‘American Crime Story: Versace’ recap: ‘A Random Killing’ – TheCelebrityCafe.com

“Just think of the little red light as the man you love.”

Well, the third episode of American Crime Story: Versace — entitled “A Random Killing” — made it official: we really, really hate Andrew (even though we still can’t take our eyes off of him).

Also, give Judith Light all of the Emmy nominations for this episode. Every single one.

Everything that happens in “A Random Killing” takes place before the death of Gianna Versace. This episode focuses on Andrew’s interactions and eventual murder of a wealthy Chicago real-estate designer named Lee Miglin (Mike Farrell).

We don’t start with Andrew, though. We begin by looking at the marriage between Lee and his wife Marilyn (Light), — the Home Shopping Network and perfume saleswoman. Yes, this is a real person, and this is what she looks like in real life:

Marilyn returns home one fateful eve, only to realize that her husband is nowhere to be seen. In fact, the instant Marilyn steps foot in the house, she knows something is wrong — there’s ice cream melting on a counter, and a random chuck on deli meat sitting out with a knife in it. She calls the cops, but she already knows the truth: Lee is dead.

It’s her calm yet sorrowful reaction that gets us, though. The soft whisper of “I Knew it” from Light is enough for an Emmy alone. But it only gets better from there…

We flashback to a week earlier. Lee is receiving some kind of award, seemingly for his work in architecture or whatnot, which shows him to be a wealthy and proud man. Lee and Marilyn return home that night, with Marilyn telling her husband she has to leave town for work.

Enter Andrew — the male escort whom Lee is clearly ashamed of, yet can’t seem to say no to. Andrew happens to be in town that night, and Lee wastes no time in inviting him over.

Early on, it’s clear the two have had sexual interactions before. Lee is hoping this will turn into more of a relationship — which is why he makes an effort to show Andrew a new building he’s designing; one that will be right next to the SEARS Tower and be even taller.

Andrew couldn’t be any less interested. Clearly, Lee is just trying to show off and that’s not what he’s here for.

Apparently Andrew isn’t actually here for sex either, as their romantic encounter soon takes a deadly turn. Andrew leads Lee into the garage, stuffs a glove into his mouth and ties him up in tape like we’ve seen him do before. Once Lee is powerless, Andrew punches him in the face confesses all to him — he’s killed two men before and he’s going to kill Lee next.

Why does he want to kill Lee? We’ll leave that one for the psychologist to figure out. His plan, though, is to dress Lee in women’s underwear and surround him with gay porn, so the world may know the truth about Lee. After all, Lee is clearly embarrassed about his little secret, which Andrew makes that pretty evident by asking him, “What terrifies you more, death or being disgraced?”

A few bags of concrete and garden tools later and Lee is dead. Andrew celebrates by burning Lee’s building plans and helping himself to that chunk of meat that was in the fridge — which he then leaves in Lee’s study. He’s long gone by the time Marilyn shows up.

Marilyn, however, is pretty unfazed by the crime scene. She has no initial reaction when told about the gay porn, saying that it clearly must have belonged to the murderer. As the scene goes on, it becomes more and more evident that she doesn’t actually believe that — suggesting that she knew her husband’s secret for some time and has already pieced together everything that’s happened. She’s inclined to keep it to herself, though, as she tells the police “I won’t let him steal my good name. Our good name.”

Speaking of the police, they’re not doing a great job at finding Andrew. They were tracking the car phone that was attached to the vehicle he was using, realizing that he was headed to New York, until a radio station accidentally announced this information on air. Andrew hears the story and immediately destroys the phone and ditches the car.

He pulls into a rest stop and sees a man driving a red pickup truck — the same truck we saw in the previous episodes. He follows him to his home, breaks in and eventually murders the truck’s owner in cold blood. That makes kill number four for Andrew, and that’s why we’re ready to declare him a monster.

