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Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at 15 and continued performing until he died in 2022 at the age of 67. Throughout all that time, though, he never released a comedy album of original material. As his widow, Dara Gottfried, explains to me, “I nagged Gilbert for 20 years to put out an album of his original material, but Gilbert never updated his act — he was still doing jokes about Molly Ringwald, O.J. Simpson and Gary Coleman. He was afraid that, if people could hear an album of his material, they wouldn’t go see his live shows.”

But after Gilbert’s untimely passing from myotonic dystrophy type 2, a rare disease that causes muscle weakness and dysfunction, Dara decided the moment was finally right for that album. With the help of Gottfried’s friends Penn Jillette, Jeff Ross and several others, she released Still Screaming earlier this month, the profits from which go to the...

Contrary to what his many, many haters may claim, controversial CEO and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk is not the most evil monster to ever host Saturday Night Live — though he might be the least funny one.

SNL fans have long grappled with the fact that, when it comes to placing the show smack-dab in the center of the zeitgeist, Lorne Michaels will never have any moral qualms about booking controversial hosts, so long as the divisive celebrity is adequately positioned toward the top of the A-list. The pretense of SNL’s impartiality demands that Michaels book public figures whom his majority left-leaning audience might not find palatable, and the comedy king-maker continues to prove, time and time again, that there’s no fence on which he will not sit just to keep his show in the middle of every cultural conversation and political discussion.

However, for all the outrage...

Has Kim Kardashian staked her claim on Lyle and Erik Menendez? The brothers are currently preparing for a new trial, or at the very least, a resentencing hearing. That being said, this could free them after decades behind bars for the murder of their parents. Kim has become very involved in their story so what is she up to now regarding the brothers? Keep reading for more details.

Kim Kardashian Stakes Her Claim On Menendez Brothers

Growing up with Robert Kardashian as a very prominent attorney, Kim Kardashian witnessed him in action. One of the biggest trials he was ever involved in was the Oj Simpson trial. Simpson had been charged with murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. After Simpson was acquitted of the murder, things changed dramatically as Nicole was Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner’s best friend. As Kim got older, she realized...

In a baffling PR misstep, Johnny Depp has likened his situation to that of the late O.J. Simpson.

The comparison comes as Depp mounts a comeback campaign that he hopes will restore his career to its former glory.

Of course, drawing parallels between himself and one of the most notorious figures in modern American history probably wasn’t the savviest move at this juncture.

Johnny Depp attends the “Modì â€. Three Days On The Wing Of Madness” red carpet during the 19th Rome Film Festival at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 26, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images) Johnny’s Career Resurgence

Depp is currently attending the Rome Film Festival, where his new film Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness is in competition.

And it was revealed this week that he’s signed on to star in Day Drinker, an action comedy in which...

10 Series to Check Out if You Loved the Menendez Brothers Series - Main Image

Monster may have covered the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer first, and this year the season decided to focus on the true-crime story of Lyle and Eric Menendez, brothers who were convicted of murdering their wealthy parents with a shotgun.

The third season of the series is now set to tell the true story of serial killer Ed Gein with Sons of Anarchy actor Charlie Hunnam, but while fans wait for that to come out in a couple of years or so, there are some other true-crime dramas that are very well worth checking out if you got bitten by the true-crime bug.

American Crime Story Series

Before Monster was even a show, creator Ryan Murphy had another anthology series called American Crime Story that followed real-life crimes that became the center of huge scandals.

Here’s how James Cameron saved the Titanic movie from Cost overruns ( Photo Credit – Prime Video )

Picture this: It’s the mid-’90s, and James Cameron’s Titanic is on the brink of disaster. Yeah, the real iceberg for this ship was a ballooning budget and some horrible press. What’s now the classic king of blockbusters was once Hollywood’s favorite punching bag, predicted to sink faster than the ill-fated ship itself. With a $200 million price tag—a whopping $1 million for every minute of the final cut—it looked like Cameron’s grand vision was about to take down everyone.

Fast-forward twenty years, and Cameron spills the tea on what went down behind the scenes in Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of A Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway. Making movie magic was more “Mayday!” than a movie set.

James Cameron: The Captain Who Almost Went Down with...

