Oprah Winfrey Says Russell Simmons 'Attempted to Pressure' Her to Back Out of Producing #MeToo Documentary

By Denise Petski

Roommates, Gayle King has been trending for some days now, following an interview she did with Lisa Leslie. If you all recall, she asked some questions in regards to some past allegations against Kobe Bryant, and people are certainly not here for it.

“On The Record,” a harrowing documentary about the burden of women of color in the #MeToo movement, has been upstaged for nearly a month by the departure of former executive producer Oprah Winfrey.

Magnolia Pictures has bought the documentary “Assassins,” which explores the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong-nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

Imagine a high-ratings, high-stakes game show that trivializes a convict’s life-or-death fate for public consumption. As wild as it sounds, a version of this reality TV entertainment apparently really exists in modern-day Iran, where writer-director Massoud Bakhshi’s “Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness” is set, and where a wildly popular edition of it has been airing for nearly a decade.

The best political documentary at Sundance this year does not star Hillary Clinton or AOC, but a bunch of 17-year-old dudes.

Back home in Bogota, teen brothers Carly and Mateo — played by siblings (and Disney Channel veterans) Mateo and Moisés Arias — are metal-blasting, skateboard-riding punks, and reluctant partners in crime. Carly, the sensible one, can’t prevent Mateo from dynamiting a dollhouse.

With “Myth: A Frozen Tale,” Disney Animation has crafted a visually stunning virtual-reality short film — a project that flexes its VR muscles but deftly uses the technology in service of storytelling. Sometimes VR experiences feel like proof-of-concepts straining to justify their 3D settings. “Myth,” by contrast, employs virtual reality so effectively it feels like the film’s emotional punches would be pulled if it weren’t in VR.

Carey Mulligan has said the existing format of the Academy Awards is not working, as she questioned how many Oscars voters actually watch the films they are supposed to be judging.

“On the Record,” a devastating look at many of the women who came forward to accuse music mogul Russell Simmons of rape and harassment, premiered to not one, but two thunderous standing ovations at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday. The warm reception came as the film has become engulfed in a media firestorm, one sparked by Oprah Winfrey’s decision to remove herself from the project as executive producer.

Glenn Close said Mila Kunis became a “friend for life” after they played an estranged mother and daughter in a new drama.

“On the Record,” a documentary that presents the former music executive Drew Dixon’s accusations of sexual harassment and rape against the hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons (it includes several other Simmons accusers as well), is the fourth major documentary of the #MeToo era to offer an incendiary indictment of men who have used their power within the entertainment industry to commit and cover up patterns of abusive behavior.

The passive voice is crucial to the title of “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made,” a Disney kid-detective caper with a clear enough moral: that owning your errors and apologizing for them is an essential part of growing up.

Elyse Steinberg, one of the co-directors of the new documentary “The Fight,” was inspired to learn more about the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) shortly after Donald Trump moved into in the White House.

At the outset of the first screening of the documentary “Miss Americana” Thursday night at the Sundance Film Festival, it was clear at the outset that it was not necessarily Taylor Swift’s core audience filling the Eccles Theater for the premiere. The opening scene has Swift trying to write a song at the piano while one of her cats walks across the keys.

Rosanna Arquette, Rose McGowan, Alyssa Milano and Idina Menzel are among dozens supporting those accusing Russell Simmons of rape and sexual misconduct in the documentary “On the Record.”

Before turning “Hamilton” and “In the Heights” into musical phenomenons, Lin-Manuel Miranda could have been found on stage, spouting off-the-cuff rhymes with his improv group, “Freestyle Love Supreme.”

Brand Storytelling is returning to Park City this year to host its fifth annual media and marketing event at the Sundance Film Festival, with a lineup of keynotes, panels, screenings, music performances and more.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Oprah Winfrey had stepped down as a producer on the documentary that features women that have accused Russell Simmons of sexual harassment. Now Oprah is opening up more about her decision and reiterates her decision had nothing to do with being pressured.