The movie geek punching bag Brett Ratner has had quite a week after his ‘Tower Heist‘ was beaten by ‘Puss N Boots‘, and now after some choice comments, he’s out as producer of the Academy Awards show.
Uttering the two words ‘Brett Ratner‘ to many movie geeks can inspire some very choice words about the mercurial director, but after uttering his own choice words about rehearsing, the 2012 Academy Awards show will looking for another producer. Those of you who aspire to be like Ratner may look into film production classes via www.GuidetoOnlineSchools.com.
Many people in Hollywood are feigning shock at Ratner’s ‘stepping down’ as producer for the 2012 Academy Awards, but no one is too shocked at what he said which led to that ending. Many may say this could be the end of him, but that’s far from the truth. His movies might be fluff, but as long as they continue making money (although ‘Tower Heist’ didn’t do so well this past weekend), Hollywood will keep giving him money to make them money. Basically, the Academy felt that since being a producer of their show made Ranter a sort of spokesperson for Hollywood, his recent comments just weren’t the message they wanted to send.
The Academy was gracious enough to allow him to say that he ‘stepped down’ from the job, but as The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier that he was out, it seems obvious what really happened. It’s like when the studio heads are fired but the press release says a much different story. That’s the way our industry works. It’s still up in the air if Eddie Murphy will remain as host, but everyone’s assuming that he will stay put. His career could surely use a gig like that.
Here’s what the Academy had to say about Ratner’s ‘decision’ to ‘step down’:
Beverly Hills, CA – This morning, Brett Ratner submitted his resignation as a producer of the 84th annual Academy Awards to Academy President Tom Sherak. Ratner then issued an open letter to the entertainment industry in which he explained his decision.
“He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself,” Sherak said. “Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent.”
Now here’s Brett Ratner’s impassioned letter:
Over the last few days, I’ve gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances. To them, and to everyone I’ve hurt and offended, I’d like to apologize publicly and unreservedly.
As difficult as the last few days have been for me, they cannot compare to the experience of any young man or woman who has been the target of offensive slurs or derogatory comments. And they pale in comparison to what any gay, lesbian, or transgender individual must deal with as they confront the many inequalities that continue to plague our world.
So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and it pains me deeply that I may have hurt them. I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn’t count for much if what comes out of your mouth is ugly and bigoted. With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I’ve so foolishly perpetuated.
As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.
I am grateful to GLAAD for engaging me in a dialogue about what we can do together to increase awareness of the important and troubling issues this episode has raised and I look forward to working with them. I am incredibly lucky to have a career in this business that I love with all of my heart and to be able to work alongside so many of my heroes. I deeply regret my actions and I am determined to learn from this experience.
Sincerely, Brett Ratner
Who knows, maybe this will take a little of the douche out the Brett Ratner bag or it could turn into a Mel Gibson style snowball. We’ll see, but in the meantime, all the Ratner haters can have their say. He’ll also have a little time on his hands to do what he’s pictured doing best *below*
Brett Ratner Interview – Best Movies Ever
Tower Heist – Movie Review – The Totally Rad Show by Best Movies Ever News
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