Entertainment

Romeo & Juliet stars sue Paramount Pictures for sexual abuse

Published

1 year ago

January 4, 2023

editor

The stars of the Oscar-winning 1968 film Romeo and Juliet are suing Paramount Pictures for sexual abuse over a nude scene they appeared in.

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were teenagers when they made the movie.

In a new legal case, the English actors, now in their 70s, claim director Franco Zeffirelli encouraged them to do nude scenes despite previous assurances that they would not have to.

Paramount has not yet publicly responded to the claim.

The two actors are seeking damages of more than $500m (£417m), based on suffering they say they have experienced and the revenue brought in by the film since its release.

They claim Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told them they would wear flesh-coloured underwear in the bedroom scene.

But on the morning of the shoot, they allege the director told them they would wear only body make-up, while assuring them the camera would be positioned to not show nudity.

In the final film, Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts were briefly shown during the scene.

Zeffirelli told them they must act in the nude “or the picture would fail” and their careers would be hurt, the pair claim in the lawsuit. The actors “believed they had no choice but to act in the nude in body makeup as demanded”.

Whiting was then aged 16 and is now 72, while Hussey was 15 when the film was shot and is now 71.

The pair are suing Paramount for sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud.

The lawsuit accuses the Hollywood studio of sexually exploiting the two young actors and distributing nude images of adolescent children.

The court filing says Whiting and Hussey have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades as a result of the way they were treated.

The film was a huge success at the time, and has been shown to generations of students studying the Shakespeare play since.

It was nominated for four Oscars, including best director and best picture, and won two – for cinematography and costume design.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday in Santa Monica Superior Court under a California law that has temporarily suspended the statute of limitations – which means action cannot normally be taken once a certain time has elapsed – for child sex abuse.

The suspension has led to a host of new lawsuits and the revival of many others that were previously dismissed.

Entertainment

TikTok faces US ban as bill set to be signed by Biden

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2024

editor

The US Senate has approved a controversial landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.

It gives TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the United States.

The bill will now be handed over to US President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk.

ByteDance has told the BBC that it did not have an immediate response to the move. Previously the firm said it would oppose any attempt to force it to sell TikTok.

If the US is successful in forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok any deal would still need approval from Chinese officials but Beijing has vowed to oppose any such move. Analysts say the process could take years.

The measure was passed as part of a package of four bills which also included military aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

It had widespread support from lawmakers, with 79 Senators voting for it and 18 against.

“For years we’ve allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously short-sighted,” said Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

“A new law is going to require its Chinese owner to sell the app. This is a good move for America,” he added.

Fears that data about millions of Americans could land in China’s hands have driven Congressional efforts to split TikTok from the Beijing-based company.

Last week, the social media company said the bill would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually.”

TikTok has said ByteDance “is not an agent of China or any other country”. And ByteDance insists it is not a Chinese firm, pointing to the global investment firms that own 60% of it.

Its chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, said last month the company will continue to do all it can including exercising its “legal rights” to protect the platform.

Mr Shou was grilled by Congress twice in less than a year, and downplayed the app’s connection – and his personal links – to Chinese authorities.

The social media platform made efforts to rally support against the potential ban, including a major lobbying campaign.

It also encouraged TikTok users and creators to express their opposition to the bill.

University of Richmond law professor, Carl Tobias told the BBC that a prolonged legal battle is likely to follow and that “could take about two years”.

He also said if a buyer for ByteDance’s stake is not found within the nine-month period, it could delay any action against TikTok in the US further.

(BBC News)

Entertainment

“Ambiguous: A Painfully Honest Depiction of the Story of Our Lives”

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

editor

“Ambiguous: A Painfully Honest Depiction of the Story of Our Lives” is an exhibition by Rajitha Rupasinghe in collaboration with the Colombo Think Tank, it will be held on the 28th of April 2024 from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm in front of the National Art Gallery, combo 07.

The exhibition will discuss the spatial aspect of artworks, the affordability of space, and the unspoken background stories and drives behind artworks.

Rajitha Rupasinghe was trained as an architect from the University of Moratuwa and holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. His enthusiasm for art history and cultural theory was restrengthened by the postgraduate Institute of Archeology, the University of Kelaniya, and the Colombo Think Tank. His work is closely related to historical and cultural criticism of art and architecture.

Entertainment

Nelum Pokuna to be decked with ‘Colours of Love’

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

editor

‘Navage Gee : Colours of Love’, a musical extravaganza featuring beloved tunes of prominent music director and composer Navarathna Gamage, will be held this weekend at the Nelum Pokuna auditorium, Colombo.

The show, organized by the Old Boys’ Association of Nalanda College, will be held on both April 20 and April 21 at 6.30pm.

The musical evening will feature the work of Navarathna Gamage spanning across 03 decades and 42 well known singers in the country.

Tickets : Sumudu : 071 798 9189 / Kasun 071 968 765

Online:

April 20:

April 21: