Latest news with #O.J.:MadeinAmerica
Vox
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Vox
What makes an 'American' true crime?
writes about pop culture, media, and ethics. Before joining Vox in 2016, they were a staff reporter at the Daily Dot. A 2019 fellow of the National Critics Institute, they're considered an authority on fandom, the internet, and the culture wars. What makes something an 'American' crime? It's a question that's inadvertently surfaced in true crime entertainment lately. The trend started with the twin pillars of O.J. Simpson television projects in 2016 — American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, Ryan Murphy's fictionalized account of the 1995 trial, and the documentary series O.J.: Made in America. Since then, we've seen a number of true crime shows — most docuseries, but scripted ones too — being given the title 'American [X].' Netflix has been especially keen on the naming trend recently. There's 2023's Waco: American Apocalypse, about the deadly Branch Davidian siege in Texas in 1993. Last year's American Conspiracy delved into a gnarly conspiracy theory linked to the death of a freelance journalist in West Virginia in the early '90s. American Nightmare told the horrific story of a woman's encounter with cops who refused to believe her abduction had been real. In addition to American Crime Story, which also aired seasons about the murder of Gianni Versace and the Clinton impeachment scandal, there are the other 'American' series. American Murder has so far covered the killings of three different women (Shanann Watts, Laci Peterson, and Gabby Petito), while American Manhunt has looked at the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, O.J. Simpson from Bronco chase to trial, and the quest to track down Osama bin Laden. The trend shows no sign of stopping: Hulu will soon air Good American Family, a dramatization of the convoluted story of Natalia Grace. Brand strategist and linguist Laurel Sutton suggests that the phenomenon grew out of American Psycho, in which novelist Bret Easton Ellis consciously used the title as a critique of the country's culture and values that helped create a monster. These true crime shows, similarly, are 'attempting to identify something that is specifically American about the kinds of crimes or criminals that they're profiling,' she says. What that something is, though, is in the eye of the beholder. 'Branding anything with 'America' is designed to have all these different resonances for all these different people,' Sutton explains. That's partly why the word is effective from a marketing perspective, 'because it applies to so many different things depending on who you're talking to.' It's also a uniquely American trend: 'You don't see that branding in other places. You don't see German Crime or Dutch Housewives.' In a 2016 piece on the trend of 'American' shows in that era, a branding expert put forth that the word America 'codes for a multiplicity of perspectives and outlooks, which is why the word is so common in anthology series, yet also points to a larger collective experience, which is why the word accompanies so many shows that explore race and gender.' Cristina Mislán teaches media history at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and she points out that the true crime genre acts as 'something of a black mirror' to the nation itself, with its history of violence and current precarious status. To call these shows American, she suggests, 'says something about what this country is' — with all its contradictions and complications on full display. One way to think about this bumper crop of true crime titles is that they're intended to be read ironically, to make you aware that there's some lie at the heart of what's being examined. For example, each of the victims profiled in the American Murder series has been a middle-class white woman supposedly living out a heteronormative version of the 'American dream.' For the Peterson and Watts families, that package included marriage, children, and financial prosperity; for Gabby Petito, it included traveling the country with her boyfriend in an idealized #vanlife. All three women projected a positive, upbeat public image, but all three had partners who ultimately murdered them. The American Murder series takes pains to highlight the ways in which the murders evince larger social themes, including domestic violence, the pressures of parenthood, and, in Petito's case, the inadequate protections of law enforcement. The series also makes sure you understand it's aware of the problem it's perpetuating: 'Missing White Woman Syndrome,' wherein the stories of white women who vanish consume far more public interest than those of people of color. Sutton suggests the irony is part of the appeal; both she and Mislán spoke of a kind of catharsis that can come from seeing this uneasy juxtaposition onscreen. 'I think a lot of Americans do have this ironic awareness,' Sutton said. 'You want to watch something to see yourself get taken down a little bit. As an American, we're gonna find out how horrible Americans really are, and I know this in my soul, but it's nice to hear somebody else say it.' At the same time, that irony only goes so far when true crime shows inherently peddle what they critique. While American Murder takes pains to demonstrate Shanann Watts's intense focus on presenting the 'perfect' family image for her social media audience, it's hard not to see such shows as examples of the voyeurism they condemn. True crime's fixation on mining individual cases for storytelling may also be part of the problem. 'We often want to place everything on individual stories because this is a country of individualism,' Mislán points out. 