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How OJ Simpson’s ‘Trial Of The Century’ Opened The Door To Trump’s Presidency

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O.J. Simpson captured the nation’s attention for the final time Thursday.

Breaking news banners and push alerts flooded screens throughout the country, shocking millions with the news of the former public Football League star’s death, and the moment provided one final Simpson-centric collective experience for the public consciousness.

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How OJ Simpson’s ‘Trial Of The Century’ Opened The Door To Trump’s Presidency

However, the impact the former Heisman Trophy-winning running back, who captivated the nation as he was prosecuted and eventually acquitted for the heinous murder of his ex-wife, had on America’s media environment will last long beyond his death.

It is reasonable to doubt if Donald Trump would have risen to political power and become president without Simpson.

On the surface, that may appear far-fetched. However, Simpson’s all-consuming trial profoundly impacted the present media environment. The media landscape was forever altered when Simpson led police on a low-speed chase along a Los Angeles freeway after being accused of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Simpson’s subsequent trial in 1995 generated tremendous public interest, with 150 million people tuning in on October 3 to witness the startling decision given live on television. The case’s exceptional attention helped launch the careers of a generation of household media stars, including Jeffrey Toobin, Nancy Grace, Greta Van Susteren, Dan Abrams, Harvey Levin, Gregg Jarrett, and countless others.

The trial was also a watershed moment in using live TV cameras in the courtroom, changing a traditionally closed-to-the-public legal process into a cultural and entertainment spectacle dubbed the Trial of the Century. Judge Lance Ito’s judgment is still relevant today, with judges frequently condemning the “circus” atmosphere produced by the trial as they consider whether to allow the public to observe similar procedures.

However, the trial’s most significant impact on American life was broader. The Simpson trial ushered in a media landscape where gory reality television and talking-head cable news predominated.

Not only did Simpson’s trial vault Robert Kardashian (and hence the entire Kardashian family) to stardom, but it was also the first major reality television show to captivate the nation, paving the way for several succeeding programs that capitalized on unscripted high drama.

simpson

How OJ Simpson’s ‘Trial Of The Century’ Opened The Door To Trump’s Presidency

Meanwhile, the wall-to-wall coverage of Simpson’s court battle, which captivated the nation, significantly increased viewing of channels such as CNN and Court TV, helping to establish cable’s reputation as a destination for live news. Before the courtroom drama, Americans relied heavily on nightly newscasts for their daily dose of news. However, the O.J. trial provided infinite courtroom drama, compelling millions to tune in before personalities such as Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw appeared on television.

In fact, according to a 1995 New York Times article, the increase in cable television viewership was so great that it lowered the audience for the three broadcast nightly news shows. Andy Lack, then-president of NBC News, claimed the impact was so strong that he was concerned about the Peacock network taking a “significant economic hit.”

The O.J. trial’s impact on television news didn’t end there. According to Michael Socolow, a media historian and University of Maine Communications and Journalism professor, the trial influenced Rupert Murdoch’s decision to create Fox News. Socolow stated that the Australian media magnate “grew enraged” after witnessing CNN founder Ted Turner “rake in” an estimated $200 million from the live broadcast of Simpson’s trial. To that end, Socolow claimed Murdoch was motivated to launch his right-wing alternative in 1996 to secure his piece of the rich pie.

It’s tough to envision Trump winning the presidency without the three-legged stool that Simpson’s trial helped erect. Is there a Trump presidency without reality TV, cable news, or, specifically, Fox News?

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How OJ Simpson’s ‘Trial Of The Century’ Opened The Door To Trump’s Presidency

Trump used each of these branches of the post-Simpson media world to acquire popularity and eventually gain—and maintain—political power.

“Simpson shown that high ratings can generate big revenues from content that does not require actors, writers, or sets. Reality TV had begun earlier, but after Simpson, there was an explosion of ‘Reality TV,'” Socolow wrote in an email. “That’s how ‘The Apprentice’ gave Donald Trump a comeback in American culture, and he rode his reality TV stardom to the White House.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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Jason Kelce Smashes Football Fan’s Phone

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Jason Kelce Smashes College Football Fan's Phone

Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce destroyed a Penn State football fan’s phone after the alleged heckler called his brother, Travis Kelce, a fag.

In now-viral footage published on X (previously Twitter) on Saturday, Nov. 2, the retired Philadelphia Eagles great was seen accompanied by football fans outside Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., for the Penn State-Ohio State game.

As the individual capturing the tape lifted a fist to Jason, 36, and called his name for a fist bump, another man nearby hurled the homophobic slur at the retired Philadelphia Eagles star.

Hey, Kelce. How does it feel that your brother is a queer dating Taylor Swift?” the man questioned, referring to Travis, 34, who has been seeing Swift since 2023. Jason turned around seconds later, snatched the man’s phone, and crushed it to the ground.

