LZ Sunday Paper Newsletter: The "No Way" Edition
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Readers,
I'm so devastated by Uma Thurman's crippling (in more than the physical ways) car crash story revealed in yesterday's NY Times piece. It's hard to believe that the additional, incontrovertible damnation of the ultra-guilty Harvey Weinstein is almost beside the point of the piece.
I'm devastated because the whole piece is another condemnation of how conditioned I am/we are to still believe things like the "muse" trope, which Uma was supposed to be for Quentin Tarantino. "Muse" if you define it as "abused" and "spit on by your director" and "mistreated by the power circle of the abuser's agents, lawyers, publicists, and assistants and, in this case, almost killed in this car crash.
I'm devastated that the Times let Tarantino off the hook in October with his tepid #uhimsortasorryiguessishuldasaidsomething bullshit piece in which "regrets not taking a stronger stand" despite explicit knowledge of sexual assault and a myriad of other wrongdoings. And more importantly without in any way acknowledging his actual own assaults on her and others, those he gave from the de facto workplace amnesty that being a director on a set provides.
The thing about movie sets is that they are the weirdest combination of ultra controlling, hierarchical, militaristic, and air-tight rules-driven. Which I guess cuts both ways, since the result of that can be safety, order, and process *or* fear, intimidation, and silent complicity. I have personally produced movies with explicit scenes of abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia, rape, prison rape, car chases, car crashes, gunshots, and explosions. There is no easy way to do any of it. Actors have to simulate the heinous acts and actually speak the vile words. Actors and directors go very, very deep in the pursuit of the performance. In my experience they are grueling, draining, high-tension days. Also in my experience -- either between takes, at the end of the day, or most definitely when the scene is complete -- people go out of their way to somehow ameliorate the situation.
The car crash, though, is something I just can't fathom. Actors doing their own stunts is such an overblown piece of hype. The opposite is true. Nobody on the set wants them to do their own stunts, seemingly however minor. Insurance and/or the bond company won't cover it. The studio goes crazy. The talent and director themselves usually have no wish to put anyone in harm's way purposefully. And a notably unsafe, vintage car driving 40mph through the woods on a curvy, crappy path would definitely qualify as putting someone in harm's way. It just says to me that the power dynamic/cult of/fear of the director was overpowering for not just Uma Thurman, who did speak up and was ignored, was as monstrous for hundreds of people on the set. Or they, too, got off on putting her in danger. We don't know.
I'm devastated that we read articles like this one, and maybe thought it was cool that Quentin used 'real prostitutes' in his whorehouse scenes; and brought the 'Pussy Wagon' home from set, parked it in his driveway, drove it around town, and later rented it out to music video shoots for women like Missy Elliot and Lady Gaga. Do they feel cool, hip, ironic, and empowered now?
I'm devastated that directors like Tarantino go on talk shows and tell funny stories of *actually* choking their actresses to the point they pass out in order to get a good take and the three other men on the set laugh hysterically and wonder if he goes for the same verisimilitude in sex scenes.
I'm also a bit devastated that Uma Thurman gave the story to Maureen Dowd, who is notably anti-woman, which Twitter took notice of yesterday. Speaking of which, you can check me out on Twitter here. This story got me going for the first time in weeks.
I have a ton of unimportant other things to say. I'll get back to my sadness about the lost artifact called The Address Book as well as tell you what I'm watching in the next couple of weeks.
Please keep sending me stuff you think is interesting here. Anything from anywhere that helps me present the most interesting takes on women in business, politics, digital, tech, media, the arts, and pop culture, that is.
Check out my Insta @LZSundayPaper and @LZFloors
See you next week, prior to one of my least favorite holidays of the year! No, not Washington's Birthday!
Hint:
Love and Kisses XOXOXO Hearts and Roses,
LZ
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THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:
If The Grammys Want To Say #MeToo and #Times Up, They Have To Address Objectification via Feminist Current
The Obstacles For Women Who 'Step Up' In Music via The Atlantic
POLITICS:
Michael Wolff Gets Called Out For 'Slurring' Nikki Haley via The New Yorker
Baby Hope's Birth Mom Has A Name via The New York Times
Hillary Clinton: I Regret Keeping Accused Sexual Harasser On Campaign via The Daily Beast
The Deafening Complacency Of Melania Trump via Dame Magazine
BUSINESS:
The Silent Rise Of The Female-Driven Economy via Refinery29
CAMPUS CLIMATE:
University of Pennsylvania Revokes Cosby's Honorary Degree, Removes Steve Wynn's Name From Campus via Jezebel
ARTS, SPORTS & POP CULTURE:
Why We Applaud Woody Allen's Misogyny via The Cut
The Most Daring Films By Women May Not Be Coming To A Theater Near You via BuzzFeed News
Rooting For Female Anger via Buzzfeed News
Lupita Nyong'o: From Political Exile to Oscar to Marvel's 'Black Panther' via The Hollywood Reporter
When Barbie Went To War With Bratz via The New Yorker
I Think About This Alot: Martha Stewart Covering The Red Bottoms Of Her Louboutins With Black Sharpie via The Cut
…AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT:
24 Free Goddess .Gifs via NinaPaley.com
The LZ Sunday Paperâ„¢ launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes high and low, not much in between. Our audience is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect to deliver at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.
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