Mediaboss Marketing

The George Zimmerman verdict will be examined in a new Oxygen series called The Jury Speaks.

The four-night program focuses on headline-making verdicts, starts with the Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson cases, and concludes with Robert Durst. The jurors appear on camera and discuss the process of reaching the verdict.

The Zimmerman episode will premiere at 9 p.m. July 24. In 2013, a six-member jury found the Neighborhood Watch volunteer not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager, in Sanford.

Oxygen provided this preview and explained which jurors are taking part: Hear from Madelin Rivera, Amy Tronolone, Christine Barry, Lauren Germain and David Ramirez as they justify the hardest decision of their lives, and recount the unforgiving criticism they received in the wake of their verdict that divided a nation.

First up: The Jury Speaks: Michael Jackson at 9 p.m. July 22. Jurors explain why they found the singer not guilty of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor. The Oxygen preview: But now, after the emergence of new accusers and hard truths about Jacksons troubled childhood and tragic death, do they stand by their decision today?

The Jury Speaks: O.J. Simpson debuts at 9 p.m. July 23. Jurors discuss how 10 months of sequestration, isolation and stress affected the verdict. The former football star was found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

The Jury Speaks: Robert Durst debuts at 9 p.m. July 25. In 2003, the Manhattan real estate scion was found not guilty of murder. Jurors react to Dursts being caught on tape, in 2015, saying, I killed them all. The jurors explain how they would vote now with new information.

A fifth episode, The Jury Speaks: Robert Blake will be available on VOD starting July 23. Four jurors discuss finding the actor not guilty of the first-degree murder of his wife.

The series will allow viewers to hear straight from the people whose decisions ignited controversy and sparked a heated debate at the water coolers and in homes across America, said Rod Aissa, executive vice president for original programming and development at Oxygen Media.

The Jury Speaks is produced by Glass Entertainment Group.

hboedeker@orlandosentinel.com and 407-420-5756.

See the original post here:
George Zimmerman: 'The Jury Speaks' - Orlando Sentinel - Orlando Sentinel

Miami Herald

Miami poet Aja Monet makes us cry and wants to help others do the same Miami Herald The death of Trayvon Martin was the impetus for Selah's formation of the Dream Defenders, an activist group, and they hosted a month-long sit-in at the office of Governor Rick Scott to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman, Martin's murderer. But ...

Read more from the original source:
Miami poet Aja Monet makes us cry and wants to help others do the same - Miami Herald

Hi, out there. I have a roundup busting at the seams to see you through the weekend. All links have been quality-tested by me under the harshest conditions to ensure their quality. Lets do things list-style today, huh?

Podcasts

First up: A man serving a life sentence for murder decided to pass some time by listening to a podcast. He heard a voice he thought he recognized. He was right.

Need something a bit different to try? Archive 81 is a found footage podcast that describes itself as being about horror, cities, and the subconscious. Oh, and if you have any news about the disappearance of Dan Powell, they ask that you get in touch.

News

Weve looked at the case of alleged serial killer Bob Evans before (no, its not a joke), but this week the storyheres a refreshergot a little creepier with the release of a police interview with the now-deceased suspect. New Hampshire authorities are hoping Evans distinctive mannerisms might be familiar to someone there, in the hopes the murders of a woman and several children might finally be solved.

TV

Following its rebrand earlier this year, Oxygen now focuses solely on true crime. With so many hours in the day to fill, much of their programming so far has seemed a little uninspired, though they might get me to watch next month (at least for a few nights). On the 22nd, theyll air a four-part special called The Jury Speaks, in which jurors from some of the most high profile trials of recent memoryand who all voted to acquitwill share how they arrived at their decisions. That all seems fine, but the addition of a segment featuring an opportunity for jurors to deliberate and then render a new verdict seems a bit gratuitous. That said, if youve ever wondered what the people who sent home O.J. Simpson, Robert Durst, George Zimmerman (and more) were thinking, heres your chance.

The VennDiagram of true crime lovers and British crime drama fans seems to often overlap, so if youre a serious Anglophile, youll want to watch this trailer for The Loch, an atmospheric, horror-tinged, police procedural that takes place near Loch Ness. Its available for streaming on a service called Acorn (yeah, Id never heard of it either), but the monthly price is reasonable and this show might be worth it.

Finally, maybe you also need to process the disturbing Bill Cosby-Cliff Huxtable dichotomy a bit? This piece will walk you through it.

Film

Not a lot going on in the world of true crime on the big screen, except for the drama surrounding All Eyez on Me, the Tupac Shakur biopic. If anyone disliked it more than AEs Dave Shreve, it might be Jada Pinkett Smith. We dont revel in disparaging movies on this site, but sometimes we have toand its not fun.

Books

Bustle has a roundup of non-fiction books Too Creepy to be True Except they Totally Are and that first one lookshoooo. Youll want to check it out.

In some soul-affirming news, the late crime writer Michelle McNamaras account of her search for The Golden State Killer, Ill Be Gone in the Dark, finally has a pub date. Im sorry shes not here to enjoy it, but hopefully her work will live on and bear fruit.

