In August of 1990, Yusef Salaam, then 15 years old, told the judge at his sentencing hearing that he looked at “this legal lynching as a test by my God Allah.” On Wednesday, nearly 23 years later, Salaam — an exonerated man, poet, author, and activist — has been declared the winner of a New York City Council primary in his home district of Harlem.
Salaam was one of the Central Park Five, a group of teens wrongfully convicted for the rape and assault of a jogger in New York City’s Central Park in...
Salaam was one of the Central Park Five, a group of teens wrongfully convicted for the rape and assault of a jogger in New York City’s Central Park in...
- 7/5/2023
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
A judge has allowed Linda Fairstein’s defamation lawsuit over her portrayal in Netflix’s “When They See Us” to move forward.
In a decision issued Monday, U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel partially granted Netflix’s request to have the case dismissed, noting that some of the scenes Fairstein claimed as defamatory “merely show routine and prosaic activities that lack a plausible defamatory meaning.”
However, Castel allowed the lawsuit to proceed as related to five specific scenes that “convey the subjective opinions of defendants and could not be understood by the average viewer to be a literal recounting of her words and actions.”
“When They See Us,” released in May of last year, dramatized the story of the so-called “Central Park Five,” the five men of color who were wrongfully convicted of raping and assaulting a woman in 1989. Fairstein, who was head of the sex crimes unit at...
In a decision issued Monday, U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel partially granted Netflix’s request to have the case dismissed, noting that some of the scenes Fairstein claimed as defamatory “merely show routine and prosaic activities that lack a plausible defamatory meaning.”
However, Castel allowed the lawsuit to proceed as related to five specific scenes that “convey the subjective opinions of defendants and could not be understood by the average viewer to be a literal recounting of her words and actions.”
“When They See Us,” released in May of last year, dramatized the story of the so-called “Central Park Five,” the five men of color who were wrongfully convicted of raping and assaulting a woman in 1989. Fairstein, who was head of the sex crimes unit at...
- 8/10/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
A judge ruled on Monday that former prosecutor Linda Fairstein has a plausible claim that she was defamed by “When They See Us,” the Netflix series from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five case.
Fairstein sued Netflix, DuVernay and writer Attica Locke in March 2020, alleging that the four-part series portrayed her as a “racist, unethical villain” who framed five young men for a brutal rape and beating.
Netflix had argued that the show was protected by the First Amendment. In seeking to throw out the suit, the streamer argued that the filmmakers are allowed to use some dramatic license in creating a portrayal of Fairstein that was substantially true.
U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel dismissed a handful of Fairstein’s allegations, but he held that the show had depicted Fairstein in a way that could be defamatory in five scenes.
“The average viewer could conclude that these scenes...
Fairstein sued Netflix, DuVernay and writer Attica Locke in March 2020, alleging that the four-part series portrayed her as a “racist, unethical villain” who framed five young men for a brutal rape and beating.
Netflix had argued that the show was protected by the First Amendment. In seeking to throw out the suit, the streamer argued that the filmmakers are allowed to use some dramatic license in creating a portrayal of Fairstein that was substantially true.
U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel dismissed a handful of Fairstein’s allegations, but he held that the show had depicted Fairstein in a way that could be defamatory in five scenes.
“The average viewer could conclude that these scenes...
- 8/9/2021
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
A New York judge sees enough in the libel complaint against Netflix and Ava DuVernay over When They See Us to move the case forward to discovery.
The suit comes from Linda Fairstein, a New York City prosecutor, who found herself defending her reputation after the release of DuVernay’s miniseries about the “Central Park Five,” concerning five Black men who were wrongfully convicted of an infamous 1989 sexual assault. Fairstein was the head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s sex crimes unit back in 1989, although she didn’t personally prosecute the men whose convictions were later vacated based on DNA evidence and the subsequent ...
The suit comes from Linda Fairstein, a New York City prosecutor, who found herself defending her reputation after the release of DuVernay’s miniseries about the “Central Park Five,” concerning five Black men who were wrongfully convicted of an infamous 1989 sexual assault. Fairstein was the head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s sex crimes unit back in 1989, although she didn’t personally prosecute the men whose convictions were later vacated based on DNA evidence and the subsequent ...
A New York judge sees enough in the libel complaint against Netflix and Ava DuVernay over When They See Us to move the case forward to discovery.
The suit comes from Linda Fairstein, a New York City prosecutor, who found herself defending her reputation after the release of DuVernay’s miniseries about the “Central Park Five,” concerning five Black men who were wrongfully convicted of an infamous 1989 sexual assault. Fairstein was the head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s sex crimes unit back in 1989, although she didn’t personally prosecute the men whose convictions were later vacated based on DNA evidence and the subsequent ...
The suit comes from Linda Fairstein, a New York City prosecutor, who found herself defending her reputation after the release of DuVernay’s miniseries about the “Central Park Five,” concerning five Black men who were wrongfully convicted of an infamous 1989 sexual assault. Fairstein was the head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s sex crimes unit back in 1989, although she didn’t personally prosecute the men whose convictions were later vacated based on DNA evidence and the subsequent ...
Hollywood loves a comeback story.
From Martha Stewart to Mel Gibson, the entertainment industry is known for welcoming back their own with open arms. After enduring public scandals, many stars have taken a break from the limelight, eventually bouncing back onto the A-list.
More than a year and a half after the college cheating scandal first made headlines, actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin may be facing two very different realities.
Huffman, who spent 11 days in prison after being released early from her two-week sentence for cheating on her daughter’s Sat test, is eying her return to television, having just signed on to headline a single-camera comedy that landed a pilot production commitment at ABC.
Huffman and her representatives declined to comment for this story. But those close to the Oscar-nominated actress say there was no shortage of interest from business partners, despite the admissions scandal. According to multiple insiders,...
From Martha Stewart to Mel Gibson, the entertainment industry is known for welcoming back their own with open arms. After enduring public scandals, many stars have taken a break from the limelight, eventually bouncing back onto the A-list.
More than a year and a half after the college cheating scandal first made headlines, actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin may be facing two very different realities.
Huffman, who spent 11 days in prison after being released early from her two-week sentence for cheating on her daughter’s Sat test, is eying her return to television, having just signed on to headline a single-camera comedy that landed a pilot production commitment at ABC.
Huffman and her representatives declined to comment for this story. But those close to the Oscar-nominated actress say there was no shortage of interest from business partners, despite the admissions scandal. According to multiple insiders,...
- 12/4/2020
- by Daniel Holloway
- Variety Film + TV
Alan Dershowitz, legal scholar and Harvard Law School professor emeritus, is a fan of “The Good Fight.”
But the famed attorney is preparing to sue ViacomCBS and the producers of the CBS All Access legal drama for referring to him in the final episode of the show’s fourth season as a “shyster” in connection with his representation of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting sex with underage girls in 2008, committed suicide last year while in federal prison as he awaited trial on new sex trafficking charges.
