It has to be one of the most tasteless announcements of the decade. O J Simpson, the former US football star found not guilty of murder in the June 1994 stabbing deaths of his former wife, Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, has released a book called If I Did It. The book contains, in one chapter, a hypothetical account of how O J would have committed the murder, had he done it. Which, of course, he didn’t. According to the trial. His previous book, I Want To Tell You, published in February 1995, stated his innocence. That book was apparently written in response to over 300,000 pieces of mail received while he was in jail. What prompted this latest book is a mystery. I mean, surely he’s not just cashing in on the gruesome murder of his ex-wife?
O J “Juice” Simpson
Television channel Fox will also be airing an interview with Simpson, in which he covers the same ground as covered in his new book. Any earnings from the book and interview are at risk, however, as a civil court found Simpson liable for the deaths in 1997 and ordered him to pay US$33.5 million in damages to the families of the victims. Those families intend to attempt to garnish any future earnings Simpson might make to cover those damages, even though Simpson has said he will never pay.
Only in America.
Even Simpson’s lawyer is “pissed” about the whole thing. Yale Galanter said he had no knowledge of the deal before the news broke through the media. “I definitely would not have approved this.” He said. “… I wouldn’t have done it for a gazillion dollars.” Apparently the deal was approved by Simpson’s four children, two of whom are from his marriage to the murdered Nicole Brown Simpson.
Yale Galanter – “pissed”
And in a strange and desperate segue, INXS’s lyric Never Tear Us Apart has taken out the top prize as Australia’s all-time favourite lyric. Released in 1988, it was voted Nation’s Favourite Lyric by viewers of pay TV music channel VH1. Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye was second, with You’re Beautiful by James Blunt in third, Wonderwall by Oasis in fourth and Yellow by Coldplay in fifth.
All of which goes to prove one thing. Viewers of VH1 have absolutely atrocious taste in music.
