Around The Arts

'Dell Dude' arrested on drug charge\nNEW YORK -- Dude, yer gettin' busted!\nThe actor who gained fame and a cult following as the slacker "Steven" in commercials for Dell computers was arrested buying a small bag of marijuana, police said.\nBenjamin Curtis, a 22-year-old New York University drama student, was arraigned Monday on a misdemeanor drug possession charge. The charge assumes a suspect is not carrying more than a "use amount" -- enough to roll several marijuana cigarettes.\nPolice said he was arrested Sunday night on the Lower East Side after officers on a drug detail spotted him buying a small bag of marijuana from Omar Mendez, 19. Mendez faces drug sale and possession charges.\nCurtis' portrayal of a surfer type who proclaims, "Dude, yer gettin' a Dell!" drove up computer sales and spawned T-shirts, caps, and backpacks, along with Web sites and online fan clubs.\nAt the arraignment, Criminal Court Judge Ellen Coin advised Curtis that his case will be dismissed, and his record expunged, if he avoids arrest during the next year.\nA spokesman for Texas-based Dell said no decision has been made on Curtis' future promoting the company.\n"We are following the situation and really trying to understand what happened here," Venancio Figueroa said.\n'Xena' actress still attracts a crowd\nPASADENA, Calif. -- Her television adventures may be over, but "Xena: Warrior Princess" still attracts a crowd.\nA talk by the princess warrior herself, actress Lucy Lawless, was the highlight of the annual Xena Convention, which ended Sunday and was expected to draw 5,000 over three days. The TV show's final episode aired two years ago after six seasons.\nAppearing with Lawless on Saturday evening was Renee O'Connor, who played "Xena" sidekick Gabrielle.\nOn Saturday, mostly young and middle-aged women mingled around tables of "Xena" merchandise, scripts and autographed pictures.\nThe convention also featured talks by other former cast members, and clips and spoofs of the show, including a silent movie showing Xena and Gabrielle in a bathtub together, a reference to the perception by some viewers that the women were lovers.\n"We hang out and watch the stars," said Stephanie McCarren, 19, who has attended Xena conventions for three years.\nMcCarren's favorite character is Hudson Leick's Callisto.\n"This will be my fifth time seeing Hudson," she said. "She knows my name"