Actor Dean Cain will play Scott Peterson in the USA movie 'The Perfect Husband.'

Peterson filming about done

By ELIZABETH JOHNSON
told from the vantage point of two of her friends,

Last Updated: December 3, 2003, 07:43:36 AM PST

Scott Peterson's murder trial has yet to begin, but a television movie about him and his slain pregnant wife is about finished -- with crews coming to Modesto for the last bit of work.
No actors from the USA Network's original movie "The Perfect Husband" came to Modesto for the production work Monday and Tuesday.

Instead, crews worked by helicopter and on the ground to capture images of downtown and a car scene involving police in the airport area.

Most of the movie work took place in San Diego. The two-hour movie is set to be released in early 2004, according to the cable television network's Web site.

"What they are doing is gathering scenes for the opening and closing credits to depict some connection between the film and Modesto," said

Leslie Rodriguez, manager of permits and licensing for special events in Modesto.

The real connection is that Laci Peterson, 27, was from Modesto. She was reported missing last Christmas Eve.

The movie follows the search for her, according to the USA Network Web site.

For the rest of this story, please visit link above.
momof6 adds: Boy, they did a good job of making Dean Cain look like Scott Peterson... let's see if he gets the little smirks

The Perfect Husband

USA Network has announced that Dean Cain will portray Scott Peterson, the California man accused of murdering his pregnant wife Laci, in the upcoming two-hour USA Network Original Movie The Perfect Husband (working title). Dee Wallace Stone, David Denman, Sarah Joy Brown, and Tracy Lynn Middendorf co-star.

By all appearances, Scott and Laci Peterson were the perfect couple - that is, until Christmas Eve 2002, when an eight-months pregnant Laci went missing. Friends and family soon joined Scott in a desperate search that soon grabbed the attention of the entire nation. Told from the point of view of two of Laci's friends, The Perfect Husband tells the story of the search for Laci and the subsequent series of shocking revelations in the case.

For the rest of this promo, go to site link above.

(Momof6 adds: it is scary how similar they look, isn't it? Release will be on USA in early 2004.)

This is a picture of Tracy Lynn Middendorf:

This is a picture of Sarah Joy Brown:
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/groups/g_6193258//Yahoo!+Photo+Album/SarahPictureWG.jpg?

Who is playing Laci?

I heard that Sarah Joy Brown is playing Kate Vignatti, http://www.sarahbrown.net/projects.html according to her official site.. it also has pics of her and Dean Cain together during filming.. she would make a good Laci.http://www.sarahbrown.net/photoalbum.htm (has the photos of The perfect husband)

Has someone heard differently?

""No one plays Laci Peterson, a USA Network representative said.""

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0385940

edited to add...gee, maybe I do know how...I hope it works.

Meredith Lieber

I posted the photos again, 'cause I cannot see the ones Momof6 posted- I just get a red "x"- am I the only one who just gets that?

The above link says Sarah Brown plays "Laci's best friend, Kate Vignatti". It also says that the tentative air date of the movie is Feb 13.

I cannot recall hearing the name of "Kate Vignatti" before....

But I also looked up the program for Laci's memorial service, and no one by that name spoke. Terri Western, TJ Vasquez, Stacey Boyers, Rene Tomlinson, Lori Ellsworth and Rene Garza all spoke- those are names of her friends I have heard before. And altho I'm sure Laci had LOTS of friends, I find it interesting they use the term "best friend" above.

I'm just wondering if these "best friends" Kate & Tom may have been the only ones who would cooperate with a made-for-tv movie.

Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story, The (2004) (TV)



Directed by
Roger Young

Plot Outline: Dean Cain portrays Scott Peterson, the California man accused of murdering his 8 month pregnant wife, Laci.

Production Notes/Status:
Status: Filming
Comments:
Status Updated: 20 November 2003
Note: Since this project is categorized as being in production, the data is subject to change or could be removed completely.

For expanded in production information on over 2,500 film and television projects from Announced through Completed, including contact details, visit IMDbPro.com.
Click here for a free trial!

Credited cast:
G.W. Bailey .... Detective GAtes
Sarah Brown .... Kate Vignatti
Dean Cain .... Scott Peterson
David Denman .... Tommy Vignatti
Louise Gallagher .... Jackie Peterson
Karen Gordon .... Reporter #3
Joe Howard .... Lee Peterson
Peter Jason .... Ron Grantski
Meredith Lieber .... Laci Peterson
Heidi Marnhout .... Donna
Tracy Middendorf .... Amber Frey
Tom O'Brien .... Detective Frank Ross
Paul Vincent O'Connor .... Dennis Rocha
Timothy Patrick Quill .... Brent Peterson
Dee Wallace-Stone .... Sharon Rocha
Gary Weeks .... Jail Reporter #3
(more)

When I click preview, the pic is there and it is there after I post it. go to the site above and you will see the cast of characters, then click on Meredith Lieber's name and you will have an option to go to her photo gallery.

who knows?

Anyway, about whether or not anyone is playing Laci- I guess it remains to be seen, but if they've listed someone on the cast list I'd say she is at least portraying Laci in some way- perhaps it's not a "speaking" part- maybe it's the type of thing where she is used in flashbacks or just in pictures of Laci that would be used in scene shots- like if they re-enacted the memorial service, they wouldn't be allowed to use the ACTUAL video shown of Laci, so they had to have an actress pose as her. That could explain why the rep says no one plays Laci in the artcle on Modbee, but the movie site lists the actress as "Laci Peterson".

I wonder how this movie is going to play out since there hasn't been a trial yet or all of the evidence heard? I don't get it - but I bet they sugar-coat the whole thing.

edited to change a spelling error (haven't had my mornin' caffeine yet)

In my opinion, they've jumped the gun on this- they should wait until the trial is over- then they could piece together a more complete story on what happened to her.

It is showing some previews.. and shows someone playing Laci.

I can't wait until they add the SLAM DUNK character, 'ya know the one, 'I'll scratch yours, you scratch mine..."

The merchants of Modesto wont benefit from the revenue they had counted on during the trial, skipped out on their pockets big time... for the trial has been moved to San Mateo.

Where's Dena Raley? She was employed at the Stanislaus County Court House, Modesto...vanished October '99. Who's looking for Dena ?

As for the 'Perfect Husband' movie, Friday 13th seems like a perfect date for release especially with all the other flopped out crazy movies that are a norm for that date. Teens will flock the theatres !

By JOHN COTÉ
and GARTH STAPLEY
BEE STAFF WRITERS

A TV movie about Laci Peterson's death is "insensitive" fiction that could taint potential jurors in her husband's double-murder trial, Laci Peterson's mother and stepfather said Tuesday.

"It was so hard to tell the fiction from the facts because it was so inaccurate," Sharon Rocha said at her attorney's office in Modesto. "At least they had our names right."

Her husband, Ron Grantski, said the movie is "inappropriate" and appears to portray Scott Peterson as a wrongfully accused man.

"It's all about Scott," Grantski said. "It's not written from the victim's perspective."

The movie should have celebrated Laci Peterson's life, they said. Instead, viewers barely get to know her, Grantski said.

The USA Network movie, "The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story," is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. Friday. Various Modesto landmarks were used as backdrops for opening credits, but most of the movie was filmed in the San Diego area in November, during Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing.
* Continue at link;
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/8111394p-8967338c.html
............

** Note: As I recall Rocha had a great deal of respect and love for son-in-law Scott, her very remarks made public...

WE were lead to believe by the family that Scott and Laci were an extremely happy couple with a marriage that was envied by family and friends....through the initial search they were positive...until Amber Frey made her debut in January.

Looks like they would let the wheels of justis complete rolling first.

At least he is going to trial, here in the East Tx. area we can not get justis at all. Not on any death's our DA is too acustom to sitting on his rump.

I do belive that Scott will go to trial on the evidence and on that the jury can decide his fate.

The Jones family is happy to see LE doing their jobs. In Cass co, TX LE does not care and they will tell you just that.

Our hart is out to Laci's family, we understand the loss of a child. It does not matter who or how the murder comes about. Murder is still murder and justis is what matters to the families.

The two families have sat directly across the aisle from each other for most of Peterson's court proceedings, barely exchanging glances.

An exception came during Peterson's preliminary hearing, when Rocha finished testifying and passed Lee Peterson as he prepared to take the witness stand.

She smiled slightly and they spoke.

"I'm not going to talk about it," Rocha said Tuesday.

"There are no winners in this thing," Grantski added quickly. "We love and miss Laci, and they love their son. There are only losers."

We won a very large civial law sute, I will say that this man has nothing to collect from. Yes we are winners, because we did not stop.

We filed the law suite only to show the two sheriff's Paul Boone and James Estes and the DA, Randal Lee that the evidence was there and that they did nothing in the deaths of four people.

All the evidence was there but, the LE and the DA are not worth spitting on. That's not to say that I would not!

Laci is very lucky that it happend in Cal, and that family did not have a sheriff like Paul boone jump in their face and say I don't care. This sheriff was committing a crime by takeing the county money. There are no winners at all when the LE will not do their jobs.
James Estes only point of view was what do ya want me to do that was another administration.
Also there is no perfect husbans or wife.
My opinion is sometimes justis is the only winner, and that is realy what matters. JUSTIS IS A NORMAL THING AND EVERY FAMILY SHOULD HAVE IT.

I have to say that I was expecting something different. But I also need to say that I didn't think that it was a flattering movie for Scott. Dean Cain did an INCREDIBLE job portraying Scott Peterson, as did Dee Wallace Stone as Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha.

There were many inaccuracies as far as when things actually occurred, such as the time frame of them finding the bodies and arresting Scott. The other big one was the time frame that Scott told Amber that he was married at one time, but that his wife was missing and dead... they had the character tell Amber that the night Laci went missing, rather than the beginning of December, as Amber had said.

Overall, it didn't make me feel like Scott was innocent, not by a long shot. My son who watched it, wasn't familiar with the case, and he said within the first half hour... "The husband killed her."

USA Network will re-air it on Sunday, February 15th at 9pm EST.

Oh, not Scott Peterson, at least not as far as any of us know, considering his murder trial has only barely begun. No, the guilty parties here are the people responsible for The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story. I'd say they should be ashamed, but no one with any sense of propriety would be involved in a project this repulsive in the first place.
Sarah Joy Brown as Amber Frey, left, and Dean Cain as Scott Peterson appear in this scene from USA's The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story.
By Vivian Zink, AP /USA Networks

And yet it's exactly the kind of film one would expect from USA and writer David Erickson, who teamed this season for the equally reprehensible D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear. As he did in D.C., Erickson has the gall to accuse reporters of ignoring the presumption of innocence and exploiting a tragedy for their own gain — a charge he no doubt made while skimming the news for some new crime he and USA could ineptly but profitably convert into film.

No doubt USA would insist that Perfect Husband does not take a stand on Peterson's guilt or innocence, because the crime and the victim are not shown. But the implication is crystal clear. Everyone who attacks Scott is made to appear reasonable, and everyone who defends him is naive.

With an uninspired assist from Dean Cain as Scott Peterson, the movie rehashes a public record many Americans already know by heart. Peterson's pregnant wife, Laci, disappears on Christmas Eve. Though Laci's family and friends unite around Scott, the police immediately focus on him as a suspect. The more evidence they find, the fewer friends Scott has.
More about the show

The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story
USA, Friday, 8 p.m. ET/PT
* star (out of four)

If Peterson is actually innocent, there might someday be an interesting story to tell about this apparent rush to judgment. If he's guilty, there will be a story about how the crime was committed and solved. That pretty much implies there is no story to tell at the moment.

With no knowledge of Peterson's actions or motives, Cain is forced to play him as a blank slate. He doesn't do it badly, I suppose, but the point of building a movie around a blank actor and character escapes me. As for the rest of the characters, most of them barely exist because most of them don't exist — they're composites invented by Erickson.

The best one can say for this lie of a film is that it lives down to its ill intentions and its nonsensical title. (Never mind the odd construction — how can this be Laci's story when she isn't in it?) But even if Husband were a better-made film, it would still be a horrible film to make.

Television is not just an artistic medium; its pervasiveness and power make it a social medium as well. Networks ignore the responsibilities that power entails at their peril.

Though we've come to accept them as common practice, these trial-by-TV films are actually a fairly modern invention. There was a time when television felt compelled to wait until a verdict had been rendered. Now it barely waits for an arrest, and never mind the damage that may do to the accused and to the legal process.

