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The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story - S1 - FX Tues - 90 on Metacritic

M

Matt_

World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
What was the dinner party about?
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Dan said:
Darden's in such a rough position. Just complete lose-lose for him.
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The Variety interview with Sterling K Brown is worth a read if you haven't seen it already. He digs into the difficulties of playing Darden.

crazyrabbits said:
Still felt a little too "on the nose", but it's eminently watchable stuff.
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The show certainly lacks subtlety, but I'm still entertained by it. I also think they're doing a good job of highlighting all sorts of issues that surrounded the case (the rise of cable news, fame, racial issues) that are still relevant today.
pa22word said:
I literally burst out laughing when the Iron Cross showed up. Good lord, next week should be entertaining.
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From the Warming Glow review:

Ab9QiSc.gif
 
S

Sober

Member
pa22word said:
I literally burst out laughing when the Iron Cross showed up. Good lord, next week should be entertaining.
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I'm curious if the real former(?)-detective collected Nazi Memorabilia.

Either way the way it was show was like the most indulgent shit ever that left me laughing about it but because the show is sorta rooted in fact makes me curious as well and not just entirely critical about that specific choice.
 
C

crazyrabbits

Banned
Cornballer said:
The show certainly lacks subtlety, but I'm still entertained by it. I also think they're doing a good job of highlighting all sorts of issues that surrounded the case (the rise of cable news, fame, racial issues) that are still relevant today.
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Yep. I especially like the way they're delving into some of the lesser behind-the-scenes moments (the house tour, Carcetti's frustrations with the press and his own machinations for the future).

The traffic stop scene at the beginning probably would have been over-the-top and preachy if this was any other Ryan Murphy series, but Vance sells it in such an understated way (calming his daughters down, his nonplussed look at the bystanders) that it becomes riveting.

Not sure about the Fuhrman-Nazi connection, though. That was a bit much.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Sober said:
I'm curious if the real former(?)-detective collected Nazi Memorabilia.
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crazyrabbits said:
Not sure about the Fuhrman-Nazi connection, though. That was a bit much.
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http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/mark-fuhrman-nazi-people-vs-oj
http://www.bustle.com/articles/1450...can-crime-story-shows-a-disturbing-collection

Sounds like there were various allegations that he did in fact own Nazi paraphernalia but these were never entered into the record or formally/publicly verified.

Cornballer said:
The Variety interview with Sterling K Brown is worth a read if you haven't seen it already. He digs into the difficulties of playing Darden.
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I did, yeah. I'll be curious if Darden ever speaks up about the series.
 
T

The Beard

Member
crazyrabbits said:
Yep. I especially like the way they're delving into some of the lesser behind-the-scenes moments (the house tour, Carcetti's frustrations with the press and his own machinations for the future).

The traffic stop scene at the beginning probably would have been over-the-top and preachy if this was any other Ryan Murphy series, but Vance sells it in such an understated way (calming his daughters down, his nonplussed look at the bystanders) that it becomes riveting.

Not sure about the Fuhrman-Nazi connection, though. That was a bit much.
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There was no Fuhrman-Nazi connection. He collected WWII memorabilia, some of which happened to be Nazi paraphernalia. It's actually a pretty common thing to collect.
 
B

brianmcdoogle

Member
crazyrabbits said:
The traffic stop scene at the beginning probably would have been over-the-top and preachy if this was any other Ryan Murphy series, but Vance sells it in such an understated way (calming his daughters down, his nonplussed look at the bystanders) that it becomes riveting.
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I loved the "he didn't have to" line.
 
C

crazyrabbits

Banned
The Beard said:
There was no Fuhrman-Nazi connection. He collected WWII memorabilia, some of which happened to be Nazi paraphernalia. It's actually a pretty common thing to collect.
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Apparently there were accusations, though nothing ever came of it.

I can't tell if that final scene was Murphy's doing or not. It was so hamfisted and on-the-nose (long staring at the Nazi symbol) that it felt overly forced, just like half of the references to the Kardashian children.
 
B

brianmcdoogle

Member
crazyrabbits said:
Apparently there were accusations, though nothing ever came of it.

I can't tell if that final scene was Murphy's doing or not. It was so hamfisted and on-the-nose (long staring at the Nazi symbol) that it felt overly forced, just like half of the references to the Kardashian children.
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I mean, the show isn't very subtle with some things, and I should probably go back and check this, but are they even playing Richard Wagner music in that scene?

Edit: Yup. I know my classical music!

