#O.J.: Made In America

[thejewofkansas]

O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA Review - ****

Hearing about the death of O.J. Simpson, I decided to go ahead and publish a fuller review of the brilliant documentary that sums up his life, his career, and the social context in which his trial occurred, leaving little room in my mind that he was, indeed, guilty. This was what I wrote in a capsule review in February 2017: 467 minutes, and it scarcely drags. A story most of us know far too…

[littlexdeaths]

anyone have any good documentary recommendations?

[greensparty]

Remembering O.J. Simpson 1947-2024

As I often need to say when posting a remembrance of people who did bad things, I separate the artist from the artists work. I say this at the onset of this piece.

O.J. Simpson, former NFL star and actor has died at 76. His entire life and career were completely overshadowed by his murder trial, which resulted in the 1995 acquittal of killing his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Here at Green's Party, I don't feel like talking about his trial, his controversy or even his sports career as this is a pop culture site. But if you want to know more about him I highly recommend the Oscar-winning documentary O.J.: Made in America.

Simpson, Leslie Nielsen, and George Kennedy in The Naked Gun

His NFL stardom made him into a celebrity. In addition to his multiple endorsement deals including Hertz, he acted in films and TV including Roots, a cameo in Back to the Beach, and as Det. Nordberg in the LOL funny comedies The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, which was released just a few months before his arrest.

There was a film he wasn't cast in: 1984's The Terminator. He was considered for the title role, but the studio feared audiences wouldn't believe someone as likable as O.J. was a killer. Ironic! In the years that followed, he became the punchline in so many jokes, i.e. Adam Sandler singing in his "The Chanukah Song", "O..J. Simpson, not a Jew". Or in Scream 2 when Randy is on the phone with the masked killer "You wanna be one of the big boys! Huh? Manson, Bundy, O.J."

O.J. hosted SNL in 1978, one of the early athletes to host. In the years that followed he was played by Tim Meadows, Finesse Mitchell, and Kenan Thompson on the show.

The link above is the obit from CNN.

[starswheeledoverhead]

https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/07/01/oj-and-jeffrey-toobin-black-bogeyman-auctioneer/

I wish that ESPN would take my name off of their racist production “O.J.: Made in America”. I thought that Ezra Edelman, the black producer, would have some control over the project, but higher ups apparently decided to take Jeffrey Toobin’s racist line that blacks are “incapable of recognizing reality.”* He says that the black jurors in the criminal trial and elsewhere can’t think as well as whites, and shouldn’t receive “a pat on the head.” The late Norman Mailer, Mr. Incoherent, suggested something similar in New York magazine. This is a Eugenics line, which holds that blacks make decisions based on emotions, and not reason, which must come as a surprise to the black scientists who work at NASA.

The second part of Toobin’s pro-police, pro-prosecution theory was that the decision in the criminal case was the jury paying the LAPD back for its past brutality against blacks. (One of the jurors was white!) Bill Hodgman got sick and wasn’t able to try the case, yet there he was on “O.J.: Made In America,” voicing his theory of the case.

In the series, other prosecutors yammered on and on about theories that were disproven in court. A detective who might have planted evidence was allowed to take up time. In order to make the case that the decision in the criminal trial was based on black grievances about the LAPD, or Mark Furhman, they used a black juror whose opinion fit this marketable line instead of jurors who voted on the basis of evidence that had been tampered with. The late Philip Vanatter never explained why he carried a vial of the victim’s blood to O.J.’s estate.**

Of course, Toobin, who is Harvard trained and Harvard married and whose parents were well-off, refuses to believe that the police plant evidence, even when Mark Furhman had a history of such practices.

Those who are making money from black Bogeyman marketing, in this case O.J. is the commodity, neglect to mention that the jury in the criminal trial included a white and a Hispanic. Interviewed recently, the Hispanic juror said that he was convinced that the police had planted evidence. Are Hispanics prone to conspiracy theories or just blacks? He’s backed up by three of the top American forensic experts: Henry Lee, Michael Baden and Cyril Wecht. Wecht believes that O.J. Simpson was guilty, but believes that the police planted the blood on the sock found in O.J.’s bedroom. Other blood evidence was obviously taken from the lab because it was tainted with a chemical preservative.

One of the positive results of the trial was that it exposed the sloppy way that evidence is handled in the country’s crime labs, resulting in thousands of innocent people being sent to prison. Though much was made of O.J.’s shoes appearing at the crime scene, Michael Baden said that policemen, who refused to wear booties, made most of the prints.

Toobin’s idea of evidence is hair samples found at the crime scene, which he says belonged to O.J. Many scientists dismiss hair evidence as junk science. Moreover the hair found at the crime scene was dyed. O.J.’s barber said that O.J. didn’t dye his hair. The media neglected to mention that hair identified as Caucasian hair was also found at the crime scene and the DNA found under Nicole’s fingernails gathered there when she fought off her attacker or attackers didn’t belong to O.J. Instead of turning the blood evidence over to the lab, one of the detectives carried it around.