The filmmakers are guilty, all right, and so are we if we watch.

EVIDENCE VS. FICTION

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The Perfect Husband” takes liberal artistic license with fabricated conversations and the creation of a married couple that are supposed to be friends of Scott and Laci Peterson. The couple, which producers say are composites of real people, play significant roles.

The two main detectives in the film also are composites, producers say, with made-up names.

Other inconsistencies, most based on Bee reports and testimony at Scott Peterson’s preliminary hearing in October and November, include:

MOVIE: Peterson realizes he’s coming under suspicion some time after his wife is reported missing, when officers search his home and bring him to the police station for questioning.

REALITY: Detectives immediately began probing Peterson’s alibi, including a lengthy interview at the station that started early Christmas morning. They served the first search warrant Dec. 26.

MOVIE: Peterson tells his friend that he had a tee time to golf Christmas Eve but went fishing instead.

REALITY: Del Rio Golf & Country Club doesn’t require members to reserve tee times.

MOVIE: Policemen discuss smelling bleach in the Peterson home Christmas Eve. Later, during questioning, Peterson says he had mopped the floor after returning from his fishing trip.

REALITY: Officers testified that they did not smell bleach or other cleansers at the house. Peterson told them that his wife mopped the floor Christmas Eve, a detective testified.

MOVIE: An anonymous caller phones Peterson on New Year’s Eve and urges him to confess and lead police to the bodies. Peterson then phones girlfriend Amber Frey and says he lied when he previously told her he had never been married. He says his wife disappeared a year ago.

REALITY: A detective testified that a friend of Frey’s confronted Peterson about his marital status in early December. Peterson told Frey Dec. 9 — nearly two weeks before his wife disappeared — that he had lied about never being married and that he had “lost” his wife, the detective testified. Peterson told Frey that the upcoming holidays would be his first without his wife, the detective said.

MOVIE: After the bodies are found, a clean-shaven, dark-haired Peterson talks about leaving Modesto. A few days later, he is arrested near San Diego sporting a full goatee and lightened hair.

REALITY: Peterson had a short goatee Feb. 18, when police searched his home a second time. He was spotted several times in the San Diego area over the next few weeks. His mother, Jackie Peterson, said April 3 that her son no longer lived at the home.

MOVIE: Frey realizes her boyfriend is at the center of a media maelstrom as she watches a telecast of a New Year’s Eve vigil for Peterson’s missing wife. She later calls police and offers to cooperate.

REALITY: Phone records and police testimony show that Frey first contacted police Dec. 30.

MOVIE: Frey realizes her boyfriend is at the center of a media maelstrom as she watches a telecast of a New Year’s Eve vigil for Peterson’s missing wife. She later calls police and offers to cooperate.

REALITY: Phone records and police testimony show that Frey first contacted police Dec. 30.

MOVIE: After his wife disappears, Peterson stares at the bay from the Berkeley Marina at night. He is monitored by two detectives, one saying, “He’s worried, starting to feel trapped.”

REALITY: A detective testified that police followed Peterson to the marina three times, all in the day. The defense suggested Peterson went to the bay those days after reading Bee articles indicating searches would be going on.

MOVIE: Peterson talks on the phone with Frey after the bodies of his wife and son are found in April, saying he didn’t kill them, “but I know who did.”

REALITY: Phone records and police testimony show that the last call between Peterson and Frey came Feb. 19 — nearly two months before the bodies were recovered.

MOVIE: Peterson laments moving to Modesto, with one of his wife’s friends replying: “Laci wanted to raise Conner here with her family.”

REALITY: Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson’s mother, testified that her daughter moved to Modesto because she was concerned about her paternal grandfather’s health. After the move, she expressed a desire to have a baby, Rocha testified.
MOVIE: During questioning, Peterson says he fished for sturgeon Christmas Eve. Asked what bait he used, he says, “I don’t know.”

REALITY: Police testified that on Christmas Eve, Peterson “didn’t know” what kind of fish he hoped to catch that day.
MOVIE: A sign on a government complex building reads “East County.”

REALITY: Modesto is in Stanislaus County.
MOVIE: The Petersons live in a typical tract home with garage facing the street.

REALITY: A garage at the Covena Avenue home has been converted to living space. There is no garage.
MOVIE: A woman at the search center says “Tuolumay.”

