WTF: Is DUI the New Rehab?

Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 12, 2007

What celebrities won’t do for some time in the spotlight.

We all know about the high-profile DUI cases that have landed celebs into court. This is the new “it” thing to do. Sure, it might get your ass killed on a popular television show (like Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros from Lost), but drunken public exploits get you press. Just ask people like David Hasselhoff, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.

I personally think the celebrity that planned it best was Kiefer Sutherland. The 24 star timed his DUI arrest and incarceration to coincide with the WGA strike. No one can blame him for his show derailing in 2008. And I hear it’s been reported that he’s a model prisoner, and why would we expect otherwise? If he gets out of line, someone at that jail is going to jump at the chance to torture Jack Bauer.

But this DUI bandwagon has gotten out of hand. You know who’s the latest offender?…

Gary Collins.

What the fuck? Is this guy even still alive? Does he count as a real celebrity? I know he had a talk show sometime in the 80s, but his biggest claim to fame in the two decades has been a guest spot on Baywatch Nights.

The poop on this story is that Collins had knocked back a few too many then crashed into a car making an illegal turn in Sherman Oaks in October. Although the 89-year-old driver of the other car has recently died from his injuries, Collins only received a jail sentence of 96 hours and 100 hours of community service.

This reminds me of the time Ellen Degeneres came out of the closet on national TV, and suddenly Entertainment Tonight did a story on Who’s the Boss star Danny Pintauro also coming out of the closet. No one cared about the dorky kid from Tony Danza’s sitcom (who we all suspected was gay anyways), and no one gives a crap about Gary Collins either.

Talking Point: Do you give a crap about Gary Collins?

Read more articles by Kevin Carr