N. Korea hacks Sony in revenge for Seth Rogen's film "The Interview"

[Capetan Mihali]

Kinda had it coming.

[Ideologue]

If Mihali had his druthers, Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin would've been thrown in a camp.

[Admiral Yi]

Kinda had it coming.

Irony?

[CountDeMoney]

The more stuff comes out, the less likely the North Koreans could be involved.  This looks more and more personal on an industry level. [/timmy]

Sony executive Amy Pascal apologizes for embarrassing e-mails that have leaked

You've really made it in Hollywood if a caricature drawing of you lands on the wall of the iconic restaurant in town, The Palm. And when The Palm opened its new location in Beverly Hills last month, Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal was picked for a drawing showing her striking a "Charlie's Angel" guns-ready pose.

Pascal was an obvious choice. She is among a handful of power players in a male-dominated industry who decide which big films get released to the world. Her studio's movies — including
"Spider-Man" and "Casino Royale" — have won numerous awards and brought in billions of dollars in box office sales over the years.

But all that success was overshadowed this week with the devastating leaks of private ­e-mails revealing often unsavory — and deeply offensive — thoughts never intended for public viewing.

In the latest batch of leaked notes, Pascal and movie producer Scott Rudin discuss a fundraiser for President Obama, Buzzfeed reported late Wednesday.

The two start guessing what movies and actors Obama might like, each one tied to black characters and moviemakers.

"Should I ask him if he liked DJANGO?" says Pascal, according to the reported e-mails. Rudin writes back: "12 YEARS." Pascal responds: "Or the butler. Or think like a man?" Rudin: "Ride-along. I bet he likes Kevin Hart."

Thursday, Pascal apologized, breaking weeks of silence on the building and damaging leaks.

"The content of my e-mails to Scott were insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who I am," Pascal said in a statement, referring to her exchanges with Rudin not only about Obama, but also about various movie projects. "Although this was a private communication that was stolen, I accept full responsibility for what I wrote and apologize to everyone who was offended."

It was a late response to an ongoing disaster that has been picking up steam since a hacker group that calls itself "Guardians of Peace" released data illustrating every conceivable aspect of Sony and its business, from sensitive salary information to personal feuds.

The episode casts doubt on the future of one of corporate America's most powerful women, whose decades-long relationships with Hollywood insiders have helped Sony Pictures secure some of its biggest film deals.

Pascal's rise is the stuff of movies. After graduating from UCLA, she entered the entertainment industry as a secretary to BBC producer Tony Garnett at Kestral Film. As she forged relationships and learned the trade, she became an insider and was named vice president of production at 20th Century Fox in 1986. Pascal's strength was the creative side — dealing with moviemakers and actors to find and develop films.

After she joined Columbia Pictures in 1988, she oversaw such hits as "Groundhog Day," "Little Women" and "Awakenings."

In 2006, after a string of critically acclaimed and financial successful movies, she was named co-chair of Sony Pictures. In an unusual arrangement, she shared leadership with Michael Lynton. Their division of labor was clear: Pascal oversaw the creative side, Lynton the business side.

When Culver City, Calif.-based Sony Pictures renewed her contract in 2010, Sir Howard Stringer, chairman of parent company Sony Corp., said, "There is no doubt Amy is making Culver City the center of creativity, and a home away from home for Hollywood's finest."

Pascal continued to release hits, including "The Social Network" and "The Amazing Spider-Man." Last year, the studio's biggest hits were "Zero Dark Thirty," "Evil Dead" and "Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs 2."

Bruce Bozzi Jr., executive vice president of The Palm restaurant chain, said, "It was an honor to put Amy Pascal on the wall. She is a trailblazer."

This year, though, Sony Pictures has lagged, ranking fourth behind 20th Century Fox, Disney's Buena Vista and Warner Bros. for total box office sales.

Leaked e-mails showed Pascal and Rudin agonizing over the making of a Steve Jobs biopic. Sony eventually lost the contract to develop the film to Universal.

In other e-mails that have been publicized, Rudin disparaged actress Angelina Jolie, calling her a "minimally talented spoiled brat."

Aside from Pascal's short statement, the company has remained silent as new leaks of sensitive information have emerged.

Public relations experts say Pascal needs to step forward as the crisis unfolds.

"I would go on a national interview after the statement and apologize to the public and make herself available to explain herself," said Jarvis Stewart, chairman of crisis communications firm IR+ Media, a Washington-based consulting firm that specializes in diversity.

There is also pressure for Sony to ensure investors, employees and others in the industry that it is taking every possible step to control the growing damage.

"Sony needs to convince talent that they can and should be trusted with content at all," said Janet Janjigian, a managing partner at the Carmen Group and former senior vice president of communications at MGM Studios.

The hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment has escalated into a humiliating public crisis for the company as deeply held secrets — including business practices, pay disparities and ugly personal feuds — continue spilling onto the Internet in ways that experts say could damage the Hollywood studio for years to come.

The architects of the attack have shown little interest in the traditional targets of cyber-intrusions, such as credit cards, choosing instead to use information as a weapon of vengeance for supposed misdeeds by the company. The massive troves of stolen information have found a voracious audience online, where Sony long has been a favorite target because of its aggressive anti-piracy efforts.

The consequences for Sony have been swift and devastating since the attack became public last month, exposing the company to potential lawsuits and backlash from key Hollywood players.

The inside drama revealed this week was the unraveling of a high-profile project at Sony to produce a biopic of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs — the movie was eventually lost to a rival studio. Reams of e-mails were released showing one of the studio's top executives embroiled in a fight with a powerful movie producer, with the producer at one point calling actress Angelina Jolie a "minimally talented spoiled brat," according to ­e-mails published by Gawker.

In one exchange between Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures' co-­chair, and Scott Rudin, the producer who brought the Jobs project to the studio, the two are arguing over Jolie, who wants director David Fincher to direct her movie on Cleopatra, rather than the Jobs biopic. Rudin is adamantly against letting Jolie have her way.

"She's a camp event and a celebrity and that's all and the last thing anybody needs is to make a giant bomb with her that any fool could see coming," writes Rudin.

More industry fun here: http://defamer.gawker.com/leaked-the-nightmare-email-drama-behind-sonys-steve-jo-1668882936

[Razgovory]

I don't see why the Norks are bent out shape.  It's not like their people are going to see the movie.  The only film projectors they have are powered by hamsters running in wheels.

[MadImmortalMan]

 

Angelina wants to do an Elizabeth Taylor-esque Cleopatra egostravaganza for herself.

[CountDeMoney]

Angelina wants to do an Elizabeth Taylor-esque Cleopatra egostravaganza for herself.

Is that hilarious or what?

Check out the employee suggestion box--

http://gawker.com/sony-hack-reveals-25-page-list-of-reasons-it-sucks-to-w-1666264634

None of it is tied to any particular employee, so it's impossible to determine where one man's griping begins and another's ends, but it makes it clear there's plenty of unhappiness at the struggling studio, even if it hadn't been hacked to hell and back. Above all: people who work at Sony are fucking tired of bad Adam Sandler movies.

[Razgovory]

Well, I'm glad someone went out and said it.

[celedhring]

Angelina wants to do an Elizabeth Taylor-esque Cleopatra egostravaganza for herself.

Is that hilarious or what?

Check out the employee suggestion box--

http://gawker.com/sony-hack-reveals-25-page-list-of-reasons-it-sucks-to-w-1666264634

None of it is tied to any particular employee, so it's impossible to determine where one man's griping begins and another's ends, but it makes it clear there's plenty of unhappiness at the struggling studio, even if it hadn't been hacked to hell and back. Above all: people who work at Sony are fucking tired of bad Adam Sandler movies.

Heh.

There is a general "blah-ness" to the films we produce. Althought we manage to produce an innovative film once in awhile, Social Network, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It's a decent film, but how is the remake of a Swedish film "innovative" in any way? I think that's part of their problem.

I smiled at Sony employees being so fed up with Sandler though.

[Ideologue]

I dunno.  You ever seen the Swedish one?  Fincher did add a lot.  But, then, I think it's kind of a great film.

Seriously, though, I agree.  But also in what sense The Social Network is supposed to be innovative is a mystery.  It's just Citizen Kane, but without the themes of aging and loss, but including a lot more awful, largely-unexamined elitism.

[Ideologue]

Anyway, the bigger issue is "Why would anybody be surprised Sony executives talk shit about talent?"  Has there ever been a company where an analogue of this situation wasn't the case?

Maybe I'm inured to it, since I see it all the time.

[celedhring]

It's just a "there's gambling going on here!" situation, granted, but nonetheless I find it fascinating to see Hollywood's mindsets being expressed so candidly.

[The Larch]

This is a real "look into the abyss" kind of feeling, Sony's marketing powerpoints for movie promotion:

http://gawker.com/sonys-embarrassing-powerpoints-are-even-worst-than-thei-1666403941

[celedhring]

This is a real "look into the abyss" kind of feeling, Sony's marketing powerpoints for movie promotion:

http://gawker.com/sonys-embarrassing-powerpoints-are-even-worst-than-thei-1666403941

My favorite ones are:



Love how Men's Issues/Potty humor are lumped together.



Food and man living in harmony?

[garbon]

Angelina wants to do an Elizabeth Taylor-esque Cleopatra egostravaganza for herself.

Yeah that was news in... Summer?