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American Crime Story; Season 1 - The People V. OJ Simpson
Topic Started: Jan 6 2016, 02:30 PM (746 Views)
Dax
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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/inside-tvs-retrial-oj-simpson-852129
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Krystal
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I have absolutely no urge to watch anything about OJ.
That trial was shoved down my throat years ago and I certainly don't want to relive it especially considering the outcome.
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Dax
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I was watching 'live' - a bit behind, because of commercials, of course, but without recording because the dvr was full, and Oliver hit the remote and changed the channel on me and grrrrrrr... so I erased a couple things I can get later, and hit 'record' on the second airing of this, and... anyway. I have about 1/3rd of the first one left to watch when I get home from work..

But I saw enough to say 'this is good'. Absorbing story, well told.

Sterling K. Brown -- Christopher Darden
Kenneth Choi -- Lance Ito
Christian Clemenson -- William Hodgman
Cuba Gooding Jr. -- O.J. Simpson
Bruce Greenwood -- Gil Garcetti
Nathan Lane -- F. Lee Bailey
Sarah Paulson -- Marcia Clark
David Schwimmer -- Robert Kardashian
John Travolta -- Robert Shapiro
Courtney B. Vance -- Johnnie Cochran
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bilki
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Really enjoyed Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark and her POV is probably the most interesting to me, followed by Christopher Darden. But I wasn't sold on Gooding Jr as OJ, mostly because he doesn't look at all like a football player and I didn't think he captured the charisma that I imagine OJ possesses.

I'm not sure if I'll make an effort to watch more. Maybe if I see people raving about it.
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jbrr1212
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I posted my thoughts on this in the watching and sampling thread before i saw this had its own thread. Agree Paulson is quite good as Marcia Clark.
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Dax
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jbr - Yeah, I probably screwed up by actually commenting more THERE than here, but... I always like to put SOMETHING in the 'Watching' catch-all for a NEW show, whether or not it has its own thread...

Agree Gooding doesn't convey the charisma we associate with pre-murders OJ. I can't remember ever really 'loving' Gooding in anything, though he's been 'fine' in a lot of stuff. I didn't think he ought to have won his Oscar for Jerry Maguire, though his enthusiasm in accepting it was the thing he'll probably always be best remembered for (and arguably, the movie, too, though it also has those memorable 'show me the money' and 'help me help you' catchphrases).

Most critics seem pretty impressed by this. I'm not as 'wow' as the most positive ones I've seen (but they may have seen up to #6), but I feel safe in saying this is going to be worth watching to anybody with any interest in seeing the very well-known story dramatized. I don't think I'll agree with the promos that promise "The trial isn't the whole story. This is" or suggest 'you only think you know ___' -- No, I don't think there will be much in the way of genuine SURPRISES... but twists-and-turns? Many of those. Real life was SO crazy... it's a good story.
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bilki
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Faye Resnick is friends with Kyle Richards, one of the housewives from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (yes, it's still one of my guilty pleasures). Faye pops up on the show from time to time, and it's funny that she's been on the past two weeks because one of the new housewives has some connection to the OJ story. I don't know if it was a coincidence, or someone at BRAVO was smart enough to time it just right.

I'm a little curious to see Connie Britton as Faye. Maybe I'll watch this in the background while I play my farming game.
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Dax
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What's the new lady's connection to the OJ story? Did Bravo cast her so she and Faye might cross paths?

I, uh, sorta started one of those farming games this week. A friend had been bugging me about hers (Coral Isle) for over a year, and... Weak moment. They are addicting... I DO kinda get it, but I think tedium will set in, too, and I'll only semi-regular it... She and some of her friends center their LIVES around the damned thing...
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bilki
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Her name is Kathryn Edwards. Resnick claims that Nicole had slept with Marcus Allen during her separation from OJ, and Marcus Allen was soon-to-marry Kathryn. Faye wrote about it in her book about Nicole, and on the show Kathryn claims she's held a grudge against Faye ever since.

