American television actor Michael Weatherly continued his love affair with Australia despite being sleep deprived and at one point losing his passport.

The star of the drama series NCIS was a hit presenting an award at the TV Week Logie Awards show on Sunday and has won over more fans and media since.

Most international Logies guests arrive, strut the red carpet, hand out an award and head home. Not Weatherly.

He has stayed on a bit longer to see some of Australia and have some fun.

“It’s a dangerous place to be,” he said in Sydney today.

“There’s a lot of fun to be had.”

Weatherly said he had taken it upon himself to do some research on Australian TV’s night of nights.

“They were an unknown thing to me so I made sure I got a tape of last year’s show,” he said.

“I wanted to make sure I lived up to expectations and didn’t step over the mark.”

Weatherly’s banter with Sydney radio hosts Hamish Blake and Andy Lee backstage at the Logies was a highlight of the night.

His spectacular entrance when called on stage to present an award with Dancing With The Stars runner-up Fifi Box was also his doing.

“I was told about how Fifi fell on Dancing With The Stars and thought it would be funny to come out and do a face plant,” he said.

The stunt was almost called off during rehearsals when Weatherly noted some sensitive moments would precede his entrance but when a joke lightened the mood it went ahead.

He was particularly taken with three Network Ten newsreaders – Helen Kapalos, Natarsha Belling and Sandra Sully – at the channel’s post-Logies party.

“I knew I wasn’t talking to American newsreaders, they were beautiful as well as super sharp, like Charlie’s Angels,” he said.

He spent a day off with his actress niece Alexandra Breckenridge, who lit up the Logies red carpet on Sunday, but almost missed his flight to Sydney when he misplaced his passport.

“I was so sleep deprived after having far too much fun with all you Australians that I couldn’t find my passport, but I got there,” he said.

The pair celebrated the news that the pilot for her new show Dirt, about the world of celebrity journalism and starring Courtney Cox, had been given the green light.

Weatherly made a commitment at the Logies that he would digest as much Australian TV as he could while in the country and gave the right answer when asked which night-time soap he preferred.

“Just quietly, I’m becoming a bit hooked on Neighbours,” he said, drawing a blank at the mention of Seven’s Logie-winning equivalent Home and Away.

He said he was also looking forward to his final Australian engagement on Sunday on Rove after which he’ll fly back to the states.

Source: ninemsn.com.au