Then, in the episodes final moments, we return to Marilyn. She’s back on air with her perfume, talking about what her husband meant to her. It’s an incredible scene that has a whole lot of social relevance, and Light sells every single second of it.

While this episode didn’t contain any footage of Versace itself, it gave some much needed backstory to Andrew — he’s a cruel, remorseless killer who has lost all of our sympathy. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so surprising that Versace would up dead.

Check out the new episode of American Crime Story: Versace on FX later tonight, and read our other American Crime Story recaps by clicking here.

‘American Crime Story: Versace’ recap: ‘A Random Killing’ – TheCelebrityCafe.com

What is the Human Cost of True Crime Entertainment?

This past week on American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace we saw a depiction of the murder of James Miglin by Andrew Cunanan before he fled to Miami and murdered Versace. We saw Miglin and his wife at a political fundraiser, and later together at home in their beautiful house were a slight distance could be detected between the two despite their 38 years of marriage. We saw Mr. Miglin get a call from Andrew Cunanan, and plan a clandestine meeting while his wife would be out of town over the weekend for a work trip. We saw Cunanan and Miglin interact with each other, this meeting clearly not their first, and the push and pull of Miglin’s need to feel desired and admired by Andrew butting up against the clear financial incentives for Andrew. We saw Andrew Cunanan take Miglin into the garage, and murder him, before returning to make himself at home in the house for the rest of the night. Even bathing and sleeping in the Miglin’s room. Then, when the body is discovered, we see Marilyn Miglin insist that her husband was murdered by an intruder despite the police’s conviction that the crime was personal, and when they discover a car stolen from a previous crime parked around the corner and connect Andrew Cunanan to the murder, we see her leak information that will allow Cunanan to escape the police so the truth about her husband stays a secret. It was a complex, gripping hour of television. And almost none of it is based in fact.

James Lee Miglin was killed in May of 1997 in a brutal murder that was later linked to Andrew Cunanan. His wife was out of town on business that weekend. Cunanan’s jeep was parked around the corner from the crime scene. The killer did shower and stay in the house after the murder. However, there is no evidence to support an ongoing association between Miglin and Cunanan. There’s even less evidence that Miglin’s widow purposefully scuttled a police investigation to keep her husband’s affiliation with a known prostitute and murderer a secret. The entire narrative of the episode is editorialized in a way that FEELS true, and grimly satisfying, but very little of it is based in fact. The longer I watched the episode, the more uneasy I became with editorializing Miglin’s family this way. They are still alive, Marilyn still works on the Home Shopping Network as she has for the last 25 years. I wonder at the decision to depict her as someone who would be willing to let a killer, a man she knew had killed others, go free in order to keep a secret about her husband. I wonder it it WAS a secret, or if Cunanan had targeted Miglin for some reason the same way he targeted Versace. I wonder if she even would have been told how the police where intending to track Cunanan. Her actions in the show could be seen as leading directly to the murder of William Reese in Pennsylvania, who Cunanan killed for a new vehicle, and later to the murder of Versace in Miami. It’s a very unkind way to depict her and it’s based on supposition and, I guess, a desire to tell an interesting story with complex characters. But Marilyn Miglin isn’t a complex character, she’s an actual person, and this “story” is a horrible tragedy she and her family suffered through. The more I consider it, the sleazier it feels.

There’s been a resurgence in the true crime genre across all forms of media; television, movies, and podcasts are brimming with gruesome tales that are horrifying and compelling all at once. Perhaps with the onslaught there’s a bit of desensitization happening to us, and we’re losing sight of the fact that while these stories are presented as entertainment, we’re talking about tragedies that ripped apart people’s lives. Some of those people are still alive. Some of them choose to participate in these shows, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Wanting the world to know the story of their loved ones and that they were more than just victims is an entirely understandable impulse. But when the family doesn’t want to talk, the idea of finding an “angle” to make the story “compelling” feels deeply disrespectful to the victims and insulting to their families. We’re not owed a story about any crime, no matter how well publicized.

