O.J. Simpson publisher defends her decision

O.J. Simpson publisherdefends her decision
NEW YORK -- Under a barrage of criticism, Judith Regan says she published O.J. Simpson's book "If I Did It" because she was a victim of domestic violence and thought the proceeds would go to Simpson's children.
In an eight-page statement released Friday, Regan said Simpson approached her with the idea for the book, in which he hypothesizes how he would have committed the killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
"I didn't know what to expect when I got the call that the killer wanted to confess," Regan said in the statement titled "Why I Did It." "But I knew one thing. I wanted the confession for my own selfish reasons and for the symbolism of that act. For me, it was personal."
Although Regan has acknowledged that Simpson does not directly say he killed the pair, she said she considers the book to be his confession.
"My son is now 25 years old, my daughter 15," said Regan's statement. "I wanted them, and everyone else, to have a chance to see that there are consequences to grievous acts. ... And I wanted, as so many victims do, to hear him say, 'I did it and I am sorry."'
"I didn't know if he would," she wrote. "But I wanted to try. I wanted his confession."
Regan said she did not pay Simpson for the book. "I contracted through a third party who owns the rights, and I was told the money would go to his children. That much I could live with."
"What I wanted was closure, not money," she wrote.
Regan said she was abused while in her 20s by a man "who could charm anyone" and with whom she had a child. "And then he knocked me out, with a blow to my head and sent me to the hospital," she said. She said police initially didn't believe her story.
Jay-Z tackles water crisis
UNITED NATIONS -- In a new documentary, Jay-Z is reminded of his early life in the Brooklyn projects as he sees children playing near open sewers in an Angolan slum.
"In my business, we like to say we're from the hood," said the 36-year-old rap superstar, settling in a car to leave the shantytown. "We're not in the hood. By no means. Not even close."
"The Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life" was shown Thursday evening at U.N. headquarters. It airs Nov. 24 on MTV.
The film is part of the rapper's partnership with the United Nations and MTV to get young people involved in the world's water crisis.
"I was looking for a cause to attach myself to," Jay-Z told the audience packed in the U.N. Trusteeship Council chamber. He decided on water "because it's the most basic need."
MTV film crews followed Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, while he visited children living without clean water in Angola and South Africa during his worldwide tour this fall.
The documentary mixes their stories with statistics that 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water, and more than 4,000 children die every day from diseases related to the problem.
Today's birthdays
Actress Brenda Vaccaro is 67. Actress Linda Evans is 64. Singer Graham Parker is 56. Comedian Kevin Nealon is 53. Singer Kim Wilde is 46. Rock musician Kirk Hammett (Metallica) is 44. Actor Owen Wilson is 38. Singer Duncan Sheik is 37. Actress Peta Wilson is 36. Actress Chloe Sevigny is 32. Country singer Jessi Alexander is 30.Rapper Fabolous is 27.