ReportWire

Tag: O.J. Simpson

  • Steven Spielberg Jokes ‘Sugarland Express’ Inspired O.J. Simpson Chase Reaction: “They’re Stealing My Thunder”

    Steven Spielberg Jokes ‘Sugarland Express’ Inspired O.J. Simpson Chase Reaction: “They’re Stealing My Thunder”

    [ad_1]

    Most of the action in Steven Spielberg‘s 1974 directorial debut, Sugarland Express, unfolds over the course of an extended car chase as Goldie Hawn and William Atherton’s characters try to evade a long convoy of police vehicles in an effort to regain custody of their young son from foster care.

    While the film predated high-speed freeway car chases, modern audiences might be reminded of such events, including O.J. Simpson‘s infamous white Bronco chase, which unfolded roughly 30 years ago, on June 17, 1994.

    And sure enough, Spielberg himself admitted he thought of his own film when he saw the Bronco chase, which riveted audiences as it took over TV.

    Speaking after a 50th-anniversary screening of Sugarland at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, Spielberg jokingly said he thought, “Shit, they’re stealing my thunder,” when he saw the Simpson chase.

    Elsewhere during the post-screening Q&A, Spielberg reflected on making the film, including casting lead Hawn and its struggles at the box office as well as how it led to his next film, Jaws.

    After a brief video message from Hawn, who shared fond memories of working with the Hollywood legend, Spielberg spoke about how he thought of her for his lead role when studio Universal said they wouldn’t make the movie without a star.

    “She has a pure and honest heart,” said Spielberg. “The movie wouldn’t have gotten made without her.”

    Though Hawn wasn’t previously known for projects like Sugarland, Spielberg felt she was right for it. However, he noted expectations backfired as he argued audiences expected to see a Goldie Hawn movie and got his film, complete with its tragic ending.

    Indeed, Spielberg recalled how the film got great reviews but performed so poorly at the box office that the studio yanked it after two weeks.

    So, he joked, “You’re the first audience to ever see Sugarland Express in 50 years.” The BMCC venue in lower Manhattan was packed, with the audience even giving Spielberg a standing ovation when he took the stage.

    Sugarland producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown went on to bring Spielberg to Jaws through a serendipitous turn of events.

    The award-winning director recalled seeing the galley for the Jaws book at Zanuck’s office. His assistant let Spielberg read it, and the filmmaker devoured it over the weekend. Though a filmmaker was already attached, he left the project, and Spielberg got the film.

    The director also revealed a fun Easter egg for film fans: Zanuck’s son plays baby Langston, whom Hawn and Atherton’s characters are trying to get back, in Sugarland Express.

    [ad_2]

    Hilary Lewis

    Source link

  • Donald Trump may be stuck in a Manhattan courtroom, but he knows his fave legal analysts

    Donald Trump may be stuck in a Manhattan courtroom, but he knows his fave legal analysts

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK – If there are bragging rights associated with Donald Trump praising your legal acumen when he speaks after a day’s testimony at his criminal trial, Fox News analyst Andy McCarthy has already been cited at least a dozen times.

    The former president and current presidential candidate has routinely stepped to a metal barricade outside the courtroom in lower Manhattan to face cameras and get the last word on the day’s proceedings. As the trial has wound down, his speeches — he rarely acknowledges shouted questions — more frequently consist of reading the words of friendly commentators from a sheaf of papers.

    Besides McCarthy, a former Manhattan prosecutor and writer for National Review, Fox commentators Jonathan Turley, Gregg Jarrett and Mark Levin get frequent shoutouts.

    “Every legal scholar says, `They don’t have a case,’” Trump has said more than once while reading back supportive quotes.

    McCarthy, quoted by the former president three separate times on May 13, is a “great analyst,” Trump said. Some favorites get personal praise: Byron York is “a great person, great reporter.” Alan Dershowitz is similarly “a great person,” Trump said. Occasionally, someone from CNN slips in. MSNBC gets the silent treatment.

    For television, New York’s ban on cameras in the courtroom means plenty of airtime for legal analysts. It evokes the high point of the form three decades ago, when the O.J. Simpson murder trial made household names of the likes of Jeffrey Toobin, Nancy Grace and Greta Van Susteren. Fox’s Jarrett, who worked at Court TV in the 1990s, straddles the eras.

    OPINIONS FROM EXPERTS RUN THE GAMUT

    Naturally, it’s not hard to find those who contradict Trump. On the television news networks covering the trial extensively, prevailing opinions tend to reflect the audiences they seek: little sympathy for the prosecution’s case on Fox, equally difficult to find praise for the defense on MSNBC. On CNN, it’s more mixed.

    The more experienced legal minds, like Chuck Rosenberg speaking on MSNBC on Wednesday, note that it would be foolish to predict an outcome. The only opinions that really matter are the jurors’.

    More nuanced coverage can usually be found offscreen. Sunday’s edition of The New York Times, for example, had a news story quoting experts that concluded: “Several experts say the case remains the prosecution’s to lose.” In the same day’s opinion section, columnist Ross Douthat concluded that the case has been a political winner for Trump so far.

