Week of September 29, 1995

Lawyers on both sides of the O.J. Simpson murder trial relinquish their case to

the jury. Superior Court Judge Lance Ito delivered a final batch of instructions

and asked them to buzz his courtroom three times when the group had selected

a forman or forwoman.

Less than a day after beginning deliberations - a stunning announcement that the

jury has reached a verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder trial echoes through the

media. The verdicts are sealed and will be read the following morning.

The verdicts are read and after 474

days, O.J. Simpson is acquitted of

two counts of murder. Simpson

returns to his Brentwood estate

where friends and family celebrate.

In a statement read by his eldest

son, Simpson said - “I am relieved

that his part of the incredible

nightmare that occurred on June 12,

1994 is over with. My first obligation

is to my young children who will be

raised in the way that Nicole and I

had always planned.” “I only hope

someday that - despite every

prejudicial thing that has been said

about me publicly, both in and out of

the courtroom - people will come to understand and believe that I would not,

could not and did not kill anyone.”

O.J. Simpson makes a brief call to Larry King on his CNN talkshow, telling

listeners that it was he who was the “shadowy figure” that limo driver Allan Park

saw outside his home the night of the double murders. He also criticized

prosecutors, commentators and legal analysts for promoting “misconceptions”

about the trial testimony.

Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman (who is blind) and nine

others are found guilty as the largest terrorism trial in the

nation’s history comes to an end. Prosecutors charged

that the sheik led an organization aimed at waging a holy

war against the U.S. because he considered it an enemy

of Islam and wanted to change the policies in the

mideast. Targeted by the sheik for bombings were the

U.N headquarters, the FBI field office in Manhattan and

Week of September 29, 1995

the Holland and Lincoln tunnels which link Manhattan with New Jersey. Sheid

Rahman faces life in prison without parole for plotting to assassinate Egyptian

President Hosni Mubarak.

President Clinton announces that the parties in the Bosnian civil war agree to a

cease-fire and would meet in the United States in three weeks to seek a

permanent armistice.

Pope John Paul II speaks before a crowd of

83,000 at Giant Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

He urged America not to shut its gates to

immigrants, but welcome “the stranger.”

Hurricane Opal - the second costliest hurricane in

Florida history (so far) - blows itself out, leaving 15

dead in four states, at least 1,100 homes flattened and 2 million without power.

Even with the proliferation of Espresso bars - coffee consumption falls to its

lowest level in a generation. Americans drank an average of 1.7 cups per day

last winter, compared to 1.9 cups two years ago - according to the National

Coffee Assn. Market watchers think there is a trend towards sweeter beverages.

Also, the higher price for specialty coffees could be a factor.

Passing - Edward Lowe (75) - invented kitty litter and the Tidy Cat brand in 1947.

Disk-drive makers Seagate Technology Inc and Conner Peripherals agree to

merge in a stock swap valued at nearly $1 billion. The merged companies will

create the world’s largest independent maker of disk drives with revenue of $7

billion and a third of the market.

In sports - Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians

becomes the 12th player in major league history to hit

50 home runs in a season.

Comedian Phil Hartman

receives the Harvard

Lampoon’s Elmer Award for

lifetime comedic achievement.

Hartman is best known for his

work on “Saturday Night Live”

and “Newsradio.”

Week of September 29, 1995

In radio news - Howard Stern’s syndicated morning show is dumped again in

Chicago - this time by WCKG-Fm (105.9) The station said it had become

“philosophically uncomfortable with some of Howard’s on-air content.” The show

had been airing since March. The Stern show was moving up in the ratings, but

still wasn’t beating his largest competitor in Chicago - Mancow Miller.

More Stern - The Dick Clark Film Group announces

plans to produce a feature movie based on Howard

Stern sidekick Robin Quivers’ book “Quivers, A Life.”

The book is about Quivers pairing as a “big sister” to a

disadvantaged girl who is white.