I haven't heard of Coral Isle. I'll have to look it up, lol. My friends got me addicted to Hay Day last June. I spent just about every free moment on it for months. Lots of dopamine shots to the brain, I'm sure. But the excitement wears off (always does) and now I play when something isn't holding my full attention. It's good for when I'm watching shows I only sorta-kinda like.
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jbrr1212
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Housewives is still a guilty pleasure of mine too and I was just thinking about this last night lol. Andy Cohen is definitely pulling the strings with the Kathryn/Faye feud, it smells of a setup from a mile away. Marcus Allen was also one of OJs best friends, OJ supposedly called him from jail and wanted him to testify/lie on his behalf. I dont recall it being a big story during the trial but alot of it has come out since (maybe mostly in Fayes book?). Andy Cohen did a whole special "remember when" show that focused on 1994 with alot about the OJ story a couple months ago so he clearly wanted to remind us all about it before all this Faye/Kathryn stuff aired. Not sure if he planned it to coincide with this new series but I wouldn't be surprised in the least. Andy LOVES a good scandal and Bravo is his personal playground. I'm thinking with the new series lots of people might be googling Faye and surely Real Housewives is right up at the top of the search results driving more traffic to Bravo. The release date of the series has been known long enough for Bravo to have timed it out perfectly. I am looking forward to seeing Connie Britton as Faye too. That could be VERY good.
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Dax
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http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/ryan-murphy-pioneered-the-anthology-series.html#
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Dax
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Odd - Everybody is standing around watching the tv coverage of the 911 calls, and you hear Nicole say 'shit', which the news would have bleeped...

Odd - Paulson's Marcia gets to utter 'motherfucker' for the first time on FX. Never said on The Shield or Sons of Anarchy, that popular, versatile curse word debuts here, in 1.3 of ACS:OJ.

http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/evan-handler-oj-simpson-frogmen-pilot.html

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/07/25/an-incendiary-defense The original New Yorker 'race' article from July '94.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/oj-simpson-author-jeffrey-toobin-866173

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/02/16/how_accurate_is_the_people_v_o_j_simpson_american_crime_story_a_fact_check.html
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jbrr1212
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Travolta is becoming less annoying and from certain angles and lighting he really does resemble Shapiro. Its been a great improvement in the last couple episodes.

Still strongly dislike Cuba as OJ, it just doesnt work on any level.

Schwimmer still bugs me but not as much as the constant parading of the Kardashian kids. Its gratuitous and clearly gimmicky based on their current pop culture status. I would be ok with an appearance or two but they've been on every episode. We've seen them more than Cochran at this point. Hoping once we start with the courtroom stuff we will move away from that and see a bit more of the people who were actually a part of the story (Kris, Faye, the Goldmans etc.) but not the main players.

My first impression grade was a D its now more like C. Still sticking with it a bit longer.
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Krystal
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Are there two American crime stories? I'm watching the other one. like I said I had enough of OJ when it really happened
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Dax
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Yes. American Crime is on ABC and American Crime Story is on FX. They have similar titles. ACS's subtitle 'The People V. OJ Simpson' is presented as bigger/first to avoid confusion.

Jbr - Disagree on the Kardashian kids. It's only been a few scenes (four, I think, in the first 3 1/2 hours) and they've had maybe a fifth of the screen time that Cochran has. I don't see their inclusion as too terribly gimmicky/exploitive-of-their-popularity so much as the this-is-where-all-the-fame-whoring-started thing. I do agree they've made their point and could move on from it because we've all got it now, but I don't think it's been too great a distraction. They are annoying kids, but Bob is part of the story, and there's his family...

Travolta is bothering me less, too.

Agree on Gooding.
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jbrr1212
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You could be right in that its not THAT much, I'm just so Kardashian-ed out that the mere mention of them drives me a bit nutty at this point. So it could be more my personal aversion to them than whats actually playing out clouding my judgment on that aspect. Still I dont really see why we needed them beyond a brief scene or two in the premiere. I did have to chuckle a little at the restaurant scene where he was telling the kids about fame and being famous for actually doing something.

I like Sterling K. Brown a lot too.
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Dax
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Brown is really good. Paulson is great. Greenwood evokes Garcetti pretty perfectly. Positive first impression of Nathan Lane's Bailey, but this wasn't a lot to go on... I think I like everybody except Gooding so far. (As much as Schwimmer can't get away from Ross, I'll always see Clemenson - especially in a legal setting - as his Boston Legal character...)