How did Arnold Schwarzenegger replace O.J. Simpson in The Terminator? ( Photo Credit – Flickr )

Imagine if O.J. Simpson, not Arnold Schwarzenegger, was the cyborg in The Terminator! A twist of fate turned the NFL star into a “what if?” in Hollywood history. Let’s dive into the drama that led to Arnie’s rise as the definitive Terminator—and how a twist of fate turned a casting curveball into one of cinema’s most legendary roles.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: From Reese to the Terminator

Initially, Schwarzenegger wasn’t even eyeing the Terminator role; he was up for Kyle Reese, the human resistance fighter. “I wanted to play Reese,” Schwarzenegger said, recounting how he and Cameron butted heads over the casting. Meanwhile, O.J. Simpson was reportedly in talks to step into the Terminator’s leather boots, already cast by the studio (though no contract was signed).

Cameron had other ideas. During his discussions with Schwarzenegger,...

Plenty of people have been fired from "Saturday Night Live" across the shows 50-year history. Whether it was Norm Macdonald being let go in the middle of a season because he refused to stop telling O.J. Simpson jokes or Chris Farley being sent off during one of the show's more tumultuous periods in the '90s, "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels has seen plenty of comedians come and go. However, only one person has ever been fired from "SNL" before they ever got to debut on the show.

Comedian Shane Gillis was hired for "Saturday Night Live" in September 2019, and he was meant to join the cast as a featured player for the show's 45th season, along with Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman. However, after some racist and homophobic remarks came to light from "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast," which Gillis co-hosts with fellow comedian Matt McCusker, NBC and "SNL" parted...

Johnny Depp’s plane was late coming into Rome, so he missed the Rome Film Festival press conference that was scheduled on Saturday to talk about the new film he directed, Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness. Depp was due to present the film that evening, pick up a prize and then fly out on Sunday morning.

The actor is considered a controversial figure in Hollywood after years of legal battles and a messy divorce from his ex-wife Amber Heard, which included allegations of domestic violence and his and Heard’s heavily publicized defamation trial. But Depp is in the midst of a career reboot of sorts in Europe, one that began at last year’s Cannes Film Fest with French director Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, in which he starred as King Louis Xv.

Modi, which premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival last month, is the...

The Terminator franchise is one of the greatest and most important sci-fi franchises of all time. Envisioned by legendary director James Cameron after a fever dream that involved a metallic entity with kitchen knives. It became a cult classic movie and later a whole franchise that is still active even today.

The first movie was released back in 1984 and has since gained a cult following. No true sci-fi fan will tell you that The Terminator is bad, or, to be more precise, that it is not, in fact, one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. And from a cinematic aspect, we can agree.

And while the role of the Terminator, or the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, or simply T-800, was immortalized by Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his best roles, did you know that someone else was initially considered for the role before James Cameron turned down that idea? Keep...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

James Cameron is the unquestioned king of the box office. "Avatar" is, by a considerable margin, the highest-grossing movie of all time and, before all's said and done, it could be the only movie in history to touch $3 billion worldwide. Cameron also owns two of the other spots in the top four globally with "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Titanic." He's been doing it on the biggest scale for a long, long time. But it certainly didn't start out that way. Early on, the blockbuster maestro was simply looking for a way to meaningfully break into Hollywood.

"My contemporaries were all doing slasher-horror movies. John Carpenter was the guy I idolized the most," Cameron once admitted (per Den of Geek). "He...

Saturday Night Live has weathered its share of controversies over the years, but none of them seem to stick in Lorne Michaels’ craw like the firing of Shane Gillis. The popular comedian was hired in 2019 along with Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, but before Gillis could get a picture taken for his security badge, he was fired for offensive comments he’d made in podcasts over the years. What kinds of comments? Racist, homophobic, sexist — Gillis didn’t play favorites.

A statement was issued “on behalf of Lorne Michaels” disavowing Gillis’s remarks. “After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL,” the statement read. “The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard.”

The fact that the press release didn’t...

In the latest update to the Menendez brothers case, LA County district attorney George Gascón recommended that the brothers should be resentenced by a judge and released on parole. The brothers were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for brutally murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.

A fictional portrayal of Erik and Lyle Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Credits: Netflix

Erik and Lyle

admitted to the cold-blooded murders but claimed that they were abused by their father. Their case recently gained attention after Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. They have since been receiving support from various corners. The final say over their resentencing lies with a judge and a parole board will decide on their parole.

What Happened To The Menendez Brothers? A file photo of Erik and Lyle Menendez included in the...

Long before Lorne Michaels decided Shane Gillis was too toxic to join SNL’s cast but the perfect dude to headline his show, NBC had the bright idea to fire Norm Macdonald for crimes against O.J. Simpson before immediately bringing him back as a host.

