mike@brainstormingonaslowday.com
On slow days we can always discuss the "Media story about the Media" in the Kobe case. This is from a Philadelphia Tabloid.
lindybill@sixmonthsuntiltheprimaries.com
TRIAL OF THE NEW CENTURY
O.J. ONLY A DEMO OF WHAT TO EXPECT
By JIM NOLAN
nolanj@phillynews.com
THANKS TO Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson can now hunt for the "real killers" in peace.
Eight years after O.J., it's time for a new "Trial of the Century."
And the State of Colorado vs. Kobe Bryant has all the elements of the next great cable-news soap opera:
Celebrity, sex, violence and high stakes.
Fortunately, no one is dead.
But by the time the rape case against Bryant is put to bed, Kobe's career could be over, and Geraldo could have another talk show.
"The industry of TV news requires a trial of the century to hold them over between stories of the century," said Robert Thompson, Syracuse University professor of communications.
O.J., he said, was a "dress rehearsal" for the kind of coverage people can expect in the days ahead. "The 24-hour news channels have now figured out how they're going to grip a nation."
Bryant, 24, is scheduled to appear tomorrow in Eagle, Colo., to be arraigned formally on a single felony sexual-assault charge, stemming from a June 30 hotel-room rendezvous with a 19-year-old employee.
The alleged victim, a former high school cheerleader, says Bryant raped her and refused to let her leave after she willingly accompanied him to his room at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo., where she was working.
Bryant, who is married with an infant daughter, admits he had sex with the woman, but says it was consensual.
The sexual-assault charge carries a prison term of four years to life upon conviction, plus a hefty fine.
A trial is likely months away. But that hasn't kept the court of public opinion from sopping up saturation coverage a la O.J.
Granted, there is no white Bronco chase or freeloading houseguest. But there are a number of similarities between the two criminal cases that make it hard not to watch.
When good celebrities go bad
Prior to their arrest, both Simpson and Bryant had largely unblemished reputations in the public eye.
The "Juice" went from being one of the NFL's all-time-greatest running backs to a successful broadcasting career and lovable celebrity pitchman.
He ran through airports for Hertz and played the slapstick sidekick Nordberg opposite Leslie Nielsen in the "Naked Gun" movies.
Kobe was a renaissance man at 18 - well-traveled and fluent in Italian, the son of a former NBA player.
His wholesome image, charisma and unlimited ability on the court made him the rightful heir to Michael Jordan's NBA legacy, with his own compliment of multimillion-dollar soft-drink and sneaker deals.
"He's arguably an even more famous person than O.J. because he is in the prime of his career," said Loyola Law School professor Stan Goldman, who teaches criminal law and worked as a legal analyst for Fox during the Simpson trial.
"You've got a character you already know - his celebrity equity is there, and suddenly he's in this completely different story," Syracuse's Thompson said.
"And it's all going to play out in the ultimate TV drama, the courtroom."
Sex
Simpson's sexual jealousies of his former wife, Nicole Brown, were well-documented during his criminal trial and subsequent wrongful-death civil trial.
The heart of the charges against Bryant entail sex - at the very least, adultery, and at the worst, rape.
"It's salacious," Loyola's Goldman said. "Crimes of passion, of love - all that plays into the publicity."
He said that while the charges against Bryant may not be as serious as murder, the debate over whether their encounter was consensual or not is likely to have more resonance in living rooms of the general public.
"What also makes it interesting is that while it became so obvious that Simpson was guilty...in this case there might be some issue as to culpability - not just did he do it, but did he know he shouldn't be doing it? Did she communicate, and how did she communicate?"
Goodbye, Nutella
Simpson was on trial for his freedom. He won that, but lost his former life.
Bryant, likewise, faces a potential life prison term if convicted. But arguably his greatest challenge could be holding on to the life he's made - a new marriage and family, a career still in its prime, and millions in endorsements.
Yesterday, published reports said the makers of Nutella, the sweet chocolate spread, became the first product to dump Bryant as spokesman.
To keep Kobe in Nike, Coke and McDonald's, being found "not guilty" might not be enough, especially in the aftermath of O.J.
"He has to come out of this without the mystery of did or didn't he do it," Goldman said. "They have to prove he didn't do it."
Stay tuned.
philly.com |
