Hollywood Trial Of The Century: Poitier Casts Spell On Media

Desperate for the kind of star-power that would inject new life into The Hollywood Trial of the Century and cloud the minds of the media, lawyers called Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier, a Disney director at the time of Michael Ovitz's hiring, to deliver a soliloquy about his life (and, time permitting, to defend the company's brief employment of the former superagent).

Reporters were instantly mesmerized by the revered thespian's teary recollection of his journey from son of a Bahamian tomato farmer to one of Hollywood's most beloved stars. The LAT succumbed to the moment by leading their story with "Guess who came to court Tuesday," then stating that "Poitier took center stage" in the courtroom. The NYT was also pulled in by the actor's presence, using the "center stage" image in their headline, and declaring that he "transformed a Delaware courtroom into a theater where he played the role of his life: himself." We're surprised that Poitier's bravura performance on Disney's behalf didn't move both papers to pen editorials demanding that Ovitz be rehired immediately, fired again, and issued a fresh $140 million severance package.

• Actor's Life in Spotlight in Disney's Ovitz Trial [LAT, reg. req'd.]


• Actor Takes Center Stage as Disney Trial Grinds On [NYT, reg. req'd.]


• Hollywood Trial Of The Century: Ovitz's Final Boat Ride [Defamer]

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