I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Artie Lange's career. Maybe it's because I listen to him every day on Howard Stern's Sirius radio show and I get a daily dose of Lange's everyguy persona and funny wisecracks. I'm also fascinated by the fact that, while he's doggedly determined to be a success in his comedy career, he is pretty much unable to resist just about every temptation known to man, from drugs to gambling to food to booze. Yet, no matter how addicted he is, he is so open about his life that he's been able to endear himself to the show's fans, and his career has taken off as a result.

Case in point: he announced this morning that he'll guest star on six episodes of Rescue Me this season, playing a fireman buddy of Denis Leary's character of Tommy Gavin. Perhaps this is part of the development deal Lange signed with FOX last year, as the show is on FX. But it may just be a part of the fact that, no matter what he gets into in his personal life, producers know that Artie has a following and can deliver a good performance. Either way, it's good to see him getting more and more work. He just needs to get some sleep and stop being so "sick," as he has been lately.