Alec Baldwin

[divasahm]

Nothing else to add, except to say...

Popcorn, anyone?

[Ginger]

I'm surprised, and I feel a little bad for him. It seems like almost everyone on that set could have done their jobs better and helped prevent the accident - including him, but not only him.

I guess no more actors handling guns are ever going to say, "But it's not my job to check the gun..."

[tabby]

Mar 13, 2005 12:45:42 GMT -4 Ginger said:

It seems like almost everyone on that set could have done their jobs better and helped prevent the accident - including him, but not only him.

The set's armorer is also being charged. The assistant director has already signed a plea agreement.

[cancan]

I am not a lawyer (duh) and haven't really paid attention to the case. Is AB being charged because he fired the gun, or because as one of the producers he was responsible for safety on the set?

[Ginger]

Jan 19, 2023 18:10:00 GMT -4 cancan said:

I am not a lawyer (duh) and haven't really paid attention to the case. Is AB being charged because he fired the gun, or because as one of the producers he was responsible for safety on the set?

The prosecutor did an interview with CNN

"He didn't check [the gun], he didn't do any of the things he was was supposed to do to make sure that he was safe, or anyone around him was safe. And then he pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins, and he pulled the trigger."

Per the Variety article, this crime carries a mandatory minimum 5 year enhancement because it involves a firearm. If Alec had the opportunity to plea and get 6 months probation like the AD, he's incredibly stupid for not taking the deal.

[cremetangerine82]

I was wondering why Brandon Lee was trending on Twitter...yikes. I'm glad the armorer and AB will be charged; no movie set should include a death of cast or crew or animals. R.I.P. Brandon and Michael Massee (he played the villain in The Crow and showed immense grief despite the production's negligence). over the prod

How did John Landis avoid being criminally charged?

[Ginger]

Jan 19, 2023 19:40:38 GMT -4 cremetangerine82 said:

How did John Landis avoid being criminally charged?

Apparently he was. I was curious, so I looked it up. According to history.com:

Twilight Zone co-director John Landis (Blues Brothers, Trading Places, National Lampoon’s Animal House) and four other men working on the film, including the special-effects coordinator and the helicopter pilot, were charged with involuntary manslaughter. According to a 1987 New York Times report, it was the first time a film director faced criminal charges for events that occurred while making a movie. During the subsequent trial, the defense maintained the crash was an accident that could not have been predicted while the prosecution claimed Landis and his crew had been reckless and violated laws regarding child actors, including regulations about their working conditions and hours. Following the emotional 10-month trial, a jury acquitted all five defendants in 1987.

[nikkichan]

I was about seven or eight at the time, but I remember watching that trial. The prosecutor was a woman and I remember reporters saying she was mean for offering tissues to Landis when he strategically "broke down" on the stand. I also remember thinking Landis was guilty, even as a kid. It was a much different time, and much more forgiving to famous men.

[Auroranorth]

Jan 19, 2023 18:32:53 GMT -4 Ginger said:

Jan 19, 2023 18:10:00 GMT -4 cancan said:

I am not a lawyer (duh) and haven't really paid attention to the case. Is AB being charged because he fired the gun, or because as one of the producers he was responsible for safety on the set?

The prosecutor did an interview with CNN

"He didn't check [the gun], he didn't do any of the things he was was supposed to do to make sure that he was safe, or anyone around him was safe. And then he pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins, and he pulled the trigger."

Per the Variety article, this crime carries a mandatory minimum 5 year enhancement because it involves a firearm. If Alec had the opportunity to plea and get 6 months probation like the AD, he's incredibly stupid for not taking the deal.

Agreed- but this is Alec Baldwin we're talking about.

[lae]

I wonder if his statements/interviews hurt him here. Didn’t he go on tv and claim he never fired the gun but that was proven false? He didn’t show a lot of remorse from what I can remember either.

I admit I have not followed the case very closely but didn’t the union workers walk off the set due to safety conditions? It’s really tough because I think this was truly and accident but it also sounds like a lot of corners were cut and they were aware this was not a safe working environment. Baldwin was a producer and on set so he had some responsibility. I know he was probably a producer in name only but if you are going to take the rewards, and he would have if it had been a financial success, you have to take all the other stuff too. I am surprised at the manslaughter charge though. I can see negligence but that is a heavy one. I’m not sure if that will stick.