Weinstein was fired late Sunday from his own film studio, three days after a bombshell New York Times report alleged that the Oscar-winning producer behind such hits as “The King’s Speech” and “The Artist” had preyed on young women hoping to break into the film industry.

Weinstein’s accusers — who reportedly include celebrities such as Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd — say the 65-year-old tycoon had promised to help advance their careers in exchange for sexual favors, pressuring them to massage him and watch him naked.

The Weinstein Company’s board said it had sacked him “in light of new information about misconduct” in the explosive Times article, which detailed decades of legal settlements stemming from harassment allegations.

Variety magazine reported Monday that Paramount Network had subsequently dropped Weinstein as an executive producer on two upcoming drama series, “Waco” and “Yellowstone.”

– Who knew? –

As the firestorm of controversy escalated, a string of entertainment industry figures have spoken out to condemn Weinstein — including actors Seth Rogan, Lena Dunham and Patricia Arquette, director James Gunn and fellow producer Judd Apatow.

Streep — who famously called Weinstein “God” in an Oscars acceptance speech — broke her silence in a statement first published by the Huffington Post, in which she said she was “appalled” by the “disgraceful” news and insisted “not everybody” knew about the allegations.

“I don’t believe that all the investigative reporters… would have neglected for decades to write about it,” she added.

Fellow Oscar winner Judi Dench, who has credited much of her success to Weinstein and once revealed she had a fake tattoo of his initials applied to her buttocks, said in a statement to Newsweek she was “horrified” and also denied any knowledge of the accusations.

But tough questions were also being asked about what some suspect was a collective effort to protect the movie mogul and father-of-two, one of Hollywood’s most influential powerbrokers who was able to make or break careers.

In a statement to the New York Times, the actress Glenn Close acknowledged that “for many years” she had been aware if rumors of inappropriate behavior by Weinstein.

“Harvey has always been decent to me, but now that the rumors are being substantiated, I feel angry and darkly sad,” she wrote.

The New York Times wrote that of the more than 40 entertainment industry players it contacted for comment after breaking the story last week, almost all refused to speak on the record.

“We read the reports about his temper and volatility, but we had also heard stories that he was, to put it bluntly, gross: the kind of guy who promised to make someone a star in exchange for sex, and leveraged his power in the industry to make sure no one talked about it,” wrote BuzzFeed journalist Anne Helen Petersen.

Sharon Waxman, creator of showbiz website “The Wrap,” meanwhile accused the New York Times itself of initially covering up the scandal.

In an editorial, she said the newspaper sent her to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein in 2004 — a story she said did not run following “intense pressure” from the producer.

The Times disputed her account in a statement to AFP, defending its “meticulously reported investigation” of Weinstein’s settlements for harassment and stating that “in general the only reason a story or specific information would be held is if it did not meet our standards for publication.”

– Hollywood powerhouse fades –

Five of The Weinstein Company’s nine all-male board members have so far resigned over the scandal.

It was not immediately clear what would happen to Weinstein’s share in the firm.

The tycoon, who was said to have been fighting to remain at the company, last week issued a bizarre statement apologizing for his actions without addressing any specific allegations, misquoting the rapper Jay Z, and appearing in part to justify his behavior.

He also said he was hoping for a second chance while acknowledging he had “work to do to earn it.”

Republicans have pounced on the scandal involving a staunch Democratic campaign fundraiser, while many Democrats have vowed to give their contributions from Weinstein to charity.

President Donald Trump — who himself faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct before winning the White House — declared himself “not at all surprised” by the revelations about Weinstein.

Weinstein’s lawyer Charles Harder said the Times’ report “relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses.”

The lawyer is preparing a lawsuit against the newspaper, and has vowed to donate any proceeds to women’s organizations.

LIKE MOST Thais, Manatsanun “Donut” Phanlerdwongsakul remembers clearly the evening of October 13 last year when it was announced that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has passed away. Her first reaction was to turn to her friend Pornmanus Rattanavich and tell her that she wanted to do something in memory of the late King. Thus was born the documentary “The Journey…Bunthuek Thang Klai Thueng Phor”.

