Chatty bystanders who were on hand for a recent promotional appearance by the former Beverly Hills 90210 pinup say he was unruly, stinky, and downright weird.
According to the New York Post, Priestley allegedly arrived at a Fox News Channel studio in New York wiping at a drippy nose and smelling like Grandpappy’s sour mash. The actor reportedly headed for the station’s green room, where he spilled coffee all over himself.
The Canadian-born celebrity was in town to promote his new film, a documentary about his home turf’s popular band called Barenaked Ladies. But something happened between Priestley’s departure from the London set of his latest project and his arrival in the Big Apple.
Sources told the Post that the 31-year-old actor was a mess before his interview, falling asleep in the makeup chair and acting so strangely that network staff contemplated bumping his appearance.
But the show must go on, and Priestley began his interview with Fox News Live host Linda Vester. He immediately launched into a befuddling tangent about the shrinking number of Canadians. “There aren’t that many Canadians left,” he said. “There’s only 25,000, um, 25 million left … we were once 30 million, but most people fled the country because they were tired of listening to Celine Dion music,” he spitefully remarked.
The ex-Brandon Walsh’s next maneuver was apparently an oral essay on his extreme distaste for fame and the media. “Fame is a four-letter word,” Priestley noted. “I went to theater school, not fame school. There’s no class you can take for ‘How to Deal With the Press 101’ or ‘What to Do When The National Enquirer Is Going Through Your Garbage 404.’ ”
He reportedly wrapped by apologizing to the show’s producers, saying, “Sorry about [cursing], I’ve just got to f--king do what I’ve got to f--king do!”
Priestley’s representative Annett Wolf, told the paper that he was simply jet-lagged, but confirmed “he’s very passionate about that specific issue [the media’s treatment of celebrities].”
In March, Priestley pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge stemming from a Dec. 3 car crash in Hollywood Hills, Calif. He received jail time and probation. The accident occurred just a day after he and his wife, makeup artist Ashlee Peterson, announced their separation. They had been married less than one year – Albawaba.com.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