Dershowitz’s lawyers on July 17 sent a letter to CBS, “Good Fight” co-creators and showrunners Robert King and Michelle King and others connected with the show demanding the CBS All Access stop airing the content in question, a retraction of the statement and a public apology.
“Clearly, the dialogue and the context in which it is made,...
But the famed attorney is preparing to sue ViacomCBS and the producers of the CBS All Access legal drama for referring to him in the final episode of the show’s fourth season as a “shyster” in connection with his representation of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting sex with underage girls in 2008, committed suicide last year while in federal prison as he awaited trial on new sex trafficking charges.
Dershowitz’s lawyers on July 17 sent a letter to CBS, “Good Fight” co-creators and showrunners Robert King and Michelle King and others connected with the show demanding the CBS All Access stop airing the content in question, a retraction of the statement and a public apology.
“Clearly, the dialogue and the context in which it is made,...
- 7/31/2020
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix and Ava DuVernay are asking a Florida federal judge to toss a lawsuit from a New York prosecutor who isn't happy with how she's portrayed in When They See Us, an award-winning limited series about the wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five.
Linda Fairstein in March sued DuVernay and the streamer. She claims the docuseries — which tells the story of a group of five young black men who were investigated, prosecuted and eventually exonerated in connection with a 1989 sexual assault — unfairly paints her as "a racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent ...
Linda Fairstein in March sued DuVernay and the streamer. She claims the docuseries — which tells the story of a group of five young black men who were investigated, prosecuted and eventually exonerated in connection with a 1989 sexual assault — unfairly paints her as "a racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent ...
- 5/19/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix has fired back at former New York prosecutor Linda Fairstein, defending its villainous depiction of her in “When They See Us.”
Fairstein filed a defamation lawsuit against the Netflix and director Ava DuVernay in March, alleging that she was portrayed in “When They See Us” as a racist prosecutor hellbent on locking up innocent men. She argued she was depicted using racially inflammatory language that she would never use, and that her career as a public speaker and legal consultant had been ruined.
In a motion to dismiss the suit filed on Monday, Netflix argued that the characterization was substantially true, and that the filmmakers have creative license to invent dialogue and scenes for dramatic purposes.
“No less than a dry, abstract expression of opinion, the dramatized dialogue of which Plaintiff complains is protected speech,” Netflix’s attorneys argued. “And here, criticism of Plaintiff’s actions as a powerful...
Fairstein filed a defamation lawsuit against the Netflix and director Ava DuVernay in March, alleging that she was portrayed in “When They See Us” as a racist prosecutor hellbent on locking up innocent men. She argued she was depicted using racially inflammatory language that she would never use, and that her career as a public speaker and legal consultant had been ruined.
In a motion to dismiss the suit filed on Monday, Netflix argued that the characterization was substantially true, and that the filmmakers have creative license to invent dialogue and scenes for dramatic purposes.
“No less than a dry, abstract expression of opinion, the dramatized dialogue of which Plaintiff complains is protected speech,” Netflix’s attorneys argued. “And here, criticism of Plaintiff’s actions as a powerful...
- 5/19/2020
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: One lawsuit against the Emmy- and Peabody Award-nominated When They See Us miniseries has already been tossed out of court. Now, Netflix and Ava DuVernay are aiming to get the defamation action by ex-Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein dismissed too.
“Plaintiff’s claims fail under the First Amendment as a matter of law,” say the three-pronged filings Monday by the Oscar-nominated director, the streamer and co-defendant Wtsu producer/writer Attica Locke.
“Material falsity is essential to any defamation claim and is an element Plaintiff must establish,” says the motion to dismiss put in the federal court docket today. It comes in response to ex-Assistant District Attorney for New York County Fairstein’s wide spread damages and apology-seeking initial complaint of March 18.
“Here, the Series is an artistic dramatization of controversial and contested historical events. Plaintiff’s complaint that the Series’ portrayal of her is “false” because it ‘depict...
“Plaintiff’s claims fail under the First Amendment as a matter of law,” say the three-pronged filings Monday by the Oscar-nominated director, the streamer and co-defendant Wtsu producer/writer Attica Locke.
“Material falsity is essential to any defamation claim and is an element Plaintiff must establish,” says the motion to dismiss put in the federal court docket today. It comes in response to ex-Assistant District Attorney for New York County Fairstein’s wide spread damages and apology-seeking initial complaint of March 18.
“Here, the Series is an artistic dramatization of controversial and contested historical events. Plaintiff’s complaint that the Series’ portrayal of her is “false” because it ‘depict...
- 5/19/2020
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
As everyone finishes binge-watching “Tiger King,” Netflix is preparing to release their next true crime documentary, “The Innocence Files.” The nine episode series looks at the attorneys and clients brought together as part of the Innocence Project, a non-profit organization committed to criminal justice reform and changing wrongful convictions. Episodes will be directed by Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Roger Ross Williams, Jed Rothstein, Andy Grieve, and Sarah Dowland.
The trailer for the series situates this as a show where the verdicts have already been decided — and the inherent knowledge that said verdict is wrong. Nine different cases are laid out, involving predominately men of color, who are serving long-term sentences for crimes they didn’t commit. One attorney says about one case that there is no physical evidence connecting the client to the crime. Are these convictions frame-up jobs to secure a conviction? That’s up for the viewer to...
The trailer for the series situates this as a show where the verdicts have already been decided — and the inherent knowledge that said verdict is wrong. Nine different cases are laid out, involving predominately men of color, who are serving long-term sentences for crimes they didn’t commit. One attorney says about one case that there is no physical evidence connecting the client to the crime. Are these convictions frame-up jobs to secure a conviction? That’s up for the viewer to...
- 4/2/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
A federal judge ruled in favor of Netflix and director Ava DuVernay on Monday, throwing out a defamation suit over a their miniseries about the Central Park jogger case.
John E. Reid and Associates, a police training firm, filed the suit last fall, alleging that the series had falsely portrayed the “Reid Technique,” its widely used method for conducting interrogations.
In his ruling, Judge Manish S. Shah found that the series’ depiction was protected under the First Amendment.
The four-part Netflix series covered the conviction and ultimate exoneration of five black and Latino teenagers who were accused of assaulting and raping a woman in Central Park in 1989. In the series, a fictionalized prosecutor confronts an NYPD detective with the allegation that he had coerced a confession.
“You squeezed statements out of them after 42 hours of questioning and coercing, without food, bathroom breaks, withholding parental supervision,” the character says. “The Reid Technique has been universally rejected.
John E. Reid and Associates, a police training firm, filed the suit last fall, alleging that the series had falsely portrayed the “Reid Technique,” its widely used method for conducting interrogations.
In his ruling, Judge Manish S. Shah found that the series’ depiction was protected under the First Amendment.