There are exactly two people who could have told us the details of the night of James Miglin’s murder and both of them are dead. We know what the outcome was, but we have no idea what the inciting incident could have been, what transpired during the time they were together, or what happened after. However Miglin’s family reacted to the crime is their business and not for us to judge. I’ve been enjoying this season of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace but this episode left a bad taste in my mouth and made me think long and hard about the concept of true crime entertainment.

What is the Human Cost of True Crime Entertainment?

NUNN ON ONE MOVIES Mike Farrell channels Chicagoan Miglin in Gianni Versace – Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive – Windy City Times

Gay executive producer Ryan Murphy is on a roll with his second installment of FX’s American Crime Story. The first season’s The People v. O.J. Simpson was a critical success, earning many awards including an Emmy and Golden Globe for Sarah Paulson, who portrayed Marcia Clark.

This year’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace is based on Maureen Orth’s book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History. The series examines Andrew Cunanan, played by actor Darren Criss in a possible career-making performance.

Mike Farrell is featured in one episode—titled “A Random Killing"—where he plays another victim of Cunanan: Chicago real-estate tycoon Lee Miglin, who is portrayed in this series as closeted. Farrell is most remembered for his character Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H, but he has had a vast array of television appearances. His work started back at Lassie and moves forward to shows such as Providence and Desperate Housewives.

He has executive-produced two films—Patch Adams and Dominick and Eugene, the latter which earned Tom Hulce a Golden Globe nomination.

WCT: Did they come to you about this role in American Crime Story?

MF: Yes, they came to me. I was fascinated by this set of circumstances, and by the character. I had known very little about the story, but I thought it was really quite extraordinary. Ultimately it was an important story to tell. I was delighted to be a part of it.

WCT: Did you study up on Lee Miglin?

MF: You get the pages and they tell you what you need to know. I did some research. As you may know, there were some differing opinions on what happened and who he was etc.

He was not only complex to portray, [but] he was an important person and had a life that people need to better understand. Back then and certainly today, while there is more understanding there is some cloudiness.

WCT: Was this the first time you played a gay character?

MF: Yes.

WCT: Was this filmed in Chicago?

MF: We did some, but it was backup work. Most of my scenes were filmed in Los Angeles.

WCT: Was filming such a graphic scene a nightmare?

MF: It was weird, I will say. I don’t like being wrapped up like that.

WCT: How was it working with Darren Criss?

MF: He’s terrific. He’s really a nice young man and very talented. I confess to never having seen Glee. For someone that is relatively new to the business, he has a great presence, and had a good relationship with the crew. It was really fun to get to know him and see him work.

WCT: Even on television it is interesting to see his interpretation.

MF: I agree. It is an enormous task to pull off. From what I saw he really did a remarkable job.

WCT: Did you know Judith Light [who plays Lee’s wife, Marilyn] before this?

MF: We had never met before. I had been an admirer of Judith for a long time, so it was thrilling to get to work with her and meet her.

WCT: She’s worked with the LGBT community for many years. Have you?

MF: Oh sure. In the ‘70s, I was involved in a campaign out here in the early days when the Briggs Initiative was on the ballot to keep gay people from teaching. It was just awful.

The community needed someone who was straight to stand up. I became a spokesperson for the No on Proposition 6 campaign.

Ever since then I have had many friends in the community and have done a lot of work in support.

NUNN ON ONE MOVIES Mike Farrell channels Chicagoan Miglin in Gianni Versace – Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive – Windy City Times

Oxygen’s ‘Killing Versace’ Documentary Special Is The Perfect Companion Piece To ‘American Crime Story’

Fans of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace have dived headfirst into the tragedy of the famed fashion designer’s murder at the hands of Andrew Cunanan, and now they have an opportunity to look at the case through a new and different lens. On Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. ET, Oxygen will debut Killing Versace: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, which is likely to be a must-see for anyone intrigued by the case. The hour-long special will not only focus on Versace’s murder, but also track the path that lead Cunanan to his doorstep that fateful day and the manhunt that ensued after Versace’s death. The documentary will use real footage from the scene of the Versace murder, and will be hosted by NBC News Senior National Correspondent Kate Snow. Additionally, experts on the 1997 case will weigh in and explore both new and known information about the infamous murder.

