At least four women have accused the Academy Award-winning songwriter of “You Light Up My Life” of luring them to his home and sexually assaulting them while they auditioned for movie roles, police said.
Police are investigating whether director Joseph Brooks, who won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the 1977 Debby Boone ballad, advertised upcoming film roles on Internet postings as a ploy to assault women.
When a woman responded to an audition call, the 70-year-old Brooks would tell her she’d be playing a prostitute and would have her drink shots and perform sex acts on him, police said. Some women believe they might have been drugged, police said.
At least four incidents are alleged to have happened in March and May 2008, police spokesman John Sweeney said. One woman told authorities she had sex with Brooks after drinking wine with him, Sweeney said.
A woman from Seattle said she responded to an ad and after she arrived in New York, Brooks demanded she have sex with him, Sweeney said. Another woman told police Brooks sodomized her, Sweeney said.
Brooks hasn’t been charged, Sweeney said.
Telephone calls to Brooks’ attorney, Jeff Hoffman, weren’t immediately returned Monday. There was no telephone listing for Brooks at the Manhattan home address provided by police.
Brooks also wrote and directed the romantic comedy “You Light Up My Life,” for which the song was composed. The movie stars Didi Conn as Laurie Robinson, a comedian who dreams of being an actress and has a one-night stand with a director.
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More