    “Just as even paranoid people can have enemies, even sinful demagogues can face a politically motivated prosecution — and stand to gain from the appearance of legal persecution,” Douthat wrote. “And that appearance, so far, has been the trial’s political gift to Donald Trump.”

    MSNBC was devoting a large part of its day to Trump’s legal issues well before the current trial. Former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann is a huge presence there; he also contributes a podcast, “Prosecuting Donald Trump,” with fellow analyst Mary McCord.

    Even MSNBC’s biggest stars, including Rachel Maddow, have spent time in the courtroom. After listening to Trump’s defense earlier this week, she reported that it was “discursive, sprawling and uninteresting.”

    TRUMP CHOOSES HIS FOCUS

    Fox’s commentators on this case have drawn much of Trump’s attention. Turley made 47 appearances to talk about the trial on Fox’s weekday programs from the start of the trial through May 15, with McCarthy logging 35, according to the liberal watchdog Media Matters.

    McCarthy once prosecuted terrorism cases in the U.S. attorney’s office in New York’s Southern District and represented Rudolph Giuliani. Turley is a professor at George Washington University’s law school and founded the Project for Older Prisoners, which helps seek release of geriatric prison inmates.

    Writing about the trial in the National Review, McCarthy said that “Trump ought to be acquitted for the simplest of reasons: Prosecutors can’t prove their case.” He criticized prosecution witness and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen on the air, saying Cohen’s dishonesty and bias against Trump will be problems he has to overcome with the jury.

    Turley, speaking to Fox’s Jesse Watters last week, called Cohen “the most compromised, unbelievable witness in the history of the federal legal system.” On another Fox appearance, Turley said the judge, Juan Merchan, shouldn’t even give the case to the jury.

    “I think this case is gone,” Turley said. “They didn’t state the basis for a crime.”

    On Fox this week, anchor Martha MacCallum said that “if you watch the legal experts on the other channels, this case is airtight.”

    The network on Monday, as it usually does, ran Trump’s daily wrap in its 5 p.m. ET hour — the time slot of “The Five,” the most popular program on cable news. MSNBC didn’t carry Trump. CNN showed the former president and immediately followed him with a fact-check.

    As happened that day, and occasionally others, Trump singled out some CNN commentators for praise. He quoted CNN’s Laura Coates, Elie Honig and Tim Parlatore, the latter a former Trump lawyer hired as an analyst.

    CNN’s fact-checker, Tom Foreman, said that Trump was doing “a lot of cherry-picking” in his citations.

    “It is certainly true that we have some panelists who say this is not a good case,” CNN’s Jake Tapper said. “There are also people who feel the other way. And that’s what we try to do here — bring a diversity of viewpoints.”

    ___

    David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    [ad_2]

    David Bauder, Associated Press

    Source link

  • The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson Trailer Previews Lifetime Documentary

    The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson Trailer Previews Lifetime Documentary

    [ad_1]

    Lifetime has unveiled the trailer for The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, highlighting the most publicized trials in history, which her family believes was no longer about the victims. Releasing on June 1 and 2, the two-part documentary will arrive just in time for the 30th anniversary of the murders of Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. 

    The upcoming documentary will feature new details about Brown as well as stories from her friends and family. The 35-year-old mother of two and her 25-year-old friend Goldman were murdered by O.J. Simpson on June 12, 1994. However, the public’s attention turned to the disgraced NFL player, who had been abusing Brown even after their divorce. 

    “One woman remained forgotten”

    The late football player was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, but was acquitted after the lengthy 1995 trial, dubbed the “Trial of the Century.” It was highly publicized that those closest to Brown’s life believed that it had suddenly turned into a “business opportunity.”

    Hoping to “rekindle the flame of Nicole,” the documentary aims to present Brown as someone more than just the headline of a tragic murder. One of the documentary’s over 50 participants stated that the world knows more about the trial itself than the victims. 

    “She was my best friend. And the one thing I could not protect her from was the monster she was married to,” one of the participants said in the trailer. 

    The official synopsis for the documentary reads: “The documentary provides an opportunity for Nicole’s own narrative and voice to be heard in one of the most notorious crimes and trials in history. The project features 50 participants, including those who knew Nicole the best – her friends and family – to shed new light on her life and tragic death. With unprecedented access to exclusive home videos and interviews, the documentary will reveal shocking new details in the tragic story.”

    [ad_2]

    Ryan Louis Mantilla

    Source link

  • O.J. Simpson’s death certificate confirms his cause of death, lawyer says

    O.J. Simpson’s death certificate confirms his cause of death, lawyer says

    [ad_1]

    O.J. Simpson’s death certificate released this week confirms he died of prostate cancer at his home in Las Vegas, his attorney told The Times.

    Attorney Malcolm LaVergne said on Saturday the Clark County, Nev.-issued death certificate “just confirms what I think most people widely suspected anyway — it was prostate cancer. No other causes listed.”

    Simpson’s family previously said on the social media platform X that the 76-year-old had died of cancer April 10.

    Simpson, a former football star, was acquitted in the 1994 deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald L. Goldman in a criminal court. A civil court jury later found him liable for the deaths.

