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When OJ Simpson was tried for murder in 1995 in front of a national TV audience, it was hyped as "The Trial of the Century" and played to riveted audiences.
So will his freedom bid on Thursday count as the "Parole Hearing Of The Century?"
Prepare for lots of hype and lots of coverage - perhaps a break from non-stop Trumpage - with 30 news organizations filing to cover this Thursday's televised hearing on whether the former football star will go free on his 2008 Nevada conviction for armed robbery. Most pundits believe the jail door will swing open, although he may not officially get out until later this year.
But expect the hype mobile on most U.S. cable networks to be running at full speed (even ESPN is covering it live) and be aware that wherever you tune on Thursday, there will be no getting away from it. At least for one more day.
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Great. My soaps will be pre-empted. 🙄
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Actually, my point wasn't that it's Must See TV. My real point (outside of the one under my hat) is that the networks spun OJ into gold before and they can't wait to see if that now infamous name still works. It's all about exploiting a celebrity and his fall from grace. I'm pretty sure they never expected to get a second or even a third act out of this drama.
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While much of the world was watching the Simpson parole coverage, viewers of Buffalo's major OTA network TV stations saw none of it. That's because an apparent tornado hit part of the city, forcing all the news departments that were setting up for one huge story to wind up with a very different one. (Of course, they could still watch it on cable if they wanted.)
Not saying they made the wrong call - in fact, they did the right thing - but there's no small irony in the fact that one of the most anticipated stories of the year involving a legendary Bills star was usurped in the Queen City by the other thing Buffalo may be best known for - its weather.
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Ironically, I switched to The Weather Network to get away from the OJ coverage that was happening on so many of the other channels that I normally watch. Definitely a good move by the Buffalo stations.
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Been watching the US news channels and the OJ hearing while covered live is not the story that has dominated this week. Here is what has in somewhat of a chronological order for the week:
1. The Trump Jr meeting that has been described as everything from a nothing burger to a whoper with cheese
2. The US Healthcare debate with the republican "zombie" bill apparently going down for now.
3. The Trump NY Times interview from yesterday where he smacks down one of his closest allies, US Attorney General Jeff Session, and Sessions does not resign. Here's a very small part of that interview:
TRUMP: Well, Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else.
...so Jeff Sessions, Jeff Sessions gave some bad answers.
Last edited by Fitz (July 20, 2017 6:53 pm)
I didn't give it a second...let alone a minute.
I'm waiting for the made for TV 'movie'.