Al Sharpton Confronts an All-Consuming Issue: Racial Makeup of Hollywood Studios
Al Sharpton Confronts an All-Consuming Issue: Racial Makeup of Hollywood Studios Related article at CommDigiNews: ...
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Al Sharpton Confronts an All-Consuming Issue: Racial Makeup of Hollywood Studios - Video
Al Sharpton Unintetested in Hispanic NYPD Stomping on Head
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Al Sharpton Unintetested in Hispanic NYPD Stomping on Head - Video
The Rev. Al Sharpton met with Sony Chairman Amy Pascal this morning about the racial remarks in private emails that were leaked after the company was hacked, and while he said that they discussed possible routes for improved relations, he did not let her off the hook.
"The jury is still out with where we go with Amy," Sharpton said at a news conference after his meeting with Pascal.
Pascal is the chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and her leaked emails garnered a lot of attention. She has already apologized for the contents of the emails, but said that the private messages "are not an accurate reflection of who I am."
That was not enough for Sharpton, however, who said that she called his advocacy organization, the National Action Network, as soon as the inappropriate remarks were released.
"I said to her at that time that the climate and environment of Hollywood only confirms the type of language that was used in those emails," Sharpton said today.
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PHOTO: Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Amy Pascal attends the Premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'The Interview' at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown LA on Dec. 11, 2014 in Los Angeles, Calif.
"Being that Hollywood is an environment that still resembles 1950s America, it is a context that confirms the language," he said.
Sharpton did confirm that the National Action Network, as well as the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Black Women's Roundtable, will work with executives from Sony about ways to increase and improve racial diversity in the entertainment industry.
"Our interest is in changing Hollywood ... seeing to it that Sony is on the right side of changing Hollywood," said Mark Morial, the president of the National Urban League who appeared alongside Sharpton during today's new conference.
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Al Sharpton Meets With Sony Chairman Over Hacked Emails
The Rev. Al Sharpton on Thursday said that "the jury is still out on where we go with embattled Sony Pictures Entertainmentco-Chairman Amy Pascal, who came under pressure after a cyberattack exposed her racially tinged email exchanges with a Hollywood producer.
However, Sharpton did not call for Pascal to step down.
Sharpton met with Pascal for 90 minutes Thursday at a Manhattan hotel where they agreed to set up a working group to deal with racial bias and the lack of diversity in the film industry.
The embattled studio executive met with Sharpton a week after she apologized for a leaked email exchange in which she made racially insensitive remarks about President Obama.
In a sidewalk news conference outside the Greenwich Hotel after their meeting, Sharpton said he told Pascal that the tone of the remarks in her hacked emails were the byproduct of an exclusionary, almost all-white hierarchy.
Pascals leaked exchanges with producer Scott Rudin included remarks that suggested Obamas taste in movies would be inclined to films with black subject matters and casts. Both have apologized for the remarks.
Sharpton said Sony had agreed to assemble a working group that will collaborate with Sharptons National Action Network, the National Urban League, the NAACP and the Black Womens Roundtable on ways to address racial bias in Hollywood. Urban League President Marc Morial was present at the discussion.
Sharpton also said he made his feelings known to Pascal about the decision to cancel the Christmas Day release of "The Interview" as a result of threats the hackers made to attack theaters that screened the film. We discussed [that] there was a serious and dangerous precedent that has been established where anonymous hackers can intimidate the actual life in America, he said.
Pascal and Sony have faced enormous pressure since being besieged by the Nov. 24 cyberattack in which hackers scooped up confidential documents, emails and employee information. It ultimately led to the cancellation of the release of "The Interview" over hackers threats to security at movie theaters.
In a November 2013 email exchange leaked by the hackers, Pascal asked Rudin what she should talk to Obama about at a breakfast event hosted by DreamWorks Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg.
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Al Sharpton on Sony's Amy Pascal: 'Jury is still out'
Coming to a theater near you: Al Sharpton.
Hollywood came to the Rev. Al Thursday as embattled Sony exec Amy Pascal met privately with the black leader for 90 minutes in a bid to fix the fallout from the cyberhacking leak of embarrassing, racially charged emails.
Pascal agreed to let Sharpton have a say in how Sony makes motion pictures, in an effort to combat what he called inflexible and immovable racial exclusion in Hollywood.
We have agreed to having a working group deal with the racial bias and lack of diversity in Hollywood, said Sharpton.
He said Sony would work closely with his National Action Network,the National Urban League, the NAACP and the Black Womens Round Table to see if we can come up with an immediate plan to deal with it.
The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Greenwich Hotel, also included National Urban League president Marc Morial.
Our interest is seeing to it that Sony is on the right side of changing Hollywood, Morial said.
Sharpton called the conversation candid but stopped short of calling for Pascals head after she was exposed making racist remarks about President Obama with Hollywood producer Scott Rudin.
So the jury is still out on where we go with Amy, Sharpton said. We clearly are willing to deal with an immediate formula to see where we deal with breaking down the walls of inflexible and so far immovable racial exclusion in Hollywood.
He was mum on the exact details of the plan to work with Sony but added, We are not going to be satisfied until we see something concrete done.
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Sharpton to have say over how Sony makes movies