Glitter returns to Britain

Glitter returns to Britain

LONDON — Mobbed by photographers and greeted by police, faded ex-rocker Gary Glitter arrived in Britain on Friday at the end of a four-day odyssey after being deported from Vietnam for molesting children.

Glitter’s lawyer quickly declared that he had been unfairly convicted and announced the singer’s intention to clear his name.

London seemed to be the last place Glitter, 64, wanted to be, but his native country was also apparently his only choice. After he was released from a Vietnamese prison Tuesday, Glitter headed first to Thailand, where he was told he was not welcome. He then tried Hong Kong with the same result, and was sent back to Bangkok.

The Thais had not changed their minds. By Thursday, airlines and authorities alike appeared to be running out of patience and dispatched him to London’s Heathrow Airport.

He emerged from this last flight wearing a white T-shirt and a baseball cap. In his 1970s heyday, Glitter performed in shiny jumpsuits, silver platform shoes and bouffant wigs. He sold 18 million records and recorded a string of British top-10 hits.

Phelps will write book

NEW YORK — Olympic superstar Michael Phelps will write a book telling the story behind his historic eight gold medal swims just in time for the holiday season, Free Press, an imprint of Simon Schuster, announced Friday.

In “Built to Succeed,” Phelps, 23, will also cover his philosophy on training and competition, as well as his life being raised by a single mother and coping with attention-deficit disorder, the publisher said.

The book is scheduled to be released in December.

Today’s birthdays

Satirist Mark Russell is 76. Actress Barbara Eden is 74. Actor Richard Sanders (“WKRP In Cincinnati”) is 68. Actress Shelley Long is 59. Singer-actor Rick Springfield is 59. Actor-producer Mark Hudson is 57. Actor Jay Mohr is 38. Singer Julian Casablancas of The Strokes is 30.