No More O.J. Special for Fox

Finally, a good decision from Fox: The O.J. Simpson special AND book have been
canceled by the News Corporation! Apparently being criticized nonstop since last week, with threats from all parts - even its own Fox News ranks - finally knocked some sense into Rupert Murdoch and friends. Murdoch's statement:

I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project. We are sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown-Simpson.

No word on the fallout for publisher Judith Regan, who got the rights to publish the book and conducted the interview, or what will happen to copies of the book and TV special (to be destroyed or put on the Internet?).

Are you relieved the Fox O.J. special has been canceled? Or were you curious and would have watched (with a barf bag by your side)?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment on November 20, 2006 5:49 PM

Comments [rss]

Desk Sgt.

All this fuss is because OJ gave his book the wrong title!.

He shoulda called it, "How I Got Away With Murder", and it woulda made the Best-Seller List.

Paul in Eugene OR

You people still watch television? I am shocked, shocked I tell you.

S.D.

Both Rupert Murdoch and Judith Regan only care about Money. #10, SB, is absolutely correct. The "Special" would have no advertisers and thus No Money.

Isn't Faux about "Family Values"??

kevin bracken

I don't have a television, but I am kind of disappointed it didn't air. I was looking forward to the flurry of coverage in the blog world, and from a social perspective, this whole experiment seemed pretty neat.

*sigh*

Let me guess---This has to do with new york becasue OJ Simpson's book was nixed by fox, which is owned by news corp, which is located in midtown, right?

anomalous

was judith regan the woman bernie kerik was boinking?

SB

The ONLY reason FOX pulled the plug was because they suddenly realized that there isn't an advertiser in the world that would allow their commercial to run during that special. As a matter of fact, 9 FOX affiliates said that that they would not air the specials! It would be business suicide for a company to run a commercial during that program.

So FOX was forced to pull the plug. Once the TV special was gone, there was no way to really promote the book, so you might as well get rid of that too.

Trust me, no one at FOX suddenly thought, "Hmmm, maybe we souldn't be sick, greedy SOB's."

Instead, they said oh @$%*, we are going to put on hours of TV with no commercials!?!?

What?

The real loser is that gutter wench Judith Regan. First, her willingness to publish this trash and to conduct the "confession" was bad enough. Then she has the audacity to justify her decision with a rambling incoherent written response that she decided to do it because she was the victim of abuse. What does her victimization have to do with this book/interview and letting this idiot thumb his nose at the victims’ families and the judicial system? Please explain.

Maddux Sports Blog

I'm not sure that I would have watched, but I don't really understand what all the hub bub was about. This is obviously a publicity stunt, but one in poor taste? I'm not sure.

Stevennnn

OJ is GUILTY!

Be a big boy OJ and confess.

jojii

I'm sure his children would love to hear how he recounts how he killed their mother.

Peter

Fox actually shows good taste? What's next, will the Sun rise in the west tomorrow morning?

Mark

I wouldn't have watched. I would've spent my time looking for the real killers.

Seriously, it's better that this never airs. It's pretty tasteless.

Toby

And no doubt Rupert is happy with all the publicity over the whole thing and now the good press about them canning O.J. Another victory for Geraldo and O'Riley!