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Bryan Singer fired from Freddie Mercury biopic

Bryan Singer has been fired by Twentieth Century Fox while in the middle of filming the Freddie Merc..

Published

5 years ago

December 5, 2017

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Bryan Singer has been fired by Twentieth Century Fox while in the middle of filming the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody
Filming on the production was halted on December 1 due to Singer's 'unexpected unavailability' as past sexual misconduct claims resurfaced
Singer was also reportedly at odds with his star Rami Malek, and threw an object at the actor when he complained to the studio about the director's absences
A source close to Radar said Singer had late-night benders and threw major tantrums on set that made him hard to work with
The source also said Singer was fired over fears sexual assault allegations were about to drop against the director
Actor Tom Hollander reportedly quit the film at one point over differences with Singer, but was convinced to return to the production by members of the studio
The director also did not return to the set after flying back to Los Angeles over Thanksgiving
There are new claims being made against Singer as well, including one man who alleged that the director touched him inappropriately over a decade ago

By Chris Spargo and Abigail Miller For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:21 EST, 4 December 2017 | Updated: 20:56 EST, 4 December 2017

Bryan Singer has been fired from the upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody just a few weeks before filming was set to wrap on the project due to fears sexual assault allegations against him were about to drop, according to a source close to the director.

The decision to fire Singer came after the director reportedly feuded with multiple actors on the set according to The Hollywood Reporter, forcing Twentieth Century Fox to remove him from the project.

Singer is also said to have thrown an object at star Rami Maleek at one point, who has earned a reputation as one of the most polite and affable actors in the industry.

And according to Radar, the producer had frequent late night benders turned into crippling hangovers and threw tantrums on set that made him infuriating to work with.

'He's in really bad shape and went on a crazy bender over Thanksgiving, basically telling the studio to go f**k itself,' an insider told Radar.

'He's been on bad behavior this entire shoot, staying out until 2 or 3a.m. every night and showing up to set completely hungover or worse.'

This behavior comes at the same time that past allegations of the director's sexual misconduct have begun to resurface, which have all been denied by Singer.

And Radar's source said that the 'straw that broke the camels back,' was when the studio asked Singer if there were 'going to be any allegations dropping on him.'

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Bryan Singer Rami Malek

Ex-man: Bryan Singer (left) has been fired by Twentieth Century Fox while in the middle of filming the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami malek (right)

Tense relations: Singer was also reportedly at odds with his star Rami Malek (above as Mercury), and threw an object at the actor when he complained to the studio about the director's absences

Big disgrace: The director also did not return to the set after flying back to Los Angeles over Thanksgiving (Malek above as Mercury)

The source said Twentieth Century Fox has already spoken to two directors about 'stepping in to finish the last weeks of filming.'

'If he doesn't beg for forgiveness by tonight, he's out. Emma Watts is sick of his s**t,'

The director has yet to comment and has been absent from the set since Thanksgiving, despite being due back in London five days ago.

One person close to Singer said that the director is suffering from PTSD in the wake of his on-set showdown with Malek.

The project, which was on schedule to complete principle photography just before the holiday, was already on shut down due to Singer's 'unexpected unavailability' the past few days.

His absence from set however is nothing new according to the report, which claims that cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel stepped in to direct multiple times during the past few months of filming.

That is what led to Malek's frustration, which he expressed to the studio.

The Mr. Robot star is not the only one to complain either, with Tom Hollander actual quitting the film at one point due to Singer's behavior before being convinced to return to the production.

Malek's complaint reportedly led to the incident in which Singer throw a object at the actor, which resulted in a member of the Director's Guild of America being present on set to monitor the situation.

Singer's absences meanwhile seem to be a common occurrence for the director, who had to promise executives he would be a dedicated employee prior to getting the job.

His absence is all the more shocking given how much Singer has spoken of his dream to make this picture over the years.

After news broke over the weekend about Singer going missing from set, his rep said: 'This is a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family. Bryan hopes to get back to work on the film soon after the holidays.'

That statement did not come from Singer's publicist however, with Simon Halls revealing on Monday he stopped working with the director months ago.

Singer, 52, launched his career with The Usual Suspects and later earned raves for his work in the first two X Men films, though he followed that up with a number of underwhelming flops, including Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer.

He previously went missing during the shooting of X Men: Apocalypse in 2015 and Superman in 2005.

