FIRST OFF...

David Bowie on Wednesday was cleared of sexual assault allegations brought against him last month by a Dallas woman who said she had been raped--and possibly exposed to the AIDS virus--after an October concert appearance. A spokesman in the Dallas District Attorney’s Office said a grand jury declined to indict the rock star after hearing two hours of testimony by Wanda Nichols, who filed the complaint. Bowie’s attorney, John Eastman, condemned both Nichols and the press, saying the media was “manipulated in a way that has resulted in lies and misinformation being disseminated.” Bowie, on tour in Australia, was never arrested nor charged in the case. It was uncertain Wednesday what effect the ruling would have on a civil suit filed by Nichols.