There are few parts of the world that are home to as many bizarre on-screen tales of murder and intrigue as America’s southern states, and they’ve provided inspiration for filmmakers for decades. From the cannibalistic Sawyer family of 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its many sequels to Thelma and Louise’s ill-fated and bloody journey across the region in Ridley Scott’s 1991 road-trip classic, the southern states frequently feature as a nightmarish contrasting backdrop to the traditional American Dream.
While these films are fictional (or at best loosely based on reality in Chainsaw’s case), it’s a real-life — and equally strange — tale of horror that looks set to capture audiences’ imaginations from Wednesday, when the limited NBC docudrama The Thing About Pam is released globally, including on OSN Streaming in the region.
The film tells the story of convicted murderer Pam Hupp, a former life insurance assessor who, in 2016, entered a conditional guilty plea for the murder of disabled man Louis Gumpenberger in St Louis, Missouri. Hupp claimed the crime was committed in self-defense, but would go on to plead guilty, allegedly to spare her family an “ugly trial”.
This set off a chain of events that led to another local man, Russ Faria, being retried and acquitted for the 2011 murder of his own wife — a murder in which Hupp featured as the sole beneficiary of Betsy Faria’s $150,000 life insurance policy and had provided the key evidence that convicted her husband.
Hupp was also investigated for this murder following Faria’s acquittal, who was charged last year, and is currently awaiting trial. Prosecutors claim that the Gumpenberger murder was an attempt to distract attention from the Faria case.
The snowballing chain of events also led to Hupp being investigated over the death of her own mother, who mysteriously fell from her balcony in 2013 and, once again, held a life insurance policy in her daughter’s name. So far, this case has not been officially reopened, although the St Louis medical examiner changed the cause of death from “accidental” to “undetermined” in 2017.
Hupp may not have achieved the same level of recognition as serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy, but she has been the subject of five episodes of long-form news show NBC Dateline, at least two books, and the very first NBC Dateline podcast in 2019.
Hupp is played in the new real-life drama by double-Oscar-winner Renee Zellweger, while the show’s supporting cast includes the Transformers franchise’s Josh Duhamel and Judy Greer (Planet of the Apes) as competing attorneys in the Faria murder case. Although the killer herself may not be a household name, there’s certainly a stellar cast lining up to tell her story in the new show.
Zellweger is making something of a habit of playing real-life characters — her most recent big-screen appearance was her Oscar-winning turn as legendary actress Judy Garland in the 2019 biopic Judy. The star insists that, despite the obvious differences between the two characters, playing them required a more similar approach than we might expect.
“The legacy from Judy’s work, and interviews that she’s done, all the materials are on public record. It’s much more limited in the case of Pam Hupp, but there is actually quite a bit of information out there,” she says. “She's done several interviews and there’s been the court appearances and other things to reference.
"So, although it's different in many ways, [Hupp is] still the kind of person who seems familiar to most people, they feel like they recognise her, and it seemed important that we were accurate in that way, even though we maybe had more creative freedom in the telling of this story. It's pretty well established, her look, for example, so we did what we could to come as close as we could.”
For Zellweger, coming as close as she could included several hours in make-up having prosthetics applied each day to achieve that essential "Huppness". This experience was one the actress has largely avoided in her career to date, but she seems to have unexpectedly enjoyed it.
“It's funny because it was so new to me. I’ve used tiny bits and pieces in performances before, but this one was the most comprehensive by far,” she recalls. “It's so interesting, because every day I learnt something new, not just about how the pieces are built, but they have minds of their own and what they become during the day isn't quite what they begin as in the morning.
"It’s part of your toolkit though, that makes it easier to achieve what it is that you're trying to in terms of telling someone else's story. I think the further you are away from yourself, the safer you feel to be able to explore, and I think that's half the fun. It's a different kind of skill to work with your whole body, covered in prosthetics. I didn't know that. That was a skill that I didn't have.”
One skill that Zellweger did already have, from her portrayal of Garland, as well as her three decades as a successful actress, was that of researching her role. She clearly threw herself into this mission for The Thing About Pam.
“This is one of those stories that you couldn't make up,” she concedes. “I binged the podcast, the dateline episodes and all of that drilling down into the story. It was just this experience of escalating absurdities and trying to figure it out, reading books on human behaviour and trying to work out what might motivate certain choices.
"It opens the door to discuss some really important, current, relevant social issues, and I thought it would be a really interesting way to do that.”
The Thing About Pam is available on OSN Streaming from Wednesday, March 9, with new episodes weekly
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
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Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
Fixtures
Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)
THE RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Alnawar, Connor Beasley (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Raniah, Noel Garbutt, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Saarookh, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Rated Conditions Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: RB Torch, Tadhg O’Shea, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: MH Wari, Antonio Fresu, Elise Jeane
7.30pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m
Winner: Mailshot, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
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RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
HEADLINE HERE
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SPECS
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Switching%20sides
%3Cp%3EMahika%20Gaur%20is%20the%20latest%20Dubai-raised%20athlete%20to%20attain%20top%20honours%20with%20another%20country.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVelimir%20Stjepanovic%20(Serbia%2C%20swimming)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20raised%20in%20Dubai%2C%20he%20finished%20sixth%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%202012%20Olympic%20Games%20in%20London%20in%20the%20200m%20butterfly%20final.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJonny%20Macdonald%20(Scotland%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBrought%20up%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20represented%20the%20region%20in%20international%20rugby.%20When%20the%20Arabian%20Gulf%20team%20was%20broken%20up%20into%20its%20constituent%20nations%2C%20he%20opted%20to%20play%20for%20Scotland%20instead%2C%20and%20went%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20daughter%20of%20an%20English%20mother%20and%20Emirati%20father%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20in%20Dubai%2C%20then%20after%20attending%20university%20in%20the%20UK%20played%20for%20England%20at%20sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
