The People Vs OJ Simpson

After viewing just one episode of The People VS OJ Simpson, I'm hooked.

On a personal note, it's odd, in the way that getting older continues to confound me,

to watch an historical event that I lived through as an adult.

The murders and subsequent trial were the backdrop of my first years in LA.  

Of course, this was National, front page news, but it was also local, and somehow personal.

The infamous car chase on June 17, 1994 had caused heavier than usual Friday night traffic.

I recall leaving my office at Universal that night, concerned I'd be late for dinner.

Over the following year and a half, meetings with writers often started with reactions to the incredulous occurrences in the court room.

Kato Kaelin was like a sitcom character who wandered into a crime show.

Later, he'd break the forth wall, showing up at industry parties as a C-list celebrity.

I was working with one writer who was addicted

to watching round-the-clock courtroom coverage.

I had to constantly remind her of our deadlines, and to turn off the TV.
On a different project, the writer named the local hang out
Judge Ito's Side Bar & Grill.

Early on a cool Monday morning, notepads left in the conference room, 

we gathered in my boss' office to hear the verdict.

Palpable anxiety in a still room. 

The Rodney King riots lingered in the city's psyche.

Would people take to the streets if they didn't like the outcome?

The foreman stumbled over OJ's name.

Not guilty.

Not guilty?

I felt disheartened, shocked.

I had just watched someone get away with murder.

The case underscored something I was witnessing in Hollywood:

celebrity was the ultimate commodity.

It was a harsh awakening.