It feels like TLE is in the witness protection program. We are now on a new server which will allow us to make the design changes I tipped you off about before.
Just another step along the long road to where we need to be.
I’m dying to chime in on all the latest legal stuff out there and will have the time soon. I hope all is well out there!
MJB
It’s been a while and I owe you an update on what we’re up to here at TLE. As most know we are very proud of our recent live trial coverage of the Nevada v. O.J. Simpson trial. Not a hiccup or glitch from Opening Statements to 2:00a.m. EDT verdict. And a few exclusive interviews along the way.
But here is what you didn’t know was going on in the background: website development issues that jeopardized the whole project. It got so bad we had to change development teams in the 11th hour and only through the tireless work of many did were we able to fire off that first signal to get O.J. onto your computer screen. But we never were able to get you all the features we had planned and that has been hugely disappointing to me. So, we’re now fixing that.
We will soon begin the re-design of the existing site pages and add the features we had hoped to have available from day one. Including:
Here’s a sneak peak at the new look: (Thanks to NG for sharing the fill-in images)
As for live trial coverage, we had a few options on the board that quickly got moved into 2009. So, I’ve got a back up plan that will at least give us new trial content. More on that soon, but I won’t try to fool you, I want these new changes in place before we continue live trial coverage and begin to actually promote the site. It does us no good to promote the site when only about 30% of our content is in place.
So, be patient. We are in this for the long run. We proved what we can do with O.J. Just you wait.
MJB
One of our big hearted fellow trial fans is reaching out to help find that little missing girl Caylee Anthony. I’m happy to pass this along:
Caylee Anthony, Texas EquuSearch and The Legal Edge
Bummed-out as I was, despite The Legal Edge going to bat for us for Spector Deux, we just couldn’t get enough people to commit to the pay-per-view concept. Maybe next time, people will realize that TLE is totally serious about bringing us – the trial junkies – what we want!
As you know, we at T&T are totally absorbed in finding justice for little Caylee Anthony. Sadly, we have come to accept this baby is dead, whether by accident or intent.
I have watched the absolute despair on Texas EquuSearch’s Tim Miller’s face about the lack of any cooperation from the Anthony family in locating Caylee.
TES has already laid out $44k in their search for Caylee and they are severely cashed-strapped at the moment. Tim is physically drained and exhausted, but he and his wonderful group remain dedicated to bringing this baby home for a proper burial.
I have chatted back-and-forth with Michel and told him I took the money I would have paid for Spector Deux and donated it to EquuSearch. Their work, not only for Caylee, but also for countless others, is a selfless labor of love.
I also told Michel, I would like to issue a challenge to all of you that told him you would subscribe to Spector Deux, please donate the money you would pony-up for Spector, or even as little as $5. This baby needs to come home!
Michel and TLE, as well as T&T believe TES could certainly use what resources we have to offer. They know that strength lies in our numbers and voices. They, like us believe in justice.
So…one moment can change your life forever!
To donate to TES please go to http://www.texasequusearch.org/donate.html
TLE says, “Thanks Denise.”
JACOB -MJB's healthy, happy 5 year old
MJB
Of course if talking about Phil Spector’s hair a miss is as good as a mile. For those who read only headlines…We did not get enough PS2 fans to pledge their allegiance to a TLE production of the music producer’s re-trial.
We tried. We wish we had longer to get the word out. The hundreds of folks we got to commit in five days might have blossomed into the number we needed (1000) but we are out of time. I will be calling Judge Fidler this morning to officially bow out.
Thanks to all who tried to rally the troops. I believe there is still hope for Openings, Closings and Verdict to be televised but there has been no official word on that yet.
TLE is moving on. The two trials we were considering have been moved into 2009, so the pickings are slim but we’re lining up the best of the rest. And construction continues on our new features so keep an eye out for more as The Legal Edge Network works to become the place for all things legal.
MJB
IS PHIL SPECTOR IN YOUR FUTURE?
I once covered the “fight of the century”. It was 1986 at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas. Thomas “Hitman” Hearns vs. “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler. The fight lasted only 2 1/2 rounds before the “Hitman” went down, and while celebufight fans like Bo Derek and Sly Stallone called it the best fight ever, the boxers were plotting to set up the rematch. As the glassy eyed Hearns told me after the fight, “We did it once…let’s do it again.”
