R.E.M. frontman gets out of jury duty

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe was dismissed as a potential juror at the start of the trial for a man accused of trying to sexually assault a girl at a middle school. According to the Associated Press, Stipe said he couldn't serve as a fair juror because he had been the target of stalkers and death threats. He wasn't the only juror dismissed. Fifteen others didn't make it as jurors because they had already decided whether the suspect was guilty.

Now that he doesn't have to serve on a jury, Stipe likely has more time to make final touches on the new R.E.M. album, Accelerate. The group's 14th studio set is due out April 1st.

R.E.M. will hit the road this spring, but no dates have been announced yet -- aside from an appearance at the Langerado Festival, which runs March 6th through the 9th in Big Cypress, Florida.
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