State of the Arts
 | By Brian A. Gnatt Daily Arts Editor |
Last week, pop culture junkies around the world got to see the final chapter in what will probably go down as the greatest saga in mass media history. No, it wasn't the re-release of "Star Wars," but a drama with more twists and turns than could ever be dreamed up at a Hollywood board meeting.
For the past 2 1/2 years, people around the globe have been awaiting a verdict in the O.J. Simpson trials that would hold the ex-football star liable for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife and her friend. Finally, last week, Simpson was found responsible for the killings, putting an end to the most popular trial in American history. The O.J. Simpson saga wasn't simply an opportunity for Americans to see the justice system in action - it was entertainment for the common people with a story even more spectacular than the greatest John Grisham novel.
But truth is stranger than fiction.
The Simpson saga had everything Hollywood producers hope for in a blockbuster movie: violence (the murders), lust (a jealous ex-husband), action (Bronco chase), taboo (black man, white woman) and drama (court cases). Best of all, it lasted so long and had so many different surprises that a number of people were able to stay entertained as O.J. trudged through the legal system.
The fact that there were two trials made the O.J. saga even more like a movie - a top-notch movie. When the first trial ended with Simpson's acquittal (the bad guy winning), it became obvious there would be a sequel ("The Ex-Football Player Strikes Back"). Thankfully, the forces of good triumphed in the second round ("Return of the Goldmans"), but not until after another long and difficult battle.
When the verdict from the civil trial interrupted the president's State of the Union Address and even aired in place of the speech on MSNBC, it was a defining moment for American culture. The fact that the media and the public deem a civil trial worthy enough to interrupt Bill Clinton's annual address, and then appear as the top story on a good number of media outlets is absurd, yet a clear statement on American society and the media today.
Now that the bulk of Simpson's court battles are over, it will be interesting to see what happens to all of the 15-minutes-of-famers who made careers out of the Brown/Goldman murders. Kato hasn't been heard from for a while, but Fae Resnick appeared on "Geraldo" earlier this week. CNBC talk show hosts Charles Grodin and Geraldo Rivera won't know what to do with their late-night shows without the latest tidbit of O.J. news and a panel of O.J. "experts." Housewives around the globe will have to turn back to their soaps and "Jenny Jones" as the world reverts back to life without Orenthal James Simpson.
What was life like before O.J.? I have a hard time remembering. I was a month out of my first year at Michigan, working a crappy job in a yogurt store as the C.H.iP.s chased a white Bronco around the L.A. freeways. I remember customers coming in, talking about the car chase while it was on TV. Little did I know it would still be on when I got home three hours later. Little did I know I would be writing a column about something so ridiculous almost three years later.
- Reach Brian at bgnatt@umich.edu