Movie Maker Brett Ratner Fired For Homophobic Language { Wants to make Vids on Tolerance?? }
Moviemaker Brett Ratner is to team up with gay rights activists to direct a series of new videos promoting tolerance, just three months after he stepped down as the producer of the 2012 Oscars for using a gay slur.
Ratner’s resignation in November came four days after he told movie fans that “rehearsal’s for f-” at a question-and-answer session to promote his new movie “Tower Heist.”
The remark led to a weekend of outrage among gay rights groups and prompted the Rush Hour director to apologize for his slip-up.
He also met with Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) officials to discuss how he could help them rally support for program.
And now it seems he will produce and direct a video campaign for GLAAD.
He met with the group’s Board of Directors earlier this week and can’t wait to get started on his new campaign project.
A statement from Ratner reads, “Working together with GLAAD has been a very positive and enlightening experience for me, and I could not be more pleased to be developing this crucial campaign to help educate people that we all share the same humanity. I am excited to get to work on this program and hope that minds and hearts are opened by what we create.”
The upcoming video series will feature Hollywood celebrities, athletes, musicians and politicians, who will “come out of the closet” as supporters of equality. Participants will share personal stories about why and how they support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and call on all Americans to do the same.
Nov 2011 Incident:
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
Brett Ratner resigned Tuesday as producer of next year’s Academy Awards, one day after apologizing for using a gay slur at a screening of his latest film.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Ratner’s departure. President Tom Sherak said in a statement that the 42-year-old filmmaker “did the right thing for the academy and for himself.”
“Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable,” Sherak said.Filmmaker Brett Ratner has apologized for using a gay slur at a recent movie launch event.
Previous story: The director was promoting the new film “Tower Heist” at a Los Angeles theater on Friday when he was asked about rehearsing movie scenes with his cast during a post-screening question-and-answer session.
Ratner told the event’s moderator, “Rehearsal’s for f-.”
The remark became a big item online over the weekend, prompting Ratner to issue an apology.
He writes, “I apologize for any offense my remarks caused. It was a dumb way of expressing myself. Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words.”
It appears his ill-judged comment won’t cost him the job of being the producer of next year’s Oscars – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak insists the director will not be asked to step down over the blunder.
Sherak says, “Brett made a very inappropriate remark, a remark that goes against our most important beliefs and the beliefs of the creative community we represent. He very quickly issued an apology because he knew he had made a mistake.
http://blog.sfgate.com/
Comments