It’s the perfect companion special for those who may have been tuning into The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, except this one uses real footage and experts and information to tell the true story. As you can see in the exclusive trailer for the Oxygen special below, it’s just as compelling a story unedited and raw as it is dramatized for ACS.

The cause of Versace’s untimely death is well-known, especially by those who are fashion enthusiasts or who lived during the time in which it took place. Versace fell victim to Cunanan, who shot the fashion mogul just outside his famed Miami Beach home, before heading on the run, according to the FBI account of the events. According to Time magazine, 27-year-old Cunanan was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive list at the time of Versace’s murder, and was suspected in the murders of people in Minnesota, Illinois, and New Jersey. Eight days after he shot Versace, Cunanan was found dead by suicide, according to the FBI.

Not much is known about Versace’s relationship with Cunanan prior to the murder, and that’s one thing that continues to be speculated upon. Maureen Orth, who wrote the book upon which this season of American Crime Story is based, told Vanity Fair that there was “no doubt in my mind that [Cunanan and Versace] met.” Versace’s family, though, has long maintained that he never met Cunanan prior to the murder, according to Vanity Fair.

The Oxygen special will be a new journey for anyone who has already tuned into another exploration of Versace’s murder. American Crime Story’s interpretation is now in full swing this season, with stars Darren Criss and Edgar Ramirez portraying Cunanan and Versace, respectively. That show, produced by American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy, is based upon true events, but, per Deadline, Murphy has been very clear that there are certain creative licenses that are taken when dramatizing a show of this nature.

“When you’re doing a show like this you’re not doing a documentary, you’re doing a docu-drama. There are certain things you take liberty with,” Murphy said at a panel, according to Deadline. ACS also features a message in each of its episodes, reading, “This series is inspired by true events and investigative reports. Some events are combined or imagined for dramatic and interpretive purposes. Dialogue is imagined to be consistent with these events.” This is true with many shows based on true events — no matter how much respect is paid to the real-life happenings, it’s still a dramatized production, and details are often smoothed out or tweaked in order to help attain a showrunner’s vision.

Oxygen’s Killing Versace is different, though. It will be an entirely new venture even for fans of ACS, because it relies on real, authentic footage and interviews with experts, conducted by a professional and well-respected journalist. There’s no movie magic or invented details, so fans can rest easy that the information they’re seeing and hearing is accurate. When Killing Versace airs on Sunday, viewers will get an even more nuanced and informative account of the mystery surrounding the icon’s tragic end.

As Queer Eye gets a reboot, television enjoys a wealth of gay perspectives

Last November, Glaad released the results of its annual inquiry into LGBTQ representation on TV, finding that the number of queer characters increased to all-time highs across broadcast, cable and streaming series. On broadcast television, there are now 86 regular or recurring characters identifying as gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual or transexual, a lowly but ascendant 6.4%; on cable, there are 173, and on streaming services, 70. Predictably, these characters remain overwhelmingly male, white, and cis-gendered. While the study didn’t account for series premiering in 2018 or currently in development, many of them should make the breakdown of queer representation more equitable across racial and ethnic lines.

The year started with Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the second installment of his American Crime Story anthology series. We justifiably expected the show to focus on its titular couturier but it ended up doing something different and more interesting, charting a vast spectrum of queer experiences in the post-Aids 90s through the lens of Andrew Cunanan, Versace’s admirer-cum-assassin and the killer of four other men, three of whom were gay. In a series of bottle episodes the show zeroes in on the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and Versace’s own public coming-out in a way that seems novel and historically sound.

As Queer Eye gets a reboot, television enjoys a wealth of gay perspectives