'Part of Americanness and American exceptionalism is this idea of rugged individualism.' Take American Nightmare, which makes a compelling argument that systemic misogyny undergirded the police response to victim Denise Huskins when she was abducted from her home in 2015. It is both a valiant attempt by the documentarians and all too easy for the audience to zero in on the singular crime at hand regardless. Mislán argues that we have an easier time focusing on the discrete stories of drama, tragedy, and occasional triumph offered by true crime — but a much harder time thinking about the structures that make them possible. 'We tend to not be able to think systemically,' she said, pointing specifically to the impact of policing and the crime beat on American criminal justice.'We get some catharsis, but we never actually hold the system to account at the end of the day.' Still, there are so many basic aspects of American society that get interrogated through true crime that it remains, for many people, a useful lens through which to think about larger issues. 'Crime is a place where everything is heightened,' Sutton says. That pulls us in, and creates an opportunity for us to contemplate how, under the right circumstances, we too could end up in a story like this. Even these series' attempts at rectifying narratives that have long been sensationalized imply something about American identity. As Mislán points out, sensationalism is the point: our insatiable appetite for true crime, and the willingness of the media to capitalize on that, is the reason there's even a narrative to begin with. To look at the current crop of 'American' true crime, then, is to come up with a portrait of America that's illuminating: clearly flawed, built on broken systems and cultural beliefs that need interrogating — but perhaps, striving for something better.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prince Documentary Director Speaks Out About Canceled Netflix Project: ‘It's a Joke'
After Netflix canceled his nine-hour Prince documentary, director Ezra Edelman is speaking out about 'The Book of Prince,' which was intended to be a six-part film about the late singer. Last month, Netflix announced that it would not be moving forward with the doc, releasing a statement that it had agreed with the Prince estate to shelve Edelman's project in favor of developing a new one. Per sources close to the situation, Prince reps had previously claimed that a first cut of the movie was filled with 'dramatic' factual inaccuracies and 'sensationalized' renderings of certain events from his life. More from Variety 'Purple Rain' Returns to Theaters for One-Night Dolby Cinema Presentation Controversial Prince Netflix Documentary Will Not Be Released, Estate Is Free to Create New Project Tyka Nelson, Singer and Prince's Only Full Sibling, Dies at 64 Edelman, who won an Oscar for his 2016 documentary 'O.J.: Made in America,' spoke candidly about the shelved doc during an interview with the 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' podcast, refuting the estate's claims that the film contained inaccuracies. 'I mean whatever, it's a joke,' he said. 'Here's the one thing they're allowed to do: check the film for factual inaccuracies. Guess what? They came back with a 17-page document full of editorial issues, not factual issues. You think I have any interest in putting out a film that's factually inaccurate?' He elaborated by stating that the issues with the estate boiled down to control. 'This is reflective of Prince himself, who was notoriously [one of] the most famous control freaks in the history of artists,' he continued. 'The irony being that Prince was somebody that fought for artistic freedom, who didn't want to be held down by Warner Bros. who he believed was stifling his output. Now, in this case, it's like, by the way I'm not Prince, but I worked really hard making something and now my art's being stifled and thrown away.' Edelman was tapped as a replacement for the original director, Ava DuVernay, after Netflix and representatives of Comerica Bank, the interim executor for Prince's estate, made a deal for the doc in 2018. He was given extensive access to Prince's archives and spent five years making a nine-hour version of the film. 'I'm like, this is a gift,' said Edelman. 'A nine-hour treatment about an artist who was by the way fucking brilliant. Everything about who you believe he is is in this movie. You get to bathe in his genius. And yet, you also have to confront his humanity.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oscar Winner Ezra Edelman Slams ‘Short-Sighted' Netflix Over Scrapped Prince Doc: ‘My Art Is Being Stifled'
Ezra Edelman did not mince words when asked for his perspective on his Prince documentary being scrapped at Netflix. While on the 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' podcast in an episode that aired Tuesday, the Oscar-winning 'O.J.: Made in America' director said Netflix and Prince's estate thinking his nine-hour, six-part docuseries would harm the artist's legacy is 'a joke.' 'Here's the one thing they were allowed to do – check for factual inaccuracies,' Edelman said. 'Guess what? They came back with a 17-page document full of editorial issues, not factual issues. 'You think I have any interest in putting out a film that is factually inaccurate?' Edelman was quick to point out that Prince championed artistic freedom and now a documentary about his life is being blocked for its maker's own creative decisions. 