This week marks the 25th anniversary of Macdonald’s bitterly caustic return to SNL, just months after NBC’s Don Ohlmeyer — coincidentally, a good pal of Simpson’s — gave him the boot. Michaels wouldn’t fire Macdonald himself, either because he was (famously) a conflict avoider, because he disagreed with Ohlmeyer’s decision or both. That left Macdonald to call Ohlmeyer personally to learn whether or not he still had a job. He didn’t, with Ohlmeyer blaming the move on a subpar Update: “It’s just not as funny as it should be.”

The fan backlash was immediate. It didn’t help that Colin Quinn,...

Exclusive: Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said this week he would have a decision on the legal fate of the long incarcerated Menendez brothers, and he is making it public today.

The Da, who’s in the middle of a tough re-election campaign, will announce his support for a resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez for the shotgun murder of their parents in 1989, Deadline has learned. A day ahead of schedule, the Da’s office just revealed that Gascón will give a press conference Thursday “regarding the potential resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez.”

Having been on a media tour of late over weighing newer evidence of the repeated sexual abuse the brothers allegedly suffered from their father, music executive Jose Menendez, Gascón is expected to ask for Erik, 55, and Lyle, 56 to get out of prison in the next few months, sources tell me. However, Gascón could still...

Kim Kardashian and her huge family attended a spooky Halloween event. She shared some pictures and videos with her fans to make them feel like they were there with them.

The Kardashians Have An Extensive Family History

The Kardashian girls are the daughters of Oj Simpson’s lawyer and their TV personality mom, Kris Jenner. Kim Kardashian is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. Her name reached the headlines due to her friendship and stylist job for Paris Hilton. However, her true rise to fame came with the sex tape she made in 2003 and released in 2007 with her now ex-boyfriend Ray J.

All the Kardashians have a high net worth due to their fame. They also have millions of followers on Instagram alone, which makes sense given the viewership of their reality TV show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Kourtney and Khloé, along with their sister Kim, are also media personalities and socialites.

Saturday Night Live knows how to find and cultivate talent. The show has been responsible for some of the most beloved comedians and movie stars of the last five decades. That being said, the show has not always handled the exits of these stars gracefully.

Some of the biggest names to come out of SNL were actually fired from the show due to situations and circumstances that were out of their control. Well, out of their control in some instances. What is fascinating, though, is the fact that SNL will still invite these stars to come back as a host once they made it big.

We decided to chronicle this bizarre pattern, which dates back to the 1990s.

Chris Rock "Invasive Species" Opening Night | Bruce Glikas/GettyImages

Chris Rock may now be considered one of the greatest stand up comedians of all time, but he did not really get a...

Khloé Kardashian shared a video with fans of a conversation she had with her niece, Dream. In it, Dream expressed her authentic opinions on Khloe’s son, Tatum.

Khloé Kardashian Has A Great Family And Career

Khloé Kardashian is well-known for her last name. Her family has garnered so much attention from her father being Oj Simpson’s lawyer and her sister Kim having a sex tape that her family has a reality TV show. Starting as Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the show has slightly changed its name and where it can be watched.

The media personality was married to Lamar Odom for seven years, from 2009 to 2016. However, the two kids she has, Tatum and True, are shared with her ex Tristan Thompson. The couple began their relationship in 2016 and reportedly ended things in February 2019.

In addition, she is a business owner and the co-founder of Good American, which...

Update 10/8/24: This post has been updated with details from Netflix’s “The Menendez Brothers” and Peacock’s “Menendez Menudo: Boys Betrayed.”

It’s been over 30 years since Erik and Lyle Menendez shot and killed their parents at their Beverly Hills home, but the brothers’ story continues to develop.

The murders initially shocked the country and the world, as did the boys’ claims of abuse and multiple trials. Two recent Netflix titles Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan‘s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” released September 19, and Alejandro Hartmann’s “The Menendez Brothers” documentary, released on October 7.

Hollywood loves a little dramatic embellishment, especially with true crime. Since the Menendez brothers’ first trial was broadcast on Court TV in the 1990s, even the fictionalized version uses verbatim testimony and reenactment of specific moments. There’s only so much actual fact checking that can occur when it comes to the Menendez brothers,...

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “The Menendez Brothers,” now streaming on Netflix.

Weeks after the smash hit Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” debuted, the streamer has released a new feature-length documentary on the brothers, crime and trial that shocked the world.

“The Menendez Brothers,” directed by Alejandro Hartmann, recounts the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez by telling the story of their sons, Lyle and Erik. The brothers spoke with the filmmakers from prison, and numerous other family members and people who appeared in the trial also participated in the doc.

The biggest moments and revelations from the documentary are detailed below.

*Hearing the actual 911 call — The real-life source material from the investigation and the trial — including the initial 911 call, crime scene photos, interrogation tapes, and video and courtroom footage — is essential for people now obsessed with the case, as well as showing the...

It has been a little over thirty years since the retrial convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez. In the sensational trial, the siblings, who were convicted of parricide, were sentenced to life in prison. According to the new Netflix documentary, The Menendez Brothers, they deserve to be released from jail.

The film offers very little reasoning as to why the brothers deserve this sentence for murdering their parents. The main point is that they point to the mistrial, where evidence of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of José and Kitty Menendez was not allowed during the prosecution’s second attempt.

The filmmakers want to put the parents on trial, not the assailants. This is fine, only if you offer the same type of microscope on those convicted of the crime as well.

The Menendez Brothers (2024) | Image via Netflix Related “We know you’re on Diddy’s list”:...

Fans want Kim Kardashian to stay out of the Lyle and Erik Menendez case. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison for killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The Kardashians star has since stepped up and is fighting for the brothers. However, fans think she should stay in her lane as this is not the case for her. Keep reading for more on what they are telling Kim.

Kim Kardashian Steps Up For The Menendez Brothers

Kim Kardashian is very passionate about justice and wants those who are falsely imprisoned to be released. She also wants to help those who are unfairly on death row get out of it and receive a second chance. Kim has been filmed visiting inmates and raising awareness which is great for fans to see. She even went to meet with Gypsy Rose Blanchard after she was released from prison. That meeting was...

“Saturday Night Live” premiered October 11, 1975 on NBC with a group of fresh-faced cast members known as the “Not Ready For Prime-Time Players.” None of those original stars lasted for more than five seasons, but they all made their mark on the late night sketch series that is still going strong five decades later.

Over the past 50 seasons (and counting), who are “SNL’s” longest-running cast members ever? Kenan Thompson currently holds the record at a whopping 22 seasons. His closest competition is Darrell Hammond, who starred for 14 seasons before leaving and then returning as the show’s announcer. Scroll through our “Saturday Night Live” photo gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see more long-time cast members.

See‘SNL’ 5-Timers Club: Who has hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ at least five times?

Kenan Thompson

22 seasons (2003-Present)

Popular characters: Diondre Cole, Steve Harvey, Darnell Hayes, Bill Cosby, Diner Lobster, Lorenzo McIntosh...

Fresh off the premiere of its new Fox drama “Murder in a Small Town,” Jeff Wachtel’s Future Shack Entertainment shingle is ramping up its development slate — next via a first-look pact with Daily Beast chief content officer Joanna Coles. Future Shack and Coles have multiple projects in development, including a take on MSNBC anchor Katy Tur’s memoir “Rough Draft.”

Wachtel and Coles are also shopping the drama “Base Camp,” which looks at the crowded — and dangerous — queue to get to the top of Mt. Everest. Playwright and screenwriter Anchuli Felicia King is the scribe behind that project.

Additionally, Future Shack and Coles have two more scripts in the works at 20th Television. Coles, who was previously chief content officer at Hearst, was the inspiration for the Freeform drama “The Bold Type,” which she also executive produced. “She’s a phenomenal producer, but primarily a magazine editor and tastemaker,...

Nearly two weeks after Kim Kardashian’s advocacy work around prison reform led her to a meeting with imprisoned Erik and Lyle Menendez, the reality TV star and business mogul is speaking in hopes that the brother’s life sentences can be “reconsidered.”

“I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent, and honest men. In prison, they both have exemplary disciplinary records. They have earned multiple college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice, and been mentors in college programs — committed to giving back to others,” Kardashian writes in an exclusive essay posted by NBC News. “When I visited the prison three weeks ago, one of the wardens told me he would feel comfortable having them as neighbors. Twenty-four family members, including their parents’ siblings, have released statements fully supporting Lyle and Erik and have respectfully requested that the justice system free them.

