James Frey is most famous not as an author but as “that author who LIED.” Because writers never embellish. Really, the whole argument over his book “A Million Little Pieces” has more to do with where the line between embellishment and lying is. There was the controversy over the book itself (once it had been proven untrue), and then the controversy over Oprah’s involvement. Specifically, how she could champion a book that ended up being inaccurate/B.S., depending on your opinion. Frey went on Oprah’s show to sort of defend himself but mostly sit there and be humiliated. And Oprah was so over-the-top with her castigations that a good deal of public sympathy actually reverted to Frey.

His latest book is about to be released in paperback, and includes a passage that makes many wonder if he’s got some serious dirt on Oprah.

DOES James Frey have embarrassing audiotapes of Oprah Winfrey? The upcoming paperback version of his best-selling novel, “Bright Shiny Morning,” includes two passages omitted from the hard cover, which came out last year.

…The second passage is more controversial because it seems to be based on Frey and his nemesis, Winfrey. Who doesn’t remember Frey’s disastrous appearance on Winfrey’s show three years ago after his megabest-selling memoir, “A Million Little Pieces,” was found to have been embellished — an appearance that publishing legend Nan Talese, who appeared on the show with Frey, characterized as “mean and self-serving” and a “public scourge.”

The new section contains a story about someone caught up in a highly publicized controversy and a television show that he knows is going to end badly for him. When he feels people “turning on him,” he starts taping all his phone calls, including some with “the producers of the show, the executive producer of the show.” After getting publicly eviscerated, he tapes one with “the host,” where she checks to make sure he isn’t “going to hurt himself” and reveals some startling information about herself.

When asked for comment by Page Six, Frey laughed and said, “The book is fiction. Interpret it however you want.” Near the end of the passage, the narrator informs us that he has made copies of the tapes and distributed them to friends for safekeeping. “Someday he might discuss it,” the book says. “Someday he might tell his side of it. Someday he might play the tapes. Someday.”

[From Page Six]

The passage could have been put in there simply to stir up controversy in the mere hope it would somehow taint Oprah’s reputation. Which, frankly, can’t be tarnished with vague innuendo like that. I was wondering what the supposedly embarrassing information could be, if it did exist. What would Oprah possibly share with James Frey? Presumably it was before they were on the outs, but it’s not like they were close friends. I’d imagine their conversations were only about his book. Given that, maybe she divulged some past drug use to him – something she’s also publicly acknowledged. It didn’t hurt her reputation before, so it wouldn’t really matter now.

If there really are tapes – and who’s to say – I doubt there’s anything all that salacious on them. Oprah’s been doing her thing for a long, long time. She is incredibly savvy, and certainly smart enough not to share potentially embarrassing or overly-private information with just anyone. More than likely, this is nothing more than a half-assed publicity attempt.