What the heck does this have to to with The Legal Edge? Nothing really, except that after an outpouring of Phil Spector fan e-mails I’ve decided to try one last time to get a read on how many folks would really subscribe to a monthly service that allowed us to cover costs to stream the Spector trial. Here’s the deal: I’ve opened a new e-mail address just to receive commitments from PS2 fans. If the number is sufficient (and based on my calculations and production costs that number needs to be at least 1000 viewers at $35.00 per month. The cost would go down if we get more subscribers) we would go ahead with setting up the actual payment structure to assure these commitments. The last thing we want to do is start the process and end up going under because a large number of folks flaked.
Here’s the dedicated e-mail address: lawjerktoo@gmail.com
So, pass this along to anyone interested. I’ll e-mail the basics to all registered at TLE…and we’ll see. It’s up to you now.
MJB
When O.J. Simpson talked to me last week about his holiday round of golf, he never seemed to realize that it could have been his last golf outing ever.
Whew! It was part challenge; part stress; part surprise and completely rewarding and satisfying.
Thanks to everyone for sharing this first trial with all of us here at TLE. Special congrats to Matt, our Chief Producer; Jamie, our Associate Producer and the folks back in NYC who responded to every emergency…I mean cleverly disguised opportunity. We proved it could be done and we stacked up nicely against the big boys who have been doing this for decades.
Okay, if you count the O.J. Simpson exclusive we did a little better than those who have been doing this for decades. That interview has provided us with a fair share of exposure which is nice as we prepare for our next adventure.
And what might that next adventure be you ask? Simply put; we don’t know yet. We are looking at a few different options. The “Baby Grace” case in Texas and the Denise Lee case in Florida to name a couple. Yeah, I know, there’s that Phil Spector II case out in my homeland California. We have processed and re-processed the possible coverage of PS2 for months. We even floated the idea of covering the case as a bonus to those who would subscribe to watch the case simply to cover our production costs. Why not cover it as our primary case? The fact is:
The audience that has expressed an interest in seeing PS2 is vocal and intense so we tried to measure that interest as a pay per view additional trial. The numbers were just not large enough to allow for an acceptable monthly fee. And to cover Spector as our primary trial would mean losing the chance to bring our audience between 4 and 6 new trials. That doesn’t mean PS2 isn’t worth the effort, but we had to make a business decision. Hopefully it is the right one.
So, we will continue building upon the features you find at TLE. Consumer segments and caught on tape moments, plus message boards and our legal news resource are on the way. We appreciate your being here, your enthusiasm and the opportunity to do it again and again.
This first round at TLE is just the beginning.
MJB
We are on the brink of something significant.
The wild idea driven by my love of the law and the real life drama that flows from and through our justice system is becoming a reality. And at the risk of sounding like I’ve just won an Oscar, bear with me. So many people have put in time, effort, experience, enthusiasm, sacrifice and service, I feel like I did when I gave birth to my first book, finding so many to whom I owed thanks.
First to my family, Lisa, Brittanie, Jacob and Pansy. Thanks for putting up with my late nights, lousy moods and general absence even when at home. To friends and neighbors like Mike, Doug, Marty and Mona who supported the project when I thought it would fall. This goes many times over for Kathy; I owe you so much more than money. But I still owe you money. To Reed, the most positive encouraging man I know and my closest friend no matter how far away you may be.
On the development side, Tony, Ken and Anthony, thanks for getting the ball rolling. To Paolo for his unbelievable effort; meeting the challenge of picking up that ball and getting us to the finish line. It is not an exaggeration to say that we would not be having this discussion if not for him. If you listen carefully you can still hear his keystrokes late into the night. To Carlos for his help before I knew I needed it.
To the many folks I bored to death with details about what we were attempting and, even worse, scared off describing the details of things not going so great at the time. Forgive me and feel free to come around the house again. To Hugh, the guy with the ponytail you’ll see in many of our consumer segments, he was there when The Legal Edge began 13 years ago. He’s still around. The ponytail is not.
And finally, to those who shared this crazy idea and weren’t afraid to dive in, committing themselves beyond the call. Tom and Matt I’m proud to call each of you friend and fellow visionary.
If we are indeed starting something significant it is because of all of you.
MJB
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