The four-part Netflix series covered the conviction and ultimate exoneration of five black and Latino teenagers who were accused of assaulting and raping a woman in Central Park in 1989. In the series, a fictionalized prosecutor confronts an NYPD detective with the allegation that he had coerced a confession.
“You squeezed statements out of them after 42 hours of questioning and coercing, without food, bathroom breaks, withholding parental supervision,” the character says. “The Reid Technique has been universally rejected.
- 3/24/2020
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Less than a week after Netflix and Ava DuVernay were sued by an ex-prosecutor depicted in When They See Us, the undoubtedly happy duo today saw a federal judge dismiss a previous lawsuit over the Emmy-nominated miniseries.
“Because the First Amendment protects non-factual assertions (and because neither defendants Ava DuVernay nor Array Alliance Inc. has sufficient minimum contacts with the State of Illinois to justify haling them into court here), Reid’s complaint is dismissed,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Manish Shah on Monday (read the order here). This ends an action started back in October by John E. Reid & Associates over their trademark controversial interrogation technique.
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“Because the First Amendment protects non-factual assertions (and because neither defendants Ava DuVernay nor Array Alliance Inc. has sufficient minimum contacts with the State of Illinois to justify haling them into court here), Reid’s complaint is dismissed,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Manish Shah on Monday (read the order here). This ends an action started back in October by John E. Reid & Associates over their trademark controversial interrogation technique.
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- 3/23/2020
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been over a year since Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” was released onto Netflix. The miniseries documented the wrongful conviction of five New York youths, all of color, for rape and assault in the 1980s. Almost immediately after the series was released former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein, who oversaw the case and secured the original convictions, was decrying her portrayal as an “outright fabrication.”
Now, she’s going one step further and has officially filed a lawsuit against DuVernay, Netflix, and the show’s co-writer Attica Locke alleging defamation of character according to the New York Times. According to the suit, “In the film series, which Defendants have marketed and promoted as a true story, Defendants depict Ms. Fairstein — using her true name — as a racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.”
More from IndieWire'Feel Good' Review:...
Now, she’s going one step further and has officially filed a lawsuit against DuVernay, Netflix, and the show’s co-writer Attica Locke alleging defamation of character according to the New York Times. According to the suit, “In the film series, which Defendants have marketed and promoted as a true story, Defendants depict Ms. Fairstein — using her true name — as a racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.”
More from IndieWire'Feel Good' Review:...
- 3/19/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Linda Fairstein, the former prosecutor who led the case against the five men wrongfully convicted in the Central Park jogger case, has now filed a lawsuit against Netflix over her portrayal in the 2019 limited series “When They See Us.”
In the suit, which also names series creator Ava DuVernay and writer-producer Attica Locke, Fairstein accuses the show of wrongfully portraying her as “a racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.”
Fairstein’s lawyer Andrew Miltenberg elaborated in a statement, adding that the limited series “falsely portrays Ms. Fairstein as in charge of the investigation and prosecution of the case against The Five, including the development of the prosecution’s theory of the case. In truth, and as detailed in the lawsuit, Ms. Fairstein was responsible for neither aspect of the case.”
Also Read: Ava DuVernay, Netflix Sued Over Portrayal of Interrogation Technique...
In the suit, which also names series creator Ava DuVernay and writer-producer Attica Locke, Fairstein accuses the show of wrongfully portraying her as “a racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.”
Fairstein’s lawyer Andrew Miltenberg elaborated in a statement, adding that the limited series “falsely portrays Ms. Fairstein as in charge of the investigation and prosecution of the case against The Five, including the development of the prosecution’s theory of the case. In truth, and as detailed in the lawsuit, Ms. Fairstein was responsible for neither aspect of the case.”
Also Read: Ava DuVernay, Netflix Sued Over Portrayal of Interrogation Technique...
- 3/18/2020
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Former prosecutor Linda Fairstein took aim at Netflix and Ava DuVernay Wednesday when she filed a lawsuit against the streaming service, director and DuVerney’s co-writer Attica Locke claiming that their miniseries, When They See Us, defamed her.
The four-part series, which premiered on Netflix in May of 2019, “portrays Ms. Fairstein in a false and defamatory matter in nearly every scene in the three episodes in which her character appears,” according to a statement from her attorney, Andrew Miltenberg.
When They See Us tells the tale of the so-called Central Park Five,...
The four-part series, which premiered on Netflix in May of 2019, “portrays Ms. Fairstein in a false and defamatory matter in nearly every scene in the three episodes in which her character appears,” according to a statement from her attorney, Andrew Miltenberg.
When They See Us tells the tale of the so-called Central Park Five,...
- 3/18/2020
- by Brenna Ehrlich
- Rollingstone.com
Almost a year after the Emmy winning When They See Us launched on Netflix, the streamer and director Ava DuVernay have been sued by former Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein for defamation.
DuVernay may be radio silent today on this, Netflix ain’t having any of it.
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“Linda Fairstein’s frivolous lawsuit is without merit,” a spokesperson for the streamer said Wednesday morning after the ex-Assistant District Attorney for New York County filed her damages and more seeking suit in federal court in Florida. “We intend to vigorously defend When They See Us and Ava DuVernay and Attica Locke, the incredible team behind the series,” Netflix added.
In language reminiscent of a WSJ op-ed she wrote back in June 2019, Fairstein says that...
DuVernay may be radio silent today on this, Netflix ain’t having any of it.
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“Linda Fairstein’s frivolous lawsuit is without merit,” a spokesperson for the streamer said Wednesday morning after the ex-Assistant District Attorney for New York County filed her damages and more seeking suit in federal court in Florida. “We intend to vigorously defend When They See Us and Ava DuVernay and Attica Locke, the incredible team behind the series,” Netflix added.
In language reminiscent of a WSJ op-ed she wrote back in June 2019, Fairstein says that...
- 3/18/2020
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Linda Fairstein, a New York City prosecutor, is suing Netflix and Ava DuVernay over When They See Us. On Wednesday, she filed a libel complaint in Florida federal court.
When They See Us, released last year, is a four-part docuseries about the investigation, prosecution and exoneration of the "Central Park Five," five African American men who were wrongfully convicted of a 1989 sexual assault. Those convictions were vacated based on DNA evidence and the confession of another man who came forward in 2002. The men later sued New York and prosecutors, including Fairstein, and obtained a settlement.
Fairstein says ...
When They See Us, released last year, is a four-part docuseries about the investigation, prosecution and exoneration of the "Central Park Five," five African American men who were wrongfully convicted of a 1989 sexual assault. Those convictions were vacated based on DNA evidence and the confession of another man who came forward in 2002. The men later sued New York and prosecutors, including Fairstein, and obtained a settlement.
Fairstein says ...
- 3/18/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison on Friday in a Boston federal court for her role in the college admissions cheating scandal.
The “Desperate Housewives” actor earlier this year pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges for paying $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter’s Sat answers. Among a set of wealthy parents who allegedly participated in a sweeping scheme to cheat, bribe, and lie to get their kids into elite colleges, she was the first to face trial.
