News Corporation --- the Rupert Murdoch-controlled global conglomerate that owns Fox Television, Fox News, HarperCollins, MySpace.com, the Times of London and a hairball of other publishing companies and TV networks here and abroad --- has cancelled plans to publish a book by O.J. Simpson detailing how he would have killed his wife and Ron Goldman.
(If he had killed them, which he didn't, because he was reading Bible stories to orphans at the time, and he's going to find the real killer any minute now, possibly while signing autographs at a sports memorabilia show.)
Also cancelled was a two-night TV special featuring Simpson's publisher, Judith Regan, and the Juice himself. The special would have aired on Fox TV.
Apparently, the network that brought us "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire," "The World's Wildest Police Chases," "When Animals Attack," "Woops!" (a light-hearted sitcom about an accidental nuclear holocaust), "The Chevy Chase Show" and "Celebrity Boxing" has decided that giving a suspected (though acquitted) double-murderer several hours of prime-time to discuss his homicidal fantasies is in "poor taste."
As numerous critics have pointed out, this provided a great story for Fox News to chew on for several days, allowing people like Bill "Loofa" O'Reilly to bloviate to their hearts' content about the moral turpitude of big media conglomerates ... like the very one that pays his salary.
Hey --- Bill's just looking out for you. And by "you," I mean "himself," and by "looking out," I mean "getting rich."
(A real conspiracy nut would say that the Simpson controversy also knocked the story of the recent elections --- a disaster for Republicans --- off of Fox News for several days. I say, don't chalk up to conspiracy what can adequately be explained by incompetence.)
In a related local story, former Allegheny County Sheriff Pete "Laverne's Dad" DeFazio, who is pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of coercing deputies into donating to political campaigns, is not admitting any wrong-doing.
However, DeFazio is writing his own book, preliminarily titled How I Woulda Done It 'N'At, which speculates on how he would have coerced deputies into donating to political campaigns.
Tube City Almanac has learned that DeFazio's book will include a free sheet of stickers, but readers will have to purchase crayons separately to color the other pages.
In other business: Reversed messages can supposedly be found in all sorts of song lyrics, from obvious suspects, like "Stairway to Heaven" and "Hotel California," to less likely places, like "Popeye The Sailor Man."
The Australian researcher who compiled the clips, David John Oates, says they're actually evidence of our subconscious minds operating in "covert" mode, expressing our hidden feelings and motivations: "These two modes of speech, forward and backward, are dependent upon each other and form an integral part of human communication. One mode cannot be fully understood without the other mode."
No, it appears to be a serious effort. Why are you laughing?
The hidden message in "Popeye The Sailor Man" (sound clip) is dirty, according to Oates' website, which calls the phenomenon "Reverse Speech," or "R.S."
I'm thinking of two letters. The second one is "S," but the first isn't.
If you don't think this is a cute picture, then I suggest you check your pulse. Or, perhaps, you're the Grinch who stole Christmas, in which case I ask: Shouldn't you be stealing presents in Whoville instead of hanging around here?
The doggie and his human friends are riding in a restored 1950s London taxicab (owned by the Striffler funeral home chain) during Saturday's "Salute to Santa" parade.
More photos here.
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