Toobin’s book, The Run Of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, was used in both O.J. series.”O.J.,Made in America,” and Fox’s “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” The book was used to cover up police and prosecutorial misconduct. He recently said that the idea of prosecutorial misconduct is “ridiculous.” Tell that to the thousands of black and Hispanic defendants in jail because of lying policemen and prosecutors withholding exculpatory evidence. Incidentally, one of the black jurors was a DNA scientist. She didn’t appear on either of the O.J. moneymakers because she would have upset the line promoted by ESPN and earlier Fox, that blacks played the “Race Card,” instead of being persuaded by the arguments made by Barry Scheck and the other forensic scientists. In order to stir media’s big money maker–The Racial Divide–ESPN showed the usual footage of blacks cheering the decision and whites expressing gloom. Whites in a Buffalo bar cheered the decision. O.J. played football in Buffalo.

As for the civil trial held in Santa Monica, 64% of the white jurors mostly*** believed in O.J. Simpson’s guilt before they were seated. They finally captured the coon in Las Vegas where he foolishly invaded a hotel room for the purpose of retrieving his own memorabilia. ESPN omitted the fact that the F.B.I. was informed of the sting weeks before it happened.**** The O.J. revenge sentence was delivered by Judge Jackie Glass, who had to insist that it had nothing to do with the Brentwood murders. She gave him 33 years. Some saw this as excessive. It was. It was meant to make up for the life sentence that the jury in the criminal case refused to deliver.

ESPN suggested that O.J. deserved the sentence by preceding the Las Vegas caper with scenes of a decadent O.J. partying with scantily clothed white women, a scene that has always been a big money maker for the perverse to leer at, which is why the porno movie genre called combo is a big hit even among KKK members. This porno angle has brought power to people like Tennessee’s Senator Corker, who won an election by pairing his black opponent Harold Ford, Jr. with white Playboy bunnies. Corker is on the short list to be Trump’s Vice Presidential nominee.

When the “producer” Ezra Edelman interviewed me, I made all of the points I’ve enumerated here. Moreover, James Poniewozik in The New York Times, June 20, 2016, made none of these important points in a friendly summary of the two O.J. entertainments. It was a Times reporter who agreed with Toobin that the murderer’s gloves fit O.J. He, like Toobin, didn’t witness the demonstration.

My interview wasn’t used because it would have disturbed this entertainment that was meant to comfort a white audience into believing that all of the questions about the Brentwood murders have been answered. They haven’t. 35 million people watched it. That’s why it faithfully supported the line of the prosecutors and the police, regardless of whether O.J. is guilty or innocent of the Brentwood murders.

Meanwhile Jeffrey Toobin, the black Bogeyman entrepreneur, has probably made more money pimping O.J. than all of the money made from Virginia slaves during a given year. He’s the new kind of slave trader. He wants more. Who is the next black Bogeyman that Toobin will deliver to an audience that can’t get enough of this garbage in, garbage out? It’s been announced. It’s Cinque of the Symbionese Liberation Army. Fox will make a film about Patty Hearst using Toobin’s point-of-view.*****

HOW AM I STILL GETTING OJ QUESTIONS

[mogwai-movie-house]

The 50 Best Documentaries Of All Time

I know this list misses out a number of seminal works, such as Man With A Movie Camera, Nanook of The North, Night Mail and all Leni Riefenstahl's films, but the simple fact of the matter is I never really enjoyed any of those, so I can't very well bring myself to recommend them to others, well-made and influential though they are. The films in this list are the ones that have moved, inspired, delighted or changed me the most, and so are the ones I feel I most want to pass on.

Capturing the Friedmans (2003) ★★★★★★★★★★

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992) ★★★★★★★★★½

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015) ★★★★★★★★★½

Crumb (1994) ★★★★★★★★★☆

West of Memphis (2012) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Amarillo by Morning (1998) ★★★★★★★★★☆

When We Were Kings (1996) ★★★★★★★★★☆

The Beatles Anthology (1995–1996) ★★★★★★★★★☆

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Chavez: Inside the Coup (2003) ★★★★★★★★★☆

What Is a Woman? (2022) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) ★★★★★★★★★☆

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006) ★★★★★★★★★☆

Warren Zevon: Keep Me in Your Heart (2003) ★★★★★★★★★☆

O.J.: Made in America (2016) ★★★★★★★★★☆

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) ★★★★★★★★★☆

The Kennedy Assassination (2003) ★★★★★★★★★☆

The Painter and the Thief (2020) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Witch Hunt (2008) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Icarus (2017) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Making a Murderer (2015–2018) ★★★★★★★★½☆

