Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 12, 1994 TAG: 9407140065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
B.B., Roanoke
A: The media frenzy surrounding Simpson has left a lot of people asking why.
The most-overheard statement around Roanoke these days seems to be, "I'm sick of the O.J. case."
This message is not reaching the TV networks, though.
The market-driven programmers in New York are getting the opposite idea. They see an upward trend in the ratings since Simpson's preliminary hearings went on the air June30.
CBS had a 6.0 rating, or 5.7 million households, on July5 when a limo driver testified that he saw a shadowy figure slip into Simpson's house just before 11 p.m., scoring a direct hit on his alibi.
The amazing part is, people were watching the same show on three other channels at the same time.
We've demonstrated an amazing curiosity about what happened the night of June 12 and the role one of our best-known celebrities had in the events. The thirst for Simpson news rivals or surpasses our appetite for war, assassination, moon landings or controversial preachers.
Even if many members of the audience are turned off by overkill, the networks are more interested in those who are tuned in.|
Judge's relations
Q: Is Kathleen Kennedy-Powell, the judge in the O.J. Simpson hearing, one of Robert Kennedy's older children?
N.W., Christiansburg
A: She's not related to the Kennedys of Massachusetts.
Kathleen Kennedy-Powell, 41, of the Los Angeles Municipal Court, is the daughter of Brian J. Kennedy, a well regarded civil lawyer in Los Angeles.
Until now, the former prosecutor's typical day on the bench involved hearing up to 10 cases a day of routine burglaries and drug-possession crimes.
She's married to Daniel Powell, a lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice.
X-rated movies
Q: Some of us were wondering how movies today compare with the X-rated movies that used to be shown at places like the old Lee Theater and 220 Drive-In, and why we don't see X-rated movies today.
M.P., Salem A: That type of movie still is made on video, but the old theaters have disappeared. Most of them had a date with a bulldozer during the video explosion of the early '80s.
With some video stores now carrying all ratings of movies, there isn't enough business in low-budget smut to keep a theater operating.
In big cities, though, a few theaters continue to show X-rated "classics." Recent productions don't have movie-house quality because they're done on video, says film critic Mike Mayo.
Incidentally, X ratings always were sort of a misnomer. In the '70s and early '80s, X ratings were self-applied by the movie makers who didn't submit their films to the Motion Picture Association of America for a rating.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB