heard of joining the cast? Aside from Jeffrey Dean Morgan, this is not the franchise’s usual move.
- Michael Imperioli will be joining Escape at Dannemora.
- Michael Gill is joining the cast of Chicago Med.
- Tramell Tillman, Robin Weigert, and Will Seefried are joining the cast of Dietland.
- Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker are going to host Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings on Freeform.
WATCH THIS
The Orville: I hate this show and I hate all of you who voted for it. Just a reminder. 8 p.m., Fox
Supernatural: The boys go to Tombstone. 7 p.m., The CW
Gotham: Heads up, this week’s episode looks like an unholy mashup of Hannibal and American Horror Story. 7 p.m., Fox
Grey’s Anatomy: Hackers shut down the computer system at the hospital in the fall finale. Russia? That you? 7 p.m., ABC
Project Runway: A winner is selected. 8 p.m., Lifetime
Scandal: “Shocking revelations leave everyone reeling,” says every description of every episode of Scandal ever. 8 p.m., ABC
How to Get Away With Murder: The investigation of Wes’ murder comes to a head in the fall finale. 9 p.m., ABC
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Julian Edelman Late Night with Seth Meyers: Chris Hayes, Alex Lahey, Michel’le Baptiste The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Ben Affleck, Greta Gerwig, Dead & Company The Late Late Show with James Corden: Debra Messing, Taran Killam, Sam Rockwell, Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line Jimmy Kimmel Live: Julia Roberts, Frankie Shaw, Manchester Orchestra The Daily Show: Jordan Peele The Opposition with Jordan Klepper: Molly Ball Watch What Happens Live: Macklemore, T-Pain
| THURS | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Grey’s Anatomy (new) |
Scandal (new) |
How to Get Away With Murder (new) |
| CBS | The Big Bang Theory (new) |
Young Sheldon (new) |
Mom (new) |
Life in Pieces (new) |
S.W.A.T. (new) |
| CW | Supernatural (new) |
Arrow (new) |
News/Local |
| FOX | Gotham (new) |
The Orville (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | NFL Football (live) |