Prosecutors requested that Huffman be sentenced to one month in prison, 12 months of supervised release, and a $20,000 fine. Her attorneys said she doesn’t deserve prison time and asked for a year’s probation, 250 house of community service, and a $20,000 fine.
In announcing her plea earlier this year, Huffman said: “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.
The “Desperate Housewives” actor earlier this year pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges for paying $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter’s Sat answers. Among a set of wealthy parents who allegedly participated in a sweeping scheme to cheat, bribe, and lie to get their kids into elite colleges, she was the first to face trial.
Prosecutors requested that Huffman be sentenced to one month in prison, 12 months of supervised release, and a $20,000 fine. Her attorneys said she doesn’t deserve prison time and asked for a year’s probation, 250 house of community service, and a $20,000 fine.
In announcing her plea earlier this year, Huffman said: “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.
- 9/13/2019
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
I made it about 20 minutes into Netflix’s When They See Us before deciding I needed to take a brief break from Ava DuVernay’s dramatization of the infamous Central Park Five case. I got some fresh air, ate my lunch, answered emails, and planned to get back to the miniseries shortly.
That was three months ago. I have not watched a second of it since then.
I’m going to finish it, I swear, and probably very soon. DuVernay is a major filmmaker (and I was impressed with her Own drama,...
That was three months ago. I have not watched a second of it since then.
I’m going to finish it, I swear, and probably very soon. DuVernay is a major filmmaker (and I was impressed with her Own drama,...
- 8/26/2019
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
AMC and SundanceTV are to simulcast true crime docuseries The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park and will air it over three nights from November 13 to November 15.
The five-part series, re-examines one of the most infamous crimes in recent U.S. history – the 1986 killing of Jennifer Levin at the hands of Robert Chambers. The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park will expose evidence that was inadmissible in the trial and also examine the circumstances that made the story unfold the way it did: America’s untamed ambition in the mid-1980s, the rarified lifestyle of New York’s privileged prep school kids, sexism, elitism, an all-out tabloid media war that blamed the victim and an imperfect justice system.
The news was revealed at the TCA press tour.
The series is produced by Emmy Award winner Robert Friedman’s Bungalow Media + Entertainment, which earlier this week was revealed to be...
The five-part series, re-examines one of the most infamous crimes in recent U.S. history – the 1986 killing of Jennifer Levin at the hands of Robert Chambers. The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park will expose evidence that was inadmissible in the trial and also examine the circumstances that made the story unfold the way it did: America’s untamed ambition in the mid-1980s, the rarified lifestyle of New York’s privileged prep school kids, sexism, elitism, an all-out tabloid media war that blamed the victim and an imperfect justice system.
The news was revealed at the TCA press tour.
The series is produced by Emmy Award winner Robert Friedman’s Bungalow Media + Entertainment, which earlier this week was revealed to be...
- 7/25/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
When I walked into the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre for this morning’s Emmy nomination announcement, the first thing I saw on the wall were the words “Netflix Lobby.” Those naming rights for the prolific streamer take on double meaning on a day like this because they not only won the lobby, they also got a company-record 117 nominations.
Still, they had to cede back bragging rights of most noms they achieved last year over to perennial leader HBO, which today nabbed a company-record 137 thanks to Game of Thrones’ staggering and record-shattering 32 nods. But as the saying goes, “just wait until next year” when juggernaut series like GoT and Veep are not in the picture. And after Netflix lost rights to the beloved Friends to WarnerMedia’s streaming startup HBO Max, the rivalry can only get more intense and continue to play out at the Emmys.
If there is anything...
Still, they had to cede back bragging rights of most noms they achieved last year over to perennial leader HBO, which today nabbed a company-record 137 thanks to Game of Thrones’ staggering and record-shattering 32 nods. But as the saying goes, “just wait until next year” when juggernaut series like GoT and Veep are not in the picture. And after Netflix lost rights to the beloved Friends to WarnerMedia’s streaming startup HBO Max, the rivalry can only get more intense and continue to play out at the Emmys.
If there is anything...
- 7/17/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The NYPD detective who made the first arrests in the case that was made into the Netflix series When They See Us is claiming the film is inflammatory and full of lies.
Eric Reynolds arrested Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson in the notorious Central Park Five case. He told the Daily Mail that the film is riddled with inaccurate information.
Reynolds contends that the Central Park Five were not innocent bystanders, but were part of a pack of youths who went “wilding” in the park in April 1989. The night resulted in jogger Trisha Meili being raped and beaten. Reynolds also took issue with the film’s portrayal of the teenage youth being beaten during their arrest.
“Please, someone, show me the pictures of them,” Reynolds said to the Daily Mail. “Show me the injuries, show me the black eyes, show me the swollen faces, because every single one of them...
Eric Reynolds arrested Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson in the notorious Central Park Five case. He told the Daily Mail that the film is riddled with inaccurate information.
Reynolds contends that the Central Park Five were not innocent bystanders, but were part of a pack of youths who went “wilding” in the park in April 1989. The night resulted in jogger Trisha Meili being raped and beaten. Reynolds also took issue with the film’s portrayal of the teenage youth being beaten during their arrest.
“Please, someone, show me the pictures of them,” Reynolds said to the Daily Mail. “Show me the injuries, show me the black eyes, show me the swollen faces, because every single one of them...
- 6/29/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Two weeks after claiming “When They See Us” was its most-watched series in the U.S. every day since it premiered on May 31, Netflix released some new viewership data related to the show’s performance. According to a tweet from series creator Ava DuVernay posted on Tuesday evening, the streamer revealed that over 23 million accounts have watched “When They See Us” worldwide since it debuted.
Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of black people. It always made me sad. So when Netflix just shared with me that 23M+ accounts worldwide have watched #WhenTheySeeUs, I cried. Our stories matter and can move across the globe. A new truth for a new day. pic.twitter.com/4vgCo0aKR9
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 25, 2019
It should be noted that “number of accounts” does not equate to “total number of viewers,” and Netflix doesn’t say how many of those accounts...
Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of black people. It always made me sad. So when Netflix just shared with me that 23M+ accounts worldwide have watched #WhenTheySeeUs, I cried. Our stories matter and can move across the globe. A new truth for a new day. pic.twitter.com/4vgCo0aKR9
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 25, 2019
It should be noted that “number of accounts” does not equate to “total number of viewers,” and Netflix doesn’t say how many of those accounts...
- 6/26/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
“When They See Us” writer and director Ava DuVernay still talks to the real-life subjects of the series almost every day.
“This morning I talked to three of them,” said DuVernay at a Tuesday night screening for the four-part Netflix series, which tells the true story of the five black and Latino boys who came to be known as the Central Park Five through their arrest, imprisonment and eventual exoneration. DuVernay first met one of the five, Raymond Santana Jr., in 2014, after he reached out to her on Twitter. Since then, she says she’s developed close relationships with all of them.
“These are my brothers, I’ve gotten to know these men for four years, I’ve sat in their homes, I’ve met their families,” said DuVernay.
“We talk a lot and it’s not even about this, it’s like, Korey’s moving into a new apartment,...
“This morning I talked to three of them,” said DuVernay at a Tuesday night screening for the four-part Netflix series, which tells the true story of the five black and Latino boys who came to be known as the Central Park Five through their arrest, imprisonment and eventual exoneration. DuVernay first met one of the five, Raymond Santana Jr., in 2014, after he reached out to her on Twitter. Since then, she says she’s developed close relationships with all of them.
“These are my brothers, I’ve gotten to know these men for four years, I’ve sat in their homes, I’ve met their families,” said DuVernay.
“We talk a lot and it’s not even about this, it’s like, Korey’s moving into a new apartment,...
- 6/19/2019
- by Kylie Charney-Harrington
- The Wrap
Without any superfluous comment, actress-producer Ava DuVernay made her thoughts crystal clear about Donald Trump and the Central Park Five last night by tweeting a clip from her Netflix miniseries When They See Us.
Within hours of the president reasserting his misleading claim that the so-called Five “admitted their guilt,” DuVernay tweeted a clip from the series in which actual archival footage, used in the Netflix series, shows an ’80s-era Trump proclaiming how he’d “love to be a well-educated black” because of all the advantages society has to offer them. We then see that the 1989 Trump is being watched on TV by the mother of one of the boys wrongly accused of raping the so-called Central Park Jogger.
“They want to kill my son,” says the mother, Linda McCray (played by Marsha Stephanie Blake). “That devil, that devil wants to kill my son….They’re gonna have to come for me first.
Within hours of the president reasserting his misleading claim that the so-called Five “admitted their guilt,” DuVernay tweeted a clip from the series in which actual archival footage, used in the Netflix series, shows an ’80s-era Trump proclaiming how he’d “love to be a well-educated black” because of all the advantages society has to offer them. We then see that the 1989 Trump is being watched on TV by the mother of one of the boys wrongly accused of raping the so-called Central Park Jogger.
“They want to kill my son,” says the mother, Linda McCray (played by Marsha Stephanie Blake). “That devil, that devil wants to kill my son….They’re gonna have to come for me first.
- 6/19/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Thirty years later, President Trump is still refusing to give an apology to the five men who were wrongly convicted in the Central Park jogger case.
The president was asked about the exoneration of the men when speaking to reporters Tuesday. "Why do you bring that question up now? It's an interesting time to bring it up," Trump said when asked about an apology. "You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein and if you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should ...
The president was asked about the exoneration of the men when speaking to reporters Tuesday. "Why do you bring that question up now? It's an interesting time to bring it up," Trump said when asked about an apology. "You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein and if you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should ...
- 6/19/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ava DuVernay says she isn’t surprised by President Trump’s recent comments about the Central Park Five, only that it took him so long to make them.
“It’s expected. I just don’t think it’s that much, it’s not a big deal to me,” DuVernay said Tuesday night at a screening of her Netflix series “When They See Us,” which chronicles the arrest, imprisonment and eventual exoneration of the Central Park five.
“There’s nothing that he says or does in relation to this case, in relation to the lives of five people of color, that really has any weight to it or truth to it,” DuVernay continued. “It’s not our reality, it’s not truthful. We already know this, so it’s kind of like, why do we keep banging our head against the wall about it? I’m surprised it took him so long.
“It’s expected. I just don’t think it’s that much, it’s not a big deal to me,” DuVernay said Tuesday night at a screening of her Netflix series “When They See Us,” which chronicles the arrest, imprisonment and eventual exoneration of the Central Park five.
“There’s nothing that he says or does in relation to this case, in relation to the lives of five people of color, that really has any weight to it or truth to it,” DuVernay continued. “It’s not our reality, it’s not truthful. We already know this, so it’s kind of like, why do we keep banging our head against the wall about it? I’m surprised it took him so long.
- 6/19/2019
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
Don’t expect an apology from President Donald Trump to the so-called Central Park Five, the five men who are the subject of Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us Netflix miniseries, which has brought renewed attention to the case.
When asked today by White House correspondent April Ryan if he would apologize to the five men who were falsely accused of a brutal rape, but were later completely exonerated, Trump asked Ryan, “Why do you bring that question up now? It’s an interesting time to bring it up.”
Trump continued, “You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein, and you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should never have settled that case. So we’ll leave it at that.”
Trump in 1989 bought full page ads in New York City newspapers calling for the...
When asked today by White House correspondent April Ryan if he would apologize to the five men who were falsely accused of a brutal rape, but were later completely exonerated, Trump asked Ryan, “Why do you bring that question up now? It’s an interesting time to bring it up.”
Trump continued, “You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein, and you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should never have settled that case. So we’ll leave it at that.”
Trump in 1989 bought full page ads in New York City newspapers calling for the...
- 6/18/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
As seen in Ava DuVernay’s new miniseries “Central Park 5,” five young men were wrongly convicted in a brutal 1989 attack on a jogger in Central Park, then exonerated when DNA evidence proved another man committed the crime — and he confessed. President Trump took out a newspaper ad before the men were exonerated, calling for their executions, but he said Tuesday that he has no regrets.
“You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt,” Trump said on Tuesday when asked by a reporter if he feels he owed the five men an apology.
The men’s attorneys and the men themselves have said that the statements they made in policy custody were coerced.
Holy shit — years after DNA evidence exonerated them, Trump suggests the Central Park 5 are guilty and refuses to apologize for saying they should be executed.
"You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt.
“You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt,” Trump said on Tuesday when asked by a reporter if he feels he owed the five men an apology.
The men’s attorneys and the men themselves have said that the statements they made in policy custody were coerced.
Holy shit — years after DNA evidence exonerated them, Trump suggests the Central Park 5 are guilty and refuses to apologize for saying they should be executed.
"You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt.
- 6/18/2019
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
“When They See Us” is continuing to generate real-world consequences. Last week, Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein began to remove herself from public life amid backlash from her portrayal in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries. This week, a colleague finds herself in the same position. Variety reports that Elizabeth Lederer, a Manhattan district attorney at the time of the infamous trial, has resigned from a part-time teaching position at Columbia Law School.
Lederer, a lead prosecutor in the trial that falsely convicted five young men of rape, is portrayed by Vera Farmiga in the series. While continuing to prosecute rape and murder cases, she has gone on to teach law at the prestigious university. But with “When They See Us” bringing the 1989 case back into the limelight, students quickly called for her removal.
Columbia’s Black Law Students Association put out a blistering statement, referencing Lederer’s “harmful, racist tactics.
Lederer, a lead prosecutor in the trial that falsely convicted five young men of rape, is portrayed by Vera Farmiga in the series. While continuing to prosecute rape and murder cases, she has gone on to teach law at the prestigious university. But with “When They See Us” bringing the 1989 case back into the limelight, students quickly called for her removal.
Columbia’s Black Law Students Association put out a blistering statement, referencing Lederer’s “harmful, racist tactics.
- 6/14/2019
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Elizabeth Lederer, one of the prosecutors in the conviction of the Central Park Five, has resigned as a professor at the Columbia Law School.
The move comes on the heels of a student protest from the Black Law Students Association at Columbia, which released a statement to the school calling for Lederer to be fired for her “harmful, racist tactics.” Lederer, a Manhattan district attorney, was a central prosecutor in the 1989 Central Park Five case that saw five boys wrongfully jailed for the rape of a park jogger. The group also called on the school to re-evaluate its curriculum to “prevent perpetuating racist policies.”
Lederer isn’t the only prosecutor from the controversial case to face massive backlash. Following the release of Ava DuVernay’s dramatization of the events in the miniseries “When They See Us,” Linda Fairstein, the other lead prosecutor on the case, has been dropped by her...
The move comes on the heels of a student protest from the Black Law Students Association at Columbia, which released a statement to the school calling for Lederer to be fired for her “harmful, racist tactics.” Lederer, a Manhattan district attorney, was a central prosecutor in the 1989 Central Park Five case that saw five boys wrongfully jailed for the rape of a park jogger. The group also called on the school to re-evaluate its curriculum to “prevent perpetuating racist policies.”
Lederer isn’t the only prosecutor from the controversial case to face massive backlash. Following the release of Ava DuVernay’s dramatization of the events in the miniseries “When They See Us,” Linda Fairstein, the other lead prosecutor on the case, has been dropped by her...
- 6/13/2019
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Elizabeth Lederer, the prosecutor during the Central Park 5 rape case, has resigned as a part-time lecturer at Columbia Law School, citing the backlash she has received from the Netflix series “When They See Us.”
Lederer, who is portrayed by Vera Farmiga in the Ava DuVernay biographical drama, told the law school on Wednesday she would not seek reappointment, according to a note from Dean Gillian Lester sent to students and obtained by TheWrap.
Lederer, who is portrayed by Vera Farmiga in the Ava DuVernay biographical drama, told the law school on Wednesday she would not seek reappointment, according to a note from Dean Gillian Lester sent to students and obtained by TheWrap.
- 6/13/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Elizabeth Lederer, the woman who prosecuted the Central Park 5, just resigned from her position as a professor at Columbia Law School amid heavy pressure from black students. Lederer, the former Assistant D.A. who tried the infamous case back in 1989, resigned Wednesday. She was a part-time professor at Columbia but had come under fire since the Netflix series "When They See Us" debuted. Lederer, played by Vera Farmiga in the series, worked alongside Linda Fairstein.
- 6/13/2019
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Just days into the initial round of Emmy voting, When They See Us has gotten a big boost from the streaming service that the Ava DuVernay directed limited series is on and from real world outrage over the prosecutors who were hellbent on putting the Central Park 5 behind bars for the brutal sexual assault of a NYC jogger in 1989.
Offering no actual stats or date, Netflix today sent up a very big flare for the widely acclaimed four-parter that is almost guaranteed to be a big contender for this year’s TV Academy ceremony. When asked to elaborate, the Reed Hastings-run streamer had nothing but a “no” to offer on questions of context, clarification, or hard numbers over its well-guarded claims:
When They See Us has been the most-watched series on Netflix in the Us every day since it premiered on May 31 pic.twitter.com/jS8IXIh03g
— Netflix...
Offering no actual stats or date, Netflix today sent up a very big flare for the widely acclaimed four-parter that is almost guaranteed to be a big contender for this year’s TV Academy ceremony. When asked to elaborate, the Reed Hastings-run streamer had nothing but a “no” to offer on questions of context, clarification, or hard numbers over its well-guarded claims:
When They See Us has been the most-watched series on Netflix in the Us every day since it premiered on May 31 pic.twitter.com/jS8IXIh03g
— Netflix...
- 6/13/2019
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
“When They See Us,” Ava DuVernay’s dramatization of the wrongful arrest and conviction of five black teenagers in New York City after the rape of a Central Park jogger 20 years ago, has been the most-viewed series on Netflix for the past 13 days.
“‘When They See Us’ has been the most-watched series on Netflix in the Us every day since it premiered on May 31,” the streamer tweeted Wednesday.
But Netflix didn’t provide any additional info beyond that, and it has selectively doled out self-reported numbers in the past to tout the popularity of some of its original series and films.
The four-part Netflix series was created by DuVernay, who also co-wrote and directed. She retweeted Netflix’s post about “When They See Us,” commenting only: “*faints*.”
*faints* https://t.co/3W6GbOZpMG
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 12, 2019
The show has led to a backlash against Linda Fairstein, the New York...
“‘When They See Us’ has been the most-watched series on Netflix in the Us every day since it premiered on May 31,” the streamer tweeted Wednesday.
But Netflix didn’t provide any additional info beyond that, and it has selectively doled out self-reported numbers in the past to tout the popularity of some of its original series and films.
The four-part Netflix series was created by DuVernay, who also co-wrote and directed. She retweeted Netflix’s post about “When They See Us,” commenting only: “*faints*.”
*faints* https://t.co/3W6GbOZpMG
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 12, 2019
The show has led to a backlash against Linda Fairstein, the New York...
- 6/12/2019
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
“I was living my own version of being an at-risk youth in Brooklyn,” remembers Michael Kenneth Williams about growing up in New York City around the time the Central Park Five were wrongly accused and convicted of a brutal rape in 1989. Now he co-stars in the Netflix limited series “When They See Us,” which dramatizes the case and its aftermath. It hit close to home for the actor because as the real events were unfolding 30 years ago he wondered, “Am I going to be next?” Watch our exclusive video interview with Williams above.
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Though Williams could identify with the teenage boys who were railroaded for the crime, he actually plays one of their fathers, Bobby McCray, who was manipulated by police into convincing his son Antron to give a false confession. It was a decision he lived to regret, and...
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Though Williams could identify with the teenage boys who were railroaded for the crime, he actually plays one of their fathers, Bobby McCray, who was manipulated by police into convincing his son Antron to give a false confession. It was a decision he lived to regret, and...
- 6/12/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Linda Fairstein has been dropped by her publisher, and now the ex-Manhattan Deputy District Attorney who spurred the prosecution of the eventually exonerated Central Park Five has been shown the door by her Hollywood literary agency ICM Partners over Netflix’s When They See Us.
This comes as Fairstein lashed out late last night in the Wall Street Journal at Ava DuVernay and Netflix’s acclaimed series as an “outright fabrication” for its depiction of the shameful series of judicial events three decades ago and Fairstein’s pivotal role in them.
