Dog the Bounty Hunter: New Season, a Lawsuit and a Feud

* Dog the Bounty Hunter Prepares for New Season

* Actor Sues DTBH Producers

* Dog to Battle on Celebrity Family Fued



It's time to check in on Duane Chapman and Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Less than a month until New Dog the Bounty Hunter

The new shows debut on Wednesday, July 16 on A & E Network.

Dog the Bounty Hunter,” a reality TV series that follows the unruly activities of Duane “Dog” Chapman, is returning to the air after its indefinite cancellation last November. Fans will be able to hear the beloved strains of “I’ll hunt you down, cause I‘m the dog” when the show continues with a brand new series on Wednesday, July 16.


The show, which is aired on the A&E network, chronicles the life of bounty hunter and bondsman Chapman who resides in Honolulu. Events of previous episodes have included his work in tracking and capturing bail jumpers and occurrences in his family relationships.

July 16 can't come soon enough for the legion of Dog fans.




DTBH Producers Sued by Actor

A Russian-born actor, Boris Krutonog, who says he created Dog the Bounty Hunter, has sued the show's producers for at least $5 million. Krutonog claims that he's owed compensation for royalties, salary and other considerations.

Krutonog also complains in court papers that he was the target of "abusive, violent and outrageous conduct" and "episodes of psychotic behavior by" the show's stars, Duane "Dog" Chapman and his wife Beth. Court papers say that he introduced himself to "Dog" Chapman in 1995. Believing that Chapman's colorful life and exploits could be the basis of a movie or a TV show, Krutonog signed contracts with Chapman and received the exclusive right to develop the program. Between 1995 and 2003, Krutonog alleges that he developed what became Dog the Bounty Hunter. The papers noted that A&E agreed to pay him as co-executive producer "for the life of the program" in order to obtain Krutonog’s consent to produce and air the show.

TV Dog Feuds on TV for Charity

Dog and members of his family will match up with Cathy Lee Gifford on Celebrity Family Feud for charity.

Family Feud goes Hollywood with an all-new celebrity edition of the classic game show, premiering Tuesday, June 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on "A". Hosted by Al Roker, Celebrity Family Feud is a star-studded version of the beloved game show, only this time 24 famous families will face off and throw down for the charity of their choice. Former TV Queen Kathy-Lee Gifford goes head-to-head with Dog the Bounty Hunter, the casts of My Name is Earl and The Office fight for first place and Deion Sanders tries to keep up with the Kardashians.

Dog and his bounty hunter family will be only one star-studded match-up. The line-up consists of:

* Ice T vs. Joan and Melissa Rivers
* Raven-Symone vs. Wayne Newton
* Kathie Lee Gifford vs. Dog the Bounty Hunter
* The Kardashians vs. Deion and Pilar Sanders
* Bill Engvall vs. Larry the Cable Guy
* Vivica A. Fox vs. Mo'Nique
* Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry vs. the Teutul family from American Chopper
* Tiki Barber vs. Ed McMahon
* Vincent Pastore vs. cast members from The Girls Next Door
* Corbin Bernsen vs. Margaret Cho
* "The Hickeys" from My Name Is Earl vs. "The Camden County All-Stars" from My Name Is Earl
* Cast members from The Office vs. the American Gladiators.

As fans well know, DTBH was pulled from A&E's lineup last November after a private cellphone conversation was sold by his son to the National Enquirer. The Enquirer released the tape which contained racial slurs.

In May, A&E announced that the show would return, with assurances that Chapman had taken the necessary efforts in receiving forgiveness from those who had been affected by his racist comments. A statement from the network explained, “Since the premise of Dog the Bounty Hunter is about second chances, we have decided to give him one.”

Before the show's suspension, the program was the network’s highest rated series.

Looks like Duane Chapman is making the most of his second chance, which for fans and Chapman alike, begins on July 16


by Mondoreb
Sources:
* Dog the Bounty Hunter Back for a New Season
* Actor Sues Dog the Bounty Hunter Producers
* Celebrity Family Feud Premieres June 24

Dog the Bounty Hunter: Persistence and Contrition Pays Off For TV's Bounty Hunter

Big Ratings also Didn't Hurt
"Dog the Bounty Hunter's" Return Official



Dog the Bounty Hunter fans can now start their celebrations.

