Actually, It Was Required By The Rules Of Disclosure

Those nosy newshounds at the National Enquirer have made the latest contribution to the body of evidence in the O.J. Simpson case.

On Monday, the tacky tabloid printed a topless photo of lead prosecutor Marcia Clark - with a black bar overruling objectionable areas - sunbathing on a French beach in 1979 with ex-husband Gabby Horowitz.

An Enquirer editor said the snapshot shows the 41-year-old, twice-divorced Clark’s “fun-loving, wild side,” adding: “You have a long-haired, more rebellious-type look compared with what we’re used to seeing.”

The photo came courtesy of Clark’s former mother-in-law. Gabby isn’t around to gloat; the onetime professional backgammon player was accidentally shot in the head in 1989, allegedly by the lay minister who performed Clark’s second marriage.

Loose talk

Former Sex Pistol John “Johnny Rotten” Lydon, on O.J. (in Q magazine): “We bought a white Bronco two months before O.J.’s car chase. Everyone’s buying them now because they’re `cool.’ So we had to sell ours. Made a fortune. Hahahahahaha.”

Next, he’ll be bringing us Ito romping robeless

Ted Koppel turns 55 today.

From thrillers to killers, he handles them all

Film director Robert Townsend, singer Dionne Warwick and actress Angela Bassett were among the guests at a weekend open house hosted by Simpson defense lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. at his Los Angeles office. But the biggest stir came when longtime Cochran client Michael Jackson arrived - with wife Lisa Marie Presley in tow - and was whisked to a private suite.

Just don’t ask him to deliver any lost glasses

Paul Witten, the actor who played Ronald Goldman (remember him?) in the Fox TV version of “The O.J. Simpson Story,” told People magazine he was working his night job as a Beverly Hills waiter when none other than Robert Shapiro - another Simpson attorney - came in for a bite. Witten declined to introduce himself, explaining: “It was not my place.”

Suppose he has that Bronco broken in by now?

Bill Maher, host of Comedy Central’s “Politically Incorrect,” offers this observation: “The O.J. defense team says they’ll call Al Cowlings as a witness. He’ll be testifying in July, so he should be leaving his house right about now.”

Most journalists aren’t qualified for anything

Humor columnist Dave Barry, who once wrote about his pyrotechnic experiments with toaster pastries, may be called to testify in the true trial of the century - an Ohio civil suit seeking $3,000 in damages against Kellogg’s over a house fire allegedly sparked by overheated PopTarts. Said the homeowner’s attorney: “I suppose we could attempt to qualify him as an expert.”

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Rick Bonino