America's fascination with serial killers has been an exploitable cultural phenomenon since long before the term was coined in the 1970s. People read books, wrote plays, and followed newspaper coverage of notorious murderers like Jack the Ripper, Charles Starkweather, and Richard Speck. A cold-blooded murder in any capacity is baffling enough to normal or normal-ish people; going on a wanton killing spree for kicks or because the lunar cycle is in the proper alignment is just bananas. How and why do minds break like this?

When a (one-time) master novelist like Thomas Harris or a naturalist like John McNaughton is asking these questions, there can be great value in examining the minds of monsters. When Jonathan Demme is adapting the former, there is also the opportunity to make a rewatchable, Oscar-winning classic of a film. When Ryan Murphy is at the helm, you're going to wind up with a lot...

Kim Kardashian’s mini-me is her daughter Chicago. As the young girl gets older, she seems to be looking more and more like her mother, and fans are noticing.

Keeping Up With Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is a well-known media personality and socialite. The star became known as being the friend and stylist of Paris Hilton. Additionally, she rose to fame with her sex tape, Kim Kardashian, Superstar. It was filmed in 2003 with her ex-boyfriend Ray J before releasing in 2007.

Her family has garnered so much attention that they have their TV show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which showcases their dramatic and lavish lifestyles. Her father is a well-known attorney from the O.J. Simpson case.

Kim has been married three times, with her most recent being Ye, formally known as Kanye West. The socialite shares all her children with her ex-husband, Ye. Her children are North, Saint, Chigaco, and Pslam West.

Warren Wilson, a pioneering Los Angeles broadcaster and former Ktla reporter, has died at age 90. Wilson died on Friday, September 27, in Oxnard, California, his son Stanley said in a statement. The son of North Carolina sharecroppers, Wilson was a broadcast journalist for more than 40 years and ranked as one of Los Angeles’ first Black broadcasters when his career got going in 1969, according to the Los Angeles Times. He spent 21 of those years at Ktla. Wilson covered the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, the 1992 Rodney King riots, and the O.J. Simpson trial, amid other major events in the city. And for his coverage of the 1992 riots — which were sparked by the acquittal of the police officers charged with excessive force in the videotaped beating of Rodney King — Wilson earned a Peabody Award. “He was brave,” Ktla reporter Eric Spillman said. “During the riots, Warren went down to the South L.

Much has been made of the incestuous portrayal of the Menendez brothers in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” But the actors behind the widely discussed Netflix original want viewers to know this element of the series isn’t necessarily based on fact.

“To be honest with you, I don’t remember reading any of that in my research. So if he did suggest that, it was a suggestion as it is at this dinner party where he talks for 20 pages,” Nathan Lane told TheWrap of Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne.

During the dinner party in question, Dunne (Lane) entertains his guests with an onslaught of questions and theories about the case, questioning why the brothers didn’t bring up their alleged abuse sooner.

“Then he suggests maybe this is a possible scenario, and they cut away to Kitty walking in on them in the shower,” Lane explained. “That...

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is shining the spotlight on a completely separate murder – one that happened a decade before the brothers’ trial.

Episode 7 of the series – titled “Showtime” – features a long dinner party scene where Nathan Lane’s character Dominick Dunne breaks down the Menendez case as he sees it through the context of having sat through his own daughter’s murder trial. It’s also a trial that earned significant media attention a decade earlier.

Dunne’s daughter Dominique was a 22-year-old rising actor fresh off a lead role in 1982’s “Poltergeist.” She was strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend John Sweeney after their breakup on Oct. 30, 1982. Sweeney confessed to the murder – and an attempt to kill himself after – when the police arrived on the scene.

Here’s what we know about Dominique, the night she was killed, and where Sweeney and the rest of her family is today.

Oxygen True Crime’s Serial Killer Capital: Los Angeles takes a deep dive back into LA of the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, focusing on the multiple serial killers that terrorized the city. The two-hour special premieres on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 7pm Et/Pt.

Patrick Reardon, David O’Donnell, and George Plamondon executive produce the special, with Dale Fisher serving as a co-executive producer.

Poster for ‘Serial Killer Capital: Los Angeles’ (Photo Credit: Oxygen True Crime)

Oxygen True Crime released the following lengthy description:

“The City of Angels became a city of horrors as a serial killer, whom authorities began referring to as the Southside Slayer, devastated the community. The bodies of women were discovered one after another in alleys, on playgrounds, and even on the steps of an elementary school. The investigators’ worst fears were confirmed when they determined after years of working on the cases that there wasn’t just one Southside Slayer,...

