Limbaugh makes a deal

West Palm Beach, Fla. – Rush Limbaugh declared victory Monday after signing a deal with prosecutors that will dismiss a prescription fraud charge in 18 months if he complies with the terms.

Under the deal, Limbaugh cannot own a gun, must submit to random drug tests and has to continue treatment for his acknowledged addiction to painkillers. But he did not have to admit guilt, and he continued to proclaim his innocence on his radio show Monday.

“From my point of view, the end result will be as if I had gone to court and won, but the matter is concluded much sooner,” the 55-year-old conservative commentator told his listeners. “I have spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars with lawyers over the past 27 months fighting this at every stage.”

He pleaded not guilty Friday to seeking a prescription from a physician in 2003 without revealing that he had received medications from another practitioner within 30 days. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Limbaugh said he had been undergoing random drug tests for 2 1/2 years and “haven’t even craved a painkiller since I got out of rehab.”

Glitter’s case appealed

Hanoi, Vietnam – A court in southern Vietnam will hear Gary Glitter’s appeal of his child molestation conviction later this month, state-controlled media reported.

The People’s Supreme Court of Appeals in Ho Chi Minh City will hear the former British glam rocker’s case May 19, the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper said Sunday.

Glitter, 61, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison by a Vietnamese court March 3. He was charged with committing obscene acts with two girls, ages 10 and 11, at his rented seaside villa and at a hotel.

Glitter, whose crowd-pleasing “Rock and Roll” anthem is still played at sporting events, has maintained his innocence.

He was convicted in Britain in 1999 for possessing child pornography. He served half of a four-month jail term.

Shaping our world

New York – Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and George Clooney and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among the newsmakers on Time magazine’s list of 100 people who shape our world.

The list of 100 most influential, in the issue on newsstands Monday, also includes world leaders Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Ehud Olmert of Israel, director Ang Lee, plus entertainers Daddy Yankee, Ellen DeGeneres and Meryl Streep.

There are 104 names on the list, with Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, founders of the MySpace Internet sites, and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush sharing spots.

The list has 79 men and 25 women from 29 countries including Bhutan, Liberia and Luxembourg.

Separately, Time named 15 power couples such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Jay-Z and Beyonce, plus five couples from history including Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Rocking the golf circuit

Travelers Rest, S.C. – Kevin Costner confessed he was a little nervous when his unnamed band gave its first performance this weekend at the BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament at the Cliffs.

“We didn’t have a chance to do a sound check,” the 51-year-old actor-director said. “But I didn’t have a chance to check my putting either.”

He is a regular at the pro-am held just outside Greenville.

Costner, who starred in the 1996 golf movie, “Tin Cup,” said he wanted to perform as a thank-you to the volunteers and as a way to have more interaction with fans.

He played acoustic guitar on his own rock songs after Saturday’s third round of the Nationwide Tour event.

Cavernous concert site

Carlsbad, N.M. – Randy Travis plans to sing in the caves of Carlsbad Caverns National Park later this month for the filming of a Christmas DVD.

It wasn’t clear whether the May 18 performance would be open to the public. The 46-year-old country music star gave a concert in December at the local civic center, which will be part of the project.

Travis will sing in the main cave at Carlsbad Caverns, and filmmakers hope to capture scenes where he will be singing unaccompanied near the Rock of Ages, said Guy Lutman, director of the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts & Exhibition Centre.