News flash: The wire brings all the sordid details between the "Dell Dude" and "pot".

This is a "Fun with Referrals" news flash, with Charly Z.

Annoying commercial actor Benjamin Curtis, a.k.a. the "Dell Dude", was arrested on the night of February 9 under charges of attempting to buy marijuana, or "pot" in street lingo. The arrest, made as part of Operation Condor, a special anti-narcotics detail, took place after a police officer saw Mr. Curtis, a senior in the Tisch School of the Arts, buying "a small bag" of marijuana, police said, from a Queens resident named Omar Mendez.

At the time of his arrest, Mr. Curtis was wearing a navy blue plaid kilt, a tuxedo jacket, beige knee-length socks and black shoes. Problems ensued when the Fashion Police argued the NYPD impeded them to arrest Mr. Curtis on charges of crimes against proper attire. At his arraignment, the judge told Mr. Curtis that the case could be dismissed if he did not get arrested again in the next year, avoiding a record. The Fashion Police may still press charges. For the time being, Mr. Curtis faces a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession.

However, this would only be another additon to Mr. Curtis' rap-sheet, who has already extended what seemed an advertisement misdemeanor, described as "so low rent, so temporary" by journalist Rob Walker, into a career. We approached Mr. Walker about how Mr. Curtis could have prospered in such a sordid line of work.

Although he's occasionally identified as a "surfer," I think it's pretty obvious that it's more the "stoner" cliché that he's riding: Like ur-dude Jeff Spicoli, he seems lost in a strange haze that makes him oblivious to certain social conventions and has marred his ability to communicate. But Steven is off drugs and high on Dell—he takes hit after hit of the PC maker's excellent features and services until he's totally wasted, all consumer-blissed out. And unlike some other drugs, this narcotic leaves him neither sluggish nor dangerous—he's just cuddly and sweet and licensed to shill.

When we noted to Mr. Walker that Mr. Curtis had been arrested for buying marijuana, he only muttered: "Ah, nuts..."

We also asked Apple "Switch" sweetie Ellen Feiss for her reaction to the charges brought on Mr. Curtis.

Why the hell you keep asking me about pot? I was on Benedryl, people. Benedryl! Look it up! It's an allergy medication. I suffer seasonal allergies, OK? That's why my eyes were all red and swollen. Why doesn't anyone believe me? Why can't you just leave me alone?

Oh, and that "Dell Dude"... He's a doofus.

A repentant Mr. Curtis vows to make good during the next year, proclaiming his intentions to focus on his acting, which made Mr. Walker comment: "Good luck, dude. " Will Mr. Curtis, a theater major, be able to leave behind his sordid past as the "Dell Dude" and attain credibility as a thespian? As a point of comparison, we'd like to remind you of another former commercial actor who reformed his old ways and has achieved recognition: Seth Green, formerly known as the "Cha-Ching! Guy". Mr. Green gained the monicker after starring in an ad for the Southern hamburger chain Rally's, part of Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., in 1991. In the ad, Mr. Green would say "Cha-Ching!", imitating the cash register. This annoying catch phrase was eventually adopted by New Orleans Saints fans, who would use it whenever the Saints got a win.

These days, Mr. Green is completely reformed and has achieved recognition with recurring roles both in TV, with a show called Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and in film with the Austin Powers series, which also stars a Canadian comedian named Mike Myers. When asked about whether it has been hard leaving his former ways behind, Mr. Green mentioned that sometimes it seems like the world won't let him forget.

About six years ago, I had done a commercial that became popular where I said, "Cha-ching." Then I heard a rumor that I had died—or, more accurately, that the "Cha-ching guy" had died. The fact that this commercial had become so entrenched in pop culture that multiple death rumors spread absolutely blew my mind.

If nothing else, this dumb non-event took our minds away from perp walks performed by CEOs, at least for a while. For "Fun With Referrals" I'm Charly Z. Now back to your regular programming.