Over the next few weeks, Donut buried her nose in books about the late Monarch’s life. That research led her to “King Bhumibol and the Thai Royal Family in Lausanne” penned by Lysandre C Seraidaris, who coincidentally happened to be Bangkok at the time and was happy to meet up with Donut.

Director Manatsanun “Donut” Phanlerdwongsakul, sitting right, and Lysandre C Seraidaris, left, on the set of “The Journey…Bunthuek Thang Klai Thueng Phor”

The son of Cleon C Seraidaris, King Bhumibol’s private tutor during his childhood in Lausanne, Lysandre was granted permission by the late Monarch to write about his time in Switzerland, based on his father’s collections of letters, personal photographs and documents from the family archive.

“The Journey”, much of which is filmed in Switzerland, is a feature documentary that looks back on the young King’s childhood and adolescence in Lausanne until his return to Thailand to accede to the throne.

“People have different ways of coping with grief and Donut’s way has been to dwell on King Bhumibol’s past and record it for posterity,” says Pornmanus, who co-wrote the script.

Countless films and documentaries have chronicled the late King’s life in Switzerland over the years and Donut admits that she worried about making her story stand out from the rest. “But it came out as I expected and I’m confident that ‘The Journey’ tells the story in a different way whilst never straying from the facts or the timeline,” she says, adding that as protocol demands, she submitted the project details to the Bureau of the Royal Household for approval before going ahead.

In the documentary, Donut plays a young woman who sets out on a journey to visit the places to which the late King Bhumibol travelled, from Lausanne to Paris where he met the Queen Sirikit for the first time at Fontainebleau, and back to Thailand when the Royal Couple returned here.

She travelled to Europe to film on three occasions, painstakingly gathering rare archival material from the United States, England, Switzerland and also Thailand. Narrated by the director herself, the documentary also features the voices of actress Sansanee Wattananukul and actor Teerapat Sajakul.

The film also includes some never-before-seen footage of the King’s last day in Lausanne in 1951 and screenshots of the letters sent by the late King to his private tutor.

The director during the filming in Switzerland

“It is the first time I’ve shared the letters for the screen. I’ve had plenty of approaches over the years but it wasn’t until I met Donut that I knew I had the right person,” says Lysandre, who has kept the hundreds of letters and photographs he inherited from his father.

Donut adds that convincing Lysandre to allow her to film the archive wasn’t easy. “In fact, he only allowed us to shoot the documents last month,” she says.

Lysandre also came on board, as project consultant and gives an interview in the documentary.

“She told me what she wanted to do and after reflection, I agreed. Unlike the other project proposals I have received, I felt this beautiful story should rightly be told to Thai people,” Lysandre says, adding that he has no regrets at showing his entire historical archive to the director to shoot in the documentary.

“She captured exactly the sentiments I was trying to convey to the Thai people while also creating an artistic film. I didn’t offer any advice but I know she used sensitivity. I haven’t seen the documentary yet but I’m she has understood and has done a good job,” he continues.

“The other filmmakers who interviewed me just wanted information. Donut was different. She was going to create something in the right spirit. The information she needed to was to help her to create something beautiful.”

Filming the late King’s letters in Lausanne, Switzerland

The letters are only part of the story. Donut has also used information from other books and archives, among them “Mua Khapachao Chak Siam Ma Soo Switzerland” (“When I Left Siam for Switzerland”), the late Monarch’s own series of diary-style articles detailing his preparations for his trip back to Switzerland for further education in August 1946 after acceding to throne in June that year.

“The film reveals how these journeys changed the late King, especially when he travelled back to Switzerland after the death of his brother. His journals reflect how lonely he felt at the time while also recording the beginning of his interest in photography,” she says.

“I love travelling because we change as we continue our journey. The destination is not as important as what we encounter along the way. His Majesty the late King Bhumibol’s journey in this film will inspire us all,” Donut says.

The director and the crew during the filming in Switzerland

Stephane Lambert, who co-produced the project, says at the heart of the documentary is a point of view. “You try to give the facts as precisely as possible in a documentary and these are combined with the director’s point of view. The stronger that point of view is, the more interesting the documentary becomes,” he says.

