False memories go Hollywood

A law professor from the University of California, Irvine School of Law is making the leap from the classroom to the small screen. Paramount Pictures Corp. and CBS Corp. are developing a new television show about the work of professor and psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, who specializes in the evaluation of witness memories in criminal cases. Loftus has testified in hundred of cases, including those involving Oliver North, Martha Stewart, Michael Jackson and the beating of Rodney King. The network purchased Mind Games, based on Loftus’ work, in September and the pilot is being written, according to The Orange County Register. Loftus has appeared on numerous news programs including 60 Minutes, where she got correspondent Lesley Stahl to choose the wrong person in a lineup after planting a false memory. Plots for the new show may be based on actual cases Loftus has worked. Loftus told the Register that she views Mind Games as an opportunity to inform millions of people about the workings of the mind. — Karen Sloan

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