Quote of the 1990s? ‘If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,’ 25 years on
Twenty-five years ago today, in his closing argument at the sensational O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles, lead defense lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran stood before the jurors and urged … Continue reading
The enduring 1990s: Vivid context for contemporary life
The 25th anniversary of opening arguments in the O.J Simpson “Trial of the Century” fell last week and Court TV.com marked the occasion by launching a retrospective series about the … Continue reading
Rambling nostalgia: WETA’s ‘Washington in the ’90s’ documentary
A flaw common to documentary treatments of the 1990s (or of any decade, really) lies in the failure to address fundamental yet vital questions such as: “What’s the point?” “What … Continue reading
Re-reading Clifford Stoll’s 1995 Internet predictions: Bah!
Clifford Stoll’s 1995 newsmagazine critique of the emergent Internet is a digital classic, an off-target artifact that is constantly being rediscovered, and scoffed at, online. Few essays published in 1995 … Continue reading
CNN series gives kitchen-sink treatment to the ’90s
Call it the kitchen-sink approach to documentary-making. That’s an effective summation of the seven-part, eight-hour CNN series, “The Nineties,” which wrapped up last night with a jumbled look at the … Continue reading
Messaging, sequencing a puzzle as CNN launches ’90s series
It’s certainly commendable that the 1990s — a decade Americans too often treat casually or dismissively — is receiving extended attention from CNN, in a seven-part documentary series that premieres … Continue reading
PBS doc on OKC bombing pushes hard on vague, distant connections
To its credit, the “American Experience” documentary airing tomorrow night on PBS about the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing has little patience with extravagant and bizarre conspiracy theories that have flourished … Continue reading
The ’90s: With us still
In ways metaphoric and real, the 1990s linger, offering reference points and context for contemporary events and personalities. A telling example came at Times Square on New Year’s Eve, when … Continue reading
Beyond 1995: Accounting for the pop culture allure of the O.J. case
The week brought word that Martin Sheen plans to produce a docu-series claiming O.J. Simpson was innocent of the brutal slayings in 1994 of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, … Continue reading
Bosnian war ended at Dayton 20 years ago; U.S. ‘hubris bubble’ swelled soon after
Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the successful conclusion of U.S.-brokered peace talks near Dayton, Ohio — a remarkable negotiation that was salvaged at almost the last possible moment and … Continue reading
The 1995 Blog 