It's now official: Dog the Bounty Hunter is coming back to the A & E TV line-up.

An A&E spokesman confirmed yesterday the resumption of the show's production immediately, though no date yet has been set for the show's new premiere.

KHNL TV in Honolulu stated that Beth Chapman confirmed to KHNL Tuesday morning that the show would resume production immediately.

Persistence and a showing of public remorse, along with a charity outreach to black groups, made a difference.

So did the actions of thousands of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" fans.

And the show's formerly big ratings on A&E Network didn't hurt, either.



ALSO: Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Dog is Back!

The public acts of remorse and contrition are over and a new journey that starts for the star of any TV show looms: to lure back enough former viewers to keep the show at the top of A&E's ratings line-up.

The announcement marked the latest step on a 3+ month journey of redemption and contrition for Duane "Dog" Chapman. Since the furor broke with the National Enquirer's publishing of the audio tapes of Chapman's heated exchange with son, Tucker, over his girlfriend during a private cell-phone conversation.

Get the whole story! DBKP DOG the BOUNTY Library of stories and videos on Dog the Bounty Hunter and his struggles since November 1, 2007. Over 40 stories and videos on Duane "Dog" Chapman and his family.

Fans of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" were first shocked, then angry and defensive about the suspension of their favorite TV reality show.

Eventually, fans went on the offensive, and a plethora of petitions sprung up around the web. Letter-writing campaigns and boycotts were also organized against everything from A&E Network's remaining line-up to the show's former sponsors.

One campaign even advised fans to send 1000s of pineapples to A&E's NY Headquarters in protest of the show's removal.

The news from around the web is almost universally cheerful at the return of the reality show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter", and it's star, Duane "Dog" Chapman. The show, which stars Chapman, as well as his wife, Beth, partner, Tim Chapman, son, Leland Chapman, and various other members of Duane Chapman's extended family.

Here's a round-up of what others are saying on Tuesday morning, February 20, 2008.

REUTERS:

Celebrity bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman is set to return to television after his reality TV show was pulled from the air three months ago in a controversy over his use of a racial slur, cable channel A&E said on Tuesday.

An A&E spokesman said the network had decided to start production again of "Dog The Bounty Hunter" but no airdate has yet been scheduled.

"Over the last few months, Duane "Dog" Chapman has taken and continues to take the appropriate steps in reaching out to several African American organizations in an effort to make amends for his private comments to his son which were released publicly," said a statement from the network.

"Since the premise of "Dog The Bounty Hunter" is about second chances - we have decided to give him one."

E! ONLINE:

"We take this matter very seriously," A&E said in a statement at the time of the show's production suspension. "Pending an investigation, we have suspended production on the series. When the inquiry is concluded we will take appropriate action."

A&E, which removed Dog the Bounty Hunter info from its Website just after New Year's, has not yet set a date for the show's return, but a camera crew is reportedly in place, and lodging and cars have been rented for a fifth season.

CANADA NOW:

The network, A&E, has yet to set an official premiere date for Dog The Bounty Hunter, but it has been confirmed that he is coming back.

Production is set to start as soon as possible, as everything is just about set to go.

MONSTERS and CRITICS:

A&E are satisfied that Dog made ammends, and claim they are happy he reached out to the African American community.

HOLLYSCOOP:

The Dog will hunt again. A&E has confirmed that production has begun on the next season of Dog the Bounty Hunter in Hawaii. Guess A&E isn't worried about [Chapman's Enquirer-published comments], because their main man is back. That show did make a ton of money, and I can't imagine marathons of that show Intervention are keeping the ratings high. Congrats Dog! Now just keep your mouth shut.

Dog the Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, and wife Beth Smith, got in a little R&%R at Madison Square Gardenk last month. In town for the Felix "Tito" Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. Special Light Heavyweight Attraction boxing showdown at the NY venue. 19 January 2008. EPA/JASON SZENES

A week ago, it was announced that the Dog the Bounty Hunter star would be making a charity appearance in Chicago in April.

