Murdoch cancels "ill-considered" OJ Simpson book, interview

[Charlie Brown]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061120/ts_alt_afp/uscrimejusticesimpson_061120230808

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch cancelled "ill-considered" plans for a book and interview by OJ Simpson and apologised to relatives of the American football star's alleged murder victims

In a dramatic climbdown that followed a storm of outrage over the proposed Simpson media blitz, Australian-born magnate Murdoch said News Corp. was pulling the plug on both a book and two-part television interview.

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

Fox Broadcasting said last week Simpson would conduct a two-part interview entitled "If I Did It, Here's How It Happened," chronicling how he would have murdered his ex-wife and her friend in 1994 -- if he were the killer.