Barbara Walters dishes on her ‘Scandals’
Barbara Walters plays to her journalistic strengths in her new series — revisiting 10 high-profile crime/celebrity stories she’s covered in her long, distinguished career. While “Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals,” premiering Nov. 2 (10 p.m.) on ID, represents Walters’ move into cable, she’s still working at ABC: her annual “Ten Most Fascinating People” special will air later this year.
“We didn’t want to do a ‘Where are they now?’ kind of thing [with ‘American Scandals’] but more of what happened to some of these people?” says Walters, 86. “What are they doing now? Are they still in prison? Why have they survived in our minds?”
“American Scandals” includes fresh interviews, conducted by Walters, along with her commentary on and insights into each case. “We went back to these people and asked them, ‘What would you have done differently? Could you have avoided prison?,’” she says. “I interviewed Gloria Chapman [wife of John Lennon’s killer] who’s never been interviewed. I was surprised that she’s still married to him. They have sex twice a year during conjugal visits, but she says the sex is overrated — most of the time they just sit and talk. She says she stayed married to him because she loves him — and because he’s found religion and has asked God for forgiveness.”
“American Scandals” premieres with an episode about the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey. Walters also covers, among others, Jim Bakker, Mary Kay Letourneau, the Menendez Brothers, Robert Blake and Jean Harris (the school headmistress convicted in 1981 of killing her lover, cardiologist Dr. Herman Tarnower). She also interviewed “America’s Houseguest” Kato Kaelin for an OJ Simpson-themed episode covering the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. “He was cute and silly, but this was a much more serious interview,” Walters says of Kaelin. “He wouldn’t say it at the time, but he says it now — he thinks OJ murdered Nicole.”
Last, but not least …
“Hot Bench” Judge Patricia DiMango receives the “Woman of The Year” Award from The Brooklyn Kings of Kings County (Thursday at Grand Prospect Hall) for her “extraordinary achievements” to NYC. “Hot Bench” hit a series-high 3.1 million viewers for the week of Oct. 12 … The Annual Village Halloween Parade airs Saturday (7:30 p.m.) on NY1 … Former “Late Show” EP Barbara Gaines will be honored for her leadership in the LGBT community by The Center at its “Women’s Event 18” Nov. 7 … Sinclair Broadcast Group will air “The Security Brief with Paul Viollis” in a limited run starting Dec. 21. It’s produced by East 86th Productions (Terry Murphy) … Favorite industry names #89: April Tonsil (Falco Ink).
Michael Starr
nypost.com/2015/10/28/barbara-walters-dishes-on-her-scandals/