Celebrity News:

So-called "reality" TV shows are known for their use of hidden-camera video clips, which reveal the allegedly secret behaviour of their "stars" -- the third-tier celebrities who are all trapped in a house together, or the Hollywood has-beens who are trying to lose weight, etc.

Coincidentally enough, YouTube and other video-sharing sites are well-known for pretty much the same thing: surreptitious cellphone video of celebrities behaving badly (yes, we're talking about you, Amy Winehouse), out-takes from movies and TV shows, and so on.

In other words, reality TV and YouTube are a marriage made in heaven. And if the reality show in question is devoted to following "celebrities" in rehab, that's the icing on the wedding cake. So perhaps it's not surprising that clips from an upcoming VH1 show called Celebrity Rehab would show up on YouTube. How could they not?

Two video clips have been making the rounds of video and celebrity blogs. One shows actor Jeff Conaway - best known for the movie Grease and the 1970s sitcom Taxi, as well as a breakdown during VH1's Celebrity Fit Club show - snorting what appears to be cocaine, and another shows a member of the band Crazy Town smoking crack.

It's interesting to note that these unauthorized clips have since been taken down from YouTube (any embedded versions say "we're sorry, this clip is no longer available" when you try to play them). However, they were online just long enough for other sites to copy them, including LiveLeak and Breitbart.tv - a kind of Drudge Report for offbeat news.

A deliberate leak to create buzz about the show? To paraphrase Claude Rains' character in Casablanca, I'm shocked - shocked - to find that kind of behaviour going on here. But it has been known to happen.

The show is reported to "star" American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra, former gubernatorial candidate and porn star Mary Carey, the female wrestler known as Chyna, actress Brigitte Nielsen and Baldwin brother Daniel Baldwin (who one blog cracks is "best known for being related to his brothers"). The host is celebrity rehab specialist Dr. Drew.

As for Conaway and Binzer, we can only hope that the thrill of being on TV, even if you look pathetic and are snorting coke, will be enough to sustain them until the next reality show comes along.