The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer (1992) ★★★★★★★★½☆

The Staircase (2004–2018) ★★★★★★★★½☆

The Century of the Self (2002) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Shoah (1985) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Night and Fog (1956) ★★★★★★★★½☆

Catfish (2010) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Baraka (1992) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Daniel Tammett: Brainman (2005) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

The Confession Killer (2019) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Wild Wild Country (2018) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Tim's Vermeer (2013) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

The Red Pill (2016) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Grizzly Man (2005) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

The Filth and the Fury (2000) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020–2021) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Koyaanisqatsi (1982) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

The Bridge (2006) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

American Movie (1999) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

The Imposter (2012) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004) ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) ★★★★★★★½☆☆

Precinct Seven Five (2014) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Cocaine Cowboys (2006) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Project Nim (2011) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Outcry (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? (2015) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

[lastweeksshirttonight]

The lovely @pollydrawingthings tagged me to answer these questions, and I adore tagging games so let's get to it!

Three ships:

Niles/Daphne from Frasier. I'm almost through Season Five and the tension these two have is so good. This is the first time I've really been invested in a will they-won't they in a sitcom.

Joker/Yusuke from Persona 5. It is a crime that I cannot shove these two into a relationship. Gonna go change some hearts at Atlas

Usagi/Mamoru from Sailor Moon. Does this need an explanation? The manga is so sweeping in its romanticism and damn it they're still my ideal pairing after all these years.

First ever ship: Me with James from Pokemon. This is not a joke, I was very much in love with him as a 9 year old. My friends even held a goddamn wedding ceremony for me on the playground, complete with (Claire's brand) ring and (tissue paper) veil. His stand in was his goddamn Topps trading card. I was, as I've said before, a deeply weird child.

Last song: fair warning, this shit will never leave your head. (Girl's Day - "Ring My Bell")

Currently reading: about to start Nine and a Half Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill

Currently watching: besides LWT Ep. 4 for my writeup and Frasier, O.J.: Made in America

Currently consuming: Starburst jellybeans

Currently craving: inexplicably, a Caesar salad

Gonna go ahead and tag @tellthemeerkatsitsfine, @lavendercoatedangels, @weirdlittleberry, @nyomkitten, @locustmotivus, and @johnoliverstshirtcannon, feel free to ignore if you don't wanna do this!

[2ngjaentusiasm]

Natukene mõnedest dokumentalistika vormidest

Olen kasvanud üles Pärnu Filmifestivali filme vaadates ning nullindate vasakpoolsetes meeleoludes, kus üheks põhiliseks autoriks oli Michael Moore. Kõige südamelähedasem on mulle olnudki osalev dokumentalistika, mis seob isikliku ja poliitilise. Teisalt on mulle huvi pakkunud antropoloogiline film ja viimasel ajal ka ajalugu käsitlevad dokumentaalfilmid. Järgnevalt tahangi tuua välja minu jaoks olulised lähenemised ning teemad lootusega leida mõttekaaslaseid edasisteks aruteludeks.

Etnograafiline jäädvustus

Olin enne filmikooli televisiooni kaudu vaadanud omajagu Pärnu Filmifestivali filme ja mind huvitasid juba tol ajal erinevad kultuurilised nähtused (religioonidest subkultuurideni). Seetõttu on mul algusest peale olnud soov erinevaid kultuurilisi väljendusi uurida ja jäädvustada. Kohe pärast filmikooli lõpetamist tegin Muhu Muuseumile klippe kohalikest leiutajatest. See oli huvitav kogemus ja tahaksin midagi sarnast veel teha. (Hetkel on mul mõttes mõned disaini, muusika ja tantsuga seotud muuseumiprojektid.)

Miks on etnograafiline jäädvustamine üldse oluline? Etnograafiline jäädvustamine aitab hoida ajaloolist järjepidavust, aga isiklikult tahaksin ma jäädvustamisest edasi liikuda. Vaatlevate dokkide puhul jääb minu jaoks enamasti puudu selgitustest, mis aitaksid nähtut paremini mõista. Samuti on sellised filmid tihti liiga laisad vaataja mõtlemisele ärgitamisel. Mind huvitab nähtava materjali konteksti asetamine ja interpreteerimine. Erinevate eluviiside, praktikate ja maailmatunnetuste jäädvustamine peaks viima mõtisklusteni sellest, kuidas elu korraldada ja millist kultuuri luua.

Teemad: Mind paelub väga inimkogemuse spekter (kehalisest spirituaalseni) ja selle kultuuriline väljendus. Endiselt huvitavad mind erinevad subkultuurid ja kogukonnad ning nende praktikad. Kogukondade puhul huvitavad mind nii toetavatel suhetel põhinevad kooslused kui ka kogukondade sisesed konfliktid.

