Veteran rockers roll into land of steel wheels, Super Bowl

Detroit – They may not know much about football – not the American kind, at least – but the Rolling Stones certainly look ready to play in the Super Bowl.

At a lively news conference Thursday afternoon, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards cracked wise and played coy as Charlie Watts and Ron Wood stood by, content to let their charismatic comrades run the show.

Jagger addressed the lingering controversy about the NFL’s perceived snub of Detroit music because of the Stones’ selection as halftime guest.

“The thing about the NFL – they run a good show but occasionally make a mistake, like anybody,” he said. “But I think they were quick to rectify it.”

Two Detroit-bred artists have been added to Sunday’s pregame bill: Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

Chappelle says stress caused him to walk away from show

Chicago – Dave Chappelle told Oprah Winfrey he was stressed out and not crazy or on drugs when he abruptly left his hit Comedy Central show last spring during production.

In his first television interview since ditching “Chappelle’s Show” in May, the comedian said that after he signed a $50 million deal for the third and fourth seasons in August 2004, too many people were trying to control him and his show.

“I wasn’t crazy, but it is incredibly stressful,” Chappelle, 32, said during his appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that aired Friday.

Last May, with the premiere date looming for the third season, Chappelle stunned his fans and the entertainment industry by leaving the show in midproduction.

Soldier who saw Woodruff:

I thought he was dead

New York – The first soldier to check on ABC anchor Bob Woodruff after the newsman was attacked by a roadside bomb said that “my initial assessment of him was that he was dead.”

First Sgt. John McFarlane of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division was one of five soldiers honored Friday by ABC’s “World News Tonight” as their “persons of the week” for helping to save the life of the broadcast’s co-anchor Sunday.

The ABC newscast also played the last pictures taken by the cameras that accompanied Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt on their fated assignment. Neither camera showed the blast, ABC said.

Woodruff and Vogt were being treated Friday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. “World News Tonight” co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas said both were improving.

Woodruff and Vogt were standing in the hatch of an Iraqi mechanized vehicle on patrol north of Baghdad when the explosive device went off.

Armstrong, Crow call it off

Austin, Texas – Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow have split, the couple announced in a joint statement Friday night.

The seven-time Tour de France champion and the rock star announced their engagement in September. It would have been her first marriage and his second. He has three children from a previous marriage.

“After much thought and consideration we have made a very tough decision to split up. We both have a deep love and respect for each other and we ask that everyone respect our privacy during this very difficult time,” the statement said.

Armstrong, 34, recovered from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain to become the dominant athlete in one of the world’s most grueling sporting events.

His seven consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005 are a race record. He retired after winning his last race with Crow rooting him on.

Armstrong and the 43-year-old Crow met in October 2003 and began dating shortly after.