The star of the Dog the Bounty Hunter is set to perform at Mooseheart Child City and School in Chicago, Illinois on April 11 and April 12. He'll be in concert with bands such as Echoing Angels, Emery, Inhabited, Flatfoot 56, and Will Duvall for two very different nights.

More importantly, Chapman will speak for 45 minutes from his heart about his life, tragedies, triumphs, and faith. Tagging along is his wife Beth Chapman, who also appears on the reality series Dog the Bounty Hunter. This meet and greet event also encourages spectators come with an open mind, and leave with a changed heart.

A former gang member with 18 prior convictions for armed robbery, Chapman was sentenced to five years in a Texas prison in 1977 after being convicted of the first degree murder of Jeremy Oliver. Chapman maintained his innocence of murder but was considered as a legal accessory for not reporting the shooting to the police. He was released on probation after 18 months. Eventually, he became a bail bondsman and bounty hunter, which is also the focus of the reality series Dog the Bounty Hunter.

As of Wednesday morning, no announcement was on the A&E Network's website yet. This was the latest story on the Dog the Bounty Hunter News Updates.
A&E Network:

January 30th, 2008: Duane "Dog" Chapman is officially free from his Mexican legal ordeal. A three-judge panel in Mexico unanimously ruled on Tuesday, January 29th, that the criminal charges against Dog, his son, Leland Chapman, and his close friend, Tim Chapman, must be dismissed; they cannot be extradited to Mexico to face criminal charges for their 2003 capture of serial rapist and fugitive Andrew Luster.

Andrew Luster, the famed heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, had been convicted of drugging and raping three women over a four year span. During his trial in 2003, Luster fled the country, leading to an international manhunt. In June 2003, Dog and his team tracked the fugitive Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he was living under an alias, and seized him. Luster was handed over to the United States government by Mexican officials. He was subsequently found guilty and is currently serving a 124 year prison sentence.

However, as Mexican law does not permit private individuals to engage in bounty hunting on their own, Dog, Tim and Leland were arrested by the Mexican authorities, but were later released and they returned to the United States. In February 2007, US Marshals took all three men into custody on an extradition warrant stemming from the 2003 charges. The extradition warrant was dismissed in 2007 and the the criminal charges in Mexico have also now been dismissed.

A&E did have this in "About the Show", which is undated.

Last year was the Chinese calendar's Year of the Dog – and Duane "Dog" Chapman – the world's most famous bounty hunter - had enough drama to last him two lifetimes. Now, staring adversity in the face with his own freedom hanging in the balance, Dog is coming back with a vengeance to hunt down fugitives with his wife Beth and fearless Posse.

This year the Posse is back in action once again hitting the streets, tracking down fugitives, and giving them that one-of-a-kind dose of tough love only Dog can provide. In addition to Tim, Leland, and Duane Lee this year Baby Lyssa, Dog's daughter, joins the Posse full time.

With the threat of Mexican justice hanging over their heads, the stakes are higher than ever for Dog & the Posse; but the Chapmans are sticking together to get the job done – both on the streets and in the courts. As Dog says, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

And that's that.

Check back. We'll update regularly as more details are released about the show's return.

But for now, let the fan celebrations begin.

by Mondoreb
images:
* Duane to perform at Mooseheart
* monstersandcritics


Sources:
* Dog Chapman show going back into production
* Dog: Bounty Hunter is Back on the Prowl
* Bounty Hunter "Dog" to return to the Air
* Hollyscoop
* Monsters and Critics



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Dog the Bounty Hunter: Big Rumblings from the Rumor Mill

There has been no news on the Dog the Bounty Hunter. All the news lately has been of the different efforts of the Dog's fans in their quest to get the Dog the Bounty Hunter show back on the airwaves.

So, we scoured and called and wrote. What we came up with was rumblings and rumors.

But, several of the rumors we heard, we heard in more than one place--from more than one source. So we thought that we'd present some of the things we heard and let the readers decide what they thought.

