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Amph The People vs. O.J. Simpson

Discussion in 'Community' started by DarthTunick , Dec 14, 2015.

  1. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

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    Nov 26, 2000
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  2. tom

    tom Chosen One star 8

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    Mar 14, 2004
    i dunno.
     
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  3. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

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    I suppose it all depends on your interest in the case/how you remember as it all went down in '94-'95.
     
  4. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

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    Mar 27, 2004
    I vividly remember the key moments; Seeing the breaking news on ESPN that Nicole Brown Simpson was found dead and never imagining what would unfold over the next few days and the year to come, OJ and Al Cowlings racing around LA in that Bronco and coming home from work dead tired and falling asleep waiting for the verdict.

    This happened at a time when a single story could dominate the news for weeks or months, not like today where the world devours stuff like this in a matter of hours or days and then moves on to the next bit of pop culture carrion.
     
  5. JEDI-RISING

    JEDI-RISING Chosen One star 6

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    Apr 15, 2005
    the coverage was so oversaturated for nearly a year and a half i never half to hear about it again.
     
  6. DantheJedi

    DantheJedi Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Aug 23, 2009
    I lived through the O.J. Simpson trial once, I don't need to relive it again.
     
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  7. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

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    May 22, 2000
    Ya know, I'm actually interested in this. I too lived through the OJ trial and I remember it breaking into the Knicks vs. Rockets of the NBA finals and dominating the headlines for weeks on end.

    I fascinated by all aspects of this story. The legal proceedings, the media coverage and the general public reactions and opinions.

    The OJ trial was the trial of the century and spectacle event in American history.
     
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  8. Hogarth Wrightson

    Hogarth Wrightson Jedi Knight star 4

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    Jul 2, 2015
    I think it will be interesting to see the subject portrayed in a dramatic account, with all the behind-the-scenes stuff dramatized. Like almost everyone else in the US alive at the time, I watched the trial, of course, but I don't really see the participants (meaning the lawyers, ET AL) as fully human. Hopefully this will expand my understanding of their struggles, personalities, etc.
     
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  9. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

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    May 22, 2000
    So, I've watched all 3 episodes that have aired so far and I'm enjoying this. It's very nostalgic. I started to remember the time when the information regarding the case was being leaked out and/or reported, such as Mark Furman being a racist and the 911 call that Nicole made when OJ forced his way into her home and sounding like he was yelling and hitting her.

    Now, were moving towards the trial, but I like how this last episode covered the defense strategy and how the "dream team" of lawyers were pulled together. Talk about a dawn of justice or injustice depending on your personal view of this case.

    I think there's some wonderful dramatization of here and there. I also think John Travolta is doing a great job as Robert Shapiro. He's mannerism is very reminiscent of what I recall of the lead attorney. Same with the actor that's playing Johnnie Cochran.

    I'm finding this series more enjoyable than a recent Law and Order episode I've watched.
     
  10. Dark Lord Of The Empire

    Dark Lord Of The Empire Jedi Master star 4

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    Aug 28, 2013
    I'm enjoying it so far as well. Most of the actors are doing a good job portraying their real world counterparts. I'm not sure about Cuba Gooding, Jr. though. I like him as an actor, but I feel he just isn't right for this role. Not sure who I would have cast in his place though. It's a very difficult role to play.
     
  11. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

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    May 22, 2000
    I totally agree. I don't see Cuba Gooding Jr. doing OJ Simpson well.

    I wonder if OJ really said, "I'm not Black, I'm OJ." I also wonder how much is factual as oppose to creative liberties. I thought Johnnie Cochrane was on the team from the start.

    The Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden story lines are pretty interesting as well, with Clark being a single mom and dealing with evidence leaks and Darden dealing with his own personal issues and his non-involvement with the case when it started. How the prosecution is following the news on the case like everyone else.
     
  12. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

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    I've been enthralled for each episode, even with the gratuitous mentions, etc, of the Kardashian children. :p A surprise as been Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, though, who I think has the toughest personal crisis thus far of the character presented.
     
  13. Dark Lord Of The Empire

    Dark Lord Of The Empire Jedi Master star 4

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    Aug 28, 2013
    Yeah, and I was happy to see Selma Blair too! Selma Blair!!! :D
    I do agree that their are probably a lot of creative liberties being taken. It is a show after all, even though it's based on true events. For instance, I don't think IRL, O.J. needed convincing to have Cochrane on the team. I'm sure he was very aware of the fact that the race card could be used to his advantage with the history of the LAPD. I'm certain he was smart enough to realize how that could benefit him right from the get go.
     
