Artie Lange Wouldn’t Do Celebrity Rehab Even If They Paid Him

Comedian Artie Lange says that he wouldn’t do Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew even if they paid him, and according to him they tried.

The former regular on Mad TV and regular of  Howard Stern’s radio show says that he was offered $200,000 to do the reality show, but he turned them down because he feels that they would sabotage his sobriety for television.

Lange says that he hasn’t taken heroin in over eight months, and hasn’t used coke since 1997. He is the subject of the blog, “Artie Lange is Dead“.

Joey Kovar from Real World Hollywood is Going to Celebrity Rehab

Cast Mate Who Goes to Rehab During The Real World Goes Back to Rehab on VH1

You may remember the then popular Joey Kovar as the cast mate from The Real World: Hollywood as the likeable weightlifter with the substance abuse problem who went on a drug and alcohol abuse binge, and terrorized his housemates. The last we saw of him, he had cleaned up his act, but he is scheduled for VH1’s Celebrity Rehab 3, along with some other familiar faces:

VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a third season of the hit reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. The series, consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere in early 2010.Similar to the first two cycles, the third season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew will follow the real-life experiences of celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center. The show will follow Mackenzie Phillips (One Day At A Time), Heidi Fleiss, Dennis Rodman, Mindy McCready (country music singer), Lisa D’Amato (America’s Next Top Model), Mike Starr (Alice in Chains), Kari Ann Peniche (ex-Miss United States Teen) Joey Kovar (Real World Hollywood), and Tom Sizemore.

The series will chronicle the patients’ intensive 21-day program with both group and one-on-one therapy and non-traditional therapies like art and music. Returning to the show to help Dr. Drew are drug counselor Bob Forrest and resident technician Shelly Sprague who have each spent years on both sides of the rehab fence. Dr. Drew is also bringing in some additional prominent physicians to help him give the patients supplementary one-on-one care.

Celebrity Rehab Returns to VH1 October 23

From VH1:

VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a second season of the hit reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The series, consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere Thursday, October 23 at 10pm.

Similar to the first cycle, the second season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” will follow the real-life experiences of celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at a center in the Los Angeles area. The show will follow Jeff Conaway as he checks back into rehab after a series of back surgeries, setbacks and subsequent reliance on pain medications. Joining him in rehab are Sean Stewart (Sons of Hollywood), Amber Smith (model/actress), Rodney King, Nikki McKibbon (American Idol), Steven Adler (Guns n Roses) and Tawny Kitaen (Actress). Gary Busey, who is 13 years sober from his cocaine addiction, will also be joining the cast to take the journey with the others and to share his experiences on the recovery process.

This time around, things will be done a bit differently. Dr. Drew will be enlisting the help of  prominent physicians who will help the d-listers along the road to recovery. And there will be more engagement of the patients’ loved ones in the treatment plan, encouraging family members with substance abuse problems to seek treatment as well. Upon the completion of the 21 day stint in rehab, all the patients are encouraged to spend at least three months in a sober living facility to continue their treatment at the expense of VH1.

Rodney King is Going to Celebrity Rehab. Define “Celebrity”.

I just found out Rodney King is going to be on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. There aren’t too many people who don’t know who Rodney King is. He was the man who indirectly sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and is famous for saying, “Can’t we all just get along?” .

For those of you too young to remember, King was beaten by four police officers in L.A. after leading them on a chase when they tried to pull him over for speeding. A person who lived in the area was able to record all but the first 13 seconds of the beating. This is back when there wasn’t always someone around with a digital device to record everything and, and the internet wasn’t for your entertainment. The Los Angeles D.A.’s office charged the officers with use of excessive force. At the trial, the officers defended their actions by saying when they stopped him they thought he was under the influence of PCP.

Long story short: some questionable incidents happened regarding the trial, and in the end, three of the four officers we acquitted. People in L.A. didn’t like the outcome of the trial, and the rioting began.

Rodney King was later awarded $3.8 million in a civil suit. He used some of the money to start his own record label, Straight Alta-Pazz Recording Company.

And he also had a few more brushes with the law: in 1999 he was arrested for spousal abuse. In 2001 he plead guilty to three counts of being under the influence of PCP and one count of indecent exposure. He agreed to a year of drug treatment. In 2003 he was arrested for fleeing officers who were trying to stop him for speeding through a red light, and crashing his SUV into a house, while under the influence of alcohol. And last November he had the misfortune of getting sprayed with buckshot by people trying to steal his bike as he rode to his house.

He did not go on to star in sitcoms or movies. To my knowledge he did not have a hit song, either here or abroad. And I don’t remember staying up late to watch Milli Vanilli perform The Rodney King Show, because it didn’t exist. So why is he going to be on Celebrity Rehab?

For the record also joining him on Celebrity Rehab 2 are actress Tawney Kitaen, Nikki McKibbon from American Idol, Sean Stewart, Amber Smith, Steven Adler from Guns n Roses, and Jeff Conaway, who was unable to stay last season. The series is scheduled to air in October.