I was briefly stunned to read about Ed Douglas’s suspension from the Tracking Board earlier today because this seemed to indicate, at least for a moment, that something he might’ve done years ago had caught up with him. But no — Douglas was attacked by a Twitter mob yesterday after he went on an epic non-p.c. rant about various sexual assault accusers who have come forward in recent days. The veteran critic should have thought twice before saying what he said, but this is an example of how easily you can get yourself in big trouble these days if you aren’t careful. Again — Douglas hasn’t been canned, just suspended. The situation will be evaluated tomorrow during a chat with Tracking Board honcho Jeff Sneider. “I also have a staff full of women to worry about, including a survivor of sexual assault,” Sneider explained this afternoon. “Ed is fine with the decision so case closed. We’re moving on, and he’ll be back when he’s back.”
From the 11. 1 edition of Richard Rushfield’s The Ankler:
“The big question now is no longer ‘who’s next?’ That question seems to be answering itself. Everyone. Everyone will be next.
“Lots of little to medium-sized to now somewhat big names are coming out. And the standards of what is needed for a takedown are falling by the hour.
“The very biggest names unfortunately take time. Given how well people with all the resources in the world in this business are able to cover up their misdeeds – the armies of courtiers trailing behind, each writing checks and making things right – these stories are very hard to tell, even with the mobs roaming the streets. It’s one thing for Andy Dick‘s or James Toback’s victims to come forward, but even after the explosion, a titan of Hollywood is still a fearsome thing, with a lot of carrots and sticks at their disposal.
“We’re living in this strange in-between moment, when no one knows quite how far this will go; how much the inertia of the old order will be able to withstand the pressure. Even after the fall of the Bastille, four long years passed before the execution of Louis XVI, and in that period, things could’ve worked out lots of ways. Had Louis been any kind of leader at all, they very well might have worked out lots of ways, a lesson our leadership currently hiding in the Carlsbad Caverns might take to heart.
“So right now, we’ve got Harvey Weinstein, Roy Price, Brett Ratner, Kevin Spacey, Jeremey Piven, James Toback, Andy Dick, the Lionsgate guy, and a handful of agents. This is the low hanging fruit. We’ll see how high up the tree the revolution can get, but there are major journalistic investigations swirling around and they are definitely pointed northward of Andy Dick and James Toback.
“Where will this all go? Well it’s not ending anytime soon. The victims are now realizing they can speak out. Soon those who signed papers will realize that no one is going to sue you for breaking an NDA to speak up about abuse. There is no way in this climate a studio is going to go to court to make someone honor their agreement and shut the hell up about a harasser on their payroll.”
