LilSugar

Is It Unseemly That Filmmakers Are Calling For Polanski's Release?

TresSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:00:00 PDT

There's no question that Roman Polanski is one of the greatest living directors. It's also clear that he's had tragedy in his life: he survived the Holocaust as a child in Poland and grieved the murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate by Charles Manson followers in 1969.

But no matter how mishandled his legal case was in the '70s after he plead guilty to having unlawful sexual relations with a 13-year-old after giving her champagne and part of a quaalude - he has evaded punishment and lived a life of luxury as a celebrated artist in Europe for over 30 years. I was taken aback when I read that 138 people in the film industry, including Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, have signed a petition voicing their opposition to his recent arrest in Zurich, Switzerland, on his way to a ceremony honoring him.

Is there something unseemly about a group (largely made up of men) in a notoriously sexist industry standing up for someone who hasn't been punished for his sexual crime against a child? Is the fact that Polanski is an artist somehow a mitigating factor? I found it particularly galling that Woody Allen - who had an affair with his partner Mia Farrow's adopted teenage daughter and is now married to her - spoke out about what film producer Harvey Weinstein is calling "a terrible situation"? But that's me - what do you think?

Should Authorities Drop the Polanski Case If Victim Wishes?

TresSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:00:00 PDT

It's been more than 30 years since celebrated director Roman Polanski, then 43, plead guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13 year old, after apparently giving champagne and part of a qualude to her. He served 42 days in a maximum security prison and, right before sentencing, fled the country when the media-conscious judge presiding over the case voiced his desire to give him another 48 days.

Over the weekend, Polanski was arrested at the Zurich airport and awaits the Swiss court's decision on whether or not he will be extradited to the United States.

Polanski, director of such classics as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and the Oscar-winning film The Pianist, has been living in France ever since he fled the US. (He was a no-show at the Oscars when The Pianist won in 2003.) His victim, now 45 and the recipient of an undisclosed sum from Polanski after she sued him, wishes his charges would be dropped and that the whole case would go away. She believes that because his case was so mishandled years ago, continual attempts over the years to revive it bring unwanted publicity - and pain - to her, her husband, and her children.

Should Child Rapists Be Executed?

LilSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:45:48 PDT

As a mom, it sickens me to think anyone would hurt a child, but people do. A debate was waged, with even the presidential candidates weighing in as of late, on whether child rapists should be given the death penalty despite the Supreme Court's recent decision that it is unconstitutional. At the center of the controversy was Louisiana man, Patrick Kennedy who was sentenced to death for raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter in 1998; A crime so brutal that the girl had to undergo surgery.

What is your opinion?
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Sexing Up Kids to Prevent Statutory Rape?

LilSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:00:18 PST

Who wouldn't raise an eyebrow over these digitally altered ads of prepubescent girls in buxom bodies?

Created by SERVE ad agency to help raise awareness about statutory rape in Wisconsin, do you think these images help or hinder the cause?

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What Did You Think of the Pretty Little Liars Season Finale?

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 03:59:00 PDT

With a few jump scares, a couple of broken hearts, and some big shocks, Pretty Little Liars wrapped up its Spring season this week. It elicited lots of gasps from me, and in typical PLL fashion, the amount of solved mysteries equals that of newly opened ones. In a perfect circle, Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily begin and end this season with a chorus of cell phone pings from the mysterious and threatening A.

I want to know what you thought of the finale, but I also want to touch on a couple of the happenings from the episode. Read them (spoilers ahead) and then leave your comments after the jump