In 2013, at the height of his NFL power, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez shot and killed Odin Lloyd. In 2015, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. And, in 2017, he was discovered hanging in his prison sell and pronounced dead an hour later.

The inaugural season of American Sports Story aims to unravel how an auspicious football career went so far off the rails — but, just as importantly to its producers, how massive enterprises like the NFL and NCAA football and the hundred million-plus viewers they court played a role in the tragedy. “We’re trying to talk about our obsession with this national religion of football, while also telling a story about what happens when a complicated and flawed individual intersects with systems of power,” executive producer Brad Simpson tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a stew of things that make it bigger than just a tabloid true crime story.

Ari Graynor is the Mvp of Ryan Murphy’s “Monsters” Netflix series as Leslie Abramson, the chain-smoking defense lawyer who was vilified at the time for defending the Menendez brothers in the brutal 1989 shotgun killings of their parents.

It’s a great, meaty character for any actress: When Edie Falco played Abramson in 2017’s “Law & Order True Crime,” she was nominated for an Emmy, which could be the next accolade for Graynor.

Viewers naturally want to know more about the real Abramson, who is now 80 and retired, but the former lawyer has rebuffed outreach efforts from the press, including from TheWrap.

The media typecast her as a “raging harpy” for representing the Menendez brothers

“Leslie Abramson was typecast by the media as this foulmouthed, raging harpy, defending these horrible monsters. She was tenacious. She didn’t back down from anybody,” “Law & Order True Crime” showrunner René Balcer told...

Less than a week after its Netflix premiere, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has already stirred up its fair share of controversy. Erik Menendez himself was quick to slam the series, along with his family. In later episodes, it’s suggested that the brothers (played by Cooper Koch and Nicholas Chavez) were actually lovers and killed their parents to keep it a secret. The series has been accused of re-traumatizing victims with its detailed accounts of rape and child abuse, and creator Ryan Murphy has already given public statements to defend it. IndieWire’s Alison Foreman called the series a “vicious piece of onscreen cruelty.“

But what infuriated me about this adaptation was all the damn dinner parties.

They start in Episode 4, with Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane) discussing the Menendez brothers in a group setting. This was undoubtedly something happening all over the country at...

The sensational murder trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1993 and O.J. Simpson’s “trial of the century” soon after marked two of the biggest media events of the 1990s as televised court proceedings caught fire. The cases even have similar origins, with horrific killings in affluent neighborhoods in West Los Angeles. That’s why in Netflix and Ryan Murphy’s controversial new series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, it’s no surprise to find some key moments from the former linebacker’s closely watched trial referenced in passing and in the background. But then Simpson turns up in the series’ penultimate episode as a character, moments after his arrest in 1994 following his infamous Bronco chase.

Viewers are left wondering if this moment was fictionalized for the Netflix series. But with Simpson and Menendez crossing paths, it actually did happen.

While Erik Menendez was being held at Los...

Though it may feel like a McU-level cameo of headline-grabbing names from the ’90s, one of the most surprising claims of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is true. Erik Menendez did actually know O.J. Simpson, at least for a brief time.

Their meeting happened in June of 1994, shortly after Simpson was arrested following his infamous Bronco chase. By that point, both brothers had been imprisoned for over four years.

Here’s everything we know about this stranger-than-fiction meeting and how “Monsters” retelling of it compares to other times Simpson has appeared in Ryan Murphy’s work.

Did the Menendez brothers know O.J. Simpson?

Just like in the Netflix series, Erik Menendez really was cell neighbors with O.J. Simpson. In Robert Rand’s “The Menendez Murders,” Erik said that he didn’t see Simpson cry during his first night but that he could hear him “moaning.” The...

The Ryan Murphy TV empire is one of the most indomitable in modern entertainment. As Peak TV came to define a new era of small-screen programming, Murphy’s blend of frenetic excess and respectability made him a safe bet for success. He also became a critical darling, as true-life reimaginings of 20th century history in “American Crime Story” made him an Emmys favorite.

While Murphy has not abandoned the high-aesthetic camp of “American Horror Story,” his most notable offerings of recent years have been rooted in the tricky genre of true crime. This month alone, the Murphy-verse has given us two true crime offerings: “American Sports Story,” a new FX series on the life and crimes of football player Aaron Hernandez, and the second season of “Monster”, focusing on the Menendez brothers. Reviews have been stronger for the former than the latter but both shows expose the growing issues of...

