Bryan Singer Sued for Alleged Rape of 17-Year-Old Boy at Party on Yacht

Director Bryan Singer is being sued for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old boy at a party on a yacht in Seattle owned by tech investor Lester Waters, according to a new lawsuit. The alleged incident took place in 2003.

Read the complaint HERE.

TMZ reports:

The suit claims it was a party populated by young gay males, including the plaintiff, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman.

The suit claims Singer offered to take Guzman, who was 17 at the time, on a tour of the yacht. When they got to one of the rooms, the suit alleges Singer thrust his body on Guzman, forced him to the floor, shoved Guzman’s face against his crotch and demanded he perform oral sex.

The suit claims Singer pulled out his penis, smacked Guzman in the face with it and forced it into his mouth. Guzman claims he pleaded with Singer to stop, but he kept going … causing him to choke.

The suit goes on to allege Singer then forcibly performed oral sex on Guzman. Guzman says he again pleaded with Singer to stop, to no avail. He says Singer then forcibly anally penetrated him, all while ignoring Guzman’s pleas.

The NYT adds:

“Later, Bryan Singer approached Cesar and told him that he was a producer in Hollywood and that he could help Cesar get into acting as long as Cesar never said anything about the incident,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday in a court in King County, Wash. “He then told Cesar that no one would believe him if he ever reported the incident, and that he could hire people who are capable of ruining someone’s reputation.”

A representative for Mr. Singer said he “categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end.” He added, “Once Bryan prevails, he will pursue his own claims for malicious prosecution.”

It’s unclear, as of yet, if a police report was filed at the time.

Singer was accused of sexual assault with other high-profile Hollywood figures by another man, Michael Egan, in 2014, who accused him of being part of a “Hollywood sex ring” targeting underage boys.

Egan, who was indicted in December 2014 on investment fraud charges, accused Singer, former NBC Entertainment president Garth Ancier, and three others of drugging and raping him.

Egan later dropped all four lawsuits and Egan’s attorneys Jeff Herman and Mark Gallagher dropped him.

The new suit against Singer was filed by Herman, TMZ reports:

Guzman says he suffered emotional distress, mental anguish, and physical and mental pain.

A rep for Singer tells TMZ, “The lawsuit was filed by the same lawyer who represented Michael Egan. Those claims were dismissed by Egan himself, and he later went to Federal prison for lying in a fraud case.” The rep also says Herman was sued by other defendants related to the Egan case for malicious prosecution and he settled and acknowledged Egan’s claims were provably false.

Singer was fired this week as director on the Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody after complaint about his erratic behavior and unreliability on set.

Singer denied those claims, saying he was suffering health issues related to the stress of caring for an ill parent:

“I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honor the legacy of Freddie Mercury and Queen, but Fox would not permit me to do so because I needed to temporarily put my health, and the health of my loved ones, first….Bohemian Rhapsody is a passion project of mine. With fewer than three weeks to shoot remaining, I asked Fox for some time off so I could return to the U.S. to deal with pressing health matters concerning one of my parents. This was a very taxing experience, which ultimately took a serious toll on my own health.  Unfortunately, the studio was unwilling to accommodate me and terminated my services. This was not my decision and it was beyond my control.”

And perhaps, the stress of an approaching lawsuit?

The post Bryan Singer Sued for Alleged Rape of 17-Year-Old Boy at Party on Yacht appeared first on Towleroad.

Bryan Singer Sued for Alleged Rape of 17-Year-Old Boy at Party on Yacht

‘Jurassic World: The Last Kingdom’ Trailer: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jeff Goldblum Return In First Look Clip

The first trailer for ’Jurassic World: The Last Kingdom’ has been revealed, giving fans a glimpse at Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jeff Goldblum in action.

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the 2015 reboot will arrive in cinemas next summer and will, once again, see its heroes face off against uncontrollable dinosaurs.

Director J A Bayona previously revealed the film will feature more animatronics than its predecessor, following criticism from fans over the use of too much CGI.

Referring to a clip that was posted online last month, he told the Independent: “You can tell seeing Chris [Pratt] that he was acting in front of something real even though that shot is CGI – but there was a puppet that looked exactly like Blue, so you can tell by the performance that he’s moved by the real thing.

“I think the combination is the secret for success – when you can combine CGI with animatronics in the same scene and there’s a moment where you can trick the audience so they don’t know what they’re watching.”

