People: Bounty hunter, meet dog catcher
Turns out television bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman was snagged by his own son.
Tucker Chapman taped a private phone conversation in which his father repeatedly used the N-word in referring to his girlfriend, then sold it to the National Enquirer for “a lot of money,” Duane Chapman’s lawyer says.
“I guess because of whatever level of anger he had of his father, he felt the need to express it in that manner,” says attorney Brook Hart.
Tucker Chapman could not be reached for comment.
Duane Chapman, who was encouraging his son to break up with the girlfriend, says he was concerned “not due to her race, but her character. However, I should have never used that term.”
A&E has pulled “Dog the Bounty Hunter” off the air until further notice, but says the series is not canceled.
The show, in its fifth season, is one of the cable network’s top-rated programs. It follows Chapman and his tattooed crew as they track down bail jumpers in Hawaii and elsewhere.
It also stars some members of Chapman’s family, but Tucker is not regularly featured.
Easy como va, easy go
Carlos Santana and his wife of 34 years are splitting up.
Deborah Santana, who in her 2005 memoir “Space Between the Stars” described her guitarist husband as being unfaithful, filed for divorce on Oct. 19.
They have three children, ages 17, 22 and 23.
Britney’s bare bottom line
Here’s a shocker: Court filings in Britney Spears‘ custody dispute with Kevin Federline show she spends lavishly on clothes and entertainment, and doesn’t save or invest any of her roughly $737,000 monthly income.
Spears’ monthly expenses include $49,267 in mortgage payments on two houses, $16,000 for clothes and $102,000 on entertainment, gifts and vacation, including $4,758 for dining out.
She also has to pay her ex-husband $15,000 per month in child support and $20,000 in spousal support.
As for dancer-turned-rapper Federline, his biggest monthly expenses include $7,500 in rent and $6,000 in security.
Fin-feathered friends
On the piscatorial protection front, “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere and fellow animal rights activists drew angry shouts and some shoving from fishermen in Japan when they tried to interfere with a dolphin hunt.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Buffett met privately with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist before a concert and thanked him for backing measures in support of manatees.
D’yer break’er?
Led Zeppelin fans awaiting the rockers’ reunion will have to wait a little longer.
The band’s first concert in two decades, scheduled for Nov. 26, has been postponed until Dec. 10 after guitarist Jimmy Page fractured a finger.
The birthday bunch
Actor Ken Berry (“Mayberry R.F.D.”) is 74. Singer Lulu is 59. Actress-comedian Roseanne Barr is 55. Actress Kathy Kinney (“The Drew Carey Show”) is 54. Actress Kate Capshaw is 54. Comedian Dennis Miller is 54. Singer Adam Ant is 53.