Ajaloo mõtestamine

Kuna ajaloodokid kuuluvad enamasti oma lähenemiselt teledokumentalistika valdkonda ning filmitegijate seas on televisiooni peetud madalaks meediumiks, ei ole Eestis eriti tehtud ka häid arhiivimaterjalidel põhinevaid ajaloodokke. Üks põhilisi teledokkide tegijaid on Vahur Kersna. Kindlasti võib tema stilistilist lähenemist kritiseerida, sest need filmid on mõeldud laiadele massidele ja üpris tabloidsed. Samas on Kersna väga hea lugude jutustaja ning tema portreelood toovad vaatajateni möödunud aegade essentsi – need lood loovad jällegi võimaluse olnu üle reflekteerida.

Õnneks viimasel ajal on Eestis tehtud ka mõned kõrgel tasemel ajaloodokid. Pean just silmas filme „Rodeo“ ja „Ahto“. Selleks aga, et Eestis rohkem häid ajaloodokke sünniks, peaksid kohalikud filmitegijad rohkem õppida välismaistelt meistritelt, kes oskavad hästi lugu jutustada (näiteks Ken Burns) või tegeleda kriitilise diskursuseanalüüsiga ja nö vaimuarheoloogiaga (näiteks Adam Curtis). Filmid võiksid uurida milline oli elutunnetus mingis ajas ja kuidas midagi käsitleti ning kuidas me oleme arenenud tänasesse päeva. (Heaks näiteks, kuidas asetada ühe inimese lugu suuremate ajalooliste protsesside ja sündmuste taustale, on doki-Oscari võitnud seriaal „O.J.: Made in America“.)

Eesti ühiskonnas on liiga vähe kriitilist reflektsiooni meie ajaloo üle. Puuduvad ka kooskäimise kohad, kus filmitegijad saaksid mõnusas atmosfääris vestelda erinevate mõtlejatega (filosoofide ja kultuuriteoreetikutega, humanitaar- ja sotsiaalteadlastega).

Teemad: Twitterist on kujunenud allikas, kust saab väga palju huvitavat ajaloo kohta teada. Mind paeluvad seal lõimed või viited artiklitele Ida-Euroopa ja soome-ugri rahvaste ajaloost. Sõda Ukrainas on endise idabloki akadeemikuid motiveerinud post-kolonialistlike maade rahvaste hääli rohkem kuuldavaks tooma. Minul on peas mitmeid ideid rahvusvahelisteks koostööprojektideks, mis käsitleksid näiteks eesti põllumajanduse ajalugu, vennastekoguduse liikumist, Ida-Euroopa humanistlikku vasakpoolsust jne.

Poliitilised teemad

Ühiskonnakriitilist, veel vähem otseselt poliitilist, dokumentalistikat ei ole Eestis peaaegu üldse. Tehes kunagi filmi „Prohvet“ tahtsin pöörata tähelepanu ilmajäetusele, aga olin omast ajast 5 aastat ees. Alles pärast EKRE valitsusse jõudmist hakati sel teemal tõsisemalt rääkima.

Eestis ei ole huvitavat kriitilist mõtlemist ja Lääne trendide vastuvõtt on pinnapealne ning matkiv. Alusvastuolude läbimõtlemine ongi väga raske, sest see nõuab palju aega, tööd ning tekitab sisemisi pingeid. Samas just nendega tegelemine loob tugevamad eeldused heade filmide loomiseks.

Poliitilisemate filmide jaoks on loomulikult raskem saada rahastust. Poliitilised filmid aga ei pea olema labane propaganda ning filmide finantseerimiseks on tänapäeval mitmeid lahendusi. Näiteks rumeenlased teevad väga julgeid koostööprojekte. Ma arvan, et esmalt on vaja end rohkem harida ning vaja oleks ka teravamat filmikriitikat, mis osutuks eesti dokumentalistikas leiduvale naiivsusele.

Teemad: Võõrandumise ja ilmajäetuse teemad jäävad edasi aktuaalseks, sest digitaalse majandussektori kasvuga kaasneb ühiskonna edasine atomiseerumine. Kuigi suur osa ühiskonnast muutub liberaalsemaks ja multikultuursemaks on palju inimesi, kes jäävad majanduslikust eduloost kõrvale ega saa ennast teostada. Materiaalse kitsikuse ja ebastabiilsuse kõrval on tähtsad teemad üksildus ja tähendusrikaste suhete puudumine. Samuti jätkub liberaalide ja konservatiivide vastasseis, sest puudub vasakpoolsus, mis suudaks pakkuda suurt narratiivi ning organiseerida inimesi tööks ühiste hüvede nimel erinevatel tasandil.