Watch the ‘Jurassic World: The Last Kingdom’ trailer above.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jurassic-world-trailer-watch-video_uk_5a2a8ab8e4b0a290f04ff952

There’s More Than One Roy Moore Scandal

Lost amid his alleged dalliances with children is the fact that the twice-fired judge has no respect for the rule of law.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/12/08/theres-more-one-roy-moore-scandal

Heavy Negative Trips From Our Parents: A Tongue-in-cheek Guide

I was sitting in the Café des Poseurs the other day, drinking a skinny soy latte and pondering the nature of existence, when I suddenly realised why things go so terribly wrong in our lives. It’s nothing to do with us; it’s all because of heavy negative trips our parents laid on us when we were young. Do these expressions ring any bells for you (or Is it just me?}….. – “We’re not made of money, you know”, “You’ll poke your eye out with that stick!”, “Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.”

This stuff could shape your whole outlook on life. Heavy Negative Trips, I call them. We all get subtle messages from our parents about life and how it should be lived, don’t we? Some of us get predominantly positive messages, while the less fortunate among us don’t; we get HNTs.

There are strong recurring patterns which characterize HNTs: they’re part of a whole folk vernacular, repeated ad nauseam – a highly specialised form of negative affirmation which thrives on the power of repetition. Things that get repeated quickly become acceptable, and before long acquire the status of self-evident truth. These expressions get passed down through the generations; your parents got theirs from their own parents. It’s our parents they’re coming from, we naturally think – so obviously they must be right. Our parents are always right, aren’t they? As they keep reminding us, “Your mother knows best/ It’s for your own good/ Don’t say I didn’t warn you”.

Classic HNTs fall into a range of favourite categories. Parental authority is a popular theme, “The answer is no/ How many times do I have to tell you?/ You never listen to me/ In one ear, out the other. Alongside these are the frighteners, ”Stop doing that, it’ll make you go blind/ Put that down, you don’t know where it’s been!”/ just wait till your father gets home!”

Danger provides endless justification for HNTs, “This activity is dangerous/ that activity is dangerous/ life is extremely dangerous.” That’s the message – just assume that everything is just too dangerous. “You’ll cut your finger/ you’ll break your neck/ you’ll fall off that ladder/ don’t come running to me if you break your neck on that bicycle!” Tragedy lurks around every corner; something really terrible about to happen, at any moment. There’s also the fact that some adults just can’t cope with their children’s unstoppable energy, ceaseless curiosity and appetite for excitement: “Stop running round, you’re wearing me out!”

The innate difficulty of life is also popular source material. “Life Is not a bed of roses/ Money doesn’t grow on trees/ There are no free lunches/ Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched/ You don’t know how lucky you are…” etc etc etc. Life, in this subtext, is not actually there to be enjoyed – and each ethnic tradition adds its own particular variation of pessimistic cultural baggage: Protestant puritanism, Catholic guilt, Jewish angst, Buddhist suffering – you name it. Of course, these messages are mostly unconscious. Later in life you’ll have a hell of a time disentangling the good intentions from the rest; it’s the perfect seedbed for a nice crop of future neuroses.

My personal favourite category is those blatantly self-fulfilling parental prophecies: “I said this would happen didn’t I/ There’ll be tears before bed-time/You see, I knew you’d fall off that ladder!” Furthermore: “We’re only doing this because we love you”. And (unconvincingly while lovingly administering punishment), “this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you!”

But of course they really do love us; they really do mean well. They really are doing their best – it’s just that they’ve a funny way of showing it. And the fact is that we’ve probably driven them to it – we’ve worn them down and they’re probably at their wit’s end, thanks to how naughty and wild and just plain horrible we’ve been.

But then it occurred to me, as I sat with my faux lattechino – growing up, I swore I’d never treat my children that way. But now I’m a parent I probably do much the same with my children, “Get out from under my feet/ I’m sick and tired of telling you/ Why, when we were young..” I imagine I’m not alone.

So what can be done, beyond getting a lot of expensive therapy? Well, maybe I can be a bit more conscious about the whole thing, about the things I’m worried about, and how I’m saying what I want to say – maybe find a more positive and optimistic way of putting the messages across, “Take care how you ride your bike/Hold onto that ladder/ Let’s make the most of the money we have”. Oh yes, and “Let’s have fun and let’s enjoy life!”

I’m going to try, anyway.

For more on this, visit www.gerrymaguirethompson.com

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/heavy-negative-trips-from-our-parents-a-tongue-in-cheek-guide_uk_5a2981efe4b006a26fb3d129

Brexit Phase One Deal Done – HuffPost Verdict
‘Sufficient progress made on Brexit negotiations and ready to move onto the second phase’ says Jean-Claude Juncker, President of EU Commission pic.twitter.com/IIeY8vAsTv

December 8, 2017
A deal has been reached between the European Union and the United Kingdom on phase one of the Brexit talks.
The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker revealed early on Friday morning that “sufficient progress” has now been made.
This opens the way for negotiations on the future trade relationship between the UK and EU to begin.
Theresa May said the deal makes sure there will be “no hard border” between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The prime minister said the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and British citizens living in the EU will be protected
A financial settlement will be paid by the UK to the EU which is “fair to the British taxpayer”, May said. 
DUP leader Arlene Foster said she was now satisfied there would now be “no red line down the Irish Sea” separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
May will personally guarantee to the people of Ulster six promises, including leaving the EU customs union and single market and upholding the Good Friday Agreement peace deal
The first hint of a real breakthrough came when the chief of staff of EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted a photo of a puff of white smoke emerging from the Vatican. The DUP may not have found funny that the post-Brexit future of Northern Ireland was being referenced in a joke about the Pope being elected. And it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh.