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  14. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

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    http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/people-v-oj-simpson-episode-3-recap



    Robert Shapiro and F. Lee Bailey pressed Simpson to add Johnnie Cochran to the team.


    True and false. Shapiro and Bailey knew that they would need another trial lawyer, and they gave Simpson a few suggestions: Johnnie Cochran, a team of two lawyers, and a guy named Gerry Spence. O.J. told his lawyers, “Get me Gerry Spence.” Spence was based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and dressed in “trademark cowboy hats and fringed leather jackets.” O.J. had seen him on television and wouldn’t budge. He wanted Spence, even when Shapiro et al. pleaded with him to consider what Cochran, a prominent figure in the black community with a successful history of putting the L.A.P.D. on trial, could bring to their defense strategy. In the show, when Travolta pulls the luminous, exceptional Courtney B. Vance as Cochran aside to say, “I will remain lead counsel,” that never happened. But it did happen with Spence, who wouldn’t join unless he could be team leader.
     
  15. Dark Lord Of The Empire

    Dark Lord Of The Empire Jedi Master star 4

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    Aug 28, 2013
    Interesting. Very interesting.
     
  16. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Aug 12, 2002
    Schwimmer has been killing it on this show.
     
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  17. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

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    May 22, 2000
    Maybe Schwimmer should have played OJ. :p
     
  18. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

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  19. Blur

    Blur Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Aug 11, 1999
    Recently saw the first episode of this show. Excellent series so far - it really pulled me in from me very first scene. I have no doubt that the rest of this will be great as well.

    This show really brings back memories. I honestly didn't see as much of the trial as I would have liked when it was first aired - though, like the rest of America (and I guess the world) at the time, I was aware of what was happening. At the time I was in college & was working at a warehouse over the summer - and, during our down time I did see snippets of the trial on TV - enough to recognize the main players, etc. So, I like how this series is filling in the blanks for me & going over - in detail - what actually happened (though I'm sure dramatic license is being taken in some cases, etc.)

    Some points - just based on this first episode:

    I liked how this started out with actual news footage of some of the tragic events that took place in L.A. only a couple of years before this O.J. trial. It helped to put things in a historical perspective re: what had happened in that part of the country just a couple of years before the trial. This really took me back to that time period.

    The show does an amazing job of making everything look historically accurate - right down to the old cell phones, '90's-era computers, etc.

    Before watching this, I honestly didn't know that OJ & Nicole Brown were friends with the Kardashian family - like many of us, I had never even heard of the Kardashians back in the '90's. And, I could still care less about them [​IMG]

    When I first heard about this series, I was honestly put off by the fact that CGJ was going to play O.J. He's a good actor, but doesn't look or sound anything like O.J. did. That being said, after watching this I do think he does a decent job in the role. Could they have gotten another actor with more screen presence to play the role?! Most definitely. However, it's possible that many other actors may not have wanted this due to the controversy?!

    I was extremely impressed by the casting of Travolta as Shapiro, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark (Paulson is great in everything I've seen her in, especially AHS) and of course the actor who played Kato K. - spot-on here. Travolta & Paulson especially killed it in their roles - amazing - their physical appearance was very close to the people they were portraying & they also captured many of the nuances, etc. Travolta was especially good, right down to the eyebrows & the bald spot on the back of his head - though it does look like he may have had some botox?! done re: his face - strange.

    The actor who played Kato Kaelin was hilarious in this first episode - very funny - though the actor was just playing the part accurately. It was especially amusing when he immediately scarfed down the hamburgers without asking anyone else if they wanted any. And, I almost laughed out loud when he said to O.J., "Juice, do you want some juice?" and O.J. said something like, "Don't say that - I hate that." - LOL.

    Going along with the above, Kato K. really epitomized the '90's-era young & lazy slacker/freeloader. What exactly was his role in the O.J. household?! I know he lived in the guest house in the back, but based on what I remember, he wasn't really doing much. And, it's ironic that someone who was a lazy freeloader at that time probably made a lot of money because of his exposure during the trial - also without doing a whole lot [​IMG] After all, if it weren't for this case none of us would ever have heard of this guy - and he would have just faded into obscurity.

    If anyone has ever had any doubt that people with money (whether or not you're a celebrity) are treated with more leniency than people without money - especially when it comes to crime - then this case should have dispelled all doubt. Obviously the outcome would have been completely different if it had involved someone poor - under the exact same circumstances. There definitely appeared to be a lot of damning evidence here (and I'm not counting the alleged planted evidence, either).

