So the SONY Email leak is the funniest unscripted read I have had in a long time (but now that I think about it, the last good read was Aramid Entertainment against Relativity, but wait Sony slate was part of that lawsuit too)! The humor of course is in its truth. So Hollywood is racist, sexist, penis obsessed, filled with nepotism, and run by a bunch of egotistical individuals, certainly not new news. I mean Stacy Smith from USC Annenberg Center on Communication has the statistics on the inequities of Hollywood, but I must admit as much of a numbers person as I am, the transcript of emails certainly show how rampant these attitudes are.
But let’s step back a minute, cause America is in a protesting state of being currently and perhaps by a small stroke of luck we will take a stand against Sony where it counts, on their bottom line. According to Kaz Hirai, CEO of Sony Corp since 2012, “we understand how important recognition is for our creative work and how that corresponds to increased revenue,” according to February 25, 2014 article in Variety. Sony is basically owned 42.3% by Foreign Institutions and Individuals, 18.5% by Japanese Institutions, and 33.5% by Japanese Individuals and others according to March 31, 2014 reporting by Sony Global. What I get on how shareholders let executives run amuck is they don’t give a damn about horrific practices as long as they collect dividends. America consider not buying Sony’s creative works and electronics particularly over this Christmas season.
Amy Pascal’s “should I ask President Obama if he liked Django Unchained,” at least that was a Weinstein/ Columbia Pictures collaboration, but come on Scott Rudin “12 Years A Slave,” is a Fox Searchlight film. Comments are distasteful and makes one wonder what moronic offering would you two have for an audience with Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, or Princess Masako.
Scott Rudin’s apology “I made a series of remarks that were meant only to be funny, but in the cold light of day, they are in fact thoughtless and insensitive – and not funny at all. To anybody I’ve offended, I’m profoundly and deeply sorry, and I regret and apologize for any injury they might have caused.” This apology sounds a lot like a non-apology apology which gives it very light weight.
Keith Le Goy – the young lady that alleges discrimination, bullying, name calling, offensive language by you – I just hope she finds legal counsel that can filter through the leaked emails and build a case and forces a subpoena for the people that allegedly witnessed this behavior to tell the truth that results in a healthy paycheck for her and rehiring by Sony in a position where she gets to live her dream unencumbered by goy. If these are the alleged practices of an individual with his team, what kind of mischief and road blocking does he do with a film project at the international distribution level?
Back to Amy Pascal one more time, when you find out Jennifer Lawrence your A-List talent is making less than male counterparts – you are supposed to fight for her…and AA too. WTF
And back to Kaz Hirai one more time, when ”17 of those employees were raking in $1 million or more, but only one of those $1 million-plus employees is a woman. Also, analyzing the pay of the two co-presidents of production at Columbia Pictures—who have the same job—pointed to another gender-pay disparity, with Michael De Luca ($2.4 million) making almost $1 million more than Hannah Minghella ($1.5 million),” according to The Daily Beast 12/12/2014 it is time for heads to roll. The term “Off With Their Head,” communicates physically cutting off the head, but it also killed the thoughts of the people with dead ideas. At this point in time Sony has committed to investors that it will slash another $50million to $100million in costs by 2016 from the bottom line of The Sony Entertainment Group – start with this fiasco and let the firing begin. Clean house and get some diversity in the mix at the production level. Business as usual is not the appropriate response. You come from a music background, be an innovator and let some of these old executives go, with their twisted ideology, and bring new blood in. Equal pay for equal work should be a commitment from you as CEO at both the executive level and for on camera talent.
Unapologetically,
Friday Jones
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