    He served nine years of a 33-year sentence following his 2008 conviction on armed robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy and other charges stemming from his attempt to recover memorabilia he claimed had been stolen from him. His incarceration was widely viewed as overdue punishment for the slayings of Simpson and Goldman.

    Simpson announced in a May 2023 social media post that he had an unspecified type of cancer. In two videos posted in February, Simpson reassured his followers that he was healthy.

    In a Feb. 9 video, Simpson denied he was in hospice care. In a video posted two days later, he said his health was “good.”

    “Obviously, I’m dealing with some issues, but I think I’m just about over it, and I’ll be back on that golf course, hopefully, in a couple of weeks,” he said, seated in a chair by a pool.

    About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer risk is higher in African American men and in Caribbean men of African ancestry than in men of other races.

    [ad_2]

    Rebecca Plevin

    Source link

  • Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom?

    Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom?

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK – It’s a moment in history — the first U.S. president facing criminal charges in an American courtroom. Yet only a handful of observers are able to see or even hear what is going on.

    Instead, most of the nation is getting news of former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial secondhand. Starting with preliminary motions and jury selection Monday, reporters in a Manhattan courtroom must convey what is being said to the outside world after the fact.

    That’s all because New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country. Last week’s death of O.J. Simpson, whose murder trial beamed live from a California courtroom captivated a nation three decades ago, was a telling reminder of how New York is behind the times — or, at least, a holdout.

    WHY WON’T NEW YORK LET ME SEE IT?

    Regulations limiting media coverage in courtrooms date back nearly a century, when the spectacle of bright flashbulbs and camera operators standing on witness tables during the 1935 trial of the man accused of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh’s baby son horrified the legal community, according to a 2022 report by the New York-based Fund for Modern Courts.

    Rules to enforce decorum spread nationally, amended to account for the invention of television, as defense lawyers worried that video coverage would harm their cases, the report said.

    Yet an interest in open government chipped away at these laws and — slowly, carefully — video cameras began to be permitted in courts across the country, often at the discretion of judges presiding in individual cases.

    New York allowed them, too, on an experimental basis between 1987 and 1997, but they were shut down. Lobbyists for defense lawyers remain strong in New York and hold particular sway among lawyers in the state Assembly, said Victor Kovner, a former New York City corporation counsel who advocates for open courtrooms.

    New York and Louisiana are the only states remaining that completely restrict video coverage, the Fund for Modern Courts said.

    To Kovner and others, that’s outrageous.

    “We’re the media capital of the world, we like to think, and the fact that cameras aren’t permitted in one of our three branches of government is unacceptable,” said New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who has sponsored a bill to try to change that.

    “It’s one of the most consequential trials of our modern age,” the senator said. “I think the public has a right to see exactly what happens in that courtroom.”

    On the trial’s first day, some reporters suggested that it appeared there were times that Trump drifted off to sleep while watching the proceedings. The former president’s campaign disputed that. With no video camera in place and trained on him, there’s no way of knowing for sure.

    WAIT — I SAW A PICTURE OF TRUMP IN COURT AT THE TRIAL’S START

    That’s because the presiding judge, Juan M. Merchan, permitted a handful of still photographers to shoot photos of Trump before the day’s proceedings started. Once court was called into session, courtroom sketch artists — a dying communications form — hold sway.

    There is actually some video coverage of the trial, available on monitors in an overflow room adjacent to the main courtroom. It was packed Monday with reporters, court officers and a few members of the public, including Ron Sinibaldi, a former accountant from Long Island who lined up outside the courthouse before midnight for a seat.

    “I read presidential biographies,” Sinibaldi said. “I go to presidential libraries. I’m here for the history.”

    HOW CAN THOSE INVOLVED GET AROUND THE RESTRICTIONS?

    In a hallway outside of the courtroom, a limited number of cameras and a small pool of reporters are positioned to capture remarks of anyone involved in the trial who want to address the outside world. That included Trump, even before the proceedings started.

    Absent live coverage of the trial, how often the former president chooses to take advantage of those cameras and whether news organizations carry his remarks either live, taped or not at all will play a big role in how the case is perceived publicly.

    MSNBC carried his remarks live on Monday morning. “They’re trying to grab the narrative regardless of the outcome,” CNN reporter Phil Mattingly said of the Trump defense team.

    HOW ARE JOURNALISTS COVERING THE TRIAL HANDLING IT?

    With some difficulty. CNN stationed a team on the streets of Manhattan outside the courtroom, where a truck festooned with pro-Trump flags frequently drove by, blaring horns and music from loudspeakers. Reporters sometimes struggled to be heard. “It is kind of a circus down here,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said.

    Commentators and experts, many of them with experience in jury selection, offered opinions from outside the courtroom or from studios. Fox News analyst Jonathan Turley said “most cities, at least those outside of New York,” will see the case as a weaponization of criminal justice.

    With estimates that jury selection could take two weeks, and no way of showing it, journalists will have a lot of time to fill unless they turn their attention elsewhere.

    WILL OTHER TRUMP CASES BE TELEVISED?

    Georgia, where Trump faces charges of election meddling, gives judges discretion over whether to allow television cameras. Superior Court of Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee has said he will make all hearings and trials in that case available for broadcast. That has already included hearings on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis would be allowed to argue the case.

    Federal courts do not allow cameras in criminal cases. Trump is facing separate federal cases for election interference and mishandling classified documents, although it is not clear when, or if, trials will take place.

    The feds offer one glimmer of hope: The U.S. Supreme Court permits audio of oral arguments to be broadcast outside of the courtroom. But there’s no indication that this would apply to Trump’s case. New York’s law does not allow audio coverage of his hush money trial.

    Proponents of legislation to open up New York courts to electronic media coverage are hoping the attention paid to the Trump case may boost their proposals. The idea is being considered as part of current negotiations over the New York state budget so, theoretically, a new law could even affect the Trump trial if it is passed and goes into effect immediately.

    Given New York state’s history, it’s best not to count on it.

    ___

    Associated Press correspondent Jennifer Peltz and Jake Offenhartz in New York, and Anthony Izaguirre and Maysoon Khan in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    [ad_2]

    David Bauder, Associated Press

    Source link

  • Opinion: Four Thoughts on O.J. Simpson’s Death Last Week

    Opinion: Four Thoughts on O.J. Simpson’s Death Last Week

    [ad_1]

    If indeed there is an afterlife, and ol’ Saint Peter is indeed waiting for us at the pearly gates with his book out of who gets through and who doesn’t, I’ve often said the one person I’d love to see try to talk their way into heaven would be O.J. Simpson. That conversation, I’ve often thought, would be something else.

    Well, that conversation is now in the books and has presumably taken place (with Saint Peter presumably cackling his ass off), since late last week, Simpson, an inarguable face on the Mount Rushmore of despicable human beings, passed away at the age of 76 from prostate cancer:

    While everyone who was around in 1994 will never forget Simpson’s Bronco chase on June 17 of that that year, and the subsequent year long trial and eventual acquittal, your age probably dictates just how acutely you felt Simpson’s fall from grace. If you weren’t around to see him play football or experience the crossover icon that he was in the ’80s, then maybe he’s just one more famous, disgraced person.

    If you were around to experience “Simpson the Cultural Tour De Force,” then the saga of 1994 and 1995 (and if we’re being honest, the remainder of Simpson’s life) is undoubtedly one of the bizarre falls from grace ever. I have no idea if any of the families left in the wake of Simpson’s (allegedly) murderous ways are getting any closure out of Simpson’s kicking the bucket. I hope they are. I do have a few thoughts on how Simpson’s passing was processed by some late last week:

    Who the hell makes decisions at the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
    Every Hall of Fame has a different criteria for entry. While being great at your on field job is a common thread across all of the Halls, player behavior off the field and general personal integrity are handled differently, depending on the sport. The baseball Hall is very clear that integrity and behavior matter. Conversely, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is clear that induction is about ON FIELD stuff only. As a result, a player like Simpson would never be removed from the football Hall. That’s fine, I suppose. Their rules, their choice.

    That said, there’s no rule that the Pro Football Hall of Fame HAS to openly mourn the loss of a person like Simpson, and yet, there they were on Thursday, putting out a lengthy press release listing everything about Simpson, EXCEPT what he’s best known for. In fact, if you read the press release, you’d think Simpson died in 1994, not 2024. The Hall even decided to fly their flag at half mast the day Simpson died, because, well, that’s what the Hall does when a Hall of Famer dies! WHAT IN THE WORLD??? (Credit the Buffalo Bills, Simpson’s employer for most of his playing career for not acknowledging Simpson at all.)

    Oh, and the Heisman Trophy Trust… same goes for you! What the hell!

    Seriously, am I taking crazy pills? What the hell are these people doing? Of course, this Heisman Trust is the same governing body that took Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy away from him because he accepted money from boosters while he played at USC. Simpson was literally found liable for killing two people in a civil court and they’re mourning his death. Nice organization you got there.

    Was the Bronco chase the “Remember where you were” moment of the ’90s?
    Not only is the Bronco chase my choice for the “remember where you were” moment of the ’90s, but it’s on the short list for not just the ’90s but all time, at least during my lifetime. (NOTE: I am 55 years old.) As far as other candidates of that decade, the others that come to mind immediately are the Desert Storm declaration of war in 1991, Princess Diana’s passing in 1997, and Bill Clinton’s vehement denial that he sexed Monica Lewinsky in 1998. The ’90s were poppin’!

    BONUS: Simpson’s death did bring this comedy bit from Dave Chappelle back into our lives! Enjoy!

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

    [ad_2]

    Sean Pendergast

    Source link

  • Nicole Brown Simpson documentary coming to Lifetime with family’s participation

    Nicole Brown Simpson documentary coming to Lifetime with family’s participation

    [ad_1]

    (CNN) — Lifetime is set to air a documentary centered around Nicole Brown Simpson later this year, according to a source close to the production.

    Brown Simpson’s family and friends are participating in the project, the individual said. No airdate has been set, but it is timed to the 30th anniversary of her death this summer.

