Dennis

After being fined $25,000 by NASCAR for criticizing the sport's new race car, driver Denny Hamlin is digging in his heels -- with support from fans on social media. After last Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR levied the fine for what it termed "disparaging remarks" by Hamlin that were "detrimental" to the sport. Among other things, Hamlin -- who finished third in the race in his No. 11 Toyota -- complained that the new car made it difficult to pass other drivers.

NASCAR did not take kindly to Denny Hamlin criticizing the sport's much-ballyhooed new race car. Hamlin was fined $25,000 for "disparaging remarks" after the driver complained about the car and lack of passing at Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Hamlin, who drives the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third behind winner Carl Edwards but said afterward: "I don't want to be the pessimist, but [the new car] did not race as good" as the previous car. "You cannot get around the guy in front of you. " NASCAR on Thursday said Hamlin's remarks ran afoul of its rules prohibiting actions that are detrimental to the sport.

Attorney and businessman Ron Galperin and City Councilman Dennis Zine headed into the runoff for Los Angeles city controller in a virtual tie, with both on Wednesday claiming the advantage in the race ahead. With thousands of ballots remaining to be counted, Galperin led Zine in unofficial election-night returns by 239 votes, 37.12% to 37.03%. Four other candidates were far back in the field, with the third-place finisher taking only 9.7% of the vote. Noting that Zine had spent twice as much on his campaign, Galperin, 49, took his narrow first-place finish as a sign that "voters responded to what we had to say. " He said that Zine's spending just above $1 million to finish second "shows people are sick of the same politicians.

Former lawmaker Mike Feuer and Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich appeared headed for a May runoff election after a tempestuous campaign that pitted the wounded incumbent against two well-financed challengers. Trutanich, battling back from his poor showing in a race for county district attorney last year, trailed Feuer as returns in the city attorney race trickled in Tuesday but was running ahead of private attorney Greg Smith. Another private attorney, Noel Weiss, lagged far behind.

John Kerry became the latest to criticize Dennis Rodman in the aftermath of the former NBA star's trip to North Korea and visit with the reclusive communist country's leader, Kim Jong Un. But the secretary of State phrased his comments about the controversial basketball player in the nicest way possible, telling NBC News from Doha, Qatar on Tuesday: “Dennis Rodman was a great basketball player. And as a diplomat, he is a great basketball player. And that's where we'll leave it.” See what he did there?

On the surface, Dennis Rodman and Mitt Romney would seem to be polar opposites: One's an infamous bad boy with a taste for flashy clothing and body piercings; the other's a straitlaced Mormon whose guiltiest pleasure is chocolate milk . But on “The Daily Show” Monday night, Jon Stewart remarked on the similarities between the two men, who each made high-profile appearances on Sunday - Rodman on “This Week” on ABC, fresh off...

It's a real-life scenario so bizarre and outlandish it seems like it was dreamed up by the writers of “South Park” or “30 Rock”: Retired NBA player turned C-list reality star Dennis Rodman travels to North Korea, becomes the first American known to publicly meet with dictator Kim Jong Un, then returns to the U.S. proclaiming his admiration for the leader on ABC's “This Week. " Rodman sat down for an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, a situation that would have been mind-bogglingly weird even if the  “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” cast member hadn't just returned from one of the world's most isolated and oppressive countries.

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Dennis Rodman, former NBA star and seemingly a lifelong bad boy, can add a new moniker to his name: ambassador. Rodman has just returned from a trip to North Korea with the Harlem Globetrotters and he has a message for President Obama: Give North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a call. The former high-energy forward with the champion Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls and later the Lakers, met for several hours over the course of two days with 28-year-old Kim Jong Un, who took control in December 2011 of a country that for decades had been dominated by the dictatorships of his father and grandfather.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sat down Thursday for a rare meeting with an American - the pierced, provocative former basketball star Dennis Rodman, according to media reports. Rodman reportedly chatted with Kim as they sat side by side at a basketball game, the latest turn in his trip to Pyongyang, according to Chinese state media and a media company filming the trip. Afterward, he told Kim he had “a friend for life” in a speech before a massive crowd of North Koreans, the Vice media company said in a statement.

Dennis Rodman has done some crazy things in his day, but if reports coming out of North Korea are true, he may have just topped them all. Rodman, who is in North Korea as part of an HBO documentary on "basketball diplomacy," watched a basketball game in Pyongyang with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, on Thursday. According to a spokesman for the film crew, Rodman told Kim that “You have a friend for life.” Rodman and Kim talked as they watched players from North Korea and the U.S. play on mixed teams, Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the New York-based VICE media company, told the Associated Press.