Dustin Diamond
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| Dustin Diamond | |
 Dustin Diamond (left) |
|
| Born | Dustin Neil Diamond January 7, 1977 San Jose, California, U.S.A. |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Dusty Diamond |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985 - present |
Dustin Diamond (born January 7, 1977[1]) is an American actor, musician, and stand-up comedian best known for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers on the television show Saved by the Bell.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Diamond was born in San Jose, California and is the son of Mark Diamond.[1]As a fifth grader, he landed the role of eighth-grader Samuel "Screech" Powers on the television sitcom Good Morning Miss Bliss (the "prototype" version of Saved by the Bell).
[edit] Career
Diamond's most memorable role to date is that of the nerdy Samuel "Screech" Powers on the television show Saved by the Bell, a role he played for close to thirteen years from its beginning as Good Morning, Miss Bliss (1988-89) through its final incarnation, Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1994-2000).
Continuing the series into college, Saved by the Bell: The College Years shows most of the cast transplanted into not only the same college, but also the same college dormitory, where Screech continued his typical misadventures. The College Years was canceled after one season. Diamond returned to Bayside High as Principal Belding's assistant in The New Class episodes, remaining with the show until its cancellation.
[edit] Appearances after Saved by the Bell
After Saved By The Bell ended, Diamond was featured on a number of game and reality shows featuring celebrities including The Weakest Link, Celebrity Boxing 2, and professional wrestling matches. Diamond has also made several cameo appearances in films including an appearance in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in 2003, and Made in 2001.
In 2001, Diamond released the video Dustin Diamond Teaches Chess in which he shows various techniques for becoming a better chess player. It is punctuated by appearances by Diamond, in various costumes, such as dressing as Screech, Liberace and Al Jolson-style black face.
[edit] Celebrity Fit Club
Diamond was a cast member of the fifth season of Celebrity Fit Club, during which his personality, his refusal to alter his dieting habits, his reliance on diet pills, his tendency to quit in the middle of physical challenges, and his antagonism toward his castmates caused much conflict. He particularly came into conflict with former American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, country singer Cledus T. Judd, rapper Da Brat, and trainer Sgt. Harvey Walden IV. At one point during the season, he apparently quit the show, but later returned. Despite his insistence that he had achieved a peaceful state of mind, he continued to sequester himself from enthused participation in group events, refused to offer encouragement to his teammates during weigh-ins, and responded to criticism from the show's judges by claiming that he was being unfairly targeted. Tensions between Diamond and the rest of the celebrities culminated in an open confrontation between himself and Harvey Walden resulting in a comment referencing "physical combat," which Walden interpreted to be a challenge.[2]
[edit] Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling
Diamond appeared as a contestant on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, broadcast on CMT. Diamond was previously involved in pro wrestling with the Memphis Championship Wrestling promotion in March and April 2000.
[edit] Stand-up comedian
Diamond has performed stand-up comedy for many years. His comic style is similar to that of Bob Saget, referencing his sitcom years as well as using very blue humor in his stage act.
Diamond was scheduled to appear at the University of Connecticut for a stand-up comedy performance followed by a meet and greet on February 8, 2007, but did not appear. According to Diamond's agent, he failed to board his plane. All of the tickets purchased by students were refunded and Diamond, having breached his contract, did not receive any payment.[3]
[edit] Personal life
In July 2008, Diamond signed a deal with Gotham Books to write a tell-all book about the "sexual escapades among cast members, drug use, and hardcore partying" during his stint on Saved By the Bell. The book will be called "Bayside High Confidential". [4]
[edit] dustindiamond.com
In 2003, Diamond attempted to take control of the domain dustindiamond.com, which was owned by Max Goldberg, the creator of YTMND. Diamond was upset because the site is[by whom?] laid out to look extremely amateurish and incompetently prepared, for example with many spelling mistakes, contains gay fantasies relating to Diamond and links to porn websites, and generally gives the impression that Diamond himself created the site. Additionally, Goldberg allowed thousands of guestbook postings with extremely sexually-explicit content. Diamond's lawyer served Goldberg with a cease and desist order that was unsuccessful.