Seetõttu peaksidki dokumentalistid uurima, nii oma filmides kui ka isiklikes eludes kuidas teistmoodi koos elada. Arutelu all ei peaks olema ainult see, mida ja kuidas kujutada vaid ka see, kuidas elada ja filme toota. Kas oleks võimalik luua toetavatel suhetel põhinevaid kollektiive? Kas filmide tootmine võiks toimuda loomeühistutes? Kus on inimesed, kes tahaksid elada ja luua teisiti, kui hetkel eeldatakse?

Personaalne lähenemine

Poliitiliste filmide kõrval olen tahtnud teha ka filme nii öelda intiimsematel teemadel, et inimesed hakkaksid neist omavahel rohkem rääkima ja meie kultuuris toimuksid muutused. Tehes filmi „Appi, ma vajan armastust“, mis keskendus minu armastuse-otsingutele, olin ma liiga kogenematu filmitegija. See ei olnud ka päris minu film, sest ma ei saanud seda enda vaatepunktist kokku panna. Siiani ei ole ma saanud veel teha selliseid autobiograafilisi filme, mille pärast ma filmikooli üldse läksin.

Esimese isiku perspektiivi ja inimestevahelisi suhteid saab lähedalt käsitleda ka nii, et filmi autor ise ei ole peategelane. Sel puhul on vaja palju kannatust ja osavust, et jõuda tegelastele väga lähedale. Oluline on filmitegija ja tegelaste vaheline suhtlus, mitte ainult jälgimine. Seda on aga enamus kohalikke filmitegijaid peljanud (ekraanil näidata) ning nõnda lastakse tihti käest võimalus saada vaatajal tegelastega lähedasemaks.

Eesti dokumentalistika põhiline probleem on pikalt olnud see, et filmitegijatel puudub julgus – julgus mõelda, eksperimenteerida ja teravaid teemasid ette võtta.

Isegi vormiliselt ollakse tihti kinni mingites dogmades ja huvitavaid lahendusi tuleb kohati hoopis väljastpoolt „professionaalsete“ dokumentalistide ringkonda. Näiteks Levila keskkonnas ilmunud „Kuidas ma vihkama hakkasin“ on huvitav näide, kuidas läbi lavastamise rääkida personaalne lugu ja liikuda traditsioonilisest dokumentalistikast kaugemale. Dokumentalistid võiksid rohkem piiluda teistsuguste vormide poole ja katsetada rohkem eksperimentaalfilmi, animatsiooni, performance’i ja muu taolisega.

Õnneks filmikooli dokumentalistika magistrantuuris on üks semester pühendatud osaleva dokumentaalfilmi loomisele ja sealt on tulnud mõningaid huvitavaid töid. Täispikkadest dokumentaalfilmidest on Carlos Lesmese „Üht kaotust igavesti kandsin“ suur samm personaalse dokumentalistika vallas ning Anna Hints oma filmiga „Savvusauna sõsarad“ on viinud eesti dokumentalistika maailmatasemele. Seega seisab eesti dokumentalistikal ees sama väljakutse, mis kogu maailma dokumentalistikas: küsimus ei ole enam selles, kas dokumentalistid julgevad intiimseid teemasid käsitleda, vaid selles, kas filmitegijal on võimekust olla ka mõtleja, kes suudab kogetu ja nähtu üle reflekteerida ning tegelastega tõsisesse dialoogi astuda.

Teemad: Olulised teemad on nii üksildus kui toetavate suhete loomise keerukus. Indiviidi konflikt teda ümbritsevaga ja sellest tulenevad traumad ning vaimse tervise probleemid on kindlasti ajatu teema. Kuigi seksist, suhetest ja vaimsest tervisest räägitakse meedias väga palju, võiks nii inimese ihulist kui ka vaimset olemist käsitleda palju sügavamalt (intellektuaalsemalt) ning sotsiaalses kontekstis. Tahaksin näha kriitilisemaid seisukohti nii riikliku vaimse tervise hoiu süsteemi kui kogu psühholoogia- ja esoteerikaäri suhtes. Ka religiooni võiks käsitleda kriitilisemalt ja tuua välja religioonides sisalduvaid vastuolusid.

Nagu kogu eelnevast tekstist aimata võib on minu jaoks hetkel äärmiselt oluline, et dokumentalist oleks mõtleja. Nii sellest kui maailmavaatelistest konfliktidest ja ideoloogiakriitikast kirjutan oma järgmises postituses. Lugemiseni!

[ozzyscollectiblehub]

The Complex Legacy of O.J. Simpson: From Football Hero to Cultural Controversy

O.J. Simpson, once celebrated as a football icon and Hollywood star, is a name that has become synonymous with one of the most controversial and publicized legal cases in American history. His journey from the gridiron to the courtroom is a story of triumphs overshadowed by tragedy, raising questions about race, justice, and fame in American society.