Die Meistersinger was frequently used as part of Nazi propaganda. On 21 March 1933, the founding of the Third Reich was celebrated with a performance of the opera in the presence of Hitler.[22] The prelude to act 3 is played over shots of old Nuremberg at the beginning of Triumph of the Will, the 1935 film by Leni Riefenstahl depicting the Nazi party congress of 1934. During World War II, Die Meistersinger was the only opera presented at the Bayreuth festivals of 1943–1944.
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C

Curufinwe

Member
The Beard said:
There was no Fuhrman-Nazi connection. He collected WWII memorabilia, some of which happened to be Nazi paraphernalia. It's actually a pretty common thing to collect.
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http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/mark-fuhrman-nazi-people-vs-oj

According to a 1995 LA Times report, deputy district attorney, Lucienne Coleman, a “17-year veteran of the office and former head of its sex crimes division” went on record about the rumors that “Fuhrman had committed an act of anti-Semitic vandalism and had boasted of an intimate relationship with Nicole Brown Simpson.” Coleman claimed that Fuhrman had painted the locker of a fellow officer with swastikas because that detective had “recently married a Jewish woman” and accused Fuhrman of walking “around on weekends wearing Nazi paraphernalia.” Coleman’s statements were not corroborated by the other officers and district attorneys she named in her claims and even through she brought them to Marcia Clark before the trial, a prosecution source dismissed the allegations as “multiple hearsay, really just gossip.”

But gossip or no, the question of Nazi memorabilia did become part of the case. According to CNN’s transcription of a 1995 CourtTV account, Judge Lance Ito “refused to let the defense see papers linked to allegations Fuhrman had Nazi paraphernalia at his desk.” And in 1996—well after the “not guilty” verdict had been read—Johnnie Cochran told The San Francisco Chronicle:

Darden also knew that Fuhrman was a bad guy. He knew he collected Nazi memorabilia; he knew his past record. I went over to him at the trial because I had respect for him, and I said don’t, as a black man, take Fuhrman (as a witness); you’ll be used. After all, I didn’t question Fuhrman -- I had Bailey do it. Well, Chris read all kinds of things into that, but I wanted to help him.
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C

Cornballer

Member
- Slate: The People v. OJ Simpson Is the Rare Basic Cable Show That Uses the F-Word. Why Is It Allowed to Do That?
Slate asked FX president John Landgraf about the unexpected use of the expletive. He noted that the network had already allowed the word “fuck” on at least one occasion—tucked into Sarah Baker’s incredible one-take monologue on Louie’s “So Did the Fat Lady.”

On Louie and O.J. Simpson, Landgraf said, “We thought it was important and artistically relevant.” “I don’t think we’re going to use ‘fuck’ or ‘motherfucker’ as a noun, adjective, verb, and everything in between. But when it’s important, it’s important. In this particular instance, it was kind of the valedictory line of Sarah Paulson playing Marcia Clark at the end of the episode. We thought the episode would have been weakened for bleeping or cutting it.”

“We got no negative feedback,” Landgraf told Slate. “We air these shows at 10 p.m. Everybody knows what they are, that they’re adult shows.”

Landgraf doesn’t plan to let FX’s shows start freely deploying HBO-level language. “We’re not looking to open the floodgates,” he explained. “Our point-of-view is that everything we do is about supporting artistic integrity. In this case, letting the word fly was the way to do that.”

Initially, some viewers questioned whether FX was legally permitted to deploy vulgar language like “motherfucker,” at least without risking a fine from the Federal Communications Commission. The answer is: absolutely. Actually, the FCC’s authority to censor broadcast channels like NBC, ABC, and CBS is something of a First Amendment aberration. Typically, the government has no power to censor profane expression so long as it is not legally obscene. (And the standard for obscenity is extremely high; nothing you’ll ever see on TV is obscene under First Amendment law.) In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court held in 1978 that the FCC could punish vulgar speech if it was transmitted over a publicly owned spectrum. As Justice Antonin Scalia put it more recently, “if these are public airwaves, the government is entitled to insist upon a certain modicum of decency.”

Cable companies like FX transmit their programs through privately owned and operated equipment, not the spectrum. That means the First Amendment prevents the government from censoring their shows. FX, in other words, can let The People v. O.J. Simpson toss out as many expletives as it wants. The sponsors might bolt, but the government can’t do a thing.
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D

Dr.Acula

Banned
Yeah, basic cable is still "cable." You have to buy it, subscribe to it, etc. It's not over-the-air like CBS/NBC/ABC
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Dr.Acula said:
Yeah, basic cable is still "cable." You have to buy it, subscribe to it, etc. It's not over-the-air like CBS/NBC/ABC
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Right, we covered most of this in the thread previously, but I thought it'd be good to see a simple explainer along with quotes from Landgraf as to why they're willing to let loose with the f-bombs occasionally.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
I happened to spy this exchange retweeted into my feed.

First, some TMZ guy caught Chris Darden on the street, who basically said he has had neither the time nor inclination to watch the series, and he has serious reservations about believing white writers/producers could portray the material accurately.

Sterling K Brown shared that and then ended up talking to Jenee Darden, journalist and daughter of Chris. It seems she's been watching the series, and said she'd pass along some other production context to her father (6/10 episodes directed by black men, 2 written by a black writer). Doubtful that'd make him feel like watching (and he certainly has no obligation to), but maybe he'd find a little faith that they didn't butcher the racial complexities involved in the case.

