ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Sheriff’s officers here say Richard Gere is a gentleman.

Gere, researching a role he will play in the film “The Flock,” spent about four hours with deputies last week going door-to-door to check on registered sex offenders.

He also interviewed Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, a former child sex crimes detective.

“None of us knew what to expect, especially from someone as big a Hollywood star as Richard Gere,” White said.

“The women commented on how good looking he was, and everyone else just thought he was a down-to-earth nice guy,” White said.

In the movie, Gere will play a federal agent tracking a missing girl he believes was abducted by a sex offender he is investigating.

White said Gere wanted to meet with his deputies to get insight for his character. While riding with deputies, the star of “Officer and a Gentleman” went into the homes of several registered sex offenders and spent several minutes talking with them.

Production for the film is to start Monday in New Mexico.

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MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) – Joan Rivers, who has openly joked about her own cosmetic surgery, stopped by a local hospital to celebrate the opening of an elective surgery center before heading to a nearby performance.

Rivers introduced Mount Clemens General Hospital Chairman Ted Wahby.

“I go to hospitals all the time and I’m excited to be at this one,” she said. “From what I’ve read and seen, this is going to be a fantastic place.”

Rivers said she likes to take advantage of events like the one held in this community just north of Detroit when they coincide with her public appearances. She was performing at nearby Warren.

The hospital opened the center earlier in the week. Outside the event, a red carpet was set up to greet guests, which some said was as a nod to Rivers’ red carpet appearances as a fashion critic at the Oscars.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Tommy Lee will return to the scenic backdrop of his TV reality show – and he’s bringing his bandmates with him.

Motley Crue will perform March 31 at Pershing Auditorium on their “Carnival of Sins” tour.

The 43-year-old rocker shot NBC’s “Tommy Lee Goes to College” on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus last fall. Some of the scenes showed him in uniform, stepping out with the UNL marching band.

“I know he had a good time there,” said Crue bassist Nikki Sixx during a recent telephone news conference about the spring tour, which opens Feb. 10 in Columbus, Ga.

Lee, who wasn’t part of the phone conference, suffered minor burns on his arms and face last month during a pyrotechnics explosion at a concert in Casper, Wyo.

Injuries come with the rock territory, said singer Vince Neil, who injured his leg in September.

“Every tour somebody gets knocked around onstage,” he said. “I’ve performed in a cast. It’s … like athletics. You’re out running around for two hours. Things are going to happen.”

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On the Net:

http://www.motley.com/index.php

http://tl.unl.edu/

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DETROIT (AP) – Mariah Carey will perform two songs at halftime at the nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game between the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons.

Toni Braxton will sing the national anthem.

The show also will feature a 90-second introduction narrated by Morgan Freeman that was produced by NFL Films. It features players volunteering in their communities with other residents, the Lions said Monday.

The Lions’ 66th Thanksgiving Day Classic against Atlanta on Nov. 24 will air on the Fox network (12:30 p.m. EST).

Carey won artist of the year, R&B voice of the year, best R&B song for “We Belong Together” and album of the year for “The Emancipation of Mimi” at the Vibe Awards, held Saturday in Culver City, Calif.

The taped show airs Tuesday on UPN (8 p.m. EST).

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On the Net:

http://www.mariahcarey.com/mariahcarey/index.html

http://www.vibe.com/awards2005/

http://www.detroitlions.com/