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the second part of the Monster anthology by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, is available to stream on Netflix. The series revolves around the double murder committed by the titular siblings in a gruesome way. In an act of brutality, they shot their parents in their home in Beverly Hills. Their fate is dictated by a first trial that ends in a mistrial, followed by a second trial three years later that ends with a conviction. The 10 episodes describe the psyche of the brothers and explore the motives behind the crime in a non-chronological manner that presents an alternative perspective emphasizing case complexity. When such a series goes into the cause of the crime, we involuntarily tend to ponder if we have to sympathize with the criminals and let go of the crimes they committed at least for a while. Here too, the...

It is quite natural for a case like The Menendez Murders to leave an impact on all those real-life people the two brothers came across in between these seven years (1989-1996). Starting from the detectives to the psychiatrist, public prosecutors, attorneys, reporters, and more, everyone has a version of their story about the Menendez brothers. But you see, with so many different narratives out there, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between what’s real and what’s not. And how can a creator like Ryan Murphy miss the chance to not take advantage of that confusion? He brought certain real-life elements but then diluted it with rumors and hearsay so generously that after a point, it became difficult to separate the two. And one such event in the series involved O. J. Simpson, who was introduced in the penultimate episode of the Netflix’ series. But before moving forward, I...

It's now 1995 in the finale of Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and Oj Simpson's case has reached a verdict. The former NFL player is found not guilty, which sends shockwaves through the nation. After this, the prosecution needs a win, and they desperately want it to be the Menendez case. This adds another layer of difficulty for the brothers as they start their second trial.

Major spoilers for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story episode 9 are below.

Trigger Warning: This episode references child sexual abuse.

Ahead of the second trial, Lyle gets a new lawyer and Leslie is fed up with him. He continues to raise money for himself through his "Lyle Menendez Defense Fund," which Leslie tells him makes the brothers look very bad. Erik and Lyle argue, with Erik understandably very angry that his brother ruined their defense. As they fight, Lyle...

The second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Netflix anthology, Monsters focuses on the infamous Menendez brothers, who’re still serving time for killing their parents. The season also happens to be a goldmine for movie nerds and pop culture aficionados. There’s loads of references over the course of nine episodes, and we’re going to look into them in this article, one by one.

Batman

Right after shooting their parents to death, Lyle and Erik Menendez go to a Los Angeles cinema hall and try to buy tickets to Batman. The Batman movie in question is obviously the one made by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton as the caped crusader. The brothers’ plan is to make a solid alibi in order to avoid any sort of trouble. The woman at the counter, however, refuses to sell them tickets as they’re way too late, and it...

Plot: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story chronicles the case of the real-life brothers convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez. While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed – and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole – that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse

Review: The ever-expanding anthology series credited to super-producer Ryan Murphy continues to expand. Earlier this week, we shared our review for the newest American Story series, American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez. While that series did not have Murphy directly involved as a writer or director, he does boast direct credits alongside longtime collaborator Ian Brennan on the second entry of Monster; this time focused on the tantalizing crimes of Lyle and Erik Menendez. One of several...

Ryan Murphy’s latest attempt to turn real-life crimes into television gold is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story which, despite being called out on social media for some pretty glaring inaccuracies, has been attracting a lot of eyeballs. Why? Because people love horrific murders thats why — just as long as they’re on TV, or in podcasts, or celebrated on a series of collectible trading cards.

It’s pretty wild that we’re living in a time when the phrase “Based on the Horrifying True Events” is a major selling point in trailers.

But this isn’t the first time that the Menendez brothers, who were famously convicted of murdering their parents in 1996, have inspired a work of fiction. One of the first narrative allusions to the case was in a movie that came out just two weeks before the Menendez brothers were sentenced: The Cable Guy. Come to think of it,...

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has redirected everyone’s attention to The Menendez Brothers, whose case made headlines back in 1989. Lyle and Erik Menendez brutally murdered their parents in their Beverly Hills home with their incident becoming one of the most high-profile cases in American history.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Netflix

But one woman remained at the center of the entire legal ordeal: Leslie Abramson, a New York-based lawyer who spent six years working in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office. While she’s renowned for representing the infamous brothers, she has also defended music producer Phil Spector in 2003.

Leslie Abramson Represented Phil Spector in His 2003 Murder Case

Leslie Abramson is one of the most renowned criminal defense attorneys in America who is known for handling many renowned cases like The Menendez Brothers. But she has also represented legendary music producer...