    To add to the above, it's obvious (to me, at least) that this trial airing on national TV had a lot to do with the not guilty verdict. I think public opinion had a lot to do with the outcome here. At the time, I remember being surprised that they were airing the trial on TV - since I had been under the impression that they never allowed cameras into courtrooms.

    Hard to believe that this all happened 22 years ago (1994) - it doesn't seem like it's been that long. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Since then, at least two of the people involved (JC & RK) have died - which just emphasizes how much time has passed.
     
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  20. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

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    Completely forgot that Ito's wife was was an LAPD officer during the trial, etc; really enjoyed Cochran's usurping of Shaprio as lead counsel. The politics of the jury selection were fascinating, too... however I worry about a future episode from their perspective, because I get the most anger over the trial from those dumb clucks.


    And Clark smoked only one cigarette in this latest episode. :p
     
  21. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

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    May 22, 2000
    I didn't know that Ito wife was a LAPD officer and I don't recall it being an issue was the case was being tried. However, I'm guessing that it will be an issues in this series.

    And Larry King has not aged. He still looks as old as he did during the trial.

    I thought OJ would have made Cochran lead counsel when Shapiro showed up late at the meeting and suggested OJ take a plea deal with some type of fabricated story. It showed that Shapiro didn't totally believe OJ was innocent and he didn't believe the case was winnable.

    I thought it was kind of funny doing the slow mo walk thing with OJ's attorneys heading into the courtroom like they were some sort of super heroes. I also like the reactions by OJ defense team when they saw Chris Darden sitting third chair.
     
  22. Blur

    Blur Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Aug 11, 1999
    I've seen the first 4 episodes of this series at this point, and am increasingly impressed by the quality of this show.

    As has been said, even though CGJ is somewhat miscast as OJ, he's still great in the role. I don't expect dramatizations like this to be able to find actors/actresses that look exactly like the roles they're portraying - as long as they're not TOO off-base. Also as has been mentioned, it's probable that a lot of actors probably did not want to play this role - which may have been another reason they had a difficult time finding someone willing to do this.

    The show is also great in that it's filling in the blanks in giving a lot more detail about what happened during this case:

    -Re: the infamous "White Bronco" chase, at the time I honestly thought OJ was the sole driver/occupant of the vehicle. Only after I saw this series did I realize that his friend was driving, while he was actually in the back. I also didn't know that OJ had passports/fake beards/hair/etc. in the vehicle - obviously he was trying to leave the country. It's not clear if the friend got in trouble over this.

    -Re: this chase, it was interesting to see the scene when that guy & his gf stopped their car on the side of the highway & called on that emergency phone. This is keeping in with the low-end '90's tech that you see throughout the series. I.e., though some people had cell phones in '94, not many did.

    -The little Kardashian kids were depicted as being very spoiled & entitled little brats. Not surprising that not much has changed in 22 years [​IMG]

    - Also had not clue Judge Ito's wife was in LE.

    After this series ends, I would really like to see a Youtube mash-up video showing every scene that Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) lights one up - that would be great [​IMG]
     
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  23. Sith_Sensei__Prime

    Sith_Sensei__Prime Chosen One star 6

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    May 22, 2000
    After watching last night's episode, I feel really sorry for Christopher Darden. He was kind of placed in a no win situation. There were tons of great facial expressions and reactions by the actor playing Darden. You could tell the turmoil within the character. I wonder if that incident in the field trip to OJ's house was real or a creative liberty spin.

    I don't recall the event that occurred when Johnnie Cochran was giving his opening argument, so it was crazy for me to see that.
     
  24. Darth-Lando

    Darth-Lando Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Aug 12, 2002
    Same here. I remember a lot about the trial and thought I knew everything. This caught me totally by surprise.
     
  25. solojones

    solojones Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 27, 2000
    Oh, the redecorating was very real. That definitely happened for both houses. As did OJ yelling at Darden to get off his bench. Incredibly dirty trick, the restaging. Just.... Yeah.

    Actually the show has been very accurate. (Yes, Cochran really did whisper "******, please" to Darden in court.) You should read the fact checking Vanity Fair is posting for each episode.


    As to the event during opening arguments...

    No, Bill did not collapse in open court, but it's mostly correct. He did object to the witnesses being listed who weren't mentioned in discovery. He did collapse from what was worried was a heart attack but was actually just a stress event, it just didn't happen in open court. The attorneys were called into chambers and he collapsed there. Evidently OJs defense team laughed about almost killing the guy. A really classy group...