Man and myth: The project, which was on schedule to complete principle photography just before the holiday, was already on shut down

Off all the stars: Malek has earned a reputation as one of the most polite and affable actors in the industry

MIA: Singer's absence from set is nothing new according to the report

In November, a group of students at the University of Southern California demanded that Bryan Singer's name be removed from the film school.

'We, the students of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, are formally requesting that Bryan Singer’s name be removed from our Division of Cinema and Media Studies,' reads the Change.org petition started by seven students from the school.

'It is completely unacceptable that this prestigious department within our school still carries the name of Bryan Singer, a man accused multiple times of sexual harassment, assault, and pedophilia.'

There were also new claims being made against Singer that began to emerge, including one young man who alleged that the director touched him inappropriately over a decade ago.

The thread detailing that claim was taken off Twitter however and the user's profile deleted, while a story on Yahoo about the allegation was taken offline.

At the same time, a tweet by Evan Rachel Wood referencing past allegations against Singer was taken off the actress' account, much like a comment from actor Noah Galvin was removed last year from an interview in New York.

Galvin later issued an apology for his comment, stating: 'My comments were false and unwarranted.'

The only Hollywood celebrity who has refused to back down and not been silenced it would appear is actress Jessica Chastain, who just last week shared a link to a Daily Wire article about the new allegation against Singer.

'Let us not forget,' wrote Chastain.

Singer deleted his own Twitter account around that time.

What he do in the shadows: Singer lurks in thebackground whilst east London is turned into a Berlin High Street

When asked about her decision to speak out about Singer, who is a producer on the upcoming X-Men film starring Chastain, she said to The Daily Beast: 'Because of the timing of when I came into the industry, I decided for me – my career could go away tomorrow, and I’ll do something else, and I’ll be OK. Because I was OK before I came into this career.

'For me, there’s a lot that I have that isn’t acting. I made a decision very early on to not work with people that I felt abused their positions, and didn’t create a healthy environment for those around them.'

She then said that Singer had nothing to do with her decision to do X-Men and that she did not work with him on the set.

Chastain also made it clear that no amount of pressure or threats were going to keep her quiet.

'I do not feel beholden to anything. I’m going to speak my mind about any injustice that I see. I’m not afraid of anything in terms of that,' explained Chastain.

'And I think the greatest myth that an industry can create is to make people feel like they’re easily replaceable. I’m not going to allow that into my life.'

In 1997, while shooting the film 'Apt Pupil,' a 14-year-old boy filed a lawsuit claiming that he and other minors were asked to strip naked while filming a shower scene in the picture, which was directed by Singer.

Two more teens would come forward to support his claim, but the suit was ultimately dismissed for insufficient evidence.

In character: Malek and the rest of the cast did not comment on the news as of Monday evening

Off for the month: Production of the film will resume next month hopes Fox

Happy holidays: The film is slated for release on Christmas day 2018

Michael Egan claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that he began being sexually abused when he was 14 or 15 after moving to Los Angeles with his family to start his acting career.

It was in LA that he was introduced to Hollywood powerplayer Marc Collins-Rector and his lover Chad Shackley when he was invited to a party at Collins-Rector's home.

These parties allegedly 'featured sexual contact between adult males and the many teenage boys,' according to Egan, but he maintains he 'never freely' consented to the advances.

It was two or three months after Collins-Rector began allegedly abusing Egan that he was introduced to Singer at one of the parties he claimed in his lawsuit.

Egan said he was in the pool, and nude, when Collins-Rector approached him and ordered him out to hug Singer, who allegedly grabbed his bare buttocks.

He claimed Singer later said he was 'sexy' and went on to masturbate the underage boy and perform oral sex on him. The director then told Egan to do the same to him, but he says he resisted.

Singer denied these allegations, claiming they were 'outrageous, vicious, and completely false.'

Egan ultimately withdrew his lawsuit after turning down a $100,000 settlement from Singer with an option to re-file at any time.

He also accused Gary Goddard of sexual assault in that lawsuit, the same man who actor Anthony Edwards accused of molesting him as a child just last month.

There have also been a number of people who have come to Singer's defense, including his friend Robert Meyer Burnett.

'Bryan has never hidden who he is. His appetites, predilections, his tastes are well-known to anyone who's spent any time with him. Like all of us, he certainly has his eccentricities, foibles and shortcomings, which are known by everyone familiar with him. Certainly, there are those who don’t agree or approve of his choices, or how he choses to publicly lead his life. Which is true of just about every human on the planet,' wrote Burnett in a Facebook post.