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is now on Netflix, bringing renewed interest to the case of the two brothers who murdered their parents. But as with any true crime series, there’s interest in knowing what the real people involved are up to now.

Erik and Lyle Menendez have been in prison since their 1996 conviction in the murder of their parents. As a note at the end of a series tells us, “Lyle and Erik Menendez maintain the allegation of sexual abuse at the hands of their mother and father. They continue to serve life sentences without the possibility of parole.”

Here’s where everyone stands.

Erik Menendez mugshots from 2000 and 2002 (Credit: Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images) Erik Menendez

Erik, the younger brother, is now 53. He has been incarcerated at a San Diego prison since his conviction and was only reunited with his brother Lyle in 2018 after he...

The Menendez brothers’ disastrous first trial turned the justice department of LA County into a laughing stock. Over the course of the decade, the Da’s office had had a number of humiliating high-profile defeats one after another, the most embarrassing one being the O.J. Simpson case. That was one of the reasons why Gil Garcetti, the former Da of LA county, refused to accept the brothers’ plea bargain. On live television, Garcetti told the media and the public that the boys were accused of first-degree murder, and he would make sure that they served the sentence they deserved. A year later, in 1995, a retrial was arranged with Judge Stanley Weisberg presiding over the case. Ironically, he was the same judge who’d presided over the previous trial, which only makes you wonder if the judge was even impartial or was carrying out an image-cleansing agenda.

In order to avoid...

Eight years after Ryan Murphy ushered in a new era of prestige true crime retellings with "The People Vs. O.J. Simpson," the provocateur is back with a new take on a headline-grabbing murder case. This time around, it's the disturbing and tragic story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez, two brothers who are serving life in prison for the murder of their parents. "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" just dropped on Netflix yesterday, but according to viewership data site FlixPatrol, it's already the most-watched show on Netflix in the United States.

Netflix admittedly seems to be in a dry spell with its TV offerings lately, as "Monsters" is beating out inexplicable hit "Emily in Paris," two-week-old Nicole Kidman vehicle "The Perfect Couple," and a handful of reality and documentary offerings like "The Circle," "Selling Sunset," and "Worst Ex Ever," among other shows. Still, the show continues a hot...

For 35 minutes in the middle of its nine-episode run, Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story does something special.

The fifth chapter, titled “The Hurt Man,” was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Michael Uppendahl. It’s a single-shot conversation between Erik Menendez (Cooper Koch) and his attorney Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor). The camera begins several feet behind Abramson and inches imperceptibly closer to Erik as he recalls his history of sexual abuse at the hands of his tyrannical father, José (Javier Bardem).

It’s a stunt, but the entire show is a stunt, so why quibble? The writing is precise, uncomfortably explicit and haunting. The formal simplicity serves its purpose, building breathless tension and putting a spotlight on Koch, who strips himself emotionally bare. We see the impact that the expurgation of these memories is having on Erik and, because we cannot see Abramson’s face,...

“Well, if we’re gonna kill our dad, we should probably just kill our mom too.”

In August 1989, siblings Lyle and Erik Menendez purchased shotguns and drove to the Beverly Hills mansion they shared with their parents. They proceeded to fire several bullets through their parents’ hands, stomach and feet before retreating outside to their car to reload. They continued firing at their mother’s face to finish the job, setting off 16 shots between their two parents.

Afterward, they attempted to see a movie at a local theater before dining at a trendy Los Angeles area restaurant where they knew they’d be seen. The product of entertainment wealth and the sons of an immigrant father, the Menendez brothers initially claimed the mafia put a hit out on their family before admitting to murdering their parents after they were arrested.

The new limited series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story...

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is an ominous retelling of the infamous crime. Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the second in their “Monster” anthology for Netflix follows brothers Lyle (an incredible Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (an outstanding Cooper Koch). Having endured emotional, physical and sexual abuse — the series argues — at the hands of their father, José (Javier Bardem) and mother, Mary Louise, aka “Kitty” (Chloë Sevigny), the pair murder their parents in cold blood. Chronicling the brothers’ upbringing, the murders and everything thereafter, the series is overlong and exhausting. The show attempts to unpack the circumstances that led to the crime while highlighting Erik and Lyle’s trauma. But in the end, the narrative feels futile and bizarre.

“Menendez” opens in October 1989, two months after Kitty and José’s deaths. Riding in a limo as Kenny G’s “Songbird” plays on the radio, Lyle and...