    The documentary has been in the works for quite some time – long before O.J. Simpson’s death on Thursday at the age of 76. The project is not yet complete, according to the production source, and conversations are now ongoing on whether to incorporate Simpson’s death.

    [ad_2]

    CNN

    Source link

  • O.J. Simpson Fast Facts | CNN

    O.J. Simpson Fast Facts | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of former NFL star O.J. Simpson.

    Birth date: July 9, 1947

    Birth place: San Francisco, California

    Birth name: Orenthal James Simpson

    Father: Jimmie Lee Simpson, custodian and cook

    Mother: Eunice Simpson, nurse’s aide

    Marriages: Nicole (Brown) Simpson (February 2, 1985-1992, divorced); Marguerite (Whitley) Simpson (June 24, 1967-1979, divorced)

    Children: with Nicole (Brown) Simpson: Justin (August 6, 1988) and Sydney (October 17, 1985); with Marguerite (Whitley) Simpson: Aaren (September 24, 1977-August 18, 1979); Jason (April 21, 1970) and Arnelle (December 4, 1968)

    Education: City College of San Francisco (1965-1967); University of Southern California (1967-1969)

    Heisman Trophy winner, Pro Football Hall of Fame member, former sports commentator and actor.

    1968 – Receives the Heisman Trophy at the New York Downtown Athletic Club.

    1969-1977 – Plays halfback for the Buffalo Bills.

    1970 – Voted college football player of the decade by ABC Sports.

    1972-1976 – Makes the NFL Pro Bowl team each year.

    1974 – Appears in his first big budget film, “The Towering Inferno.”

    1978-1979 – Plays halfback for the San Francisco 49ers.

    1979-1986 – Sports commentator for ABC Sports.

    1984-1985 – Commentator for ABC Monday Night Football.

    1985 – Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    1988 – Portrays an accident-prone detective in the cop movie spoof, “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” Simpson later costars in two sequels: “The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear” and “Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.”

    June 12, 1994 – Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and Ronald Lyle Goldman, 25, are stabbed to death.

    June 13, 1994 – Simpson is questioned by the LAPD for three hours and released.

    June 17, 1994 – Simpson is charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances. He does not surrender and is declared a fugitive. A suicide letter is found shortly before Simpson is spotted riding in friend Al Cowlings’ white Ford Bronco. With Cowlings driving, they lead police on a 60-mile slow speed chase and end up at Simpson’s Brentwood mansion. Simpson surrenders to police at his home.

    July 22, 1994 – Simpson pleads not guilty.

    November 3, 1994 – The jury is selected. It consists of four men and eight women: eight are African American, one is Hispanic, one is White and two are multiracial.

    January 24, 1995 – Simpson’s criminal trial begins.

    May 4, 1995 – The Goldmans file a wrongful death suit against Simpson.

    June 15, 1995 – In court, Simpson tries on leather gloves connected to the case, and says they do not fit.

    July 6, 1995 – The prosecution rests.

    September 27, 1995 – Defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran reminds the jury about the glove, “If it doesn’t fit; you must acquit.”

    September 29, 1995 – The defense rests, and the case goes to the jury to reach a verdict.

    October 3, 1995 – The jury returns a not guilty verdict after less than four hours of deliberations.

    October 23, 1996 – The civil trial begins in the wrongful death suit brought against Simpson by the victims’ families. The jury is made up of five men and seven women: nine are Whites, one is Hispanic, one is African American and one is of Asian and African descent.

    November 22, 1996 – Simpson, for the first time, testifies before a jury and denies the murder of his ex-wife and Goldman.

    December 20, 1996 – Simpson is awarded custody of his children.

    February 4, 1997 – The jury finds Simpson liable in the civil wrongful death suit brought by the victims’ families and awards the plaintiffs $8.5 million in damages.

    February 6, 1997 – Testimony in the punitive phase of the civil trial begins.

    February 10, 1997 – Simpson is ordered to pay $25 million in punitive damages to the victims’ families.

    March 26, 1997 – The court orders Simpson to turn over his assets, including a set of golf clubs, his 1968 Heisman Trophy and a Warhol painting.

    November 20, 2006 – News Corp announces the cancellation of Simpson’s book and two-part FOX TV interview, called “If I Did It.” The book was promoted as a hypothetical account of the murders.

    March 13, 2007 – A California judge rules that the rights to Simpson’s book will be publicly auctioned so that Goldman’s family can receive the future proceeds. The auction is canceled in early April 2007 when the holding company Lorraine Brook Associates declares bankruptcy.

    June 15, 2007 – A bankruptcy judge in Miami orders a new auction of the book rights to “If I Did It,” with all proceeds going to Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman’s father.

    July 11, 2007 – The family of Nicole Brown Simpson files court papers in connection to the auction of the book rights to “If I Did It.” The family believes it is entitled to 40% of any proceeds from the book, based on the $24.7 million civil judgment it won against Simpson.

    July 30, 2007 – A federal bankruptcy court awards Goldman’s family 90% of the proceeds from the sale of the publishing rights to “If I Did It.” The rest will go to Simpson’s creditors.

