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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 14 February 2020
Spoiler: George Washington lies, stands tall in docuseries

By LYNN ELBER Associated Press about the from abroad. There's new Goodwin: I knew the facts lose. They were going to be
Associated Press making of a leader and inventions that are mak- about George Washing- cocky or they'd made mis-
Television Writer connecting the dots be- ing people nervous. There's ton, but I never conjured judgments. And that's what
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — tween history and current
George Washington is the events. Excerpts from the
leading man in historian interview have been ed-
Doris Kearns Goodwin's first ited for clarity and brevity.
venture as a TV producer, AP: Why did you choose to
a docudrama that follows profile George Washing-
his growth from ambitious ton, and why now?
young soldier to statesman. Goodwin: In any kind of
Spoiler alert for "Washing- difficult time like now, be-
ton," airing 8 p.m. EST Sun- ing able to look back at
day through Tuesday on leadership that was strong,
the History channel: The that got us through trou-
future president does tell bled times, that you can
a lie, and it's a dismaying learn from how that leader
whopper. In the series that worked, is a good thing.
combines reenactments We lived through a time
with expert commentary, when we might not have
myth gives way to check- become the country we
ered reality without dimin- have. The revolution could
ishing his stature. have been lost. The presi-
Nicholas Rowe ("The dency might have been
Crown," "Young Sherlock really different. What ends
Holmes") plays Washington the series is (Washington's)
in re-creations of pivotal farewell address, and it is
moments in his adult life, so timely a warning against
with historians including Jon party strife and what that In this Oct. 7, 2013, file photo, author Doris Kearns Goodwin poses for a portrait at her home in
Meacham and Annette can do for possible cor- Concord, Mass.
Gordon-Reed and former ruption or the influence of Associated Press
Secretary of State Colin foreign nations, and the im-
Powell among those pro- portance of retaining that people in the country feel- him alive in my mind. I think one of the experts says
viding context and insights. sense of an American pa- ing cut off from people in in part it has to do with the in the series: This is Wash-
Although producing is new triotism. the city. There's a nostal- pictures we see. He's old, ington, warts and all. He
to Kearns Goodwin, her AP: You don't mention the gia for an earlier way of he's stiff. I now can picture wasn't born great. He took
knack for narrative is on current president, Donald life, producing populism Washington as a young a journey to greatness.
display in books including Trump, or his administration and anti-Wall Street, anti- man. He's young, and he's AP: You spend years re-
the Pulitzer Prize-winning in interviews. Are you leav- immigrant (fervor). What making mistakes and he's searching your books, es-
Franklin and Eleanor Roos- ing it to your readers and eventually gets us out of covering them. There was sentially living with the peo-
evelt chronicle, "No Ordi- audience to contrast the that is that Teddy Roosevelt a student at a college, af- ple you write about. Do you
nary Time," and "Team of past and present? comes along for a square ter I'd given a lecture on ever get bored with them?
Rivals," about President Goodwin: I like to use the deal for the capitalist and (former presidents), who Goodwin: You have to
Abraham Lincoln's wartime echo of history. There's the wage worker, rather asked, 'How can I ever be- choose your subjects. I hap-
cabinet that included Wil- such similarities between than William Jennings Bry- come one of them? They're pened to be up in Seward's
liam Seward and Salmon the turn of the 19th century, an or some of the real con- on Mount Rushmore. house in upstate New York
Chase. It was adapted for the turn of the 20th century servatives on the other side. They're too distant.' But and I knew he had a thou-
Stephen Spielberg's Oscar- and now. There was a gap AP: In researching the when they'd go through sand letters to his wife, and
winning "Lincoln." between the rich and the Washington series, what a run for office for the first I got interested in him. And
Goodwin spoke with The poor, immigrants coming in surprised you about him? time, they were going to I got interested in Chase.q

Loughlin, Giannulli: No college bribery trial until 2021

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER the case make a trial this fall im- cused of paying $500,000 to get ing to have someone cheat on
Associated Press possible, attorney Sean Berkowitz, their daughters into the University their children's entrance exams or
BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for "Full who's representing Loughlin and of Southern California as crew re- similarly paying bribes to get them
House" actress Lori Loughlin, her Giannulli, said in a response filed cruits even though neither was a admitted to schools as fake recruit-
fashion designer husband Mossimo Wednesday. The first trial should rower. Authorities say the money ed athletes.
Giannulli and other prominent par- begin no sooner than next Febru- was funneled through a sham Lawyers for Loughlin, Giannulli and
ents charged in the sweeping col- ary, Berkowtiz said. charity operated by college ad- other parents are also challenging
lege admissions bribery case say The judge will ultimately decide missions consultant Rick Singer, prosecutors' proposed groupings
they won't be ready to go to trial when the trials will begin. who has pleaded guilty to orches- of the parents for the trials, say-
until next year. Prosecutors have provided the trating the scheme. ing "it lacks an organizing principle
Federal prosecutors in Boston have defense with more than 1.9 mil- Loughlin's lawyers have indicated and makes no effort to treat like
said the first trial for the wealthy lion documents, consisting of more they will argue that the couple defendants alike."
parents still fighting the charges than 3.2 million pages, and more believed their payments were le- Berkowitz also indicated that some
should begin in October and that than 300 hours of audio and video, gitimate donations and have ac- parents will argue they should have
Loughlin and Giannulli should be said Robert Popeo, an attorney cused prosecutors of hiding evi- their own separate trials because
tried in the first group. for another parent charged in the dence that would support their "a joint trial will result in substantial
But the substantial amount of evi- case, media executive Elizabeth claims of innocence while trying to prejudice."
dence, outstanding pretrial mo- Kimmel. bully them into pleading guilty. A status hearing in the case is
tions and "general complexity" of Loughlin and Giannulli are ac- Other parents are accused of pay- scheduled for Feb. 27.q