'But I can honestly say Bryan isn't a rapist, pedophile or physical abuser. Causing ongoing Mental Anguish? Well, most certainly, but that comes with being the special kind of crazy person a multi-national corporation will entrust with 200 million dollars of their money.'

Burnett then went after the students at USC for starting their petition.

'That's why seeing USC students, a University I once attended, take out a petition to remove Bryan's name from the program he endowed with FIVE MILLION DOLLARS of his own money, based on unproven allegations, rumors, innuendo, homophobia, insane jealousy, specious lawsuits resulting in nothing, and just plain spite, is disappointing in the extreme,' wrote Burnett.

'I was there at USC for the ceremony where Bryan bequeathed such an extraordinary gift to the school, and I think it was probably one of the single proudest moments of his life. To see such an accomplishment tarnished is simply heartbreaking.'

Original Article

Daily Mail

Australia

Why Australia decided to quit its vaping habit

Published

2 days ago

May 28, 2023

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He’s talking about students in his class, teenagers, who can’t stop vaping.

He sees the effect of the candy-flavoured, nicotine-packed e-cigarettes on young minds every day, with children even vaping in class.

“The ones who are deepest into it will just get up out of their seat, or they’ll be fidgeting or nervous. The worst offenders will just walk out because they’re literally in withdrawal.”

Those who are most addicted need nicotine patches or rehabilitation, he says, talking about 13 and 14-year-olds.

is enough and introduced a range of new restrictions. Despite vapes already being illegal for many, under new legislation they will become available by prescription only.

The number of vaping teenagers in Australia has soared in recent years and authorities say it is the “number one behavioural issue” in schools across the country.

And they blame disposable vapes – which some experts say could be more addictive than heroin and cocaine – but for now are available in Australia in every convenience store, next to the chocolate bars at the counter.

For concerned teachers like Chris, their hands have been tied.

“If we suspect they have a vape, all we can really do is tell them to go to the principal’s office.

“At my old school, my head teacher told me he wanted to install vape detector alarms in the toilet, but apparently we weren’t allowed to because that would be an invasion of privacy.”

E-cigarettes have been sold as a safer alternative to tobacco, as they do not produce tar – the primary cause of lung cancer.

Some countries continue to promote them with public health initiatives to help cigarette smokers switch to a less deadly habit.

Last month, the UK government announced plans to hand out free vaping starter kits to one million smokers in England to get smoking rates below 5% by 2030.

But Australia’s government says that evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit is insufficient for now. Instead, research shows it may push young vapers into taking up smoking later in life.

‘Generation Vape’

Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are lithium battery-powered devices that have cartridges filled with liquids containing nicotine, artificial flavourings, and other chemicals.

The liquid is heated and turned into a vapour and inhaled into the user’s lungs.

Vaping took off from the mid-2000s and there were some 81 million vapers worldwide in 2021, according to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction group.

Fuelling the rise is the mushrooming popularity of flavoured vapes designed to appeal to the young.

These products can contain far higher volumes of nicotine than regular cigarettes, while some devices sold as ‘nicotine-free’ can actually hold large amounts.

The chemical cocktail also contains formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde – which have been linked to lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.

There’s also a suggestion of an increased risk of stroke, respiratory infection, and impaired lung function.

Experts warn not enough is known about the long-term health effects. But some alarming data has already been drawn out.

In 2020, US health authorities identified more than 2,800 cases of e-cigarette or vaping-related lung injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 68 deaths attributed to that injury.

In Australia, a major study by leading charity The Cancer Council found more than half of all children who had ever vaped had used an e-cigarette they knew contained nicotine and thought that vaping was a socially acceptable behaviour.

School-age children were being supplied with e-cigarettes through friends or “dealers” inside and outside school, or from convenience stores and tobacconists, the report said.

Teens also reported purchasing vapes through social media, websites and at pop-up vape stores, the Generation Vape project found.

“Whichever way teenagers obtain e-cigarettes, they are all illegal, yet it’s happening under the noses of federal and state authorities”, report author and Cancer Council chair Anita Dessaix said.

“All Australian governments say they’re committed to ensuring e-cigarettes are only accessed by smokers with a prescription trying to quit – yet a crisis in youth e-cigarette use is unfolding in plain view.”

In addition to the government’s move to ban the import of all non-pharmaceutical vaping products – meaning they can now only be bought with a prescription – all single-use disposable vapes will be made illegal.

The volume and concentration of nicotine in e-cigarettes will also be restricted, and both flavours and packaging must be plain and carrying warning labels.

But these new measures are not actually all that drastic, says public health physician Professor Emily Banks from the Australian National University.

