Photo: Facebook
She was sitting on his lap in a club.
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Nov 13, 2019
In a just world, people who commit monstrous acts would be completely ostracized from polite society. In the real world, people who commit monstrous acts get to go to exclusive events at New York nightclubs where they cuddle with cute singers. At least, that's what Harvey Weinstein was up to this weekend.
The once-powerful movie producer was spotted at an event at the club Socialista in SoHo over the weekend where he was enjoying a performance by Alexandra Vino and her singing partner Helga Rose. Vino didn't keep her act on the stage, and some observers say she was sitting in Weinstein's lap as she belted out tunes like "Billie Jean."
Other party-goers stayed out of the accused rapist's lap but plenty of people did walk up to Weinstein and shake his hand or compliment his movies.
Now Alexandra Vino says she was just there to perform and there's nothing between herself and the alleged serial sexual abuser. Who is the woman rumored to be Harvey Weinstein's girlfriend?
Who is Alexandra Vino? Read on for all the details.
1. Harvey Weinstein recap
Harvey Weinstein was one of the bigger names in film in the 1990s and 2000s. First at Miramax then at The Weinstein Company, he oversaw the production of Oscar-winning films like Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare In Love, and The King's Speech. He was capable of making careers for up and coming actors and directors, including Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. He did the same for women in the industry such as Rose McGowen and Gwyneth Paltrow but with them, the success came with a side of sexual harassment or assault. Those actresses are only two of the dozens of women who have come forward to recount episodes of abuse that Weinstein committed. His favorite method of harassment was to change a meeting location from a public place to a hotel room, then strip down to a bathrobe and either coerce women into watching him masturbate or sexually assault them.
Weinstein's depravity was an open secret in Hollywood for years but he used strongarm techniques to keep the stories out of the media until 2017. In that year, reporters at the New York Times and the New Yorker were able to uncover the depth of Weinstein's serial abuse and he was publicly disgraced. He was ousted from his eponymous company and he is currently awaiting trial on sexual assault charges in New York. If convicted he could face life in prison.
2. Stepping out while he's still free
While he waits to see what his fate at the hands of the justice system will be, Wesintsin is trying to live his best-disgraced life. And some people seem to be willing to live it with him. Last month, he was invited to a showcase of young performers in New York City, an event he attended with several friends, including musicians Helga Rose and Alexandra Vino. One of the performers on the program that night was stand up comic Kelly Bachman, creator of the showcase Rape Jokes By Survivors, who bravely cracked wise about Weinstein being in the room during her set. Other people in the crowd that night also tried to shine a spotlight on Weinstein, with Zoe Stuckless shouting: "Nobody’s going to say anything!? Nobody’s really going to say anything!? I’m going to stand four feet from a f**king rapist and nobody’s going to say anything?”
Stuckless was asked to leave so another comic, Amber Rollo, stepped up to Weinstein's table and took her turn reminding him that a lot of people think he's vile, tweeting, "Then I went in and called him a fucking monster and told him he should disappear. His friend/bodyguard/goon/family member called me a c*nt and I really really wanted to lunge over the table and strangle him." In a second tweet, she said "I restrained myself, now that I'm sober I no longer throw drinks or fists. There was a woman at the table with him who gently guided me out. I don't know who she is but I hope she is ok."
Rollo worried about the safety of women with Weinstein.
3. Who is Alexandra Vino?
Amber Rollo didn't know the names of the women at Weinstein's table that night but we now know that it was Alexandra Vino and her singing partner Helga Rose. Vino is an actress and singer who has been working in film and television since 2007. She has done a lot of short films and independent projects but recently has broken into bigger projects like Wonderland, directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg. She is also a visual artist and has auctioned off her own pieces to support charities like Stop Poaching Now. She is exactly the type of actress Weinstein might have tried to cultivate for stardom — and sexual abuse — back when he still had his own production company.
Vino is an actress and singer.
4. Dating Harvey Weinstein
Page Six reports that Vino's partner Rose originally introduced her to Weinstein and one source says she and the accused assailant dated for a few weeks in 2018. Neither one of them will confirm that there was a relationship.
5. Singing at Socialista
Vino clearly knew Harvey well enough to share his booth the night he was roasted at the comedy show. She also got cuddly with him during her performance at Socialista nightclub in New York over the weekend. People who were there say she walked around the room while she was singing and perched in Weinstein's lap, giving him what appeared to be hugs while she sang. Weinstein wants the world to believe nothing untoward happened. In fact, he says she wasn't even in his lap. She was perched on the arm of his chair. "She is not canoodling me," he told Page Six.
6. Vino denies it all
Vino took to social media to suggest that reports about her are lies. In a now-expired Instagram story, she said "Feeling a bit sad today for the lies put out in the world. How people can make up stories and believe them and spread them. Does anyone realize how this could affect someone's entire life?" she wrote. "I am a performer. I am very focused on doing my job well. Who is in the audience is not my concern.My concern is opening my heart and being vulnerable on stage. I give me best t share my empathy and love. I feel taken advantage of by the press. Don't believe the lies," she concluded.
Harvey Weinstein will be standing trial for two counts of predatory sexual assault, a criminal sexual act, rape in the first degree, and rape in the third degree. His trial is scheduled for January 2020. No word on if Vino will be there for moral support.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.