The Rise of a Football Legend

Born Orenthal James Simpson on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, O.J. Simpson grew up in a challenging environment. Despite these early struggles, he rose to prominence as one of the greatest football players of his generation. Simpson’s college football career at the University of Southern California (USC) was nothing short of spectacular. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1968, an award given annually to the most outstanding player in college football, cementing his status as a future star.

Simpson’s professional career in the National Football League (NFL) only added to his legend. As a running back for the Buffalo Bills, Simpson became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season (1973). His electrifying speed, power, and agility made him a household name, earning him the nickname “The Juice.” Simpson’s achievements on the field were matched by his charm off it, leading to numerous endorsements and a burgeoning career in acting and broadcasting.

Hollywood and the All-American Image

Simpson’s appeal extended beyond the football field. In the 1970s and 1980s, he transitioned into a successful career in television and film, appearing in popular movies like the “Naked Gun” series. His natural charisma and good looks made him a popular figure in Hollywood, further solidifying his status as an American icon.

Simpson’s public image was carefully crafted as that of a likable, approachable star who had overcome adversity to achieve greatness. He was featured in commercials, most famously for Hertz, where he was shown sprinting through airports, showcasing the speed that had made him famous. To many, O.J. Simpson was the epitome of the American Dream — a successful athlete who had transcended sports to become a beloved celebrity.

The Trial of the Century

Everything changed on June 12, 1994, when Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, were found brutally murdered outside Nicole’s home in Los Angeles. Simpson quickly became the prime suspect, leading to one of the most infamous car chases in history as he fled from the police in a white Ford Bronco. This event marked the beginning of what would be known as the “Trial of the Century.”

The O.J. Simpson trial captivated the nation. Broadcast live on television, it was a media spectacle that divided public opinion along racial and cultural lines. Simpson was represented by a team of high-profile defense attorneys, including Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and F. Lee Bailey. The prosecution, led by Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, presented a strong case, including DNA evidence linking Simpson to the crime scene.

However, the defense successfully argued that the evidence had been tampered with and that Simpson had been framed by a racist police force. Cochran’s famous line, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” referring to the ill-fitting gloves found at the crime scene, became a defining moment in the trial. On October 3, 1995, Simpson was acquitted of all charges, a verdict that shocked the nation and sparked heated debates about race, justice, and celebrity in America.

Life After the Trial

Although Simpson was acquitted in the criminal trial, he faced a civil lawsuit brought by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. In 1997, a civil court found Simpson liable for their wrongful deaths, ordering him to pay $33.5 million in damages. Despite the civil verdict, Simpson largely remained in the public eye, though his once-glorious reputation was irrevocably tarnished.

Simpson’s post-trial life was marred by financial problems and legal troubles. In 2007, he was arrested for his involvement in an armed robbery in Las Vegas, where he attempted to recover sports memorabilia he claimed had been stolen from him. This time, there was no high-profile defense team to save him. In 2008, Simpson was convicted and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He served nearly nine years before being granted parole in 2017.

The Cultural Impact and Legacy

The O.J. Simpson case had a profound impact on American culture, highlighting deep-seated issues of race, class, and justice. It exposed the stark racial divide in public perceptions of the legal system, with many African Americans viewing Simpson’s acquittal as a victory against systemic racism, while many white Americans saw it as a gross miscarriage of justice.

Simpson’s story has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and dramatizations, including the critically acclaimed “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” His life, once seen as a model of success, is now a cautionary tale about the perils of fame, the complexities of race relations, and the pursuit of justice in America.

A Legacy of Triumph and Tragedy

O.J. Simpson’s legacy is one of triumph and tragedy. His accomplishments on the football field and his success in Hollywood are undeniable, yet they have been overshadowed by the events that unfolded after 1994. Simpson remains a polarizing figure — a symbol of both the heights of American success and the depths of its societal struggles. His story is a reminder that even the most celebrated lives can be complicated, marked by both incredible achievements and profound controversies.

[rebeleden]

IDFA 2016 | Trailer | O.J.: Made in America

[skiplo-wave]

Hollywood really be forgetting that "O.J.: Made in America" already exists huh? (Although I should add that the tweet is wrong, that unnecessary movie is coming out in 2025, not this year.)

Bold of you to assume Hollywood doesn’t try make quick buck about recent deaths or events

Example: astroworld disaster, oceangate

[cinemacentury]

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

"What the fuck, dude?"

160. O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA (Ezra Edelman, 2016) - United States - Streaming - Hulu/Home Library, Apple TV - 467 minutes. Rewatch #13.

[boricuacherry-blog]

O.J. Simpson, famed football star and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his ex-wife and her friend but later was found liable in a separate civil trial, has died after battling prostate cancer.