“Australia is not an outlier. It is unique to have a prescription-only model, but other places actually ban them completely, and that includes almost all of Latin America, India, Thailand and Japan.”

‘We have been duped’

Health Minister Mark Butler said the new vaping regulations will close the “biggest loophole in Australian healthcare history”.

“Just like they did with smoking… ‘Big Tobacco’ has taken another addictive product, wrapped it in shiny packaging and added sweet flavours to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.”

“We have been duped”, he said.

Medical experts agree. Prof Banks argues that the promotion of e-cigarettes as a “healthier” alternative was a classic “sleight-of-hand” from the tobacco industry.

As such vaping has become “normalised” in Australia, and in the UK too.

“There’s over 17,000 flavours, and the majority of use is not for smoking cessation”, she tells the BBC.

“They’re being heavily marketed towards children and adolescents. People who are smoking and using e-cigarettes – that’s the most common pattern of use, dual use.”

Professor Banks says authorities need to “de-normalise” vaping among teenagers and make vapes much harder to get hold of.

“Kids are interpreting the fact that they can very easily get hold of [vapes] as evidence [they’re safe], and they’re actually saying, ‘well, if they were that unsafe, I wouldn’t be able to buy one at the coffee shop’.

But could stricter controls make it harder for people who do turn to vapes hoping to quit or cut down on tobacco?

“It is important to bear in mind that for some people, e-cigarettes have really helped. But we shouldn’t say ‘this is great for smokers to quit’, says Prof Banks.

“We know from

Australia, from the US, from Europe, that two-thirds to three-quarters of people who quit smoking successfully, do so unaided.”

“You’re trying to bring these [vapes] in saying they’re a great way to quit smoking, but actually we’ve got bubble gum flavoured vapes being used by 13-year-olds in the school toilets. That is not what the community signed up for.”

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65522841

Australia

Australia: Scott Morrison saga casts scrutiny on Queen’s representative

Published

9 months ago

August 27, 2022

Europe Disk

In the past fortnight, Australia has been gripped by revelations that former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself to several additional ministries.

The move has been labelled a “power grab” by his successor as prime minister, and Mr Morrison has been scolded by many – even his own colleagues.

But the scandal has also dragged Australia’s governor-general into the fray – sparking one of the biggest controversies involving the Queen’s representative in Australia in 50 years.

So does Governor-General David Hurley have questions to answer, or is he just collateral damage?

‘Just paperwork’

Governors-general have fulfilled the practical duties as Australia’s head of state since the country’s 1901 federation.

Candidates for the role were initially chosen by the monarch but are now recommended by the Australian government.

The job is largely ceremonial – a governor-general in almost every circumstance must act on the advice of the government of the day. But conventions allow them the right to “encourage” and “warn” politicians.

Key duties include signing bills into law, issuing writs for elections, and swearing in ministers.

Mr Hurley has run into trouble on the latter. At Mr Morrison’s request, he swore the prime minister in as joint minister for health in March 2020, in case the existing minister became incapacitated by Covid.

Over the next 14 months, he also signed off Mr Morrison as an additional minister in the finance, treasury, home affairs and resources portfolios.

Mr Morrison already had ministerial powers, so Mr Hurley was basically just giving him authority over extra departments.

It’s a request the governor-general “would not have any kind of power to override or reject”, constitutional law professor Anne Twomey tells the BBC.

“This wasn’t even a meeting between the prime minister and the governor-general, it was just paperwork.”

But Mr Morrison’s appointments were not publicly announced, disclosed to the parliament, or even communicated to most of the ministers he was job-sharing with.

Australia’s solicitor-general found Mr Morrison’s actions were not illegal but had “fundamentally undermined” responsible government.

But the governor-general had done the right thing, the solicitor-general said in his advice this week.

It would have been “a clear breach” for him to refuse the prime minister, regardless of whether he knew the appointments would be kept secret, Stephen Donaghue said.

Critics push for investigation

Ultimately, Mr Hurley had to sign off on Mr Morrison’s requests, but critics say he could have counselled him against it and he could have publicised it himself.

But representatives for the governor-general say these types of appointments – giving ministers the right to administer other departments – are not unusual.

And it falls to the government of the day to decide if they should be announced to the public. They often opt not to.

Mr Hurley himself announcing the appointments would be unprecedented. He had “no reason to believe that appointments would not be communicated”, his spokesperson said.

Emeritus professor Jenny Hocking finds the suggestion Mr Hurley didn’t know the ministries had been kept secret “ridiculous”.