Longreads

Id argue theres no city in the States thats creepier than Los Angeles. I lived there for a bit and still miss its rich broth of transplant weirdos, idle rich, decades of Hollywood depravity, imminent natural disasters, and what people refer to as its quality of light which I suspect is a polite way of saying Shit feels weird here, but I dont know why? So since Im feeling nostalgic, here are a few LA crime classics:

Thats it! Ill see on Tuesday when we take a deep dive into an unsolved murder.

Featured Image: The Jury Speaks, Oxygen Network

Read more:
BLOTTER | June 22 - Audiences Everywhere (press release) (blog)

Fridays acquittal of police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the shooting death of Minnesota resident Philando Castile is reaffirmation that the system does not work for African-Americans,Black Lives Matter co-founder Melina Abdullah said Saturday.

Abdullah, a professor at California State University in Los Angeles, said the organization will continue working for a world in which black people are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.

We understand that these are not accidents, she said in Los Angeles on Friday. That this system was created to produce these outcomes, and so we have to transform the system.

Castile, a 32-year-old nutrition services supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul, was shot to death during a July 2016 traffic stop. Police said they stopped him because he fit the description of a robbery suspect; dashcam video released today reveals the officer telling Castile he had been pulled over because of a non-functioning taillight. Castiles fiancee, Diamond Reynolds, and her 4-year-old daughter were also riding in the car.

In the video, the officer asks to see Castiles license and registration. Castile, who possessed a carry permit for a firearm, can be heard calmly telling Yanez that he was licensed to carry and had a gun. Yanez can be heard telling Castile dont pull it out while Castile replies multiple times that hes not; Yanez then fired several shots into Castiles chest.

Reynolds broadcast the scene from her vantage point using Facebook Live after the shooting. Yanez on Friday was acquitted of a second-degree manslaughter charge and two counts of intentional discharge of firearm that endangers safety.

Abdullah described Black Lives Matter, which was formed following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, as the second anti-lynching movement. She was joined by Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon.

Fulton called on activists to get involved and continue supporting the movement, which she said starts with elected officials, pastors and other community leaders. Fulton said that while she believes the justice system is still broken, there has been progress since her sons death in that there is greater awareness surrounding the issue, due to cell phones, surveillance and police cameras. She said events like the annual Trayvon Martin Peace Walk in Miami are reminders that citizens have the right to walk down the street in peace without being followed, chased, profiled and murdered.

You dont have to necessarily be doing something wrong, she said. Sometimes its how other people perceive you or who you are. I think everybody knows that theres a lot of hate going on in this country that we definitely have to turn around.

Teri Williams, owner of Los Angeles-based OneUnited Bank, the largest black-owned bank in the country, moderated Saturdays discussion. She described a recent incident in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami in which she and a business partner were eating lunch inside a car when a police officer drew a weapon and told them to exit the vehicle with their hands up. Police, according to Williams, had been investigating a shooting in the area. She recalled feeling frozen and confused about how to exit the car without appearing as a threat to the officer.

View original post here:
BLM Founder: Acquittal in Castile Shooting Further Evidence That System is Broken - PJ Media

HOMES FOR VETS: A new reality television show filming in Las Vegas awards home to veterans. Music star Ray J is the host of Homes 4 Heroes. The unique program is sponsored by Las Vegas business owner Maria Miuccio who owns Cash Kingdom, a payday and title loan company. Maria, who also owns an All State insurance franchise, plans to give away 60 homes to veterans and first-responders during the run of the TV program. Former U.S. Army veteran and Nevada Assemblyman John Moore, who lives in the first house Maria donated, is assisting in the veterans nominating process.

CELINES TOUR REACHES LONDON: The British leg of global superstar Celine Dions European tour begins officially tonight June 20 in London with two back-to-back nights of spectaculars at the O2 Arena to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Our Vegas photographer Denise Truscello sent me this photo from Celines European tour that opened in Copenhagen, Denmark June 17. Celine has been based from Paris while hopscotching across the continent and thrilled the thousands of fans jostling outside the Royal Monceau Hotel daily with new fashion outfits. Shell wrap up the European schedule with a return to London for her Live 2017 tour at the O2 on July 29-30.

She has packed 28 songs into her nightly set list: 1. The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush cover), 2. I Drove All Night (Cyndi Lauper cover), 3. Taking Chances (Platinum Weird cover), 4. Loved Me Back to Life, 5. Thats The Way It Is, 6. Im Alive, 7. Its All Coming Back To Me Now (Pandoras Box cover). 8. How Does A Moment Last Forever (Alan Menken cover), 9. Beauty and the Beast (Alan Menken cover), 10. Think Twice, 11. The Reason (Carole King cover), 12. Recovering, 13. The Color of My Love, 14. Im Your Angel, 15. My Love, 16. Because You Loved Me, 17. Pour Que Tu Maimes (Encore), 18. All By Myself (Eric Carmen cover), 19. Refuse To Dance, 20. Love Is All We Need, 21. Treat Her Like A Lady, 22. Misled, 23. Black or White (Michael Jackson cover), 24. Love Can Move Mountains, 25. River Deep, Mountain High, (Ike and Tina Turner cover), 26. The Show Must Go On (Queen cover), 27. My Heart Will Go On, and in a salute to her late husband ends with 28. Love of My Life (Queen cover.)