In 2004, the case was submitted to the National Arbitration Forum acting on behalf of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Goldberg, then 21, represented himself through the suit, which Diamond ultimately lost. The decision read, in part:
"The Panel accepts Respondent’s argument that the "outrageous ugly and low-tech graphics and numerous errors and misspellings" as well as the sheer absurdity of the site’s claim that Dustin Diamond is a "Famous Superstar and Sex Symbol", clearly signal that the site is not meant to be taken seriously. Goldberg offered, in court, to produce various letters of support, confirming public understanding of the website's humor, including letters from a Professor of Cinema Studies who coauthored two well-known books of religious parody among other publications, and a letter from an art correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Oxford American. These writers called the website "an electronic art installation of great wit and outstanding merit," a "parody," and an "obvious and clearly affectionate joke." Whether the site is regarded as parody, satire, or critical commentary, and notwithstanding Respondent’s assertion that "lawyers are notoriously bad at understanding how humor works," this Panel finds that legitimate noncommercial fair use commentary is involved."[5]
The precedent-setting decision may be the first time that a celebrity has lost a domain name dispute to a non-commercial parody site.[6]
[edit] Alleged debt
On June 11, 2006, Diamond appeared on the Dean Blundell show in Toronto on 102.1 The Edge, revealing he was in fact broke and was facing foreclosure from a lender, as poor credit was preventing him from obtaining a mortgage from a bank.[7]
On June 13, 2006, Diamond appeared on The Howard Stern Show stating that he was given 30 days to come up with US$250,000 or risk losing his Port Washington, Wisconsin, home for failing to make payments on his land lease. Diamond said he blamed Arthur Giraldo, a mortgage broker for New York Capital Exchange, who Diamond claims "screws over the working man then laughs at their expense".[8] Diamond decided to sell t-shirts for $15 with "I paid 15 dollars to help Screeech [sic] save his house" emblazoned on the front. He said that he would need to sell 30,000 t-shirts to completely cover the costs. He explained the extra 'e' in Screeech was needed because of copyright laws, since he does not own the rights to the name or character.[9]
On August 14, 2006, Diamond was scheduled for an online television telethon, in an effort to raise funds to prevent the foreclosure on his house. His broadcast was canceled less than 90 minutes before it was to be aired live, as an executive at the startup online television network claimed that the foreclosure story lacked credibility, and that Diamond had "exhibited some really strange and obnoxious behavior."[10]
A column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said that Diamond's girlfriend reportedly told telethon organizers that the story about Diamond losing his house was a publicity stunt.[11] Interviews with several people who had ordered t-shirts revealed that they had not been received after months of waiting.[12] Diamond later appeared on Mancow Morning Madhouse and admitted he was never destitute, but his mortgage broker had tried to rip him off.[13][dead link]
On March 18, 2009, We Energies sued Diamond in Ozaukee County Circuit Court for non-payment of over $2,000 in gas and electric bills [14].
[edit] Legal Judgments
On November 26, 2008, the Ford Motor Credit Company filed suit against Diamond for non-payment of a vehicle loan in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, on January 16, 2009 the court entered a judgment of replevin against Diamond. Judgment was entered for possession or recovery of possession of collateral and attorneys fees and costs. ($544) Collateral subject described as follows: 2005 Ford Expedition. As of March 23, 2009, the judgment has yet to be satisfied. [15]
On March 23, 2009, the State of Wisconsin Department of Revenue filed a delinquent income tax warrant in Ozaukee County Circuit Court against Diamond, he currently owes the State nearly $14,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest. [16]
[edit] Sex tape
On November 13, 2006, Diamond's sex tape Screeched, aka Saved by the Smell, was released by Red Light District. It features a bride-to-be, Summer Price, her bridesmaid, and Diamond all engaging in various sexual acts, including the infamous end which involved a Dirty Sanchez sexual act [17][18]. According to Diamond, the tape got out because he and some friends allegedly exchange such tapes and he believed that the tape was not leaked by any of those people, but instead the "significant other" of one of them.[19] There was skepticism of this claim, with critics alleging the tape's release was likely a self-inflicted publicity stunt. Diamond's manager acknowledged there was indeed hope that the tape would raise his client's profile.[20]
[edit] Other media appearances
Dustin Diamond now appears on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... as a commentator.