Television talk Shows - here’s a list of what’s on the

air. From the longest-running to the most recent:

Donahue

Sally Jessy Raphael

Oprah Winfrey

Gerald Rivera

Maury Povich

Jenny Jones

Montel Williams

Jerry Springer

Richard Bey

Ricki Lake

Rolanda

Leeza

Gordon Elliott

Charles Perez

Tempestt Bledsoe

Danny Bonaduce

Gabrielle Carteris

Mark Walberg

Carnie Wilson

Television Ratings -

ER - 23.4

Seinfeld - 22.7

20/20 - 19.6

Friends - 19.3

Home Improvement - 19.3

Monday Night Football - 19.1

Caroline in the City - 18.4

Coach - 17.7

Week of September 29, 1995

Single Guy - 17.5

Grace Under Fire - 15.6

PrimeTime Live - 14.7

Murphy Brown - 14.6

Frasier - 14.2

60 Minutes - 14.1

Movie - Beauty’s Revenge -

14.0

Hudson Street - 13.6

Murder One - 13.6

Roseanne - 13.0

Chicago Hope - 12.8

Movie - In The Line of Duty -

12.8

The Nanny - 12.7

Walker, Texas Ranger - 12.3

Naked Truth - 12.1

Can’t Hurry Love - 12.0

Ellen - 11.9

Mad About You - 11.9

America’s Funniest Home Videos - 11.7

Lois & Clark (Superman) - 11.6

Wings - 11.4

Hope & Gloria - 11.3

Friday Night Television

CBS - Dweebs, The Bonnie Hunt Show, Picket

Fences, Roseanne, American Gothic

NBC - Movie-Prince For A Day, Dateline NBC

ABC - Football

Fox - Strange Luck, The X-Files

PBS - Washington Week in Review, Wall Street Week

w/Louis Rukeyser, Special-The Flying Vet, Question of

Equality

A&E - Law and Order, Biography, Investigative Reports

E! - Late Night With David Letterman (reruns from his

NBC show), Howard Stern, Talk Soup Weekend, The

Gossip Show, WKRP In Cincinnati

Picket Fences - A talk-show host/physician tries to take over Jill’s practice; Kenny

uses a dating service.

Week of September 29, 1995

X-Files - After deaths are attributed to lightning. Mulder and Scully determine a

teen that survived a lightening strike may be the murderer.

Late Show with David Letterman - Helen Hunt, Blues

Traveler , Father Guido Sarducci

Bestsellers -

Morning Noon and Night - Sidney Sheldon

The Horse Whisperer - Nicholas Evans

The Lost World - Michael Crichton

“L” Is For Lawless - Sue Grafton

Coming Home - Rosamunde Pilcher

My American Journey - Collin Powell/Joseph E. Persico

Buffet: The Making of an American Capitalist

A Good Walk Spoiled - John Feinstein

Men are From Mars: Woman Are From Venus - John Gray, Ph.D

A Civil Action - Jonathan Harr

Pop music this week in 1995 -

Fantasy- Mariah Carey

Gangsta's Paradise- Coolio

Runaway- Janet Jackson

Waterfalls- TLC

I Can Love You Like That- All-4-One

You Are Not Alone- Michael Jackson

Kiss From A Rose- Seal

I Only Wanna Be With You- Hootie & Blowfish

Boombastic- Shaggy

As I Lay Me Down- Sophie B. Hawkins

I Got 5 On It- Luniz

I Hate U- The Artist Formerly Known As Prince

He's Mine- Mokenstef

Colors Of The Wind- Vanessa Williams.

Run-Around- Blues Traveler

Gagsta’s Paradise - Coolio

Brokenhearted - Brandy

Tell Me - Groove Theory

Summertime in LBC - Dave Shack

Week of September 29, 1995

Top Albums -

One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chlli

Peppers

Dangerous Minds - soundtrack

Cracked Rear View - Hootie & The

Blowfish

Dreaming of You - Selena

Tigerlilly - Natalie Merchant

E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs-N-

Harmony

Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette

The Woman In Me - Shania Twain

Frogstomp - Silverchair

Circus - Lenny Kravitz

The Show - soundtrack

CrazySexyCool - TLC

Games Rednecks Play - Jeff

Foxworthy

Mortal Kombat - soundtrack

More albums -

Lucy - Candlebox

Starting Over - Reba McEntire

No Joke - The Meat Puppets

Tails - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories

Daydream - Mariah Carey

Greatest Hits - Michael Bolton

Ballbreaker - AC/DC

The Gold Experience - Prince

Outside - David Bowie

At the movies -

Seven - Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman,

Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley

Halloween: The Curse of Michael

Myers - Paul Stephen Rudd, Marianne

Hagan

Devil in a Blue Dress - Denzel Washington

The Big Green - Steven Guttenberg, Olivia d’Abo, Jay O. Sanders

Showgirls - Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar - Wesley Snipes, Patrick

Swayze, John Lequizamo, Stockard Channing