“I was born in France so my understanding is very different. We are hoping that this documentary will also appeal also to an international audience who want to understand why the relationship between people in Thailand and His Majesty King Rama 9 is so intense. It’s not about politics and it’s not about history; it’s really about a very deep and strong bond and if we can bring some understanding and shed new light on this relationship through this story, we will be very pleased,” Lambert says.

Donut’s message has also attracted support. Despite starting with nothing, the project has gradually drawn official sponsorship from such industry giants as Thai Beverage, Thai Airways International, Total Access Communication (DTAC), and SF Corporation,

“The Journey” will be screened at SF Cinemas from Thursday to Sunday in the Bangkok area and on Friday and Saturday nationwide. It also shows at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre Thursday and Friday and at Bangkok Screening Room on Soi Sala Daeng 1 from October 20 to 28. Admission is free. From next year, the documentary will be screened on all Thai Airways flights until the end of 2019.

TRAVELLING ALONG MEMORY LANE

“The Journey” screens in the auditorium of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on Thursday at 1pm, 3pm and 7pm and on Friday at 3pm, 5pm and 7pm. A discussion with the production team follows the last screening. Visit http://www.Bacc.or.th

For updates and showtimes elsewhere, check http://www.SFCinemaCity.com and https://BkkSR.com/movies.

Watch the trailer at. http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=qa_588JWqu4

But with takings of $31.5 million in North American theaters, the sci-fi reboot — featuring original star Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling — didn’t enjoy the sensational opening its rave reviews suggested it might.

“Blade Runner: 2049” sees Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department “blade runner” — charged with killing bioengineered androids known as “replicants.” On uncovering a secret which threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford’s character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.

Despite a disappointing first weekend, “Blade Runner” did not face much competition for the top spot — with Fox’s “The Mountain Between Us,” in second place, earning just $10.1 million.

Starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, “The Mountain Between Us” tells the story of a surgeon (Elba) and a journalist (Winslet), who fall in love as they fight to survive following a plane crash on a snowy Utah mountain range.

Meanwhile, with takings dropping from last week’s $16.9 million to $9.6 million, freaky horror hit “It” — based on the Stephen King novel — settled for third place in its fifth week in theaters.

In fourth, earning $8.8 million, was Lionsgate animation “My Little Pony: The Movie” — featuring star-studded voiceovers from the likes of Emily Blunt and Australian singer Sia.

But it was a fall from grace for espionage comedy “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” which — having taken the crown last week — dropped to fifth place with earnings of $8.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“American Made” ($8 million)

“The Lego Ninjago Movie” ($6.7 million)

“Victoria and Abdul” ($4.1 million)

“Flatliners” ($3.8 million)

“Battle of the Sexes” ($2.4 million)

Created by Stephanie SenGupta and Laurie McCarthy, the first season has 22 episodes and opens in 1557, with Mary living in the French court and awaiting her marriage to Prince Francis, to whom she has been engaged since they were six.

Mary has to contend with changing politics and power plays, as well as her burgeoning feelings for Francis and the romantic attentions of Francis’s bastard half-brother, Bash. Francis’s mother, Catherine de’ Medici, secretly tries to prevent the marriage following Nostradamus’s confidential prediction that the marriage will lead to Francis’s death.

The series also follows the affairs of Mary’s Scottish handmaidens Kenna, Aylee, Lola, and Greer, who are searching for husbands of their own at court.

In the series, which premiered last October, Parker plays Frances Dufresne, a married woman who has an affair and finds herself being sued for divorce by her husband Robert (Thomas Haden Church). As Frances begins to reassess her life and her marriage, she finds that making a clean break and a fresh start is harder than she thought.

Season two finds Frances and Robert dealing with the aftermath of their explosive separation and learning to rebuild their lives.

Parker’s role led her to be nominated for a Golden Globe award for best actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.  Church earned an Oscar nomination for his role in “Sideways” and was most recently seen as the villain Sandman in “Spider-Man 3”.

The show also stars Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam, Tracy Letts, Sterling Jerins and Charlie Kilgore.

The series was created by Sharon Horgan. Season two is executive produced by Jenny Bicks, Parker, Sharon Horgan, Alison Benson and Aaron Kaplan.

The first season of “Divorce” is now streaming on HBO GO via AIS PLAY and AIS PLAYBOX.

