Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Thursday March 7 2002 — C5 SHERMANS LAGOON scruff UNiavewA umtmctm rmPMkm- - The Shepard case: Does a hate crime make good TV? By Ray Mark Rinaldi St Louis Port-Dispat- ch coincidence It’s in odd though g that the Matthew Shepard story gets two big TV treatments this month in a new movie on NBC ("The Matthew Shepard Story" airing Saturday) and a glittery film adaptation of a play ("The Laramie Project" also airing Saturday) on HBO When Shepard was killed brutally mid infan mously in 1998 it was the kind of tragedy — violent trashy and true — that movies were born to bring home But it was also a moment of transcendence Shepard was gay and his attackers made note of it when choosing their victim The murder exposed something deeper uglier about our culture and resonated in a way that makes it an subject for the more artful HBO fort Both are quality programs by contemporary television arts standards anyway and each tries to excel at that thing dramatization must do: simplify pick a perspective and wrap it all up in a tidy package Arriving simultaneously the films provide an example e events direct what we see on of how close-fittin- CATHY r WT IT OUT OF HERE! small-tow- EVACUATE! bleah&bwtt made-for-T- V i BEETLE BAILEY LOOK A UTTLE 4RAVEVARP LITTLE HEARS1DNE4 two-ho- WHEN YOU IVOUlL JL PIE HAVE A CALL THE UNDERI'll TAKE YOU 6A6E OEPW BELLY-WIT-H BEETLES STONf heapsidne ur real-lif- television But at the same time they raise questions about how television influences the public’s events Does a mass perception of real-lif- e media rendering make an incident like Shepard’s murder more real or less real to America? Does it cause people to reflect on their own attitudes or make it easy for them to push the “ facts far away in this case as remote a place as Wyoming and see it as a tragedy resolved? ' Gay rights supporters and the Shepard fami- ly who consulted on the NBC project hope the shows raise awareness of hate crimes Few people doubt that when Shepard’s killers Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney picked him up in a Laramie bar tied him to a fence and pummeled him with a 357 magnum pistol they were at least in part motivated by their dislike of gay men McKinney’s early confession said as much though the pair's accounts ' of the crime changed as they woe investigated tried and eventually sent to jail for life “Basically it’s easier for people to understand when it’s put in such human terms” says David Smith senior strategist with the Human Rights Campaign a Washington DC-base- d group that lobbies for laws to protect gay and lesbian people from discrimination' For the group the TV event comes at an opportune moment three-plyears after the murder two months before a hate-cribill is slated to come up in Congress The movies Smith says “have the potential ’ Scripps Howard News Photo Shane Meier stars as Matthew Shepard pi jmsmmsr PEANUTS Shepard Story” it's really the tale of Judy and Dennis Shepard Matt’s parents as they cope with the murder It has the requisite faces in Stockard Charming from “The West Wing” and Sam Waterson from “Law & ratings-friend- ly Order” That the film is ' MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM to have a huge impact on how people think about these issues” The films do portray the trauma physical and emotional this crime caused its victim his family and the town of Laramie population 27000 It’s affecting to watch the oppression unfold the ferocious violence followed by the indifferent attitudes of some in the community and on the University of Wyoming campus where Shepard was a student But even Smith acknowledges the “inherent drawback" for any subject of a y movie For a nqw television has been tossing out overhyped films about current events TV movies treat all tragedy the same whomping up such diverse hardships as domestic violence women’s suffrage coming out of the closet drug addiction to the same dramatic levels and turning them into star vehicles NBC's undertaking is the most disadvan- taged here and only partly because it’s from the people who delivered fluff like “Liz: The Elizabeth Tay lor Story” Titled “The Matthew made-for-T- Olmos Bracco set to divorce LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Edward James Olmos has filed for divorce from Lor“The Sopranos” raine Bracco The couple married in 1994 and have been Separated since 