Now Dustin Diamond knows how Paris Hilton feels–well, without much of the money and fame.
The actor, known for playing scratchy-voiced geek Screech on “Saved By the Bell,” has seen his sex tape go from gossip scandal to national joke.
Diamond told Us Weekly the tape–which shows him cavorting with two women four years ago–was made as a joke, and he insists he had nothing to do with leaking it to the public.
“I’m not an adult actor,” he told Us Weekly. “I did something stupid in private.”
But instead of trying to cover up his mistake, Diamond agreed to try to make some money off it when it is distributed in November.
“I thought, I can spend a fortune fighting this [in court] or I can try to make a fortune,” he said.
Sometimes a story this bizarre needs to be put in context. In list form. Enjoy.
TOP 3 EMBARRASSING SCREECH MOMENTS
1. Sex tape made public.
2. Reportedly getting robbed of PSP games after a comedy show in Nebraska–by a woman.
3. Starting a “Save Screech’s House” T-shirt sale after he was faced with foreclosure.
TOP 3 SLEAZIEST CELEBRITY SEX TAPE STARS
1. Paris Hilton (right)
2. Fred Durst
3. Screech
TOP 3 CAREER OPTIONS SCREECH HAS LEFT
1. Stand-up comedian
2. VH1 reality dating show star
3. Wig model
TOP 3 SHOCKING POST-“SAVED BY THE BELL” ACTING GIGS
1. Jesse Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) in “Showgirls” (right).
2. A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) on Animal Planet’s “Pet Star.”
3. Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen) in “The Ladies Man.”
TOP 3 REASONS NOT TO MAKE A SEX TAPE
1. You could permanently damage your reputation.
2. You’d have something in common with Tommy Lee (right).
3. Cost of video equipment.
Whitney files for divorce
It’s official: Whitney Houston wants a divorce.
The singer filed papers this week in California, publicist Nancy Seltzer confirmed to People magazine.
Houston filed for a legal separation from singer Bobby Brown early last month, citing irreconcilable differences.
Since then, Brown told People he was “saddened” by the split. He also cleared his name in a child support dispute with a Massachusetts woman who is the mother of two of his children, paying a reported $11,000 that a judge declared he owed.
The lesson, of course, is to never feature your marriage on a reality TV show.
Jay-Z: ‘It’s on now’
It may have seemed like a done-deal that Jay-Z was going to come out of retirement, but at first, the rapper told mtv.com, he wasn’t so sure about it. “I spent about a week, maybe two weeks in the studio. I wouldn’t do anything,” he said. “Then I said, ‘Well, maybe I’m not going to do this. One week later, I had about six songs. I was like, ‘OK, it’s on now.'”
She said, he said
Lawyers for Paul McCartney said Wednesday that the former Beatle will “vigorously” defend himself against allegations made by his estranged wife, Heather Mills McCartney. Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday reported details of an alleged court document containing accounts of acrimony and mistreatment during their four-year marriage. McCartney and Mills announced their separation in May.
Wedding bells
A “Desperate Housewives” star is getting married, and, no, it’s not Eva Longoria (that we know of). Dougray Scott, who has played Teri Hatcher’s love interest this season, is engaged to “CSI: New York” co-star Claire Forlani, peo ple.com reports. Scott called his proposal last month “very romantic.”