'I'm not Prince, but I worked really hard making something and now my art is being stifled and thrown away,' he said. Watch a segment from the interview below: Edelman later added, 'I can't get past this – the short-sightedness of a group of people whose interest is their own bottom line. They're afraid of his humanity. The lawyer who runs the estate essentially said he believed this would do generational harm to Prince.' Netflix and the Prince estate released a statement in early February announcing that Edelman's project would not release and the streamer would be putting together a different documentary on the legend. 'The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince's archive,' Netflix said in a statement. 'As a result, the Netflix documentary will not be released.' When Edelman signed on for the project, he was given access to the late artist's archives to produce a six-hour series. According to a report by the New York Times, he instead turned in a nine-hour cut of the docuseries that included Prince's ex-girlfriends accusing him of both physical and emotional abuse. 'This is a gift — a nine-hour treatment about an artist that was, by the way, f–king brilliant,' Edelman finished. 'Everything about who you believe he is is in this movie. You get to bathe in his genius. And yet you also have to confront his humanity.' The post Oscar Winner Ezra Edelman Slams 'Short-Sighted' Netflix Over Scrapped Prince Doc: 'My Art Is Being Stifled' appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Director of Prince Doc Blasts Singer's Estate, Netflix Over Cancellation of Movie: ‘They're Afraid of His Humanity'
Director Ezra Edelman spent nearly five years meticulously piecing together his sprawling, nine-hour documentary about Prince. In an appearance this week on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, the Oscar- and Primetime Emmy-winning director of O.J.: Made in America called the decision by Netflix and the Prince estate to pull the plug on the film a 'joke.' 'The estate, here's the one thing they were allowed to do: Check the film for factual inaccuracies. Guess what? They came back with a 17-page document full of editorial issues — not factual issues,' Edelman said. 'You think I have any interest in putting out a film that is factually inaccurate?' More from Billboard Fiancée of Faster Pussycat's Taime Downe Dies After Going Overboard on '80s Cruise Bring Me the Horizon React to Liam Gallagher's Praise of 'Wonderwall' Cover Stephen Stills Is 'Glad' to Have His 'Original Personality Back' Amid Sobriety The Yale-educated director known for his deep-dive process, spent years developing and meticulously editing his six-part The Book of Prince doc for Netflix — after being hand-picked for the project by former Netflix VP of independent film and documentary features Lisa Nishimura — only to have the Prince estate object to the way the late singer was depicted in the film; the estate announced last month that the project would never be released and that it was working on its own documentary featuring 'exclusive content' from the archive of the singer who died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2016 at age 57. 'This is reflective of Prince himself, who was notoriously one of the most famous control freaks in the history of artists,' said Edelman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icon known for fiercely protecting his name, image and likeness. 'The irony being that Prince was somebody who fought for artistic freedom, who didn't want to be held down by Warner Bros., who he believed was stifling his output. And now, in this case — by the way, I'm not Prince, but I worked really hard making something, and now my art's being stifled and thrown away.' Before the public saw even a frame of the film, it was in the headlines last September when a New York Times magazine profile described elements of the project that touched on Prince's alleged physical and emotional abuse of his partners, as well as allegations that the singer had suffered abuse as a child. At the time, the two companies that control Prince's assets, Primary Wave Music and Prince Legacy, said that they were 'working to resolve matters concerning the documentary so that his story may be told in a way that is factually correct and does not mischaracterize or sensationalize his life.' Following the shelving of the film, Edelman said that he believes Netflix is 'afraid of [Prince's] humanity.' Torres, who has seen the movie, said he came away with the takeaway that 'this is one of the most impressive artists that has ever lived.' That sentiment appeared to confirm Edelman's feelings about the project. 'This is the thing that I just find galling. I mean, I can't get past this — the short-sightedness of a group of people whose interest is their own bottom line,' Edelman said. 'The lawyer who runs the estate essentially said he believed that this would do generational harm to Prince. In essence, that the portrayal of Prince in this film — what people learn about him — would deter younger viewers and fans, potentially, from loving Prince,' the director added. 'They would be turned off. This is, I think, the big issue here: I'm like, 'This is a gift — a nine-hour treatment about an artist that was, by the way, f–king brilliant.' Everything about who you believe he is is in this movie. You get to bathe in his genius. And yet you also have to confront his humanity, which he, by the way, in some ways, was trapped in not being able to expose because he got trapped in his own myth about who he was to the world, and he had to maintain it.' Though neither Netflix nor the Prince estate have detailed what specific issues they have with the doc, among the controversial allegations reportedly featured in the project are claims from one of the singer's former lovers, Jill Jones, who allegedly describes a night when Prince slapped and punched her in the face. Another former paramour, Susannah Melvoin — musician and twin sister of Prince and the Revolution guitarist/singer Wendy Melvoin — reportedly told the director that after she moved in with Prince he would not let her leave the house, monitored her phone calls and tried to keep her from seeing her sister. It also reportedly featured accounts of Prince asking Wendy Melvoin to renounce her homosexuality as a prerequisite for getting the Revolution back together. 