Her teenage son, Rene Charles, has stayed home here at Lake Las Vegas for now; although its said he will join his mother later on the tour schedule. As a ice-hockey fan and player he wanted to be here for the June 21 NHL Awards show and the reveal of the Vegas Golden Knights expansion team roster.

THE JURY SPEAKS: O.J. Simpson, who is serving a minimum nine-year prison sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center (Lovelock, Nevada, is 90 miles northeast of Reno) is one of the subjects of a unique new four-night television event about jury verdicts that stunned the nation. It will broadcast on the Oxygen network in July. My friend, Nancy Glass, and her Glass Entertainment Group are producing The Jury Speaks, which also introduces the juries of the Michael Jackson, George Zimmerman and Robert Durst cases. She told me that the new true-crime series re-examines the high-profile controversial cases through the eyes of the people who served on the original jury. When the O.J. Simpson episode airs July 23, jury members Lionel Cryer, Yolanda Crawford, David Aldana and Jeanette Harris recount the horrors of 10 months in sequestration and how the stress and isolation they faced affected Americas most controversial verdict .

O.J. was found not guilty for the brutal murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her companion, Ron Goldman. But he was found guilty of armed robbery at our Palace Station when he attempted to retrieve some of his belongings he claimed were being sold by memorabilia collectors. He received a maximum sentence of 33 years for carrying a loaded weapon into a Nevada casino and a minimum of nine years after which he would be eligible for parole. According to a LA Times report last September, he toils in the prison gym mopping floors and cleaning equipment.

This would be the first time the jurors have talked en masse about their experience and the trial that led to their surprising not guilty verdict in the murder case. Each juror will reveal what led them to their decision, if their vote would change today and how the aftermath of their verdicts subjected them to public ridicule, harassment and scorn.

It offers our viewers a fresh perspective on one of the most highly publicized trials in American history, said Oxygen medias vice president of original programming, Rod Aissa. In his statement he continued: The series will allow viewers to hear straight from the people whose decisions ignited controversy and sparked a heated debate at the water coolers and in homes across America.

O.J. (Prisoner 1027820) one of almost 1,700 inmates there in a town of just 2,000 is not expected to be able to watch the new series as it plays on premium cable but also because only 10 to 15 channels are approved for prisoners. The Juice will have served the minimum nine years of the sentence this coming October when he could be paroled. If denied his next opportunity for freedom would be in 2022.

200 SHOWS & A RENEWAL: Choreographer and producer Nanette Barbera will celebrate the 200th anniversary of her Solid Gold Soul show at Windows in Ballys on Thursday with a new six-month renewal. And she also broke the news to me that she will open Solid Gold Soul II up in Reno where her new ICandy show, featuring Baywatch beauty Angelica Bridges will open July 13, prior to it moving to Las Vegas later this year.

FLYING DRONES ON THE STRIP: The FAA has given permission to the new AviSight drone company to fly over the world famous Strip marking yet another critical milestone for the las Vegas based company. FAA regulatory guidance and the Strips proximity to McCarran airspace had previously limited permission for the iconic Vegas strip. My pal, sports agent J B Bernstein who lives here in Las vegas and created the Million Dollar Arm baseball reality TV show heads up AviSight. He told me : Safety is in our DNA.

AviSight has received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones over the world-famous Strip. It marks yet another critical milestone for the Las Vegas-based company. We are so proud and grateful that the FAA has granted us this permission, not only because it allows us to provide a great service to companies that want to showcase the centerpiece of our world-renowned city, but it once again illustrates that AVIsight is the leader in safe drone operations, J.B. said.

Here is a link to some new video AviSight recently shot on the Strip:

AviSight has a long list of firsts in the drone industry, including,

1) First to fly drones for Fox News live national broadcast, FOX NFL Sunday

2) First to fly drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for cloud seeding

3) First to fly drones at night under the Nevada Institute of Autonomous Systems authorization

4) First to fly a commercial drone at a major air show, Thunder Over Louisville

Eric Preiss of the Nevada Film Office explained: Las Vegas Boulevard is one of the most iconic scenes in film and television. You cant recreate it on a sound stage or film it with a green screen. The safe operation of drones gives production companies so many different options to capture the beauty of the boulevard. AviSight has already begun filming and taking still photos for the city of Las Vegas, as well as several of the iconic hotel properties on the Strip.

MONTHS IN ADVANCE: The three-day Rt 91 Harvest country music festval with Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Sam Hunt set for Sept. 29 weekened has been completely sold out. The fourth annual festival sold out in previous years but this is the first time the two-stage festival has sold out four months in advance. Three years is not long when it comes to growth of a festival but this festival had a life of its own from the get-go, said Live Nations President of Country Touring, Brian OConnell. It is held at the Las Vegas Village grounds opposite the Luxor hotel.

Originally posted here:
Celine Dion's European tour begins - Las Vegas Review-Journal