“The last of these bizarre, duplicated ministry appointments… were made more than a year after the first, so clearly by then the governor-general did know that they weren’t being made public,” she says.

“I don’t agree for a moment that the governor-general has a lot of things on his plate and might not have noticed.”

The historian says it’s one of the biggest controversies surrounding a governor-general since John Kerr caused a constitutional crisis by sacking Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975.

Prof Hocking famously fought for transparency around that matter – waging a lengthy and costly legal battle that culminated in the release of Mr Kerr’s correspondence with the Queen.

And she says the same transparency is needed here.

The Australian public need to know whether Mr Hurley counselled the prime minister against the moves, and why he didn’t disclose them

The government has already announced an inquiry into Mr Morrison’s actions, but she wants it to look at the governor-general and his office too.

“If the inquiry is to find out what happened in order to fix what happened, it would be extremely problematic to leave out a key part of that equation.”

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull – Mr Morrison’s predecessor – has also voiced support for an inquiry.

“Something has gone seriously wrong at Government House,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“It is the passive compliance along the chain… that did undermine our constitution and our democracy… that troubles me the most. This is how tyranny gets under way.”

PM defends governor-general

Prof Twomey says the criticism of Mr Hurley is unfair – there’s was no “conspiracy” on his part to keep things secret.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable for anyone to expect that he could have guessed that the prime minister was keeping things secret from his own ministers, for example.

“Nobody really thought that was a possibility until about two weeks ago.”

Even if he had taken the unprecedented step to publicise the appointments or to reject Mr Morrison’s request, he’d have been criticised, she says.

“There’d be even more people saying ‘how outrageous!'” she says. “The role of governor-general is awkward because people are going to attack you either way.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also defended Mr Hurley, saying he was just doing his job.

“I have no intention of undertaking any criticism of [him].”

A role fit for purpose?

Prof Hocking says it’s a timely moment to look at the role of the governor-general more broadly.

She points out it’s possible the Queen may have been informed about Mr Morrison’s extra ministries when Australia’s parliament and people were not.

“It does raise questions about whether this is fit for purpose, as we have for decades been a fully independent nation, but we still have… ‘the relics of colonialism’ alive and well.”

Momentum for a fresh referendum on an Australian republic has been growing and advocates have seized on the controversy.

“The idea that the Queen and her representative can be relied upon to uphold our system of government has been debunked once and for all,” the Australian Republic Movement’s Sandy Biar says.

“It’s time we had an Australian head of state, chosen by Australians and accountable to them to safeguard and uphold Australia’s constitution.”

But Prof Twomey says republicans are “clutching at straws” – under their proposals, the head of state would also have been bound to follow the prime minister’s advice.

“It wouldn’t result in any changes that would have made one iota of difference.”

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62683210

Australia

Australia election: PM Morrison’s security team in car crash in Tasmania

Published

1 year ago

April 16, 2022

Europe Disk

A car carrying the Australian prime minister’s security team has crashed in Tasmania during an election campaign visit.

Four police officers were taken to hospital with “non-life threatening injuries” after the car and another vehicle collided, authorities said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was not in the car, but the accident prompted him to cancel the rest of his campaign events on Thursday.

The other driver involved was not hurt.

Tasmania Police said initial investigations suggested the second car had “collided with the rear of the police vehicle, while attempting to merge”. It caused the unmarked security vehicle to roll off the road.

The two Tasmania Police officers and two Australian Federal Police officers were conscious when taken to hospital for medical assessment, the prime minister’s office said.

“Family members of the officers have been contacted and are being kept informed of their condition,” a statement said.

“The PM is always extremely grateful for the protection provided by his security team and extends his best wishes for their recovery and to their families.”

Australians go to the polls on 21 May. Mr Morrison – prime minister since 2018 – is hoping to win his conservative coalition’s fourth term in office.

Polls suggest the opposition Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, is favoured to win. However, Mr Morrison defied similar polling to claim victory at the last election in 2019.

Mr Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition holds 76 seats in the House of Representatives – the minimum needed to retain power.

Political observers say the cost of living, climate change, trust in political leaders, and national security will be among key issues in the campaign.

In recent weeks, the prime minister has faced accusations of being a bully and once sabotaging a rival’s career by suggesting the man’s Lebanese heritage made him less electable. Mr Morrison has denied the allegations.

Mr Albanese stumbled into his own controversy this week when he failed to recall the nation’s unemployment or interest rates.

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-61103987