    September 16, 2007- Is arrested in connection with a robbery at a Las Vegas hotel room on September 13, 2007. Simpson contends that he was retrieving personal items that had been stolen from him and were being sold as memorabilia. Police announce they have booked him on six counts of robbery, assault, burglary and conspiracy.

    November 14, 2007 – Clark County Judge Joe M. Bonaventure rules that Simpson will stand trial on charges including kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

    November 28, 2007 – Simpson pleads not guilty.

    January 10, 2008 – Simpson is arrested in Florida and is to be extradited to Nevada for violating the terms of his bail by contacting individuals involved in the trial.

    September 8, 2008 – Jury selection begins in Simpson’s trial.

    September 15, 2008 – Trial begins.

    October 3, 2008 – Simpson is found guilty on 12 counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery.

    December 5, 2008 – Simpson is sentenced to up to 33 years in jail but will be eligible for parole after nine years.

    July 20, 2017 – A Nevada parole board grants Simpson parole. On October 1, Simpson is released from prison.

    January 30, 2018 – A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rules that Simpson doesn’t have to hand over money he gets from selling autographs or for making public appearances to pay the civil judgment, now at more than $70 million, in the deaths of his ex-wife and Goldman.

    June 14, 2019 – Simpson launches his new Twitter account with a video saying he’s “got a little getting even to do.” He adds that he plans to use his new Twitter account to “set the record straight,” as well as to talk sports, fantasy football and even some politics.

    December 6, 2021 – Simpson is granted early discharge from his parole in Nevada.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Column: What I learned from watching a 24-hour police pursuit channel

    Column: What I learned from watching a 24-hour police pursuit channel

    [ad_1]

    There are car chase fanatics, and then there’s me.

    During high school, I suffered through weekend reruns of “Little House on the Prairie” and “M*A*S*H” in hopes that the stations would cut to a live police pursuit. In college, I wrote a term paper exploring their allure and even interviewed a man who charged a dollar a month to alert subscribers via beeper whenever one started.

    When I earned enough money for a Sony Playstation in the mid-2000s, one of the first games I bought was “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” so I could live vicariously through my character as he crashed through blockades while blasting “Pressure Drop” by Toots and the Maytals. I live-tweeted real-life chases for years, à la ManningCast, and I still tune into KCAL-TV Channel 9 every night at home for their three-hour news block — just in case.

    I’m a fan despite knowing I shouldn’t like them. Pursuits are a waste of police resources. Watching them encourages stations to air more of them, which encourages copycats. Too many end with innocent bystanders maimed or killed. And yet, like too many Southern Californians, I just can’t quit. Seeing someone flee the law at 90 miles per hour while caroming across crowded freeways taps into a Jungian desire to buck authority, channels the American love for the open road and offers a cheap adrenaline rush — all from the safety of our living rooms.

    So I was excited when Pluto TV, a free streaming service best known for airing classics like “I Love Lucy,” “Dr. Who” and “The Carol Burnett Show,” debuted a 24-hour car chase channel last week. I left it on for an entire day, expecting to be endlessly entertained.

    California Highway Patrol chase Al Cowlings, driving, and O.J. Simpson, hiding in rear of white Bronco on the 91 Freeway in 1994.

    (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

    Car Chase — that’s the direct, if unimaginative, name for Pluto TV’s new channel — airs each pursuit from the first breaking news chyron to its inevitable end. Almost all first appeared over the past few years on Channel 2 and Channel 9, both owned by Pluto TV’s parent company, Paramount. Mundane commercials — cellphone games, Toyota, some prescription drug hawked by Queen Latifah — break up the pursuits, so that each feels like a play with acts.

    The day I tuned in, I saw a stolen black pickup wheeze up the Sepulveda Pass. A big U-Haul barreled down the 91 Freeway in Anaheim. A woman made it all the way to Fallbrook. Most passed through the San Fernando Valley, that speedster paradise of long, straight highways and streets. The best one lasted all of two minutes, ending with a car skidding out of control and crashing into a building before the driver tried to make a run for it and got tackled by law enforcement officers. Nearly all happened at night and still had the timestamp, station logo and temperature of when it originally aired.

    It was all as surprising as Old Faithful.

    Newscasters and helicopter reporters offered the same pablum. No one ever got away at the end. This is what millions of people like myself have obsessed over for decades? The only attempt at anything original came during the commercial breaks, when an overly dramatic announcer offered boilerplate slogans: More from this car chase when we come back. Stand by, for more — Car Chase. Helicopter to base, we’re in the air with more Car Chase. We’re back up — over the Chase.

    After sitting through hour after hour, I realized that watching people peel potatoes offers as much excitement — and there’s even more potential for blood.

    You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all — yet you can’t turn away. I was so mesmerized by Car Chase that I forgot to watch the much-anticipated Monday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

    By hour 9, I realized that the siren call of police pursuits isn’t the possibility of violence or even escape, but rather how comforting they are. We’ve collectively seen so many televised police pursuits that they’re part of our Southern California experience, like beautiful sunsets and screeching green parrots. You can instantly summon the sound and look of a car chase in your mind. The din of the helicopter blades in the background as the chopper pilot-reporter offers his play-by-play. The hushed tones of the newscasters. The grainy, widescreen shots of the getaway vehicle and the cops who want to catch it.