'The whole point of it is the journey. And the whole point of it was actually reflecting a journey that he went through,' Edelman told Torres. 'Prince's whole thing was that he was a Gemini and so this sort of push-and-pull of who he was in all these facets, male/female, black/white, artist/businessman, it goes on and on. In terms of this binary in his head was this idea of good and evil, which, sorry, God and sex, and that was another basic dichotomy of his art. He was always sort of weighing his moral account of how he was going through the world and he believed in karma in terms of how he treated people.' The movie also reportedly features an interview with Prince's ex-wife, Mayte Garcia, in which she alleges that he left her alone after the couple's son died six days after his birth due to a rare genetic disorder. At press time it did not appear that Netflix or the Prince Estate had responded to Edelman's interview; at press time a spokesperson for Prince had not returned Billboard's request for comment. 'The image I've had in my head is the last show of Raiders of the Lost Ark, of just a huge warehouse somewhere in Netflix. A crate and just like put away,' Edelman said, noting that viewers will never see his work because he doesn't 'feel like getting sued.' Watch Edelman discuss the doc's cancellation below. 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CBC
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Controversial Prince documentary cancelled over estate dispute
A Netflix documentary series about Prince by an Oscar-winning filmmaker has been cancelled after the late singer's estate blocked its release. The completed, but untitled, series by Ezra Edelman was delayed in 2024 after representatives for Prince's estate viewed a cut and claimed it had factual errors and that it sensationalized parts of the singer's life, according to Variety. Netflix and the estate said Friday the project has been scrapped, under an agreement that will see the latter "develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince's archive," according to a joint statement. The estate also released a short video on X showing photos of Prince as his music played. The video included the caption: "The Vault Has Been Freed," an apparent reference to Prince's personal archive of recordings. Edelman previously made 2016's O.J.: Made in America, an eight-hour deep dive which won an Academy Award and widespread acclaim for its unflinching, complex look at the life and criminal trial of O.J. Simpson. Edelman reportedly spent nearly five years on the Prince project, which included interviews with many of the star's former collaborators, assistants, friends, managers, family members and partners — including several girlfriends who accused the rock star of physical and emotional abuse, according to a September report in the New York Times. One girlfriend who also worked with Prince as a member of his band in the 1980s, Jill Jones, alleged he had once punched her in the face repeatedly after she slapped him. The documentary also delved into Prince's abusive childhood and complicated layers of his personal life, as well as the musical icon's intricate music and persona. The final edit is reportedly nine hours long. Prince died in 2016 of an accidental fentanyl overdose, leaving his estate to be split between six siblings — touching off a prolonged legal battle which may have contributed to the estate's ambivalence about the documentary. It was reportedly approved when the estate was still being managed by a bank. "False and unsubstantiated rumors, hate and vengeance more than showing the brilliance & MUSIC will NOT be the focus of a 'definitive' doc on Prince!" L. Londell McMillan, a lawyer who helps manage one of the companies in charge of the estate, said Friday on X. It was a repost of remarks he originally made last fall, as fans first began to discuss the alleged content of the documentary in the wake of the Times article. Following the news that it had been cancelled, and would be replaced by a documentary crafted with Prince's estate, fan reaction has been split — some saying they are not interested in what they assume will be a censored, sugarcoated look at his life. Others praised the estate for protecting Prince's image. Representatives for Creative Artists Agency, which represents Edelman, did not respond to CBC News's request for comment. Edelman has not commented about the project's cancellation or controversy. But in December, on the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, Edelman spoke generally about the state of the documentary film industry, criticizing the increase of documentaries made under the supervision of their subjects. "The type of documentaries that are more popular and more prevalent are increasingly things that are shown by streamers that are sometimes about famous people, artists, singers, whomever... bordering a little bit on branded content because they're done in connection with the subjects themselves, who often are producers," he said. "The idea of documentary-filmmaking as journalism is being sort of pushed by the wayside a little bit." He said he believes there is "less of an emphasis on art," in mainstream documentaries right now. "If the subject has any creative control, I have a problem."