“Looked like a Penn State student was getting in Kelce’s face for no reason,” the original X user who submitted the video remarked. “Wild scene in State College.”

Additional footage on X shows Jason smashing the phone on asphalt before picking it up and walking away. The phone’s owner, wearing a Penn State hoodie at the time of the incident, was shown in many videos strolling closely behind Jason and recording him before the conflict occurred.

Another footage published on X, which appears to have been filmed after Jason shattered the man’s phone, showed the hooded Penn State supporter trudging through a mob to pick up his phone off the ground.

“Give me my phone, bro,” he seemed to say to Jason.

The NFL alum seized the gadget first, then stood in front of the man and asked, “Who’s the fag now?” Others appeared to interfere.

The incident occurred while Jason was at Beaver Stadium for an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay. The Ohio State Buckeyes won Saturday’s game 20-13 over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

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Shaun White, the Olympic snowboarding champion, already has an impressive medal tally, but his surprise proposal to Nina Dobrev deserves a gold medal.

On Wednesday, the couple announced their engagement on Instagram. Dobrev posted photographs of the two hugging under an arch of white roses and showing off her five-carat Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring.

“RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé,” Dobrev said in the caption.

However, the photographs only tell half the tale, as Shaun devised an elaborate plan to surprise Dobrev with his proposal.

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Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

According to a Vogue interview published Wednesday, Shaun said he assembled a team of people from the couple’s inner circle and Vogue personnel to trick Dobrev into thinking she had been invited to an intimate dinner party with Anna Wintour.

White claimed that his publicist emailed Dobrev a forged invitation to the event, which was scheduled to take place at the Golden Swan in New York City.

Dobrev accepted the invitation, joking that Shaun made it “look so legitimate.”

He even asked Dobrev’s stylist to outfit her in Chanel for the event.

Dobrev said she recognized what was happening when she entered the venue and saw White standing beneath the flowery arch.

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Shaun’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

“I went into shock,” Dobrev admitted, later adding that White “said all the right things” before she agreed.

According to the publication, after Shaun proposed, the couple partied into the early morning hours with close friends and relatives.

“Best night of my life,” Shaun captioned his Instagram story on Wednesday.

The duo first became romantically involved in 2020, and they have since publicly recorded their relationship, globe vacations, and White’s Olympic farewell on social media.

SOURCE  | CNN

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Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79

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Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79
Teri Garr, known for her roles in classics like "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has passed away at 79.

Hollywood actress Teri Garr, known for her roles in classics like “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has passed away at 79. She died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer.

Admirers took to social media in her honor, with writer-director Paul Feig calling her “truly one of my comedy heroes. I couldn’t have loved her more” and screenwriter Cinco Paul saying: “Never the star, but always shining. She made everything she was in better.”

Throughout her career, the performer, often known as Terri, Terry, or Terry Ann, seemed destined for show business from a young age.

Her father was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comic, and her mother was Phyllis Lind, one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Their daughter began dancing classes at six and was performing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies by age fourteen.

She was 16 years old when she joined the road crew of “West Side Story” in Los Angeles, and she began starring in small roles in films as early as 1963.

In an interview from 1988, she described how she landed the role in “West Side Story.” After being rejected at her initial audition, she returned the following day dressed differently and was accepted.

Teri Garr, a comedian

Teri Garr then found steady work as a movie dancer, appearing in the chorus of nine Elvis Presley films, including “Viva Las Vegas,” “Roustabout,” and “Clambake.”

She has also appeared on various television shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer on the rock ‘n’ roll music show “Shindig,” the rock concert performance “T.A.M.I.,” and a cast member of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”

Her breakthrough role was as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 thriller The Conversation. This led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who offered her the Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant role in Young Frankenstein if she could speak with a German accent.

“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once said.

The film established her as a great comic performer, with New Yorker film writer Pauline Kael calling her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on screen.”

Her big smile and off-center appeal helped her land roles in “Oh, God!” with George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife), and “Tootsie,” in which she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and discovers he has dressed up as a woman to revive his career.

 A gift for spontaneous humor

Teri Garr, best known for comedy, has shown in films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, and The Escape Artist that she can also tackle drama.

She had a gift for spontaneous humor, frequently playing David Letterman’s foil during early guest appearances on N.B.C.’s “Late Night With David Letterman”.

Her appearances grew so frequent, and the pair’s good-natured bickering so convincing that rumors of romantic involvement circulated for a while. Years later, Letterman acknowledged those early appearances with helping the program become a success.

During those years, Garr began to experience “a little beeping or ticking” in her right leg. It started in 1983 and expanded to her right arm, but she thought she could handle it. By 1999, her symptoms had gotten so bad that she saw a doctor and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

After disclosing her diagnosis, Garr became a spokesman for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, giving hilarious remarks at events in the United States and Canada.

Source: AP

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