Oprah to Frey: 'I Owe You an Apology'

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Oprah to Frey: 'I Owe You an Apology'

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Surely there are thousands of readers out there who have yet to forgive James Frey for deceiving them with wild tales of cop-hitting and jail time in his supposed biography 'A Million Little Pieces.' Even fewer persons have apologized to the literary pariah, but you can officially remove his creator-turned-destroyer Oprah Winfrey from that list.

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Famous Book Frauds

James Frey got roasted by Oprah Winfrey back in 2006 after it became clear he fabricated key portions of his memoir, 'A Million Little Pieces.' But last year, she decided she had been too hard on him and apologized.

George Burns, Harpo Productions / AP

'Pieces' became hugely popular after Winfrey picked it to be in her book club. When the news of the fraudulent writing arose, Winfrey verbally attacked Frey on her show for misleading her and her fans.

Tim Boyle, Getty Images

"It was a nice surprise to hear from her, and I really appreciated the call and the sentiment," says Frey. "When I heard her say, 'I felt I owe you an apology,' I was very grateful. As far as I'm concerned, that part of my career is over and behind me and I'm looking forward to writing more books."

Edward M. Pio Roda, CNN / AP

A year after the Frey mess, Winfrey introduced the world to Herman and Roma Rosenblat, who amazed the talk host with their love story. His memoir, 'Angel at the Fence' claimed he met his wife when she used to throw him apples over the fence at a Nazi concentration camp. Not true, and the book was pulled but is reportedly being adapted for a film. Winfrey posted a disclaimer on her Web site after Rosenblat came clean.

J. Pat Carter, AP

In 'Love and Consequences,' Margaret B. Jones details what she claimed was her life growing up as a white girl on the mostly-black streets of South Central Los Angeles. Admitting the book was falsified, Jones told the New York Times her goal was "to put a voice to people who people don't listen to."

Amazon.com

The 'Consequences' scandal came on the heels after Misha Defonseca admitted that she falsified 'Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years,' saying that while the story "is not actually reality, but my reality."

Rachel Ritchie, Providence Journal-Bulletin / MCT

Defonseca's best-selling book, which had been published in 18 languages, contains stories of the author being trapped in the Warsaw ghetto, killing a Nazi soldier and other World War II tales.

Herwig Vergult, AFP / Getty Images

Harvard student Kaavya Viswanathan caused a publishing uproar in 2006 when it was discovered that she lifted passages from other writers when composing her book, 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life.'

Chitose Suzuki, AP

In a new Vanity Fair interview tied to the paperback release of his novel 'Bright, Shiny Morning,' Frey made a surprising revelation: Winfrey called him up last fall to say she was sorry. Sorry, that is, for the televised tush-whooping she gave Frey on her show in 2006 after he admitted 'Pieces' contained embellishments.

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"You conned us all," she said during the shaming, which also included Frey's publisher Nan Talese. "It's embarrassing and disappointing for me."

It was a particularly hard-edged, cringe-inducing episode uncharacteristic of Winfrey's normal persona of a positive life guru.

Since then, the TV icon has seen the error of her methods. According to Frey, Winfrey explained that she now realizes that the legendary ambush was actually about her bruised ego and the pain of having been personally betrayed. She is the one who brought riches and fame upon Frey by selecting 'Pieces' for her book club.

Time magazine confirmed the phone call with Winfrey's people, who in fact asked Frey back on the show last spring. The visit did not pan out, and neither side is talking as to the reason. The writer doesn't rule out a future visit with his old friend.

"Both parties would have to be comfortable about why I was coming on," he told Time, "and what I was talking about."

Regardless of how wildly his professional career swerved out of control following the Oprah incident, nothing compares to the personal trials Frey had to face in the past year. In July, he and his wife lost their newborn son Leo to a rare muscular disorder called spinal muscular atrophy. He was 11 days old.

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Oprah Winfrey Snapshots

In this photo taken April 23, 2009 and provided by Harpo Productions, Inc., talk-show host Oprah Winfrey raises a champagne toast to Dr. Mehmet Oz, her in-house medical and health expert, during taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago. The show will air nationally on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Oz is leaving his spot as a regular on the show to launch his own syndicated program this fall. (AP Photo/Harpo Productions, Inc., George Burns) **MANDATORY CREDIT: Harpo Productions, George Burns. NO SALES**

Oprah Winfrey, smiles at Duke president Richard Brodhead, after receiving her honorary degree from Duke University during graduation exercises at Duke University on Sunday, May 10, 2009 in Durham, N.C. (AP Photo/The News and Observer, John Rottet)

Oprah Winfrey, center, enters Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke University where she was the graduation keynote speaker on Sunday, May 10, 2009 in Durham, N.C. (AP Photo/The News and Observer, John Rottet)

BLACKBURN, SCOTLAND - MAY 08: Susan Boyle, star of 'Britain's Got Talent,' returns to her home in Blackburn, West Lothian on May 8, 2009 in Blackburn in Scotland. The 47 year old is being filmed today for an appearance on the U.S Oprah Winfrey show. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Getty Images

BLACKBURN, SCOTLAND - MAY 08: Susan Boyle star of 'Britain's Got Talent' returns to her home in West Lothian on May 8, 2009 in Blackburn Scotland. The 47 year old is being filmed today for an appearance on the U.S Oprah Winfrey show. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Susan Boyle

Getty Images

FILE - In this April 13, 2009 photo released by KFC, a two-piece meal with the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken product is shown, at a KFC location in Louisville, Ky. Coupons were available on Oprah.com for 24 hours beginning Tuesday after Oprah announced the meal promotion on her show. Each downloadable coupon can be redeemed for two pieces of grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit. (AP Photo/KFC, Brian Bohannon, File) ** NO SALES **

Oprah Winfrey and First Lady Michelle Obama attends the Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World Gala at Rose Hall - Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 5, 2009 in New York City. Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World - Cocktails and Dinner Rose Hall - Jazz at Lincoln Center New York, NY United States May 5, 2009 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com To license this image (16782914), contact WireImage.com

Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

"I've been through some difficult things in my life," Frey said. "Nothing comes close to this."

Two months later, the Frey's decided to adopt. They recently welcomed a "healthy, awesome, sweet little boy" named Ellis from a Russian orphanage into their home.

"The last three years have been surreal and difficult and at times uncomfortable and at times terrible," Frey told Time. "But at this point, I'm cool with all of it, at peace with all of it. The priorities now are taking care of my family and producing the best work of my life."

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2009-05-14 14:25:08

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