REALITY: The Tuolumne River running by Modesto is alternatively pronounced “Tuolumey” or “Tuolumney.”

http://www.modbee.com/reports/peterson/relatedstories/story/8115439p-8970819c.html
..................................................

** There was nothing in this made for TV 'B' movie that included Lee and Jackie Peterson, Scott's parents...that would be another reality check, IMO.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By MARIJKE ROWLAND
BEE ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

Made-for-TV movies never have been known for their tact. Crime capers ripped from the headlines and tear-jerkers about women done wrong are pretty much the bread and butter of this genre. Laci Peterson's story has both.

But watching the USA Network movie "The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story," one can't help but think, why?

Why rehash what we already know? Why leave so many questions unanswered? Why make a film about a case in which we haven't heard the opening statements in the trial?

In a story so thoroughly, exhaustively, unendingly covered by every news outlet in America, Hollywood is left with little to exploit. Seems truth beat fiction to the punch.

Just about the only thing filmmakers can do is get there first. In its rush to beat the pack, USA has done the seemingly impossible. It has made a movie that has no ending -- and the ethics of this are dubious at best.

"The Perfect Husband" spans the period from Christmas Eve 2002 -- the day the pregnant Laci Peterson was reported missing -- to April 18, 2003 -- the day Scott Peterson was arrested.

Title off the mark

For starters, the title is misleading. "The Perfect Husband" correctly conveys its focus on Scott Peterson. But the subtitle "The Laci Peterson Story" would suggest that she plays a large role. She does not.

Save for the once-ubiquitous missing posters and a few photographs, Laci Peterson never appears.
Continue link :http://www.modbee.com/reports/peterson/relatedstories/story/8115439p-8970819c.html

I figured if the producers and script writers couldn't even get the most SIMPLE of the basic facts right, then it wasn't worth watching....

What a load of C-R-A-P.

I briefly thought about sending an email to the network, but decided it wasn't worth my time.

This cheap movie was made for TV$, nothing more. I doubt it would taint a jury pool. I agree we in this forum could have done far better than the producers of 'Perfect Husband' . We have followed close since December 24, 2002. The jury pool, hopefully has not.

I didn't like the totally out of character and false portrayal of Amber. ( What was that about GPS tracking Scott to Fresno ??)

Also portrayal of LE at the bay. I expected as they (LE) lurked in the dark at Scott and following him to the bay that the 'slam dunk' character would appear...or at least those words.

I found it interesting that the producers did manage to show that the Rocha family wants to be in control at all times regardless of the situation. When Laci's brother came to the Peterson's door, confronting Scott about Amber, he said (paraphrasing),
"...you didn't tell US..."

Out of respect for Laci and the baby, I had hoped that there would be at least a short segment about the memorial for Laci and baby. It would have enhanced to add reality and to view the throngs of people that were able or tried to find a parking place and a seat in the building.

...and if I were producing 'Perfect Husband', I would not have ended movie with Scott behind bars. I would have ended with the raid invasion and robbery of the Peteron home. I would have used the actual clips, then I would slowly end as they drove the vehicles away. The ending I would have chosen would have been Laci's shoe as it fell to the surface below.

There had to be much more to the movie that as usual is edited, edited, edited over and over again for time slot etc.

All of the above are my thoughts and opinion.
LadyBug

The lesson I learned from it is, anyone at anytime, can produce a movie about you or your likeness without your permission, input, or authority without compensating you in any way.

I suppose those pictures have more or less become "public property"...I didn't really think they could use them in a movie, but I guess I'm wrong.

So, what about this actress that was supposed to portray Laci? Since I didn't watch the entire thing (missed the first few minutes, too), I missed seeing her. What was her role? Flashbacks?

No, I think if they had any cooperation from Scott on the movie, then the character of Scott onscreen would have told police right away about the affair, as he has claimed all along.

Not to mention, they have said from the beginning that Scott was set up by police.

I am thinking they had a large role in the making of that movie.

" All I know is that you don't hear them complaining about the movie... not a word."

I was under the impression that a 'gag order'was in place, some might but the Peterson's have been legally advised and know exactly the interpretation of 'gag order', and the risks of breaking the order, therefor they are not commenting.