I have mostly successfully avoided all things Kardashian, but have been reading bits and pieces about Kanye's latest insane hissyfits with some amusement.

But it's true... without OJ murdering Nicole and Ron, we may not have HAD 'the Kardashians'. It's a small piece, sure, but that aspect (their 'origin story') DOES belong here, I think... Sure, they may have insinuated themselves into our pop culture by dating or fucking musicians or sports figures and leaking sex tapes and whatever (and there was the Bruce Jenner factor) eventually anyway (there are probably Mayan prophecies about them...), but most everybody first heard the name FROM its association with OJ...
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bilki
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I'll agree that Paulson is great, mostly because I can watch when she's on the screen. As soon as Gooding Jr, Schwimmer or Travolta show up, I'm out. But she'll always be Merlyn to me.....someone's at the door!!!
Edited by bilki, Feb 19 2016, 01:31 AM.
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Dax
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Heh. I didn't watch American Gothic, had to look it up... (well, I think I saw the first one, but that was a long time ago... Wow, big cast of didn't-know-them-then-but-know-them-well-now people...)
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Gatekeeper
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Dax, I just can't stand the Kardashian family. I really have tried my best to avoid them at all cost but when they pop up on the news I get annoyed. Kanye is such a tool. No idea what his problem is.

I haven't' started watching the show yet and not sure I will. I have lots of stuff piling up on DVR and there is always the old 'Gilmore Girls' I want to catch up on.
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Dax
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I want you to watch Gilmore Girls, too, so you can share my excitement when the new ones come out.

Yup, the dvr just never seems to get less full, even when it's programmed to get less... I'm watching more things on the iPad, but have to be conscious of expiration dates and not letting myself get more than 3 or 4 behind on anything...

So much Netflix stuff I want to watch...

Did you see the trailer for Hulu's The Path? Hugh Dancy, Aaron Paul... looks SO good...

Too much tv.
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Dax
Feb 19 2016, 01:37 PM
I want you to watch Gilmore Girls, too, so you can share my excitement when the new ones come out.

Did you see the trailer for Hulu's The Path? Hugh Dancy, Aaron Paul... looks SO good...

Too much tv.
I don't have Hulu but I think eventually I may have to add it because I want to see The Path & 11.22.63. I may wait until this summer. I just don't have the time for that much TV.

I also really want to see Gilmore Girls and keep up with the conversation. I wanted to watch with Ashley but we never have the time. I may have to do some serious all night marathons with Lucky.
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Dax
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Joseph Siravo (Sopranos, GL) captured Fred Goldman very well.
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jbrr1212
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Yes he did. I liked this episode much more than previous ones since we are finally getting into the court portion. All the lawyer infighting was good. I still just really wish they had found someone else for OJ. I don't see how anyone thought that was good casting beyond the name recognition. Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey is pretty genius though.
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Dax
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Wow. http://mashable.com/2016/03/04/oj-simpson-knife/#63xOfjwGSOqD

I liked the Cochran/Darden spotlight episode.



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Dax
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#9 was good.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/we-go-deep-on-the-people-v-oj-simpson#.ge8LVZQ4Ww
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jbrr1212
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Yeah it was good. The series has improved little by little each week. I still hate Cuba as OJ but everyone else has grown into their roles well enough. Nathan Lane, Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance, and Sterling Brown are all pretty fabulous. I started out very iffy on the series but the last half has changed my opinion alot. I give it a solid B at this point.
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Dax
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Ended well. Well, except for the horrific injustice. Man, that jury... loved the (true, hilarious) line that they must have discussed the case less than anyone in America...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/american-crime-story-season2-details-881282
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jbrr1212
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It did end up being a well done series. I had my doubts but they pulled it off. Subject matter aside I enjoyed it performance/entertainment wise. I liked that they tied it all up and gave us a little post verdict stuff. I knew F. Lee Bailey had been disbarred but not that Shapiro testified against him so that was interesting to me. The next one is hurricane Katrina right? I trust them enough after this one to watch that one.
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Dax
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Next one is Katrina, yeah... Losing this one's head writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski... No cast signed for it yet (but Travolta says he'd be game)...
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