1997 according to forms filed co-st- ar Wlri close to Home REAL LIFE ADVENTURES less-famil- iar a Hollywood This is the last thing “Laramie" needs viewers will already be suspicious of its premise that a bunch Of Manhattan theater types in n their urban drag can infiltrate America and come up with unfiltered dialogue The films do in each other as well Did tennis Shepard break down and cry during his court appearance or did he maintain his com- posure mid deliver a more statesmanlike reprimand to the defendants? TV gives us two versions each with its own subtleties If viewers tune in to both shows they’ll question why producers chose to include some facts and discard others Only one movie for example reveals that Matthew Shepard was HIV positive What else was left out? And how dependable are the parts Where writers took dramatic license? The questions cloud understanding of the tragedy and impede watchers from personalizing the event and viewers will probably wisely apply similar queries to TV projects to come fund-rais- er small-tow- V - - - When a contract looks certain to succeed the defenders should falsecard tq try to deflect declarer from a winning line In this deiai how should die play proceed after West leads Jhe spade queen against Sour hearts? North’s rebid shows a balanced hand with four hearts more points than needed for a opening and' too few for a opening 'V' l The opening lead masks East with the spade dee so 'ane-iuHiu- two-no-trum- p j in court Friday and made public Tuesday They have no minor children according to die documents ‘ The marriage the second for both was marred by a custody battle between Bracco and Harvey Keitel over their daughter in which bitter allegations were traded Olmos who gained fame playing a dour police lieu nd : tenant in the TV series ' “Miami Vice” is starring in the PBS drama “American Family" His films include “Stand and Deliver” and “Selena” Bracco who plays a mobster’s psychiatrist in HBO’s “The Sopranos" has appeared in films including “Riding jn Cars with Boys’! and “GoodFellas” at bridge By Phillip Alder ' South’s only problem revolves around the trump tage the defense if West has a' ¥- -i -- ' - : ft i vi p- v -i aaraT 'wwangurMi Hsragoiiiieiiioai - ' - r: Vi r" i’t Ji v ii i 7 t V- 9 : I ( d v mi t " i V ' d t i m f - fi ' ‘ r v f m v : ' m:' 'V'' Here dwui die defenders take the first three tricks in the suit Then East exits with say aditunood' : M v - u I 02002 suit However East might deflect declarer by dropping his heart nine on the first round of the suit This suddenly gives y Jeclarer a finessing ' 4K V -4 the queen (or king) then finesse dummy's eight Here broach tnimps by leading Jpw fremi the dummy Then it is dangerous for East to falsecard with die nine because that would sabo- ’ t Jy-'- 5 4 A 8 7 3 5 Q "East KQI A West Q V 2 4 4 : J10 4 7 A 9 3 6 4 10 - 96 43 54 10 9 6 3 -- South ' 8 6 2 '4 ' K f 37 2 - ’' VKQ10 a2 y two-wa- position! i of If West has the hearts left South must cash " NEA Norlh Missing just the jack he should start with his king (or queen) If everyone plays low' he should cross to dummy’s heart ace retaining the power of his 1(1 and here picking up the suit without loss: ' 5 ' J 8 7 i i -- i Dealer North i Vulnerable Neither1 South 1 : - 10 singleton i v d Names in the news FOXTROT i well-acte- ut quarter-centur- i and ed is obscured by its shimmering players It’s hard to look at Channing and not see First Lady Abigail Bartlet an image NBC sells per- sistently Waterson has been on his weekly series so long his character can barely be separated from district attorney Jack McCoy Similar credibility issues detract from HBO’s “The Laramie Project” a series of acted-ointerviews with Wyoming residents collected by members of New York’s Tectonic Theater Project who journeyed there after the murder What “Laramie” saves by employing actors it loses through sheer numbers Peter Fonda Camryn Manheim Janeane Garri-fal- o Laura Linney and Christina Ricci lead more than 50 respected actors known mostly for work in independent cinema and theater But the' huge lineup and its underground industry status on top of the fact that cast members have been associated with social causes make the project look less like a movie and more like us IjfuMEKfi'S EVBW80PV J C0IN6TTWS IS The In Matthew Shepard Story” ’ HAGAR THE HORRIBLE - V West i ' North Eut 1 Pmb A SVAUpMa Opening lead: 4Q y :V'V' - - ! |