Maybe some of you have heard the same thing, or have information that we don't have.

Here's some of what we heard after a day of Dog info hunting and what we think about it. We know the readers won't be shy about what they think.

[Truth-O-Meter Ratings: 0 (it's probably a lie) to 10 (bet the ranch)]

* The Dog's been laying low.
Not much of a rumor here. It's a fact. Duane "Dog" Chapman has been out of the spotlight for several weeks now.

This is not very surprising, either. In Dog's case, "No News is Good News" right now.
[Truth-O-Meter Rating: 10.0]

* The Dog will be back in the public eye soon..
Again, this bit of information is easy to believe. The Dog won't stay hidden forever and has got to surface again sometime.

How soon is soon?

For many fans of the Bounty Hunter, it can't be soon enough. One of the common themes, in both comments left at this site and emails we've received, is that people feel a hole has developed in their regular TV viewing habits without their weekly 'dose of Dog'.
[Truth-O-Meter Rating: 8.5]

* The 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' show will not in the future and may never return to the airwaves.
We don't believe this. We don't believe anything in the world of TV, driven as it is by ratings, is set in stone. Duane Chapman's show was popular and a mainstay in the A & E Network's line-up.

This was one rumor we heard only one time. And we don't even like the guy who said it.
[Truth-O-Meter Rating: 3.0]

* There has been a "reaching out" to Dog by Afro-American groups.
This one we can believe. From the amount of email and comments we've received from ordinary black folk, there is a great rolling of eyes about what Dog said: but no acrimony, and certainly no hatred.

A great majority of our mail begins, "I'm non-Caucasian and you can tell that Dog is not a racist. He shouldn't have said what he said, but he didn't say it in anger." Or some variation of those thoughts.

If memory serves, there was no outcry against Dog and what was said during his private cellphone conversation by Black America.

Make no mistake: they were not happy, but judging from what we read, they shrugged their shoulders and shook their head at a man using ill-considered bad language.

The outcry came from certain White Americans eager to throw another person under the Political Correctness bus. This outcry came from the same quarters that attempts to stifle speech on college campuses, shout down disagreeable opinions and speakers and regulate Internet bloggers.

To them, this had nothing to do with Dog the Bounty Hunter; many of them wouldn't know Dog Chapman from a carburetor. Duane Chapman was only a means to an end.

Muzzling the Dog was their way of flexing their PC muscles.

Thankfully, those people are a small, if noisy, segment of the American population.

This rumor has substance because: Black or White, no one likes to see a person get railroaded. And Duane Chapman got railroaded.
[Truth-O-Meter Rating: 7.5]

* Duane Chapman hasn't so much as swore in the last month.
As unbelievable as this might be when first heard, we heard this from multiple sources. Dog is trying hard to clean up his whole language act.

We smiled the first time we heard this; our eyes opened wide, the second time; but the third time, well, what could we say?

As one source told us, "the Dog causing hurt and heartache among some of his fans really hit home with him on the need to clean up his language. He kept saying he was going to clean it up, but I'd heard that before."

"But this time--he accepted the challenge. I'm not saying he won't ever slip up ever again--he's human--but I haven't heard him swear in over three weeks."

One source even told us the Dog's swear-free and said "I swear it!"

After hearing this from three different people, we tend to believe it: after all, if it wasn't true, the National Enquirer would have had it on their front page by now.
[Truth-O-Meter Rating: 8.0]

* The Dog and Beth are getting a divorce over this whole mess.
I think this guy got Dog confused with another TV show star.
[Truth-O-Meter Rating: 2.0]

So that's it. After a whole day spent on the phone, this is what we dug up.

There was a few other things, but we're going to be doing some more checking on those items over the weekend.

Has anyone heard any of these? Does anyone have any additional information to offer? We'd like to know!

In the meantime, one source had this to pass on to Dog's fans: "Keep your chin up and your ears open."

by Mondoreb

[NOTE: We'll have a follow-up to our "Bring Back Dog" Petition to A & Network in the next 48-60 hours.]

Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.