Action movie star Steven Seagal and comedian Louis CK have become the latest celebrities to be embroiled in mounting allegations of sexual misconduct in the US entertainment industry following the downfall of film producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey.
Portia de Rossi, the Arrested Development actress and wife of chat show queen Ellen DeGeneres, accused Seagal of making a lewd advance during an audition in his office.
"He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants," the Australian-born actress tweeted late Wednesday.
"I ran out and called my agent. Unfazed, she replied, 'well, I didn't know if he was your type'."
De Rossi did not say when the incident took place.
DeGeneres retweeted the post to her more than 75 million followers saying: "I'm proud of my wife."
Seagal's representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Actress Jenny McCarthy, who first accused Seagal in 1998, on Thursday revisited her encounter with the actor when auditioning for his 1995 movie Under Siege 2, when he allegedly asked her twice to lower her dress.
After telling him she had been told there was no nudity, Seagal allegedly replied "there is off-camera nudity". After refusing and running to her car, McCarthy said he followed her outside and told her not to tell anyone "or else".
Seagal's fame peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s with films such as Under Siege and Above the Law, although he remains popular in eastern Europe.
He was last year accorded Russian and Serbian citizenship, personally collecting his Russian passport from president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
In a New York Times expose published on Thursday, five women accused comedian Louis CK of masturbating or asking to masturbate in front of them or doing so on the telephone in separate incidents dating from the late 1990s to 2005.
The premiere of CK's film I Love You, Daddy was abruptly cancelled after the report was published, and he pulled out of an appearance on CBS comedy chat show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the Times reported.
CK's publicist, Lewis Kay, told the paper "Louis is not going to answer any questions".
His accusers told the paper that his behaviour was abusive.
"I think the line gets crossed when you take all your clothes off and start masturbating," said Julia Wolov, one half of the Chicago comedy duo Dana and Julia with Dana Min Goodman, who also accused him of misappropriate behaviour in his hotel room after their late-night show.
The other women to accuse CK in the Times report were comedians Abby Schachner and Rebecca Corry, while the fifth woman was not identified.
Hollywood's growing sexual harassment scandal prompted the Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey to announce the setting up of a task force to handle criminal complaints.
Also on Thursday, the industry group Women in Film announced Thursday that it planned to launch a helpline and panel of pro bono legal professionals to provide counselling, referrals and legal advice to harassment victims. The free service is expected to be available from December 1.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
