Ubber personality brand Oprah and I had jury duty today. We both had to show up to the Criminal courthouse on the south side of Chicago. I don't think she would have been widely recognized if word of her summons hadn't been in the media since yesterday. She wore basic black and had long curly hair. Without the TV hair and makeup she looks like regular people. I was also surprised at how petite she is. Nice to see billionaires coming down to do their civic duty like the rest of us. I know her panel was called but I don't know if she was selected for a jury. I was questioned but not selected for a jury.
Update: I just heard Oprah was selected for a jury in a murder case.
UpUpdate: What is it about courthouses? Oprah just can't seem to say the right things in them. Just saw her on the news being interviewed as she entered the courthouse(through the side door) this morning. She actually said she wasn't there to do her civic duty she was there because she was ordered "to show her butt up" for jury duty. She got out of it once because she was going to Africa and then again because it was May sweeps but this time she was ordered to show up. Aww, poor poor Oprah she actually has to do what everybody else has to do. Real people actually have t take the day off from work to go to jury duty. Imagine that. I feel so bad for her. I guess I wasted that benefit of the doubt I so freely gave her for doing her civic duty. I hope her keepers burn that outfit she had on. There's no telling who of the masses might have sat in that chair before her. Ick.
I wonder what the thought process is for an attorney or legal team when deciding whether or not to accept a celebrity for their jury? I suppose if they (the defense or prosecution) feel the celebrity will be sympathetic to their side, they would want them as a potentially influential force with the rest of the jury. But, on the other hand, I could see the celebrity being a distraction and possibly taking attention away from the case.
Posted by: David Paull | Monday, August 16, 2004 at 05:41 PM
Another potential perspective would be that maybe Oprah is "ordinary" enough to bitch about having to do jury duty just like most citizens do :) Seriously - civic duty or not, most citizens show up for the same reason she copped to - I've never heard anyone happily go do it without at least wishing they could catch a break. So, IMHO it took some nerve to be so honest when she could have just floated a sound bite and come across like St. Oprah ...
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