DUP leader Arlene Foster was satisfied there would be ‘no red line down the Irish sea’, yet she hinted that the late-night telephone calls to No.10 had not been entirely to her liking. “We ran out of time essentially,” she said, adding “but the PM has decided to go to Brussels” despite that. For all the talk of May being a prisoner of her Ulster allies, it was Juncker’s firm deadline of Sunday night for reaching a Phase 1 deal that forced the issue overnight.

The wonderfully elastic phrase ‘regulatory alignment’ remains in the text, though with extra guarantees to the DUP that the issue will be sorted in the next phase of talks. And that’s what today is really about: a classic EU fudge that kicks the can down the road once more. Juncker was suspiciously nice to May this morning, and no wonder as he’s got his way on hard cash and EU citizens’ rights.

Getting to this point has required give and take on both sides Theresa May
Both sides had to listen to each other, adjust their position, and show their willingness to compromise Jean-Claude Juncker,
There are still matters there that we would have liked to see clarified – we ran out of time Arlene Foster
Brexit talks can now move onto phase two, sorting out a new trade deal between the UK and the EU. Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, told a press conference the first task was to agree what a transition arrangement will look like before the UK leaves in March 2019. “So much time has been devoted to the easier part of the task. And now, to negotiate a transition arrangement and a framework for our future relationship, we have de facto less than a year,” he said.

T W E E T  O F  T H E  D E A L 

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/brexit-phase-one-deal-huffpost-verdict_uk_5a2521ffe4b03c44072e9760

Brexit Divorce Deal Finally Agreed Between UK And EU

Theresa May has agreed an historic Brexit divorce deal with the European Union, paving the way for the negotiations to move onto future trade talks.

After a pre-dawn meeting in Brussels, the Prime Minister joined European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in announcing the breakthrough.

Juncker announced that “sufficient progress” had been made in the talks to allow both sides to move onto discussions of a future trade deal between the UK and EU after 2019.

May said the deal “had required give and take on both sides” and after “some tough negotiations” she had agreed to not just a ‘divorce bill’ but also guaranteed rights for EU and UK citizens and new words on the crucial issue of Northern Ireland.

“I’m confident that we can ensure we both won’t have a hard border in Northern Ireland but will retain the economic integrity of the United Kingdom,” May said.

The deal came after a night of lengthy telephone diplomacy with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) over the fate of the Irish border in any future post-Brexit trade deal.

The DUP, which props up May’s minority government in Westminster, gave the first confirmation of the breakthrough when its leader Arlene Foster announced the whole of the UK would quit the EU single market and customs union.

Foster insisted that six major changes had been made to an earlier draft agreement on how Northern Ireland would conduct its trade with the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The breakthrough today means the UK can now begin talks on a post-Brexit free trade agreement with Brussels.

The EU had refused to progress negotiations to phase two until a deal was done on the Irish border, citizens’ rights and how much money the UK will pay as it leaves the bloc.

Both sides met over croissants in Brussels but after just over 30 minutes both May and Juncker emerged to announce a deal had been done and the EU summit next week is now expected to approve it.

Juncker said that he was “sad” that the UK was leaving the union, but said the two sides would “take things one step at a time” to agree issues such as trade and security in the “second phase of these challenging negotiations”.

The first sign of a deal came when Juncker’s chief of staff Martin Selamyr tweeted a picture of white smoke emerging from the Vatican, a traditional symbol that an historic decision had been reached.

At their joint press conference, May explained that she wanted the future free trade deal with the EU to be all-encompassing for the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland.

The PM said that “if that is not the case, we will look to” agreeing a cross-border solution that recognised the “specific circumstances of Northern Ireland” and its “unique” role as the only land border between the UK and the EU.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/brexit-divorce-deal-finally-agreed-between-uk-and-eu_uk_5a293031e4b0b185e539a226

호주 반대 정당 의원들이 동성결혼 법제화 통과 후 서로를 끌어안았다
사랑은 사람들을 화합시킨다.

지난 12월 7일 호주 하원은 동성 커플의 결혼을 허용하는 내용의 결혼법 수정안…

기사 보기: 국제, 동성애, 동성결혼, 호주, 오스트레일리아, Korea News

www.huffingtonpost.kr/2017/12/07/story_n_18756938.html