Another Day, Another Round of Accused Harassers

This is one I enjoy -- the creator of Mad Men, a show I never really saw but feel like I sat through all 40 hours of it by having to listen to people yammer on about it -- is accused by a female writer on the show of having harassed her.

Though I have to say this doesn't really sound like harassment. This sounds like a crude pass. Yes, him being her boss makes this problematic, as the kids say, but this seems like a one-off. She doesn't allege repeated harassment.

Kater Gordon, a former writer on Mad Men, is accusing Matthew Weiner of sexual harassment.

Gordon, who won an Emmy for her writing on the AMC series, alleges that while working together late one night on the series, Weiner told her that she owed it to him to let him see her naked. A year later, she was let go from the critically acclaimed drama -- and hasn't worked in the industry since.

Look, men are sexual initiators. It can't be made into a crime for a man to make this kind of plausible-deniability it-was-just-a-joke pass just one time and have it be made into a scandal.

More seriously, though about a less well-known figure, the hotelier Andre Balazs grabbed Jason Bateman's wife's crotch out of the blue, and by the way, his wife, Amanda Anka, is indeed the daughter of The Only Man Who's Important On that Stage.

There were multiple witnesses to the groping - the whole cast of Horrible Bosses, pretty much, and their wives.

During the tour, the guests - which also included stars Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis -- had to climb a firehouse-style ladder to get to an upstairs room. As Anka, who was wearing a leather dress, climbed up, Balazs put his hand under her skirt and grabbed her crotch, The New York Times reported.

“I witnessed behavior by Andre Balazs that was inappropriate and offensive," said Mary Elizabeth Ellis, the wife of "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphi"” actor Charlie Day. [And "The Waitress" character on that show.]

Bateman spit gum in Balazs's face, and the couple quickly left the hotel, according to the newspaper.

"On behalf of Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka, we can confirm that the account of André Balazs's outrageous and vile behavior on that night in London is factual," the couple wrote in a statement. "His actions were dealt with at the time."

Bateman kind of looks bad here because he really should have spat a fist into the guy's face, not just wad of gum. But maybe he was just too shocked to take action.

The article notes that two other women have made claims against this guy. He denies the claims.

Also, Jeffrey Tambor of Amazon's (I can't believe I have to mention this show) Transparent is being investigated by the company due to a former assistant claiming sexual harassment against him. Tambor denies the claims, calling the "baseless."

Oh, and HBO is removing all of Louis CK's specials and shows from their on-demand offerings.

Oh, and his self-funded film -- "I Love You, Daddy," about a Woody-Allen-esque relationship between a 68 year old producer and a 17-year-old girl -- has had its premiere canceled.

The movie was self-funded by Louis CK, so if this doesn't get released, or if it gets widely embargoed, that could be a financial wound for him.

posted by Ace at 01:01 PM

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