The 21st century is weird.
 
M

Matt_

World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
It's a shame that hes not given it the time and is immediately dismissive of it without giving it the chance or finding out who is involved in the creation process
I can understand though, especially as the show creators purposefully didn't consult the people involved in the trial when writing the script
 
LQX

LQX

Member
I'm really loving this series but it seems so one sided. Like the creators are using all the pent up rage and anger of O.J walking to get back at...I dunno. I just think the American justice system should be on trial just as much as the people it comes down hardest on. They are glossing over that failure and I'm not sure it is fair whiles putting a lot more people than just O.J on trial.
 
C

Curufinwe

Member
LQX said:
I'm really loving this series but it seems so one sided. Like the creators are using all the pent up rage and anger of O.J walking to get back at...I dunno. I just think the American justice system should be on trial just as much as the people it comes down hardest on. They are glossing over that failure and I'm not sure it is fair whiles putting a lot more people than just O.J on trial.
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You must be watching a different show than the rest of us.
 
M

Macadinho94

Member
I still can't believe Cochran actually said "N-word please" in court. Can we just hand Vance his Emmy and not wait 11 months before it's actually given to him?

Also I'm sure OJ must have CTE. I wonder if he'll donate his brain when he dies?
 
C

Curufinwe

Member
Dalek said:
I wonder if the "Get off my bench" moment really happened.
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Yes, it's in Darden's book.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/people-vs-oj-simpson-episode-5-recap-fact-check

According to Darden’s memoir:

I sat down on a bench just outside [Simpson’s] front door, and Simpson leaned forward and pointed at me. “Get off my bench!” he began yelling. “I don’t want you on my bench or in my house!”

I turned to Cochran, who stood nearby. “Johnnie, you better restrain your client before I have him muzzled.”
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L

Lan Dong Mik

And why would I want them?
Wow man, where did Courtney Vance come from? He is absolutely killing every scene he is in. He better take home every award he's nominated for and he needs to get a lot more work after this. He is fucking amazing.

This show is amazing. Best thing on tv currently. It just gets better and better.
 
F

FloydtheFathead

Member
My family and I have been watching this show for weeks together. They lived it and I was still young enough to grasp the shit.

Yes .. Can they just rename it the Johnnie Cochran Show. Vance is everything I knew he would be. Perfect casting.

Lan Dong Mik said:
Wow man, where did Courtney Vance come from? He is absolutely killing every scene he is in. He better take home every award he's nominated for and he needs to get a lot more work after this. He is fucking amazing.

This show is amazing. Best thing on tv currently. It just gets better and better.
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Probably his more famous role was on Law and Order Criminal Intent. Fanfuckingtasic on there too. He was also on one of the BEST guest appearances on the original Law and Order. Watch the Episode Rage.. Outstanding.
 
D

Draconian

Member
Cornballer said:
FX is running a commercial free marathon of the first five episodes tomorrow at 10pm ET.
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I came in here to see if this was happening anytime soon, and sure enough FX delivered. I'll have to remember to record this tonight.

EDIT: Wait, was this last night? I don't see them showing it any time today.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Draconian said:
I came in here to see if this was happening anytime soon, and sure enough FX delivered. I'll have to remember to record this tonight.

EDIT: Wait, was this last night? I don't see them showing it any time today.
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I'm looking at the listing right now. Starts at 10pm ET tonight on FX.
 
B

BIG_V-G-V

Banned
Been watching the show since it aired and it is absolutely fantastic! Vance is nailing Johnnie down to the T! The mannerisms the cast has captured is just perfect.
 
R

ryseing

Member
Had the episodes piling up on my DVR and decided to give them a watch after hearing good things via Bill Simmons. Liking the show thus far minus the wink wink Kardashian bits. Schwimmer is great but the dialogue he's being given during those parts is horrendous.
 
S

soundahfekz

Member
Man I really love this show. The only thing breaking immersion for me is Gooding Jr's high pitched wails and what seems like over the top panic. Not sure he was the right fit for the role but everyone else is killing it, especially Vance!
 
T

The Beard

Member
soundahfekz said:
Man I really love this show. The only thing breaking immersion for me is Gooding Jr's high pitched wails and what seems like over the top panic. Not sure he was the right fit for the role but everyone else is killing it, especially Vance!
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I have a real hard time believing Gooding Jr as OJ too. Everything about him is wrong. They should've tried to get Lenny Kravitz to play OJ. At least there would be a mild resemblance there, and LK is a decent enough actor to pull off the limited dialogue that OJ has had so far.
 
E

ezekial45

Banned
I'm wondering if David Koresh and the seige in Waco, Texas would work. It's not nearly as popular as the OJ trial, but it definitely is interesting nonetheless.
 
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