Murray: Too busy with Jackson to call 911
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Dr. Conrad Murray told Los Angeles police he did not call 911 because he was helping a stricken Michael Jackson, according to a tape played at his trial.
The tape was made during an interview between Murray and two LAPD officers in 2009 and played Friday for jurors in Murray's manslaughter trial.
Murray told the officers he was too busy trying to revive Jackson after he found him unconscious and not breathing to drop everything and call 911. The situation was complicated, the Los Angeles Times said, because Jackson did not have a landline phone in the room.
"To speak to a 911 operator would be to neglect him," Murray said. "I want to ventilate him, do chest compressions enough to give him an opportunity."
ABC News said Friday was the first time the tape has been played in public. The jury heard about two-thirds of the recording before adjourning for the weekend.
Murray is accused of providing Jackson with a lethal dose of anesthesia to help the singer sleep. He has denied the allegations and said Jackson administered the shot himself without his knowledge.
Barnes& Noble won't sell DC graphic novels
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- A tiff over digital rights means hard copies of DC Comics graphic novels won't be sold at Barnes & Noble stores in the United States, the book chain said.
The announcement came this week after DC, the creators of Superman, Batman and other graphic novels, struck a deal to make the downloadable version available only on Amazon's Kindle.
"We will not stock physical books in our stores if we are not offered the available digital format," Barnes & Noble Chief Merchant Jaime Carey said in a written statement.
The Los Angeles Times said company policy is not to stock any book that can't also be loaded into the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader.
"To sell and promote the physical book in our store showrooms and not have the ebook available for sale would undermine our promise to Barnes & Noble customers to make available any book, anywhere, anytime," Carey said.
All is not lost for superhero fans. The Hollywood Reporter said DC's graphic novels can be purchased on the Barnes & Noble Web Site.
DC added it was disappointed at the chain's decision but had plenty of online and physical outlets for its novels.
Starship crashes in 'worst 80s song' poll
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- A Rolling Stone reader poll has proclaimed "We Built This City" by Starship to be the worst song of the 1980s.
"The Final Countdown" by Europe came in second and Chris de Burgh placed third with the ballad "Lady in Red."
"We Built This City" wasn't the work of amateurs. Starship was born from the core members of Jefferson Airplane, one of the pioneering and most-popular bands of the 1960s. The song itself was co-written by Bernie Taupin, who penned many of Elton John's classics in the 70s.
But ABC said voters slammed it by a wide margin. Rolling Stone said it "could be the biggest blow-out victory in the history of the Rolling Stone Readers Poll."
Other hapless hits that apparently didn't sit well over the decade were the quirky "Safety Dance" by Men in Hats, "Wake Me Up" by Wham, and Bobby McFerrin's jazzy "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
The online poll was conducted a few weeks ago, but the number of voters and totals for each tune were not available.
Clooney: Playing a pol as far as he goes
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- George Clooney says he has no plans to get into U.S. politics despite his convincing role as a presidential candidate in the new movie "The Ides of March."
Clooney had plenty of insights about the current state of partisan politics and national campaigning in an interview with ABC News, but he said being a movie star beats running for office.
"I look at my life and look at everybody else's life in politics," Clooney said. "Why would I ever want to do that? I'm having a very good time."
Clooney wrote, directed and starred in "Ides," which opened this month as the presidential race picks up heads of steam and acrimony. He said he drew on his personal experiences as the son of a one-time candidate in Ohio and as a supporter of President Obama in the 2008 election.
Clooney said he was "disillusioned" by Obama supporters who would jump off the bandwagon over a single issue, and the increasingly partisan television networks.
"When I was growing up, you had three networks," Clooney told ABC. "Whether you were a Republican or a Democrat, you took basically the same facts in and you digested them and you came up with your own opinions. Now we tend to go to the place that best represents what we believe in; Fox News if you're conservative, MSNBC if you're liberal, what have you."
Depp regrets comparing photo shoot to rape
HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Johnny Depp apologized this week for a remark in which he compared a rigorous photo session to being raped.
Depp said in a written statement he made "a poor choice of words" when he described the session in an interview with Vanity Fair.
The remark drew a sharp rebuke from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which said in its own statement that "being photographed in no way compares to rape."
Depp concurred: "I understand there is no comparison and I am very regretful. In an effort to correct my lack of judgment, please accept my heartfelt apology."
The Los Angeles Times said RAINN later announced all was forgiven and they hoped to work with Depp in the future to give hope and assistance to victims of sexual assault.
