newsmakers

newsmakers

Drew Brees to appear on ‘Sesame Street’

NEW ORLEANS

Move over, Grover! One of the NFL’s top passers is heading to “Sesame Street.”

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is making a special appearance on Thursday’s episode of the educational children’s TV show. He visited the set a few months ago to record the segment, which co-stars the street’s furry red resident, Elmo.

The segment will air Thursday morning on PBS Kids.

Brees, who has two young sons, Baylen and Bowen, taped the segment before the start of this year’s regular football season. Brees leads the NFL with 4,368 passing yards, putting him on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing record of 5,084 yards, which has stood since 1984. Brees led the Saints to victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV and was that game’s MVP.

Jackson’s doctor asks for attorney

LOS ANGELES

The doctor convicted of causing Michael Jackson’s death is asking a court to appoint a publicly funded attorney to handle his appeal.

Conrad Murray filed an amended notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday stating that he is indigent and unable to pay for an appellate lawyer to try to overturn his involuntary- manslaughter conviction.

The 58-year-old cardiologist intends to appeal his conviction but does not yet have an attorney who can prepare briefs and argue his case before the California 2nd District Court of Appeal.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that felony convicts have a constitutional right to assistance of counsel.

A jury convicted Murray last month in connection with Jackson’s June 2009 death. Murray is expected to serve roughly two years in jail.

Author didn’t breach privacy, court rules

OSLO, Norway

A Norwegian appeals court has acquitted the author of best-selling book “The Bookseller of Kabul” of breaching the privacy of a woman portrayed in the book.

The Oslo Appeals Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that war correspondent Aasne Seierstad and her publisher Cappelen Damm should pay $18,400 each in damages to Afghan Suraia Rais.

Seierstad lived with Rais and her husband, Shah Mohammad Rais, in Kabul in 2002 and published her book about them shortly afterward.

Rais sued Seierstad, saying details in the book were false and invaded their privacy.

The court ruled the details were true and not especially sensitive.

Rais’ lawyer Per Danielsen told news agency NTB Tuesday he would appeal the ruling.

Vindicator wire services