With Simpson's old friend and teammate Al Cowlings at the wheel and the fugitive in the back holding a gun to his head and threatening suicide, the Bronco led a fleet of patrol cars and seven news helicopters on a slow 60-mile televised chase over the Southern California freeways.

As he rode in the Bronco, a friend, Robert Kardashian (yes, Kim Kardashian's dad), released a handwritten letter to the public that Mr. Simpson had reportedly left at home, expressing love for Ms. Simpson and denying that he killed her.

The trial lasted nine months, from January to early October 1995, and captivated the nation with its lurid accounts of the murders and the tactics and strategy of prosecutors and of a defense that included the "dream team" of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., F. Lee Bailey, Robert Kardashian, Alan M. Dershowitz, Barry Scheck and Robert L. Shapiro. The prosecution, led by Marcia Clark and Christopher A. Darden, had what seemed to be overwhelming evidence: tests showing that blood, shoe prints, hair strands, shirt fibers, carpet threads and other items found at the murder scene had come from Mr. Simpson or his home, and DNA tests showing that the bloody glove found at Mr. Simpson's home matched the one left at the crime scene. Prosecutors also had a list of 62 incidents of abusive behavior by Mr. Simpson against his wife.

But as the trial unfolded before Judge Lance Ito and a 12-member jury that included 10 Black people, it became apparent that the police inquiry had been flawed. Photo evidence had been lost or mislabeled; DNA had been collected and stored improperly, raising a possibility that it was tainted. And Detective Mark Fuhrman, a key witness, admitted that he had entered the Simpson home and found the matching glove and other crucial evidence - all without a search warrant.

The defense argued, but never proved, that Mr. Fuhrman planted the second glove. More damaging, however, was its attack on his history of racist remarks. Mr. Fuhrman swore that he had not used racist language for a decade. But four witnesses and a taped radio interview played for the jury contradicted him and undermined his credibility. (After the trial, Fuhrman pleaded no contest to a perjury charge. He was the only person convicted in the case.)

In what was seen as the crucial blunder of the trial, the prosecution asked Mr. Simpson, who was not called to testify, to try on the gloves. He struggled to do so. They were apparently too small. This led Johnnie Cochran famously pleading to the jury during closing arguments, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."

Questions about his guilt or innocence never went away. In May 2008, Mike Gilbert, a memorabilia dealer and former crony, said in a book that Mr. Simpson, high on marijuana, had admitted the killings to him after the trial. Gilbert quoted Mr. Simpson as saying that he had used one that Ms. Simpson had in her hand when she opened the door. He also said that Mr. Simpson had stopped taking arthritis medicine to let his hands swell so that they would not fit the gloves in court. Mr. Simpson's lawyer, Yale L. Galanter, denied Gilbert's claims, calling him delusional.

"He died without penance," Cook said of Simpson. "We don't know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it."

Simpson's rise to fame involved 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, who made him the no. 1 pick in the NFL draft in 1969. He became known as The Juice, the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark (doing it in 14 games) while averaging 141.3 yards per game, still an NFL record.

Hertz rentals shot up and the ads made O.J.'s face one of the most recognizable in America. The ads also opened Simpson up for more endorsements: sporting goods, soft drinks, and even razor blades.

"People identify with me," he told The Times. "People have told me I'm colorless. Everyone likes me. I stay out of politics, I don't try to save people for the Lord and, besides, I don't look that out of character in a suit."

Simpson made his big-screen debut in 1974 in "The Klansman," an exploitation film in which he starred alongside Lee Marvin and Richard Burton. The film was a flop, but Simpson would go on to appear in several dozen films and TV series, including 1974's "The Towering Inferno," 1976's "The Cassandra Crossing," 1977's "Roots" and 1977's "Capricorn One."

Most notable, perhaps, was his performance in 1988's "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad" and its two sequels. Simpson played Detective Nordberg in the slapstick films opposite Leslie Nielsen.

Simpson married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, on June 24, 1967, moving her to Los Angeles the next day so he could begin preparing for his first season with USC - which, in large part because of Simpson, won that year's national championship. He had three children - Arnelle, Jason, and Aaren with his first wife. Their daughter Aaren, however, drowned as a toddler in a swimming pool accident in 1979, the same year he and Whitley divorced. He would go on to have two kids - Sydney and Justin - with Nicole.

In his football career, he broke college and professional records, and became an American idol. It was good on the surface, but beneath it, there was a deeper, more troubled reality - the infant daughter drowning in the family pool, a divorce from his high-school sweetheart, and a stormy marriage to a stunning young waitress and her frequent calls to the police when he beat her; about the jealous rages of a frustrated man.

The abuse left Nicole Simpson bruised and terrified on scores of occasions, but the police rarely took substantive action. After one call to the police on New Year's Day, 1989, officers found her badly beaten and half-naked, hiding in the bushes outside their home. "He's going to kill me!" she sobbed. "He gets a very animalistic look in him," Sgt. Craig Lally recalled. "All his veins pop out, his eyes are black and just black, I mean cold, like an animal. I mean very, very weird."

Mr. Simpson was arrested and convicted of spousal abuse, but was let off with a fine and probation.

And to add insult to injury, he was reportedly cheating during the marriage - during her pregnancy. Ms. Simpson discovered his trysts in a shocking way. While rummaging through her bedroom just before her birthday, she found a jewelry box in his bureau. She opened it and gasped at a set of dazzling earrings, worth at least $25,000. She thought they were for her. So she put them back and said nothing. But her birthday came and went - without the diamonds. She then mentioned the mystery to one of Mr. Simpson's golfing buddies. Stunned, the woman whispered: "Don't you know? He gave them to Tawny Kitaen. We thought you allowed him to have a mistress!"

The couple divorced in 1992, but confrontations continued. On October 25, 1993, Ms. Simpson called the police again. "He's back," she told a 911 operator, and officers once more intervened.

Then it happened.

Ron Goldman was a waiter, like Nicole. Instead, he told friends his real dream was to open a bar or restaurant in the Brentwood area. He shared his vision that it not be known by a name, but by the ankh, an Egyptian symbol of life. He wanted to learn all facets of the restaurant-bar business, and gregarious and social as he was, everyone felt he would succeed. He had even expressed aspirations to act, after appearing as a contestant on the short-lived game show Studs in 1992. And though sometimes promoting for clubs, he rarely drank. Still, there was something alluring about the nightlife.

It was in a club that he met ex-girlfriend Jacqui Bell, but, she said, "He wanted a commitment, and I'm not very good with commitments." Their relationship was marked by sporadic separations. Once, when Bell left for St. Louis, Goldman flew there to pursue her to return to their Brentwood home. "For a guy who doesn't have a car or a dime, it was wonderful," she reflected. But it was not to be. She still has the Belgian sheep dog he gave her, named Audrey. "It's the only thing I have left of him. He was a very sweet, honest faithful guy. Maybe if I'd given him the commitment he wanted he'd still be here," she said, her voice filling with anguish. A friend remembered how he envied the quiet times he had with his girlfriend. "He would say...'I really miss that - having someone to talk to, you don't have to go out, you can avoid all the craziness out there."

Nicole had met Goldman six weeks prior when he borrowed her Ferrari, and since then the two had become increasingly friendly, meeting for coffee and dinner on occasion. That day, he had after-work plans with his bartender friend, but before finishing work, the restaurant got a call from Nicole - a pair of glasses had been left behind. He punched out, then left to return them to her. That day he met with her, though, would be the last.

On June 12, 1994, Ms. Simpson, 35, and Mr. Goldman, 25, were attacked outside her condominium in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, not far from Mr. Simpson's estate. She was nearly decapitated, and Mr. Goldman was slashed to death.

The knife was never found, but the police discovered a bloody glove at the scene and abundant hair, blood and fiber clues. Aware of Mr. Simpson's earlier abuse and her calls for help, investigators believed from the start that Mr. Simpson, 46, was the killer. They found blood on his car and, in his home, a bloody glove that matched the one picked up near the bodies. There was never any other suspect.

Five days later, after Mr. Simpson attended Nicole's funeral with their two children, before being charged with the murders.

In his later civil trial, a letter Ms. Simpson wrote was revealed, in which she wrote he "beat the holy hell out of her" and that the injuries she sustained were serious enough to require hospitalization. She stated that she and her then-husband "lied at the X-ray lab and said I fell off a bike."

Although the Goldmans were awarded millions of dollars in their 1997 civil suit, as late as 2022, Fred Goldman says Simpson still hasn't paid a dime.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

I cannot emphasise to all you young 'uns out there how absolutely enthralled the entirety of the United States of America was with the O.J. Simpson trial back in the day. Everyone had opinions, even little kids. I remember the news of the Bronco-chase. I remember being in high school and the televised trial going on during my second year algebra class and we had a TV on IN THE CLASSROOM as we were doing our day's worksheets and quizzes! IN SCHOOL! (At least for high schoolers, I don't think this stuff was played for young kids). News of what went on during proceedings was what was forefront on the evening news, for those who had to work / those in classrooms that didn't let us watch it. It was broadcast during the day on at least one mainstream channel, I think all three of the main analog broadcasts and a few of the basic cables. It was everywhere and after it was done... CARTOONS made fun of it! I'm serious! I remember a joke on Animaniacs or Hysteria! (little known show in the Spielburg family of cartoon shows of the '90s) featured Lizzie Borden complaining "I'm the O.J. Simpson of the 19th century! Cue me, in the end, being incredibly confused that someone could be acquitted of murder in the criminal degree, but still held liable in a civil trail for murder.