Rodman doesn’t shed bad boy antics for charity

Denver – Even when he’s doing good, Dennis Rodman comes across as bad, bad, bad.

The former NBA star was pulled over for speeding twice Tuesday while driving his gold-and-black Lamborghini in a charity rally race, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

In between, Rodman was involved in a minor crash and later accused of stealing a hat in what he says is a “misunderstanding” at a gas station in Glenwood Springs.

“It’s been that kind of day for me,” Rodman said by phone late Tuesday.

A clerk at the gas station told police that Rodman tried on a cowboy hat, said he liked it, signed an autograph, then put $20 on the counter for gas.

“Unfortunately $40 worth of gas was put in the car, and there was the cost of the hat to consider,” Glenwood Springs Police Chief Terry Wilson told the city’s Post Independent newspaper.

Rodman said he went into the gas station to prepay for his gas, then signed several autographs. A female employee gave him a hat, he pumped his gas and left.

“The lady gave it to me,” he said, adding that he has the gas receipt. “If they want me to pay for the hat, I’ll give them double for it.”

Rodman’s agent, Darren Prince, said he and Rodman learned of the accusations through the media and hadn’t been contacted by authorities.

Prince said Rodman also was in a minor crash when a Ford Mustang with people taking photographs and video of Rodman for his sponsor apparently lost control and hit the bumper and the driver’s side of Rodman’s car. No one was hurt.

Rodman said he believed Colorado authorities were targeting him because of his flashy car and his celebrity status. He said he would fight the citations.

“They’re doing their job,” he said, “so there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Then, Rodman added: “Is everyone picking on me today?”

Moss accepts settlement against British newspaper

London – An attorney for Kate Moss says the British supermodel has accepted substantial libel damages from a newspaper that alleged she had collapsed into a coma after taking cocaine.

An article published in Britain’s Sunday Mirror and on the newspaper’s Web site in January alleged that during a visit to Barcelona, Spain, in June 2001, Moss collapsed into a drug-induced coma and had to be revived after taking large amounts of cocaine.

“The allegations are untrue,” Moss’ attorney, Gerard Tyrrell, said Wednesday.

Tyrrell said publisher Mirror Group Newspapers Limited accepted that the allegations were false and should not have been published. He said the two parties had agreed on a substantial figure in damages, but he did not say what the amount was.

The newspaper’s solicitor, Philip Conway, acknowledged that the allegations made against the model were wrong, and apologized for the distress and embarrassment caused.

Moss, 31, was not present at the High Court in London for the settlement hearing.

Jerry Lewis to be honored for MD charity work

Los Angeles – Jerry Lewis is getting the television academy’s prestigious Governors Award in recognition for his work on behalf of muscular dystrophy.

Lewis, national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., was chosen for the prestigious award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Board of Governors in recognition of his work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon.

The award will be presented to the 79-year-old entertainer during the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 10. The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be televised Sept. 18 on CBS.

“Television has few traditions as impactful on the lives of viewers as the annual Jerry Lewis telethon. This year, he hopes to reach the $2 billion mark for research programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association,” Gary Goldberger, chairman of the Governors Award nominating committee, said in a statement Tuesday.

Past recipients include Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope and Alistair Cooke.

Lewis has hosted the Labor Day telethon for nearly 40 years. It will be held this year in Beverly Hills on Sept. 4-5.

In 1966, the telethon was shown on one TV station and raised about $1 million in pledges. This year, the show will be aired on 200 stations, will be shown on the Internet and could generate more than $60 million for the first time. Last year, $59.4 million was pledged.

Underwood, Martin world’s sexiest vegetarians

New York – If only Bo Bice had cut down on the ribs.

Carrie Underwood, who beat out Bice to win the “American Idol” crown in May, was voted the “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian” in PETA’s annual online poll. She shares the honor with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

More than 13,000 votes were cast in the contest run by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights group announced Tuesday.

Underwood, a 22-year-old Oklahoma native, wore a “V for Vegetarian” T-shirt on the Fox show. Martin, 28, and his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, made headlines when they gave their 1-year-old daughter, Apple, a vegan birthday cake.

Underwood and Martin beat out other famous veggie lovers including David Duchovny, Reese Witherspoon, Avril Lavigne, Joaquin Phoenix and Prince.

Last year, Andre 3000 of OutKast and Alicia Silverstone won the “sexiest vegetarian” title. Other previous winners include Tobey Maguire, Lauren Bush and Shania Twain.