    In our increasingly fractured society, car chases are one of the last collective Southern Californian experiences. When there’s one going on, all of our problems take a break, if only for an hour. If there weren’t any more car chases, something would be terribly wrong. We stare on, even as we look away from the fact that the central characters are people in extremely troubled moments, risking their lives and those of others.

    No wonder Pluto TV — whose nostalgia shtick is so thick that one of their channels is devoted to Ed Sullivan’s best musical and comedic guests — was the network that thought it up.

    Police stand by an overturned vehicle.

    The aftermath of a police pursuit in Echo Park in 2019. Three robbery suspects were killed and a fourth hospitalized in critical condition.

    (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

    “Data and research show that car chases have been of huge interest to audiences for many years,” a Pluto TV spokesperson told me via email. The streamer has no plans to change what they’re doing right now but promised “we will continue to listen to our audiences” and tweak as needed.

    On that note, Car Chase should dive into the vaults of KCAL and KCBS and pull out the classics. Like the time a guy stole a tank in San Diego County and was stopped only because he got stuck on a highway divider. O.J. Simpson in his Ford Bronco, of course. And remember when bank robbers threw dollar bills to cheering bystanders before finally getting arrested?

    Group them by theme — motorcycles, RVs, funny endings — with appropriate soundtracks (“Yakety Sax,” for sure, but don’t forget “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”). Pull from Paramount’s collection of films with legendary car chases — “Mission Impossible,” “The Italian Job,” even “Grease.” And for crying out loud, bunch your commercials together at the start or finish of a car chase, the way public television thanks its sponsors. I don’t need the Charmin bears harshing my buzz.

    Car Chase could be the Southern California scrapbook we didn’t know we needed.

    Then again, maybe Pluto TV doesn’t need to change a single thing. My friend called at one point during my marathon. He’s a serious guy, a political strategist by trade. I had barely explained the channel’s premise before he interrupted me.

    “Bro, sign me up. Where can I get it?”

    [ad_2]

    Gustavo Arellano

    Source link

  • Andy Warhol portrait of OJ Simpson goes on auction block

    Andy Warhol portrait of OJ Simpson goes on auction block

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK (AP) — It was 1977, and Andy Warhol was at work on his “Athletes” series, portraits of top sports personalities who, he felt, were gaining cultural prominence just like “the movie stars of yesterday.” One of them was then the star running back of the Buffalo Bills: O.J. Simpson.

    Simpson, then 30, showed up without a football or a jersey, and Warhol had to scramble to find a ball. That Polaroid shoot led to 11 silkscreen portraits; one of them is now going on auction for the first time.

    Signed by both men, the portrait is billed by the auction house as a work that brings together two of the most recognizable names of the 20th century and captures “a trajectory of celebrity and tragedy.”

    “Warhol certainly could never have imagined how differently the image would come to be viewed, nor the controversy that still lingers around its subject today,” said Robert Manley, co-head of 20th century and contemporary art at the Phillips auction house, which is auctioning the work May 16.

    It was almost two decades after Warhol’s photo shoot, in 1995, that Simpson — who had retired from the NFL in 1979 and pursued an acting career — was acquitted of the double slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was later found liable for the deaths by a California civil court jury that ordered him to pay $33.5 million to victims’ families.

    In a separate case more than a decade later, Simpson was convicted by a jury in Las Vegas for leading five men, including two with guns, in a 2007 confrontation with two sports collectibles dealers in a cramped room at an off-strip Las Vegas casino hotel. Simpson served nine years in a Nevada prison for armed robbery. He was discharged from parole in December 2021.

    Manley noted that five decades after Warhol made it, the portrait still evokes a strong reaction.

    “Those who view the image of Simpson staring directly down the camera are likely to recall the other notorious picture of the celebrity — his mugshot,” Manley said. “Juxtaposing these two images, created at such different points in Simpson’s life, shows a fascinating trajectory of celebrity and tragedy.”

    Commissioned as part of the broader “Athletes” series that included Muhammad Ali, soccer star Pelé, tennis star Chris Evert, golf’s Jack Nicklaus and figure skater Dorothy Hamill, among others, by Warhol friend and collector Richard Weisman, this particular portrait spent 19 years at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, where it was donated in 1992 and, according to a spokesperson there, never displayed.

    In 2011, it was deaccessioned — or permanently removed from the collection — and sold to an anonymous collector in a private sale through Christie’s, with proceeds going to fund preservation of other items in the hall’s collection, said hall spokesperson Rich Desrosiers. Phillips estimates the portrait will sell in the $300,000 to $500,000 range. As with any of the athletes in the series, Simpson would not have existing rights to proceeds, the auction house said.

    The highest price achieved at auction for one of Warhol’s Simpson portraits was $687,000, sold in 2019.

    Warhol photographed Simpson in Buffalo on Oct. 19, 1977. According to the auction catalog, a quote from Warhol’s diary that day reads, “He had a five-day beard and I thought the pictures would be awful.” Warhol died in 1987 at age 58.

