NAMES & FACES

Throwing Two Books at Him

Acquitted? Strike that. Two jurors in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial are writing tell-all books. Oh, and now they say he was guilty.

Eleanor Cook , 79, will pen "Guilty as Sin, Free as a Bird," and Ray Hultman , 62, plans to write "The Deliberator" with former Jackson family friend and author Stacy Brown . "These books are going to rock the nation," said Larry Garrison , a film and TV producer who will co-author Cook's book with her granddaughter.

Garrison would not say why Cook and Hultman changed their minds about the case's verdict, but noted that they were two of the three jurors who initially voted to find Jackson guilty. At a post-verdict news conference where jurors explained why they acquitted Jackson, Cook recalled thinking, "Don't snap your fingers at me, lady!" after the mother of Jackson's teenage accuser punctuated her testimony with annoying finger snaps.

Garrison said a film about the jurors' experiences is in progress.

Robert Novak's Dramatic Exit

The Washington heat must have gotten to Robert Novak yesterday afternoon.

The columnist and frequent talking head blurted out an expletive and then stormed off the set of CNN's "Inside Politics," a live program.

Novak and James Carville were debating the Senate candidacy of Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) in a segment moderated by CNN's Ed Henry . Novak argued that she was a "Republican, anti-establishment" candidate who "might get elected."

Carville interrupted and said Novak's "got to show these right-wingers that he's got backbone. The Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching. Show them you're tough."

Novak responded: "I think that's bull[expletive]. I hate that."

After a two-second pause, Novak ripped off his microphone and abruptly left the set as Henry and Carville calmly continued their conversation.

Reached by the Post's John Maynard shortly after the incident, Novak said Carville "was questioning my motives. . . . I would hope he was just trying to be funny and I took it the wrong way. I shouldn't have done what I did, but I did and I apologize."

A CNN spokeswoman yesterday called Novak's behavior "inexcusable and unacceptable. . . . We've asked Mr. Novak to take some time off."