He also played bass in progressive math-rock/metal band, Salty The Pocketknife.[21]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Price of Life | Young Stiles | |
| American Playhouse | Young Stiles | TV, 1 episode | |
| It's a Living | Young Sonny | TV, 1 episode | |
| Yogi's Great Escape | Chubby Kid (Voice) | TV, 1 episode | |
| 1988 | Big Top Pee-wee | Deke | |
| Purple People Eater | Big Z | ||
| 1988-1989 | Good Morning, Miss Bliss | Samuel "Screech" Powers | TV, 13 episodes |
| 1989 | She's Out of Control | Beach boy | |
| 1989-1990 | The Wonder Years | Joey | TV, 2 episodes |
| 1989-1993 | Saved by the Bell | Samuel "Screech" Powers | TV, 82 episodes |
| 1990 | The Munsters Today | Rob | TV, 1 episode |
| 1992 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Greeter | TV, 1 episode |
| Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style | Samuel "Screech" Powers | ||
| 1993 | Getting By | Tommy | TV, 2 episodes |
| 1993-1994 | Saved by the Bell: The College Years | Samuel "Screech" Powers | TV, 18 episodes |
| 1994 | Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas | Samuel "Screech" Powers | Credited as Dusty Diamond |
| 1994-2000 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Samuel "Screech" Powers | TV, 67 episodes |
| 2000 | Longshot | Waiter | |
| 2001 | Made | Himself | |
| 2002 | Jane White Is Sick & Twisted | Simone | |
| Big Fat Liar | Wolf Party Guest | ||
| The Rerun Show | Doctor | TV, 1 episode | |
| 2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Himself | |
| Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Himself | ||
| 2005 | Duck Dodgers | Xainius the Eternal | TV, 1 episode |
| 13th Grade | Corey | ||
| 2006 | Screeched | Himself (also directed) | |
| 2008 | Our Feature Presentation | Mr. Renolds | |
| 2009 | Hamlet A.D.D. | Bernardo | Post-production |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Dustin Diamond Biography (1977-)". filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/76/Dustin-Diamond.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-26.
- ^ "Dustin Diamond vs. Sgt. Harvey". May 20, 2007.
- ^ "Has Screech Become 'Too Cool for School'?". Daily Campus.com. 2007-02-09. http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2007/02/09/Focus/Has-screech.Become.Too.Cool.For.School-2709769.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailycampus.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com.
- ^ "Screech Writes ‘Saved by the Bell’ Tell-all". New York Magazine. 2008-07-24. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/07/screechs_saved_by_the_bell_tel.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
- ^ "Decision - Dustin N. Diamond v. Max Goldberg". dustindiamond.com. http://www.dustindiamond.com/case/decision.html.
- ^ "Parody Site Wins Domain Fight vs. Ex-Child Star Art Triumphs over Celebrity In Precedent-Setting Decision". prweb.com. 2004-04-14. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/4/prweb118385.htm. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
- ^ "Whose Choppers?". The Torontoist. 2007-10-18. http://torontoist.com/2007/10/whose_choppers.php. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Screech Can't Be Saved By The Bell". CBS News. 2006-08-17. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/17/entertainment/main1726443.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
- ^ "Diamond in the Rough". westword.com. 2006-08-17. http://www.westword.com/2006-08-17/news/diamond-in-the-rough/.
- ^ Mike, Nichols (2006-09-01). "Screech's many pleas sound like mere noise". Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=490306. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ^ Mike, Nichols (2006-10-08). "Screech turns mild sympathy to disgust". Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=510029. Retrieved on 2008-09-03.
- ^ "Mancow Morning Madhouse". mancow.com. http://www.mancow.com/show?action=viewRadioShow&showID=541.
- ^ http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/41702317.html
- ^ http://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetails.do;jsessionid=900C8E0848DB5E5ED38675977F98F215.render1?caseNo=2008CV000742&countyNo=45&cacheId=8E764257DDB89C471133CF7EF45CCDBD&recordCount=5&offset=2
- ^ http://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetails.do;jsessionid=900C8E0848DB5E5ED38675977F98F215.render1?caseNo=2009TW000029&countyNo=45&cacheId=8E764257DDB89C471133CF7EF45CCDBD&recordCount=5&offset=0
- ^ "Screech Sex Tape "Guest Stars" Revealed". The Hollywood Gossip. 2006-10-04. http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2006/10/screech-sex-tape-guest-stars-revealed/.
- ^ Carballo, Charlie (2008-10-12). "Celebrity sex tape guide". examiner.com. http://www.examiner.com/x-832-Celebrity-Examiner~y2008m10d12-Celebrity-sex-tape-guide.
- ^ "Screech Has a Sex Tape!" BoDog Beat. September 29, 2006.
- ^ "Dustin Diamond Sex Tape". SFGate.com. 2006-09-27. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=9287.
- ^ http://cdbaby.com/cd/pocketknife
[edit] External links
- Dustin Diamond at the Internet Movie Database
- Dustin Diamond at TV.com
- Dustin Diamond at MySpace
- The Dustin Diamond Foundation
- Dustin Diamond audio interview with THECOMMENTARY.CA, May 2005
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