“I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it,” the movie mogul said in a statement to the Times after its damning story was published.

Weinstein added that he had hired therapists and planned to take a leave of absence “to deal with this issue head on.”

Lisa Bloom, one of Weinstein’s lawyers who specializes in sexual harassment cases, separately said in a statement sent to AFP that her 65-year-old client “denies many of the accusations as patently false.”

‘Dinosaur learning new ways’

“He has acknowledged mistakes he has made,” she wrote. “He is reading books and going to therapy. He is an old dinosaur learning new ways.”

According to the Times, Weinstein’s allegedly inappropriate behavior goes back nearly three decades and he has reached private settlements with at least eight women.

His accusers, the Times said, include celebrities such as actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd.

Judd recalled in an interview with the paper being invited to Weinstein’s suite at a posh Beverly Hills hotel two decades ago expecting a breakfast meeting to discuss business.

Instead, the actress said, Weinstein appeared in a bathrobe and asked if she could give him a massage or watch him shower.

Two former assistants and an Italian model made similar accusations and allegedly reached settlements.

One of the assistants was allegedly badgered by Weinstein into giving him a massage while he was naked, leaving her “crying and very distraught” in the words of a colleague, Lauren O’Connor, the Times said.

‘Toxic environment for women’

O’Connor said Weinstein, who co-founded Miramax and is co-chairman of The Weinstein Company, had created “a toxic environment for women” at his firm.

Many in the entertainment industry spoke out on Thursday in the wake of the Times report, expressing support for his alleged victims.

“The women who chose to speak about their experience of harassment by Harvey Weinstein deserve our awe,” actress and self-proclaimed feminist Lena Dunham said in a tweet. “It’s not fun or easy, it’s brave.”

McGowan also published a series of tweets, jokingly saying in one of them that she wanted “to buy the movie rights.”

In his statement, Weinstein said he had been working over the past year with Bloom and a team of therapists “to learn about myself and conquer my demons.”

The staunch Democrat who backed Hillary Clinton in her presidential bid said that he respected all women and was hoping for a second chance although he knew he had “work to do to earn it.”

“I have goals that are now priorities,” he said. “Trust me, this isn’t an overnight process.

“I’ve been trying to do this for 10 years and this is a wake-up call.”

He appeared to justify his alleged misconduct saying he had come of age in the ’60s and ’70s “when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different.”

“That was the culture then,” he said. “I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office — or out of it. To anyone.”

He said one year ago he began organizing a $5 million foundation to provide scholarships to women directors at the University of Southern California.

“It will be named after my mom and I won’t disappoint her,” He said.

Weinstein, who is married to English fashion designer Georgina Chapman, with whom he has two children, is considered a powerhouse in Hollywood and many of his movies have picked up Oscars over the years, including “Good Will Hunting,” and “The Artist.”

He formed the Miramax production house in the late 1970s with his brother and then sold it to Disney. The pair went on to create The Weinstein Company, producing such hits as “The King’s Speech,” “The Butler,” and “Django Unchained.”

Trade magazine Variety said the board of directors of the Weinstein Company would meet by Friday evening to decide whether Weinstein would remain at the helm of the company.

The documentary will also be streamed on HBO and HBO Go via AIS Play and AIS PlayBox.

Spielberg has built an unrivaled catalogue of groundbreaking films over the course of his nearly 50-year career. Charting the evolution of this iconic figure, the documentary draws on nearly 30 hours of exclusive interviews with the director, who opens up about his bittersweet childhood and lifelong obsession with moviemaking, his precocious early work as a TV “wunderkind,” his rise to fame through an incredible string of blockbusters, his later forays into more serious dramatic films, and the personal and professional relationships he’s cultivated through the years.

Directed by Susan Lacy, “Spielberg” also includes insights from members of Spielberg’s family, as well as friends and colleagues, plus clips and behind-the-scenes footage from many of his milestone films, including “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial”, “Jurassic Park”, “Schindler’s List”, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Bridge of Spies”.

