*By Max Godnick*
Movie fans are used to hearing stars thank the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but it's rare for an Oscar winner to say he wants to sue it.
The Academy-award winning director Roman Polanski threatened to take legal action against the Academy after it voted May 3 to expel him from its ranks.
The expulsion comes more than 40 years after Polanski, the filmmaker behind "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown," pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, and 16 years since the Academy honored him as best director for "The Pianist."
Polanski's lawyer, Harland Braun, said in a letter to the Academy obtained by the [Hollywood Reporter] (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/roman-polanskis-attorney-threatens-sue-academy-directors-expulsion-1109821) that the Academy did not give his client a chance to argue his case.
The Academy revised its rules in January, with new guidelines for membership and standards of conduct after accusations of sexual assault and harassment against the Academy member Harvey Weinstein. The revelations about Weinstein's conduct led to the widespread #MeToo movement, which Polanski called "collective hysteria" and "total hypocrisy."
"I think that it's the height of hypocrisy for a known pedophile and a sex offender to disparage and criticize people that have come forward after being sexually abused by powerful people in the media and Hollywood," said Jennifer Cunningham, senior editor at the African-American-focused entertainment news site Bossip.
So why did it take the Academy so many years to take action?
"I think they did not have a choice at this point," said Cunningham, in an interview with Cheddar. "Especially with Bill Cosby's conviction, maybe they were just trying to clean house and really distance themselves from these individuals."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled Cosby and Polanski on the same day.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/bill-and-ted-reunite-for-a-threequel).
Statues commemorating the Confederacy are being torn down across America as a result of racial unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But the largest monument in the country has been left out of the conversation: Stone Mountain monument in Georgia. The 42-foot-deep, 76-by-158 foot carving of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson sits on the face of the world’s largest piece of exposed granite. Removing it could require bitter political debate and a year-long demolition. But for most, the racist history it represents is too hard to ignore.
Takeaways from Big Tech's big day on Capitol Hill. Plus, how India's slums are reaching herd immunity, U.S. troops leaving Germany, why Kodak shares are on fire and more.
COVID cases start to level off even as deaths approach 150,000; Big Tech faces its Big Tobacco moment; Netflix dominates Emmy nominations; Oprah returns to TV and more.
The series, which captured America’s unease as it faces racial clashes amid a pandemic, was nominated as best limited series and received bids for cast members including Regina King and Jeremy Irons.
What if all that disinfecting we're doing is a gigantic waste of time and money? Jill and Carlo discuss the concept of "hygiene theater," plus why investors are going for gold, why we all may be working from home indefinitely, and if the MLB can't make it a week without an outbreak, what chances do schools have?
As the coronavirus pandemic hits Americans' wallets, it is also exposing the long standing wealth gap between minority communities and white Americans, according to Damon Jones, professor at the University of Chicago.
Carlo is back, and he's noticed some promising trendlines to watch in the pandemic. Plus, the scramble to get a second stimulus bill through Congress, a double-whammy of hurricanes, and the death of a television icon.
Following successes like 'The Last Dance' & 'Tom vs Time,' Religion of Sports has raised $10 million as the company looks to expand its presence in sports media. CEO, Ameeth Sankran, talks making a lasting imprint by telling important sports focused stories.
A complete picture of Gen Z's economic impact and financial preferences is likely still years away, but in the interim their presence is already being felt across the investment world.
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, July 24, 2020:
