O.J. Simpson received renewed attention over the past year, thanks to the miniseries “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” and the Oscar winning documentary “O.J.: Made In America.” And now it seems like things are good for the former NFL star and accused murderer; TMZ reports that many reality TV producers are scrambling to sign him if he is released early from prison in October. According to TMZ, some production companies reacted with disgust to the suggestion, while some were pretty eager to capitalize on Simpson’s fame.

Simpson is currently behind bars for armed robbery and kidnapping, which he was convicted of in 2008. He was supposed to serve 33 years, but he is now scheduled for a parole hearing in July that could lead to an early release. Simpson is not new to the reality show sphere; apart from starring in some movies and TV shows, he also participated in an early prank show called “Juiced.”

The talk about a new reality show is only speculative for the moment, and it is far from certain that he will be released in October, but the reports have already created some mixed feelings on social media.

@TMZ @vibe ESPECIALLY IF HE’S BEHIND YOU BUYING SOME GLOVES

— Morris Corley (@avenger2000es50) March 10, 2017

@HOT97 WTF i just woke up what is going on here

— Princyboy (@princyboy71) March 10, 2017

@CNN just let him out. Who really cares, #Trump is President, and the @Cubs won the @WorldSeries. The end of the world is clearly near.

— The Politcal Pulse (@Politicalpulse1) March 8, 2017

A reality show with Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson called “Killin It”

— Ryan Broems (@ryanbroems) March 2, 2017

Simpson also wrote a memoir, called “If I Did It,” which bizarrely went through how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, if he had been the perpetrator. The book was ghostwritten by writer Pablo Fenjves and according to reviews, it read like a confession. Simpson also took part in a TV special for Fox, but it never aired. According to TMZ, the TV episode featured Simpson reading a passage from the book in which he seemed to confess to the murders. Public outcry led to Fox killing the show.

This would probably also be the problem if a new production featuring Simpson became reality–even if someone produced it, there’s the risk that broadcast and cable networks would refuse to air it and it could be hard to find advertisers. But given that these reports appear to be for real, you can never say never when it comes to reality tv.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Would You Watch an O.J. Simpson Reality Show? appeared first on Law Street.

The wife of Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov faces criticism from around the world after performing a Holocaust-themed ice skating routine on the Russian reality show “Ice Age.”

Former Olympic figure skating champion Tatiana Navka and her partner Andrey Burkovskiy donned Holocaust-era prisoner uniforms that were each fitted with a yellow Star of David for the performance.  The pair skated to Israeli singer Achinoam “Noa” Nini’s song “Beautiful That Way,” which was featured in the 1997 Oscar-winning Italian film, “Life is Beautiful.”

The film tells the story of a father who employs his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. Navka posted a collage to Instagram highlighting moments from the performance after the show aired.  She explained that the routine was “based on one of my favorite movies” and noted the importance of Holocaust education for children.

Посмотрите обязательно! Один из моих любимых номеров!По мотивам одного из моих любимых фильмов ” Жизнь прекрасна”! Покажите этот фильм своим детям, обязательно☝️ #ледниковыйпериод @tatiana_navka @aburkovskiy PS : Наши дети должны знать и помнить о том страшном времени, которого надеюсь-даст Бог, они никогда не узнают!

A photo posted by Tatiana Navka (@tatiana_navka) on Nov 26, 2016 at 11:22am PST

The routine ended on a gruesome note as Navka stands alone grieving, while Burkovskiy is heard being shot behind her.

The Russian celebrity ice-skating show works similarly to the United States program “Dancing with the Stars” or the UK’s “Dancing on Ice.” The routine seemed to be well-received by audience members, but international backlash followed shortly after the routine aired.

Director of International Affairs at Australia’s Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, Jeremy Jones, told CNN that he found the act to have been “unbelievably tasteless.”

“The lack of thought that would have to go into making that decision is almost mindblowing,” said Jones. “Long after they’re forgotten as ice skaters they’ll be remember as people who sunk to such depths to get some celebrity.”

The segment also drew considerable amounts of criticism online as Twitter exploded with negative reactions to the performance.

This might be offensive if they hadn’t take such great care to recreate all the wonderful ice dancing going on at Aushwitz at the time. https://t.co/Nz0iDHqili

— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 27, 2016

Producer: Let’s play word association to find a theme for your routine. I’ll start: Ice skating.
Navka: Holocaust
Producer: …Genius

— Lara L-S (@larasouthwell) November 27, 2016

Jones told CNN that he hoped the backlash to the routine would serve as a reminder to the world of the Holocaust’s horrors.

Bryan White

Bryan is an editorial intern at Law Street Media from Stratford, NJ. He is a sophomore at American University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. When he is not reading up on the news, you can find him curled up with an iced chai and a good book. Contact Bryan at BWhite@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Russian Figure Skater Sparks Outrage With Holocaust-Themed Routine appeared first on Law Street.

It’s a sad, sad day for all you closet Honey Boo Boo fans out there. TMZ is reporting that Mama June caught Sugar Bear trolling dating sites for the last time. OK, to be fair, TMZ may be reporting it, but my mom is the one who reported it to me (and I’m sure she would want me to point out here that she is not actually a Honey Boo Boo fan, for the record):

To translate parent-text, ‘msnh’ = ‘many’ & ‘whoch’ = ‘which.’ Next up, WhenParentsText.com.

According to TMZ, David Michael Thompson — “Sugar Bear” on TLC’s reality hit Here Comes Honey Boo Boo — has made a habit of trolling various dating sites online, most recently as an “adventurer” looking for a “long term” relationship on PlentyOfFish.com. This of course poses a problem since Sugar Bear has been in a relationship with “Mama June” Shannon for nearly a decade. The couple, who started out as “shack ’em up mates” and exchanged vows at a committment ceremony earlier this year, have one daughter together, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, and have been raising June’s three older daughters.

Courtesy of Giphy

Filming of the next season of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is still underway, so we can expect some reference to these latest developments, if not footage from the fallout. The show has garnered shockingly huge ratings for the network, even beating the 2012 Republican National Convention in ratings. The family reportedly doesn’t use any of the money from their increasingly popular reality show, but rather lives off Sugar Bear’s income as a contractor. The family received up to $20,000 per episode in 2012, but the most recent figures put their per episode paycheck at $50,000 — all of which goes directly into trust funds for each of the daughters and one granddaughter for disbursement on their twenty-first birthdays. So, the division of assets probably won’t be as complicated as your run-of-the-mill reality star break up, but there will surely be no shortage of legal representation and publicity to go around.

I leave you with TLC’s video compilation of Mama June and Sugar Bear’s relationship as it played out on the show. #RIPShackEmUpMates

—

Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Lwp Kommunicacio via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Line Up the Lawyers: Honey Boo Boo’s Parents Are Splitting appeared first on Law Street.

In today’s installment of completely cringe-worthy legal news, a contestant on VH1 reality show “Dating Naked” is suing the company for…being shown naked while dating.

Jessie Nizewitz, a 28-year-old model from New York, filed suit for $10 million this week against VH1, parent company Viacom, and two production companies for failing to blur out her crotch during a beach wrestling scene. (Yes, you read that correctly: naked beach wrestling on a first date being filmed for a reality TV show. That’s some serious other-level confidence.) Take a look at the Today Show’s clip below if you’re unfamiliar with the show, though I’m betting it’s exactly what you’re imagining in your head already.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now in all honesty, I kind of love this show. My friend and I discovered it a few weeks ago while watching The Soup, and subsequently binge watched all the episodes available On Demand (sadly there were only three at the time). If you haven’t seen it, or are sticking to the story that you would never watch such base programming, let me fill you in: contestants are flown to a private island where they bare their souls and birthday suits to strangers while participating in decidedly unromantic activities (naked four wheeling, anyone?) all in the hope that they will find that special someone.

According to Nizewitz, the show’s producers verbally promised that only contestants’ butts would be shown, with all other good stuff blurred out. There’s no mention of this assurance in a written contract, but that of course wouldn’t negate its validity depending on location. In an interview with the New York Post, Nizewitz expressed disappointment that a man she’d been seeing for a month disappeared after the episode aired: “He was employed, Jewish, in his 30s and that’s pretty much ideal.”

Setting aside the obvious here that Nizewitz was participating in a television show built entirely around being naked, it does seem that she had a reasonable expectation that her body would be blurred for broadcast. A $10 million expectation? We’ll find out soon enough. Until then, I’m still tuning in to this bizarre and uncomfortable social experiment. Because honestly, who doesn’t enjoy watching nascent relationships bud over naked tumbling, basket weaving, and Zumba classes?

—

Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured imaged courtesy of [Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Dating Naked Contestant Sues for Being Shown Naked While Dating appeared first on Law Street.

I graduated from law school almost five months ago, in May 2013.  From late May to late July, I spent two months being depressed and suicidal, otherwise known as bar prep.

A shockingly accurate representation of summer 2013.

Post-bar, I spent a month catching up on terrible reality television, reading stupid magazines, and engaging in other activities that required little-to-no brain functionality.

Surprisingly, what I didn’t do was make a particular rush to catch up with the friends that I had effectively neglected for two and a half months.  I was in a bar exam-induced PTSD, and I couldn’t fathom being around others who had not just gone through the same level of intellectual violation and warfare.  Everyone was uncomfortably happy and upbeat about the future, and I was not in the same boat.  I knew that I had three and a half months of waiting for bar results, and that thought remained in the back of my mind every day.

As I slowly but surely reemerge into polite society from my self-imposed exile, I realize that there are so many misconceptions about life during and after law school. These funnily-flawed thoughts come from four broadly classified categories of friends.

Group 1

These are your non-legal friends who are personally and professionally winning.  People often forget that you paused your life for three years to learn the law.  Unfortunately, the world didn’t pause with you.  In fact, it seems like their lives fast-forwarded a few chapters: promotions, engagements, marriages, and home purchases are what all of my friends talk about now.

Do you know what I talk about now? (1) Funemployment—not so fun.  (2) Educational debt—tons of it.  (3) Feeling old- what’s a Miley Cyrus?  (4) Reality tv- I live vicariously through Bravolebrities.  I literally don’t know how to relate to conversations about the depreciating value of diamonds and how the engagement ring business is a genius scam.  Diamonds and engagement are so far away for me, but for everyone else it’s happening!

Sorry, smart friend  who didn’t go to law school — I can’t relate to your perfect problems.

While we spent the last 1,100-ish days creating pneumonic devices for Constitutional tests (Lemon Test= SEX= Secular purpose; no primary Effect of advancing or hindering religion; no eXcessive entanglement.  You’re welcome), your friends were at work.  They were becoming more practically skilled in their professional fields, whereas you were receiving theoretical training.  You were getting A’s and B’s, but they were getting promotions.  The reality is that even if you become a first-year associate at a top law firm, you’re at the bottom of the totem pole.  Your friends, however, are not.  Thanks, law school.

We get it, you’re happy.

See? Professionally and personally winning.

Let us catch up, guys! We were on the bench for 3-4 years and now we’re trying to get back in the game!

Group 2

These are your friends who can’t grasp what current law students and law graduates know: law school ages you! You know those side-by-side comparisons of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama from their first Presidential portrait to their second?  And how everyone remarks that they have many more wrinkles and much more gray hair.  Such is life for a person learning the law.

Everyone expects you to rage at the end of the semester, and that desire to get you blackout drunk grows exponentially when you’re done taking the bar.  Little do your friends know that, while you talk a big game about drinking your face off, all you really want to do is sleep.  Perhaps you’d like to read a non-legal book? I hear they’re interesting.  Maybe jump on that exercise fad? There’s so much to try, but it’s difficult to get off of the couch because you feel so old.

My response every time someone wants to catch up over drinks.

Law students and lawyers read a lot.  Our eyesight is terrible.  Our backs hurt from carrying so many books (unless you had a wheelie backpack, in which case…just go).  We have a severe Vitamin D deficiency, because fluorescent library lights just aren’t as healthy for humans as sunlight.

Let us get some rest and attempt to feel like real humans again.  Once we’ve accomplished that (seemingly insurmountable) goal, we will gladly have a beer with you…or twenty.

Group 3

These friends are your biggest cheerleaders, but also have no idea about the reality you face.

I love comparing the pep talks I receive with those received by other law school friends.

Friend A: “My mom said I should apply to the biggest firm in the country because they’d be lucky to have me!”  Facts:Not necessarily true.  In fact, most likely not true, especially if you’re weren’t a summer associate at the firm.

Friend B: “My parents have a friend of a friend of a friend of a cousin who met a judge with whom they think I should apply.  The judge is on the D.C. Circuit.  I wasn’t on law review.”  Facts: Not happening.  Unless you saved the life of that judge’s first born child oryou are that judge’s child, it’s not happening.

Lisa Vanderpump and I appreciate the sentiment, but you’re wrong.

Friend C: “I’m pretty sure I failed the bar, but all of my friends say I definitely passed because I studied so hard.”  Fact: Actually, it’s a total toss up and we don’t find out until November, because bar examiners are sick and twisted people.  Also, the bar is a test that requires minimum competency, which is tough to gauge!

Friend D: “You’ll find a job, you’re smart!” Fact: Yes, but so is every other unemployed kid with a JD, and every unemployed actual attorney, so…. next.

The moral to this group of friends? We get it; you’re doing your job and being supportive and nice.  You, however, are incorrect about most of the smoke you’re blowing.

Enough is enough! Stop being such a good friend, right Taylor?

We secretly really appreciate it, though.

Group 4

This group is the best: the friends who work for big law and aren’t yet used to their new lifestyles.

The most inadvertent comments from them remind you of the stark differences of your post-graduation paths.

Like, how can you not sympathize with someone who hasn’t cooked in weeks because the firm insists on feeding them breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Seriously, guys, sometimes you want to walk home after a long day in the office, but if you stay past a certain hour, you have to take a car service.  Ugh.

Would you believe there are people out there suffering the indignity of business class? I’d quit.

Their comments are equally representative of their acceptance of the monumental change in their lives and the shock that all of this is happening to them.  They get a lot of perks, but they work all the time.  Some of them really enjoy what they do (FREAKS), and some of them feel the exact opposite way.

They always remind you how lucky you are that you are still looking for work, or that your job lets you leave at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, or 10:00.  The grass is always greener, right?

You’re of course genuinely thrilled for them, too. It’s always nice to have a bunch of friends at a bunch of firms, especially if you’re considering running for public office one day (wink wink nudge nudge Citizens United, anyone?).

Seriously, donate to my Senate campaign in 2026!

Are there any other groups I’m missing? Let me know in the comments!

—

Featured image courtesy of [Jesse Vaughan via Flickr]

(all .gifs provided by the genius T. Kyle MacMahon from Reality TV .gifs.)

Peter Davidson II

Peter Davidson is a recent law school graduate who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Contact Peter at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Simple Classification of Friends in a Post-J.D. World appeared first on Law Street.