Goldmans Say Their Action Sends O.J. A Message

Published: Sep 14, 2007

The father and sister of Ronald Goldman say that by seizing control of the O.J. Simpson book "If I Did It," they are punishing the man they think killed their loved one.

Fred Goldman and his daughter, Kim, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Thursday to discuss their decision to publish the book, released the same day. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of killing his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald.

Over the summer, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to Goldman's family to help satisfy a $38 million wrongful death judgment against Simpson. The Goldmans retitled the book "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer."

Winfrey said she won't buy or read the book, and asked the Goldmans if they don't feel its proceeds are "blood money."

"It's sending him a message," Kim Goldman said. "He put hours putting together this confession about how he killed Ron and Nicole, and he worked hard thinking he was going to make millions off of it. And we snatched it right out from under him."

Hudgens Skips Leno Amid Photo Fallout

Still dealing with the nude-photo fallout, Vanessa Hudgens canceled her appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Thursday.

Producers confirmed that the "High School Musical" star, 18, had been booked and that they were rescheduling.

No reason was given for her cancellation. Her no-show comes after naked pictures of Hudgens hit the Internet last week. She has since apologized to her fans and says she is "embarrassed over this situation."

This week, Hudgens was given a boost when she received a vote of confidence from the head of a clothing line that uses her as a spokeswoman.

Writer Frey Calls It What It Is

James Frey is writing a new book, and this time he's calling it fiction.

The author of the notorious "A Million Little Pieces," the addiction memoir he acknowledged largely fabricating, will have a novel released in summer 2008 by HarperCollins. The publisher of Harper Collins told The Associated Press that the novel, "Bright Shiny Morning," was a "kaleidoscopic" portrait of modern Los Angeles.

"It has great emotional power," said Jonathan Burnham, who added that he had befriended Frey a year ago and had known of the new book for several months.

Today's Birthdays

Actor Walter Koenig ("Star Trek") is 71. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 63. Actor Sam Neill is 60. Actor Dan Cortese is 39. Rapper Nas is 34. Singer Amy Winehouse is 24.

Sources: The Associated Press, People.com