Hollywood Week: Netflix Defamation Lawsuit, Dick Van Dyke Emmy, DeNiro Retrospective
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Saturday, 08 June 2024 11:38
- Written by Janet Walker
Truth is stranger than fiction, or so the saying goes. For the streaming giant Netflix, with a global subscriber base of 270 million, true-life stories of heroism, survival, and egregious injury, have become both a blessing and a burden.
Netflix Hit Again with Defamation Lawsuit
Netflix has been hit again with a defamation lawsuit. Coming on the heels of settling the defamation action brought by former Manhattan Sex Crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein, over an alleged defamation of her in the portrayal of "The Way They See Us," which retells the story of the falsely convicted Central Park Five, Netflix and director Ava DuVernay settled out of court for $1 million.
Hollywood Week: Trump Verdict, Peltz Sells Off Disney Stake, SF Moon, Al Ruddy
"In a separate statement, DuVernay excoriated the former prosecutor, saying Fairstein pulled the plug on her case rather than face the defendants in open court in a matter of days. "She walked away with no payment to her or her lawyers of any kind, rather than face cross examination before a New York jury," DuVernay said," reported CNBCnews.com.
Ms. Fairstein did not receive the money and both sides agreed to donate the money to the Innocence Project.
Netflix also agreed to add an opening statement to the series that states, while the show is inspired by actual events, some elements have been fictionalized. The case stemmed from Ms. DuVernay's portrayal of Ms. Fairstein as racist and who intentionally orchestrated the arrest of the five young African American and Latino teens, who were railroaded by the Manhattan legal system.
The zealousness of the prosecution, which is better than turning an easily prosecutable case into a decades long cold case, was fueled by external elements. A white investment banker, enjoying one of first warm nights of spring, running in Central Park, was viciously and brutally assaulted, raped, nearly bludgeoned to death, and left to die.
Media also aided the demand for an arrest. It became a whole-of-government approach to finding, apprehending, and prosecuting the persons responsible for the safety of the city. The brutality made the entire city uneasy.
Hollywood Week: Cannes, Mohammed Rasoulof, Graceland Scam, Matthew Perry Death, Charlie Colin, Morgan Spurlock
Once the five were determined to have entered the park, near 110th Street, it put them in the vicinity. DNA, which would eventually exonerate them, was a budding science, limited in scope and usage.
Eventually, "all five confessed to the crime after long interrogations, but each of them later recanted their statements, saying they had been coerced by police officers. After serving between five and 13 years in prison, the boys were exonerated when the true attacker confessed and was linked to the crime by DNA evidence," Reuters reported.
Baby Reindeer "Martha" Outed by Internet Investigators
The day after the terms of the Fairstein/Netflix settlement were announced the streaming giant was hit again with a defamation claim over the portrayal of the main character in the global streaming hit "Baby Reindeer," which in its first two month of viewing had been streamed more than 56million times and remained in the top ten shows.
The show is based on true events, with cinematic value added, however, in the introduction the story is presents as "true," and further explains that the female, "Martha," had been convicted in a British court of stalking.
"A woman who says she was identified online as the basis for the character of a stalker in the popular Netflix series "Baby Reindeer" is suing the streamer and the show's creator. She is seeking $170 million over a portrayal she says was inaccurate and distressing," The Washington Post reported.
Netflix has stated they will vigorously defend the right for the show creator and star, Richard Gad, to tell his story.
Celebrity Interview: Scott Johnson, Investigative Reporter, Talks on the Explosive Docu-Series Hollywood Con Queen
Dick Van Dyke Makes History with Emmy Win
Dick Van Dyke, 98, has made history as the oldest performer to ever win an daytime Emmy for his guest performance in the daytime drama "Days of Our Lives."
Van Dyke, who began his television career as Rob Petrie opposite Mary Tyler Moore, in 1961 on The Dick Van Dyke Show, back in the day when television was only in black and white and married couples portrayed on television had to sleep in single beds.
His acceptance speech can be seen here.
Tribeca Film Festival – Robert DeNiro Retrospective
The 2024 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, running from June 5 through June 16, celebrates its 23rd year. Created after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, which devastated lower Manhattan, Robert DeNiro, along with Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, sought to find a way to revitalize the Wall Street and Tribeca neighborhoods which had suffered severe financial loss in the aftermath of the World Trade Center terror attacks.
The festival is a time of celebration. For this year, the festival is celebrating its founder Robert DeNiro with an immersive retrospective, "Robert DeNiro is an Icon" that celebrates the career of who many have called one of the greatest actors of modern times.
For cinephiles, the retrospective is a masterclass of performance, and is a must see. Tickets are available here.
