Bounty hunter offers apology, money to avoid extradition

Honolulu – TV bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman hopes to work out a deal to avoid extradition to Mexico to face charges of illegal detention and conspiracy in his capture of a cosmetics company heir there three years ago, his attorney said.

Bounty hunting is a crime in Mexico.

Chapman and his two co-stars on the show “Dog The Bounty Hunter,” were arrested and jailed in Hawaii last week.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has until Oct. 16 to file papers in support of their extradition, but Chapman’s attorney, Brook Hart, hopes to resolve the issue before then.

Chapman has said he would offer an apology, pay a fine, forfeit the bail he posted in Mexico and make a charitable contribution, Hart said.

“What he’s prepared to do is take responsibility for not having to stay around to face the charge,” he said.

The trio had ensnared convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, on June 18, 2003, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But they, too, were arrested by Mexican authorities.

Chapman posted about $1,300 for his release, and based on “flawed legal advice” thought he could leave the country and Mexican authorities would have no further interest in him, Hart said.

Clapton tour date postponed because of sore throat

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Eric Clapton’s concert on Saturday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills was postponed because the three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee had a sore throat.

No additional shows on the North American tour, which kicked off last weekend, are affected at this time, tour publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday in an e-mail. His next scheduled concert is today in Toronto.

“He is indeed under the weather with a sore throat,” Foster said.

A rescheduled date for the show in suburban Detroit will be announced next week, The Palace said.

Gibson attends Oklahoma screenings of ‘Apocalypto’

Goldsby, Okla. – Actor and director Mel Gibson visited two Oklahoma towns this week to attend screenings of his new movie, “Apocalypto.”

Gibson did not make a public appearance during screenings held at the Riverwind Casino in Goldsby and Cameron University in Lawton.

He arrived at Cameron on Thursday morning wearing a mask and wig so he wouldn’t be noticed, university spokeswoman Amber McNeil said.

Jhane Myers, an Oklahoma City-based publicist who escorted Gibson, issued a statement saying Gibson was “deeply touched by the warm reception he has received while in Oklahoma.”

Myers had said earlier in the week that Gibson had canceled the screenings planned for Oklahoma.

Gibson co-wrote and directed “Apocalypto,” which is billed as an action-adventure film set in the last days of the Mayan civilization in Mexico. It will be released Dec. 8.

Dalai Lama surprises New York town with visit

Woodstock, N.Y. – The Dalai Lama took Woodstock by surprise, offering a speech on world peace to thousands who gathered on word of mouth alone.

Debbie Zimmer came to the artists’ colony in the Catskills to shop and wondered why she couldn’t find parking.

“I’m supposed to be here,” she said as she quickly changed her plans.

The spiritual leader to Buddhists worldwide squeezed in the visit Thursday between scheduled appearances in Buffalo and New York City.

The Dalai Lama was scheduled to offer a private teaching session Saturday to 500 Buddhists at a nearby monastery. Town Supervisor Jeremy Wilber called the last-minute public appearance a “gift to the people of Woodstock.”

Cosby asks Americans to give $8 for slavery museum

Richmond, Va. – Bill Cosby called Friday on each American to contribute $8 to help build a national slavery museum amid the battlefields of the Civil War.

Cosby, who already has committed $1 million to the project, joined Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder on Friday in launching a new campaign to raise $100 million toward the Fredericksburg museum’s $200 million price tag.

“The incentive is that they would join in with the rest of the United States of America in saying yes, as an American, I gave $8 to help build something that tells the story,” he said in a teleconference with Wilder.

In a nation of some 300 million people, even a tepid response would surpass the $100 million goal, Cosby said.

He admitted this kind of campaign “generally fails badly.” “But I’m going to try again because I’m going to present this national slavery museum as a jewel that’s missing in a crown.”

The campaign marks the latest attempt at fundraising for the U.S. National Slavery Museum, a project in the works for more than a decade.

Musician who shouted ‘Tequila!’ in song dies

Huntington Beach, Calif. – The man who shouted the word “tequila!” in the 1950s hit song “Tequila!” has died. Danny Flores was 77.

Flores was sometimes called the “godfather of Latin rock.” He was playing guitar in church at age 5 and by 14 was in a trio that performed Mexican music. Flores died Tuesday at Huntington Beach Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Curran said. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reported he died of complications from pneumonia.

In 1957, Flores was in a group that recorded with rockabilly singer Dave Burgess. One of the songs was based on a nameless riff Flores had written. He played the “dirty” saxophone part and repeatedly growled the single-word lyric: “Tequila!”

The next year it appeared as the B-side of a single, credited to the Champs. Flores used the name Chuck Rio because he was under contract to a different record label.

“Tequila!” went to No. 1 on the Billboard chart and won a Grammy in 1959 for best rhythm and blues performance.