ICM has cut ties with Fairstein after several years, I’ve learned. The agency represented the lawyer in her post-prosecution career as the bestselling author of over a dozen mystery novels featuring fictional Manhattan Deputy D.A. Alexandra Cooper. The 1996 offering Final Jeopardy was adopted into a TV movie for ABC in 2001 starring Dana Delany as Cooper.
ICM...
This comes as Fairstein lashed out late last night in the Wall Street Journal at Ava DuVernay and Netflix’s acclaimed series as an “outright fabrication” for its depiction of the shameful series of judicial events three decades ago and Fairstein’s pivotal role in them.
ICM has cut ties with Fairstein after several years, I’ve learned. The agency represented the lawyer in her post-prosecution career as the bestselling author of over a dozen mystery novels featuring fictional Manhattan Deputy D.A. Alexandra Cooper. The 1996 offering Final Jeopardy was adopted into a TV movie for ABC in 2001 starring Dana Delany as Cooper.
ICM...
- 6/11/2019
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Linda Fairstein, the former Manhattan sex-crimes prosecutor who played a key role in convicting the Central Park Five, is speaking out against Ava DuVernay’s Netflix limited drama series “When They See Us.” Fairstein penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in which she calls the series an “outright fabrication.” Backlash against Fairstein has been reignited following the show’s debut May 31, so much so that she has resigned from various boards such as the one she served on for Vassar College. Retailers have also begun dropping her books. Fairstein is played by Felicity Huffman in DuVernay’s Netflix series.
According to the former prosecutor, “When They See Us” is “so full of distortions and falsehoods as to be an outright fabrication.” Among the show’s “most egregious falsehoods” is how it “repeatedly portrays the suspects as being held without food, deprived of their parents’ company and advice, and...
According to the former prosecutor, “When They See Us” is “so full of distortions and falsehoods as to be an outright fabrication.” Among the show’s “most egregious falsehoods” is how it “repeatedly portrays the suspects as being held without food, deprived of their parents’ company and advice, and...
- 6/11/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Felicity Huffman's fresh off playing a villain on Netflix -- and in federal court -- but in real life, she and William H. Macy are celebrating getting their kid into a cap and gown. The couple attended daughter Sofia Grace's high school graduation ceremony Monday, as the L.A. High School of the Arts Class of 2019 was honored. The proud parents showed up dressed for the occasion ... for which they've been preparing for a couple weeks.
- 6/11/2019
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Former New York City prosecutor Linda Fairstein, who oversaw the investigation and wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five, said on Monday that filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series about the ordeal is “so full of distortions and falsehoods as to be an outright fabrication.”
DuVernay’s “When They See Us,” which premiered May 31, depicts the events leading to the arrest and wrongful convictions of Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Yosef Salaam, Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana for the rape of a woman in central park. Fairstein, portrayed by Felicity Huffman in the series, has been subject to intense criticism and professional backlash since the series premiered. Most recently, she was dropped by her publisher, Dutton.
In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, Fairstein says the miniseries “wrongly portrays them as totally innocent,” and that it defamed her. “The facts of the original case are documented in a 117-page...
DuVernay’s “When They See Us,” which premiered May 31, depicts the events leading to the arrest and wrongful convictions of Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Yosef Salaam, Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana for the rape of a woman in central park. Fairstein, portrayed by Felicity Huffman in the series, has been subject to intense criticism and professional backlash since the series premiered. Most recently, she was dropped by her publisher, Dutton.
In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, Fairstein says the miniseries “wrongly portrays them as totally innocent,” and that it defamed her. “The facts of the original case are documented in a 117-page...
- 6/11/2019
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Linda Fairstein, the Manhattan District Attorney's office prosecutor who took the lead in the controversial Central Park Five case, is speaking out against Ava DuVernay's When They See Us in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, claiming the Netflix miniseries based on the 1989 case omits crucial details and defames her.
Writing in the WSJ, Fairstein, who is portrayed onscreen by Felicity Huffman in When They See Us, says the four-part limited series omits a riot of more than 30-people that took place on April 19, 1989, the date of the attack on the "Central Park jogger" Trisha Meili. Fairstein contends that ...
Writing in the WSJ, Fairstein, who is portrayed onscreen by Felicity Huffman in When They See Us, says the four-part limited series omits a riot of more than 30-people that took place on April 19, 1989, the date of the attack on the "Central Park jogger" Trisha Meili. Fairstein contends that ...
- 6/11/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Oprah Winfrey sat down for an interview with Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam — the men formerly called “The Central Park Five” and now referred to as “The Exonerated Five” — at Netflix’s Fysee location in Hollywood on Sunday night. The conversation, which also included “Whey They See Us” writer and director Ava DuVernay was one of two panels recorded for a special, set to air on Netflix and Own.
When Winfrey asked the five men if they “blame Linda Fairstein for what happened to them,” they replied with a unanimous “yes.” Winfrey continued her line of questioning, asking if “she the only one to blame, or were there others?”
The answers got a little more complicated as the men explained that they do not feel that Fairstein is the only person responsible for their false imprisonment as teens. Korey Wise was the first to answer,...
When Winfrey asked the five men if they “blame Linda Fairstein for what happened to them,” they replied with a unanimous “yes.” Winfrey continued her line of questioning, asking if “she the only one to blame, or were there others?”
The answers got a little more complicated as the men explained that they do not feel that Fairstein is the only person responsible for their false imprisonment as teens. Korey Wise was the first to answer,...
- 6/10/2019
- by Angelique Jackson and Anna Tingley
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with video: There was plenty of laughter as well as a lot of tears at Raleigh Studios on Sunday night at a screening of the first episode of Ava DuVernay’s limited series When They See Us, a dramatization of the real-life events of surrounding the wrongful conviction and eventual exoneration of the so-called Central Park 5.
The screening, presented by Netflix and Oprah Winfrey’s Own network, was followed by a conversation with DuVernay and the cast of the series, as well as a panel discussion with the real-life men unjustly accused of raping a Central Park jogger 30 years ago while they were still young teenagers. The event was part of Netflix’ Fysee series (a play on Fyc “For Your Consideration”) for an audience that included many active TV Academy members.
Oh yes, lest we forget, the evening was hosted by Winfrey and recorded to air immediately following the...
The screening, presented by Netflix and Oprah Winfrey’s Own network, was followed by a conversation with DuVernay and the cast of the series, as well as a panel discussion with the real-life men unjustly accused of raping a Central Park jogger 30 years ago while they were still young teenagers. The event was part of Netflix’ Fysee series (a play on Fyc “For Your Consideration”) for an audience that included many active TV Academy members.
Oh yes, lest we forget, the evening was hosted by Winfrey and recorded to air immediately following the...
- 6/10/2019
- by Diane Haithman
- Deadline Film + TV
Since Ava DuVernay’s latest dive into the social justice system, “When They See Us,” dropped on Netflix on May 31, the criticism and backlash toward former New York prosecutor Linda Fairstein has been swift and strong.