    The work will be on public display May 6-15 in New York before being auctioned.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    [ad_1]

    If you ever have the misfortune of having to talk to a fan of “the GOAT,” here are things you should never, ever say.

    “I bet I’m better at football than him.”

    “I bet I’m better at football than him.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Aside from this being patently false, you’re definitely just trying to upset them.

    “Why has he failed to win more Super Bowls?”

    “Why has he failed to win more Super Bowls?”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Seven’s fine, but it’s not exactly eight.

    “O.J. Simpson was a better Hertz spokesperson.”

    “O.J. Simpson was a better Hertz spokesperson.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Don’t go too far in comparing the former running back’s incredible on- and off-field work with Tom Brady’s Hertz campaign.

    “Hitler also won seven Super Bowls.”

    “Hitler also won seven Super Bowls.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Comparing their favorite player to Hitler is sure to bother anyone, even if Brady eventually comes out on top.

    “He really is the GOAT in terms of getting scammed by crypto.”

    “He really is the GOAT in terms of getting scammed by crypto.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Keeping the conversation centered around Brady’s Super Bowl wins, and not his unwise promotion of cryptocurrency, is generally a good call.

    “It wasn’t until 9/11 that he really started to take off.”

    “It wasn’t until 9/11 that he really started to take off.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Fans of Brady acknowledge that this is technically true, but would prefer to downplay the connection.

    “Serena Williams is a more accomplished athlete.”

    “Serena Williams is a more accomplished athlete.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Middle-aged white guys can’t process what you just said but it won’t stop them from saying something sexist and racist.

    “Had he stayed on with Merrill Lynch after interning with them in college, he’d be the greatest stock broker of all time.”

    “Had he stayed on with Merrill Lynch after interning with them in college, he’d be the greatest stock broker of all time.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    One of history’s big what-ifs. Brady fans can only dream.

    “He’ll probably only play for 30 more seasons, tops.”

    “He’ll probably only play for 30 more seasons, tops.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Most Tom Brady fans are holding out hope that he’ll continue to play at least into his ’90s.

    “Given his age and the amount of head trauma he’s already sustained, we don’t recommend Brady play another season.”

    “Given his age and the amount of head trauma he’s already sustained, we don’t recommend Brady play another season.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Shut up, nerd!

    “His long and storied career demonstrates that you can be a whiny bitch at any age.”

    “His long and storied career demonstrates that you can be a whiny bitch at any age.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Many fans are sensitive to the fact that he’s old and decrepit.

    “What’s your favorite time he kissed his son on the mouth?”

    “What’s your favorite time he kissed his son on the mouth?”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    There’s simply too many to count.

    “Your father and I love you no matter who you love.”

    “Your father and I love you no matter who you love.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Good sentiment but wrong conversation.

    “He’s on the Buccaneers, but he has none of the qualities of a real pirate.”

    “He’s on the Buccaneers, but he has none of the qualities of a real pirate.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    This point is a sore spot for Brady fans who lament the fact he’s never suffered from scurvy in his life.

    “He’ll probably blow his brains out two weeks after retiring.”

    “He’ll probably blow his brains out two weeks after retiring.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    What else is he gonna do?

    “I’m going to break into Tom Brady’s house and shoot him with a gun.”

    “I’m going to break into Tom Brady’s house and shoot him with a gun.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Say this and you’ll have most Tom Brady fans singing the blues.

    “Yeah, I can do dinner next Thursday.”

    “Yeah, I can do dinner next Thursday.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Before dating a Brady fan, seriously consider whether you want to always be second place to the Buccaneers quarterback.

    “Which of his boring plays stands out for you most?”

    “Which of his boring plays stands out for you most?”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Tom Brady fans just can’t choose between his most exciting eight-yard completions.

    “He’s been a terrible father to Rob Gronkowski.”

    “He’s been a terrible father to Rob Gronkowski.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    For the third straight year, he didn’t come to Gronk’s birthday and it just crushed him.

    “BLUE 42!”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Great, now they’re in motion.

    “No, it’s pronounced BRAH-dy.”

    “No, it’s pronounced BRAH-dy.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Worth a try just to see if you can irritate one of these people for a while.

    “Historians now agree that Tom Brady isn’t one person, but actually a collection of people.”

    “Historians now agree that Tom Brady isn’t one person, but actually a collection of people.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Cram it, historians!

    “Every time he throws a touchdown pass, a petal falls from his Life Blossom.”

    “Every time he throws a touchdown pass, a petal falls from his Life Blossom.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Brady fans hate being reminded of the old crone’s curse.

    “Joe Montana has a way cooler name.”

    “Joe Montana has a way cooler name.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    His fans hate to admit this, but Tom Brady is a really stupid name compared to Joe “The Comeback Kid” Montana.

    “Your family obligations should come before work.”

    “Your family obligations should come before work.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    Shows you have no idea what you’re talking about.

    “Tom Brady.”

    Image for article titled Things Never To Say To A Tom Brady Fan

    You didn’t mention his name, did you? Christ. Welp, hope you’re prepared to get talked at.

    [ad_2]

    Source link