Chapter 358: Accusations

Asia Argento, the 32-year-old Italian actress famous for her role in XXX, revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that back in 1997, when she was just 18, she encountered Harvey Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival and was assaulted by him in a hotel.

The Hollywood Women's Club immediately showed support, making Asia Argento the first actress to officially file a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein!

Following her, another Italian-American Hollywood star, Rose McGowan, also shared her own encounter with Harvey Weinstein's assaults.

Mira Sorvino, the sultry actress known for her roles in Mighty Aphrodite and Mimic, also accused Harvey Weinstein of assaulting her at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles in 2004 and even forcibly entering her home.

As the number of accusers grew, newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune, as well as news and entertainment magazines like Time, Newsweek, Premiere, Empire, Variety, and Rolling Stone, covered the story!

Within half a month, the Harvey Weinstein scandal became a sweeping Hollywood scandal across the U.S., the U.K., France, and Italy.

Democratic candidate Obama stated, "It's hard to believe someone could be like this," and promptly returned the $500,000 donation from Harvey Weinstein!

Moreover, the Hollywood Women's Club screamed feminism. Stars like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow also told the media about their unpleasant experiences with Harvey Weinstein back in the day!

...

The Malibu Dume Point seaside villa was not only secluded but also large and luxurious. Charles didn't understand why his mother didn't like it.

"Mom, do you prefer the smaller Dume Beach villa to the east?" Charles asked while checking his Twitter.

"Forget it, keep it for yourself. I don't lack places to live," Evelyn said, not looking up from her newspaper.

Twitter wasn't doing great at the moment. Since its launch last year, there had been server crashes, and the number of registered users wasn't high. The expected "MeToo" never happened.

Charles got up, walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of champagne, poured a glass, and noticed Megan Fox coming over obediently.

It seemed that Megan Fox had a deep-seated fear of his mother. After pouring a glass for Megan, he asked, "Transformers 2 is very popular with the military, right?"

Megan Fox nodded, "The director received a lot of interest from military personnel wanting to be in the movie. The Department of Defense, the Pentagon, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and missile bases all cooperated with the film's shoots!"

Charles nodded, "The Iron Man series and Transformers series certainly boosted the Defense Department's weapon advertisements."

Evelyn put down the newspaper, frowned, looked at her grinning son, sighed, and walked to the balcony.

After a while, Charles joined her on the balcony, gazing at the endless Pacific Ocean. "Mom, you seem worried about something?"

"I think we have a big problem. More than 50 named and unnamed women have accused Harvey Weinstein. And it's not just him; other directors and actors are being accused too!"

Evelyn looked at Charles, "This Hollywood scandal is huge. Even Europe knows about it."

"It doesn't seem that big," Charles said honestly, considering how much more impactful the future "MeToo" movement would be compared to the present scandal.

"However, it has certainly damaged Hollywood's reputation. I've received numerous emails asking for my opinion," Charles remarked, knowing that the event he had been preparing for so long couldn't fail.

"The Producers Guild, Talent Agencies, Directors Guild, Actors Guild, and Writers Guild are all discussing this," Evelyn noted. Many of her stars were affected, and while it allowed better control over feminist power, she wished the matter would resolve quickly.

"You producers are the masters of Hollywood. If transitions aren't smooth, your losses will be greatest," Evelyn reminded.

Charles nodded, "So what? Capet Pictures represents the new Hollywood. These old Hollywood powers need a reckoning!"

Charles had been stirring the pot and supporting feminism, intending to expose more Hollywood scandals.

Most of Capet Pictures' collaborators were new filmmakers and were less affected. Woody Allen, the director of Vicky Christina Barcelona, and Brett Ratner, the director of the first two seasons of Prison Break, were among the affected.

"Mom, you know very well, the Republican forces are pushing hard behind this. Hollywood has been a Democratic stronghold since the '60s. Hollywood stars not only donate money but also mobilize their fans to vote, posing a significant threat to the Republican Party!" Charles reminded.

Evelyn gave Charles a warning look, "Don't try to fool your mother. Hollywood is a major industry and a cultural window to the world. This scandal's impact is far-reaching. Now, it's up to the seven major film groups to handle this!"

The five major broadcast networks and over 80% of cable and satellite TV are directly held by the parent companies behind Hollywood film groups.

Over 70% of print media shareholders are also shareholders of the six big movie parent companies.

Hollywood controls American media, which is no exaggeration. Among the world's four major news agencies, the Associated Press and United Press International are American, while the other two are France's AFP and the UK's Reuters!

"Okay, Rupert Murdoch invited me for dinner tonight. This old guy has patience, reaching out to me only now," Charles said, noting his extraordinary status in Hollywood. Given his history of conflicts with Harvey Weinstein, he had no hesitation in striking against him.

"Hillary's team even donated the funds raised over the years from Weinstein to women's protection organizations. Harvey as a scapegoat is definite!" Evelyn noted, giving her son a look, finding his ruthlessness somewhat terrifying.

Charles had not only pushed the scandal on Twitter, with its 20 million registered users, but also had Huffington Post and New York Observer launch special columns detailing Weinstein's "Red Sofa" activities.

Crushing Harvey Weinstein while expanding his own business, Charles had Twitter, Huffington Post, and New York Observer under his control!

*****

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