By Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) --Heather Graham says she was so frustrated by sexism and Hollywood and the dearth of female perspectives onscreen that she made a movie about it.
She thought showing her experiences onscreen would be the only way to be heard in a system that favored the powerful and silenced the powerless. But that was before the flood of sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood power players.
"My only recourse was writing and directing a movie about it because I thought it wouldn't change, but now it is," Graham said Tuesday. "I really hope that it changes in a meaningful way."
Graham told guests at Women in Film's sexual harassment panel Tuesday that she was inspired to share her own experiences with Weinstein after so many women came forward. She said she met with Weinstein in the early 2000s to discuss possible film roles when he implied that she could have her pick if she had sex with him.
"It's scary to speak out but, I just thought how can I call myself a feminist and not?" she said. "These other women are so brave and I want to be with them."
Graham said the rash of allegations and the seriousness with which they're received reflects a cultural shift.
"I think that people that had these bad things happen to them felt shame, and I think now we're rethinking it," she said. "And we're thinking, no, the shame is with the predator, not with the victim.
She will release her film "Half Magic" next year.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More