Sonic Youth wrote:Disgusting, not disgusting, whatever. It's hardly unprecedented. I remember way back in the late 80s when interviewing Charles Manson was in vogue, and hardly anyone said boo.
Well, I thought that was disgusting, too. The difference, though, is that Manson was convicted and is serving a life sentence. Under federal law, he can't make any money off of his crimes. Since Simpson wasn't convicted, he can.
Although Simpson got away with two vicious murders, he lost the civil case brought by Ron Goldman's family but has found numerous loopholes to get away with not paying the $33.5 million judgment. He was reportedly paid for the book and TV deals through an off-shore account.
His "I didn't do it, butif I did, this how I would have done it" scenario is tantamount to commiting the murders all over again and his blood money payment is tantamount to dancing on the graves of his victims.
Big Magilla wrote:NEW YORK - After a firestorm of criticism, News. Corp. said Monday that it has canceled the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."
"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that his has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."
A dozen Fox affiliates had already said they would not air the two-part sweeps month special, planned for next week before the Nov. 30 publication of the book by ReganBooks. The publishing house is a HarperCollins imprint owned — like the Fox network — by News Corp.
Only after the outcry from their own affiliates was big enough did they make this decision. Up until then, they had no qualms.
In a way, too bad. I have no real interest in this story, but from the level of disinterest I can muster it would have been amusing to see how loud a statement the power of the good ol' marketplace could make. Amazon's pre-orders were quite high. Hooray, capitalism!
Disgusting, not disgusting, whatever. It's hardly unprecedented. I remember way back in the late 80s when interviewing Charles Manson was in vogue, and hardly anyone said boo.
NEW YORK - After a firestorm of criticism, News. Corp. said Monday that it has canceled the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."
"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that his has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."
A dozen Fox affiliates had already said they would not air the two-part sweeps month special, planned for next week before the Nov. 30 publication of the book by ReganBooks. The publishing house is a HarperCollins imprint owned — like the Fox network — by News Corp.
In the projects, Simpson speaks in hypothetical terms about how he would have committed the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Goldman.
Relatives of the victims have lashed out at the now scuttled publication and broadcast plans.
"He destroyed my son and took from my family Ron's future and life. And for that I'll hate him always and find him despicable," Fred Goldman told ABC last week.
The industry trade publication Broadcasting & Cable editorialized against the show Monday, saying "Fox should cancel this evil sweeps stunt."
One of the nation's largest superstore chains, Borders Group Inc., said last week it would donate any profits on the book to charity.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murder in a case that became its own television drama. The former football star and announcer was later found liable for the deaths in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Goldman family.
Judith Regan, publisher of "If I Did It," said she considered the book to be Simpson's confession.
The television special was to air on two of the final three nights of the November sweeps, when ratings are watched closely to set local advertising rates. It has been a particularly tough fall for Fox, which has seen none of its new shows catch on and is waiting for the January bows of "American Idol" and "24."
This is truly disgusting. O.J. must be really hard up for some money because this is low, folks. I realize that double jeopardy prevents him from being re-tried for the double murders, but doesn't this bring up a whole slew of civil ramifications, particularly his as-yet-unpaid civil settlement to the Goldmans?
My uncle (a very minor celebrity who can be seen in such late 80's hits as "Hollywood Shuffle" and "She's Out of Control") was dating Dominique Brown at the time of the trial and is still in touch with her. The Browns are absolutely horrified by this.
Publisher on O.J.: 'I consider this his confession'
POSTED: 4:06 a.m. EST, November 16, 2006
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- O.J. Simpson created an uproar Wednesday with plans for a TV interview and book titled "If I Did It" -- an account the publisher pronounced "his confession" and media executives condemned as revolting and exploitive.
Fox, which plans to air an interview with Simpson Nov. 27 and 29, said Simpson describes how he would have committed the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, "if he were the one responsible."
Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, lashed out at publisher Judith Regan of ReganBooks for "promoting the wrongdoing of criminals" and commercializing abuse. The book goes on sale Nov. 30.
She added: "It's unfortunate that Simpson has decided to awaken a nightmare that we have painfully endured and worked so hard to move beyond."
Regan refused to say what Simpson is being paid for the book but said he came to her with the idea.
"This is an historic case, and I consider this his confession," Regan told The Associated Press.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murder after a trial that became an instant cultural flashpoint and a source of racial tension. The former football star was later found liable for the deaths in a wrongful-death suit filed by the Goldman family. In the years since, he has been mocked relentlessly by late-night comedians, particularly for his vow to hunt down the real killers.
"He's willing to tell the world how he 'would' murder his children's mother and Ron. Sick," Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" Wednesday night. (Watch what the Goldmans told Larry King -- 10:53 )
Simpson has failed to pay the $33.5 million judgment against him in the civil case. His NFL pension and his Florida home cannot legally be seized. He and the families of the victims have wrangled over the money in court for years.
The victim' families could go after the proceeds from the book's sales to pay off the judgment. But one legal analyst said there are ways to get around that requirement -- such as having proceeds not go directly to Simpson.
"Clever lawyering can get you a long way," said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola University law school professor and former federal prosecutor who has followed the case closely.
Levenson noted that the criminal justice system's protection against double jeopardy means Simpson's book, explosive as it may be, should not expose him to any new legal danger. She added that Simpson could create an extra layer of insulation from any legal worries by presenting the story hypothetically.
"He can write pretty much whatever he wants," Levenson said. "Unless he's confessing to killing somebody else, he can probably do this with impunity."
Goldman's sister, Kim Goldman, told CNN: "He's snubbing his finger to the system, to the community again. He's telling us one more time, 'I'm gonna continue to get away with killing your family members and I'm not gonna honor the judgment and look at me, ha, ha, ha."'
Simpson did not return numerous calls for comment. Simpson's own attorney Yale Galanter said he did not know about the book or the interview until this week.
"The book was not done through our office," Galanter said. "I did not have anything to do with the negotiations of the book. This was strictly done between O.J. and others."
He said there is "only one chapter that deals with their deaths and that chapter, in my understanding, has a disclaimer that it's complete fiction."
On Amazon.com on Wednesday, the 240-page book was being offered for $16.47. An image of the cover featured Simpson's face and the title "If I Did It," with "If" highlighted in white and the other letters in red.
Other publishers and publishing industry observers practically fell over each other to criticize ReganBooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and Simpson.
Otto Penzler, who runs Otto Penzler Books, a crime imprint of Harcourt, said he would have a moral problem with "carrying a book like that and enriching this lowlife in any way."
"If I were betting, I would say the book won't sell," he said. "I think people are so disgusted with this guy that they're having the same feeling I do."
ReganBooks has gained a reputation for publishing some less-than-highbrow material, including Jose Canseco's "Juiced," billed as a tell-all on steroids in baseball, and books about the slaying of Laci Peterson.
Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive of the American Association of Publishers, described the developments as sickening.
"But I think it's going to stir an awful lot of debate and make the culture take a real look at itself, and that may not be unhealthy," she said.
Indeed, one thing that seemed certain was that the book and interview -- which Fox will air at the end of the crucial sweeps month -- were bound to generate a torrent of publicity.
Shari Anne Brill, a television analyst for the Madison Avenue firm Carat USA, predicted public interest would rival that of the 2003 interview with Michael Jackson, seen by 27 million people in 2003.
At least one other network, NBC, said it had been approached to air the special but declined the offer.
"This is not a project appropriate for our network," said Rebecca Marks, a spokeswoman for the entertainment division of NBC, a network that once employed Simpson as a football analyst.
CBS said it was unaware of any pitch for the project. ABC did not immediately return a call for comment.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