Lacy interviewed more than 80 subjects for the film, ranging from A-list celebrities, to directors and producers, to industry insiders, including JJ Abrams, Christian Bale, Drew Barrymore, Cate Blanchett, Francis Ford Coppola, Daniel Craig, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brian de Palma, Laura Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Richard Dreyfuss, Ralph Fiennes, Harrison Ford, David Geffen, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Holly Hunter, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ben Kingsley, Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Liam Neeson, Martin Scorsese, Oprah Winfrey and Robert Zemeckis.

The result is a remarkably intimate portrait that combines Spielberg’s compelling first-person narrative with an in-depth exploration of the creative process and craftsmanship that have set him apart, highlighting themes such as separation, reconciliation, patriotism, humanity and wonder, which recur throughout his work.

The six hour-long-episode coming-of-age series has won in the following categories in Best Mini-Series (TV Movie) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series (TV Movie).

“We are delighted that our HBO Asia Original series) has received this prestigious recognition at the Golden Bell Awards. We are greatly encouraged to produce more local language productions and work with local talents across Asia. This award reinforces our commitment to increase our repertoire of Asian Original productions for a regional and global audience,” Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia, says.

“The Teenage Psychic” premiered in April this year and received positive ratings throughout its broadcast. Shot on location in Taiwan, the series was directed by 29-year-old Taiwanese filmmaker Chen Ho-Yu and developed with Taiwanese broadcaster, Public Television Service (PTS) and award-winning Singaporean production company, InFocus Asia.

The series is a coming-of-age story that revolves around Xiao Zhen (Kuo Shu Yau), a 16-year-old girl who just wants to lead a typical teenage high school life. Born with the ability to see spirits, her life will never be normal and so Xiao Zhen must juggle the pressures of teenage life – first love, academic success and peer pressure – with the demands of the spirit world.

As Xiao Zhen learns to use her abilities to help the living deal with their loved ones on the other side – spirits who are lost, forgotten, angry or just crying out for help – this teenager finds that fixing other people’s problems gives her the strength she needs to navigate high school and her first major romantic encounter. Xiao Zhen’s powers become a danger for her as others seek to use her abilities for their own greed.

Catch up on HBO Asia’s ”The Teenage Psychic” on at HBO Go via AIS Play and AIS Playbox.

The project is much anticipated by K-pop fans as Netflix has teamed up with a company whose TV variety shows, among them  “Running Man” and “Family Outing” have earned global success. Company SangSang by Hyuk-Jae Jang and Hyo-Jin Cho, one of Korea’s most successful variety show producers, has created “Busted!” which will launch globally on Netflix in 2018.

“Busted!” is an unconventional variety game show in which every episode features stars solving a mystery. It is also the first season-based variety show by Company SangSang. “Busted!” will feature a roster of talent comprising different personalities and backgrounds who will light up each episode with fun, surprises and pure suspense. The show will be filmed in various locations in Korea throughout the season.

“’Busted!’ is a unique challenge that will combine the drama and variety genres, providing both suspense of a mystery genre and fun of variety shows. We are preparing for our best, so please stay tuned,” said producer Cho.

“’Running Man’” has reached millions of people globally through its unique blend of storytelling and humour“ says Erik Barmack, VP International Originals for Netflix, “and we are excited to be featuring the great work of SangSang and Korean talent on our global platform.”

As “Busted!” is a mystery show, cast members who will be taking part in solving each episode’s mystery will not know who will participate in the game and what roles they play until it is revealed through the making of the show. The full cast will be revealed at a later date.

Netflix previously announced that it is producing the Korean drama “Kingdom” directed by Sung-Hoon Kim and written by Eun-Hee Kim along with the “Love Alarm” based on Kye-Young Chon’s webtoon.

The first Thai film ever to open the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), it also picked up the Best Asian film award and won leading actress Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award.

It then travelled to Montreal where it picked up Best Film, Best Asian Feature Film, Best Director and Best Innovative Feature Film at the Fantastic International Film Festival.

Recently it became the first Thai film to win the Fukuoka Audience Award from the Focus on Asia Fukuoka International Film Festival.

“Bad Genius” has also done well commercially becoming the all-time top grossing Thai film in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam. And now it’s heading to China where it will go on release in more than 7,000 theatres on October 13. China is one of the toughest markets for foreign film as the country gives only a small quota to foreign films and most of that quota goes to Hollywood blockbusters.