Fairstein was painted as the villain in DuVernay’s four-episode limited series, and she has since been the subject of a #CancelLindaFairstein hashtag online.
When producers of “When They See Us” reached out to the prosecutor-turned-author, Fairstein made it clear she would talk to them if they were not also going to talk to the five accused (and exonerated) men in the case: Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Yosef Salaam, Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana. Felicity Huffman plays Fairstein in the series.
Also Read: 'When They See Us': Netflix Drops Gripping First Trailer for Ava DuVernay's Central Park 5 Drama (Video)
“We reached out to her and there were many email exchanges with her.
Fairstein was painted as the villain in DuVernay’s four-episode limited series, and she has since been the subject of a #CancelLindaFairstein hashtag online.
When producers of “When They See Us” reached out to the prosecutor-turned-author, Fairstein made it clear she would talk to them if they were not also going to talk to the five accused (and exonerated) men in the case: Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Yosef Salaam, Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana. Felicity Huffman plays Fairstein in the series.
Also Read: 'When They See Us': Netflix Drops Gripping First Trailer for Ava DuVernay's Central Park 5 Drama (Video)
“We reached out to her and there were many email exchanges with her.
- 6/9/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
The Central Park Five, the subjects of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix film “When They See Us,” received a newly discovered $3.9 million settlement from the New York State Court of Claims in 2016 in addition to the $41 million received in 2014, according to the New York Daily News.
The new DuVernay film, which was released on May 31, covers the arrest and conviction of five teenagers accused of sexually assaulting a jogger in Central Park 30 years ago, leading to them serving between six and 13 years in prison. The men were exonerated in 2002 when DNA evidence and a confession from convicted rapist Matias Reyes revealed the true perpetrator.
The film and the incident has received additional interest because of its connection to President Trump. In the days after the 1989 crime, Trump took out a full-page ad in the New York Daily News with the headline, “Bring Back the Death Penalty. Bring Back the Police.” In the ad,...
The new DuVernay film, which was released on May 31, covers the arrest and conviction of five teenagers accused of sexually assaulting a jogger in Central Park 30 years ago, leading to them serving between six and 13 years in prison. The men were exonerated in 2002 when DNA evidence and a confession from convicted rapist Matias Reyes revealed the true perpetrator.
The film and the incident has received additional interest because of its connection to President Trump. In the days after the 1989 crime, Trump took out a full-page ad in the New York Daily News with the headline, “Bring Back the Death Penalty. Bring Back the Police.” In the ad,...
- 6/9/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
In Netflix’s “When They See Us,” the Central Park Five-focused Ava DuVernay limited series, audiences learn that the five exonerated men sued New York City in 2003. Following a decade of uncertainty, the city finally settled with the plaintiffs for $41 million in 2014, and the five men pursued an additional $52 million in damages from the state of New York.
What they wound up receiving was another $3.9 million in a 2016 settlement, in what the Daily News describes as a “low-key state Court of Claims payout” for the “economic and emotional devastation caused by the incarceration of the five men,” who were just teenagers at the start of their prison sentences.
After their convictions in the 1989 rape and savage assault of a Central Park jogger were overturned in 2003, the five exonerated men sued New York City for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and emotional distress. Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city refused to settle...
What they wound up receiving was another $3.9 million in a 2016 settlement, in what the Daily News describes as a “low-key state Court of Claims payout” for the “economic and emotional devastation caused by the incarceration of the five men,” who were just teenagers at the start of their prison sentences.
After their convictions in the 1989 rape and savage assault of a Central Park jogger were overturned in 2003, the five exonerated men sued New York City for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and emotional distress. Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city refused to settle...
- 6/9/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Linda Fairstein, the newly-embattled prosecutor in the Central Park Five case, declined to participate in the Netflix series “When They See Us” because the production consulted with the five young men wrongfully convicted, one of the filmmakers says.
Jane Rosenthal, a producer on the well-received Ava DuVernay project about the infamous 1989 rape of a Manhattan female jogger, said their team exchanged many emails with Fairstein about offering her perspective. Rosenthal said Fairstein was under a gag order following an explosive 2012 documentary from filmmaker Ken Burns, but “perhaps she wanted to talk to us because she had other offers, and she was also concerned that we were talking to the five men.”
Speaking at a panel about the show on Sunday at the Produced By conference in Burbank, Calif., Rosenthal said plainly: “Her point of view was clearly that she didn’t want us talking to the five men if we were talking to her.
Jane Rosenthal, a producer on the well-received Ava DuVernay project about the infamous 1989 rape of a Manhattan female jogger, said their team exchanged many emails with Fairstein about offering her perspective. Rosenthal said Fairstein was under a gag order following an explosive 2012 documentary from filmmaker Ken Burns, but “perhaps she wanted to talk to us because she had other offers, and she was also concerned that we were talking to the five men.”
Speaking at a panel about the show on Sunday at the Produced By conference in Burbank, Calif., Rosenthal said plainly: “Her point of view was clearly that she didn’t want us talking to the five men if we were talking to her.
- 6/9/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The Central Park Five, the subject of a new Netflix film directed by Ava DuVernay, When They See Us, also received $3.9 million in a New York state settlement two years after collecting a $41 million wrongful conviction payout from New York City.
The New York Daily News reported that the state Court of Claims payout covered the economic and emotional devastation to the five men, who were imprisoned for the 1989 rape and assault on a Central Park jogger. The case was later overturned and is chronicled in When They See Us, which bowed May 31 on Netflix.
“I understand people say it’s a lot of money. The reality is there’s no amount of money that would adequately compensate them,” said Jonathan Moore, one of the attorneys in both settlements, said to the Daily News. “They’ve suffered every day since 1989 and they’re still suffering.”
The state settlement gives plaintiffs...
The New York Daily News reported that the state Court of Claims payout covered the economic and emotional devastation to the five men, who were imprisoned for the 1989 rape and assault on a Central Park jogger. The case was later overturned and is chronicled in When They See Us, which bowed May 31 on Netflix.
“I understand people say it’s a lot of money. The reality is there’s no amount of money that would adequately compensate them,” said Jonathan Moore, one of the attorneys in both settlements, said to the Daily News. “They’ve suffered every day since 1989 and they’re still suffering.”
The state settlement gives plaintiffs...
- 6/9/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Until recently, celebrated author and criminal prosecutor Linda Fairstein was best known as the writer of an award-winning series of crime novels; as the former head of sex crimes at Manhattan Districts Attorney’s Office; and as a strong supporter of social causes. As the winner of the Federal Bar Council’s Emory Buckner Award for Public Service, Glamour Magazines Woman of the Year Award, and the Nero Wolfe Award for Excellence in Crime Writing, it seemed for a long time that Fairstein could do no wrong. All that changed in 2018 when her involvement in the infamous Central Jogger Case of
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Linda Fairstein...
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Linda Fairstein...
- 6/9/2019
- by Aiden Mason
- TVovermind.com
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