Another one bites the dust in the continued pattern of celebrities driving drunk—and getting caught. Screenwriter Richard Avary, best known for his work on such films as Pulp Fiction (for which he won an Academy Award) and 2007’s Beowulf, was arrested yesterday on “suspicion of manslaughter and felony driving under the influence.”
According to the Venturay County Star, Avary, his wife and friend Andreas Zini, 34, were involved in a single-car collision in Ojai, California early Sunday morning. Avary’s wife, Gretchen, who was thrown from the vehicle after the crash, is now in stable condition. Zini sustained severe internal injuries and died on the operating table at Ventura County Medical Center. Avary’s injuries, if any, have not been reported at this time. However, the screenwriter was booked on the aforementioned charges and subsequently released on $50,000 bail.
It seems as though celebrities and DUI can be found in the headlines as regularly as the war in Iraq nowadays. Driving drunk is so 80s. I say that flippantly, but I am in fact getting fed up. And when I say “getting” I mean I have been for well over a year. 2007 was dubbed “The Year of Celebrity DUI.” Entire websites have been designed to keep track of such occurrences. It’s reached a point that’s beyond ridiculous, like the fact that Richard Simmons still has a career.
There’s absolutely no excuse for anyone to drive drunk, let alone someone with money (who can therefore afford a taxi or a chauffeur for that matter). With stars like Kiefer Sutherland and Lane Garrison serving as models and currently serving time, I would think that other celebs might start keeping cab company phone numbers in their wallets. Or perhaps on speed dial in their iPhones.
Image: Art.com.
