Kelsey Grammer had one. Lauren Conrad might. Everybody's doing it, why shouldn't you?

CHEER UP, PRINCESS Grandpa may have cut you out of the will, but the publicity from your homemade movies has made you a star

Rihanna isn't the only good girl gone bad recently. Rumors and more-than-rumors of starlets baring it all for the camera have been spreading like California wildfires lately, most recently including Lauren Conrad of the reality TV show The Hills (who may or may not have made a sex tape with ex-boyfriend Jason Wahler) and Vanessa Hudgens of Disney's High School Musical (who definitely did pose nude for some photos that got leaked). American Idol castoff Jessica Sierra has one, and Vivaca Fox just might. Even Amy Fischer and Joey Buttafuoco, who we once dared to hope would disappear into the same abyss as A Current Affair, are each shopping around X-rated romps.

So what's a decent girl or boy to do? Hide his head in the sand? Join a convent? Not at all. While certainly an ill-timed nip-slip can damn you to Tara Reid purgatory or a few sex tapes can turn you into a Bob Crane–like curiosity, we need only look to history to find celebrities whose exploits on film didn't hurt—and sometimes even helped—their careers. No need to fight the natural inclination to capture your private parts and behavior on film. Consider it part of a proud Hollywood tradition! (All links are safe for work, though we can't vouch for the things they link to.)

LOWE BLOW Step up ladies, this butt votes Democratic

1988: ROB LOWE
Before there was Paris's lusty lazy eye, before there was Kim Kardashian's bodacious bouncing booty, before Tommy Lee's junk was on full display in college dorm rooms around the country, there was Rob Lowe's curious slip in judgment. In 1988, Lowe learned the hard way that what happens at the Democratic National Convention doesn't necessarily stay there. Especially if, while attending the convention, you have sex with two women—one of whom is 16—and you tape it. Thus, in one lusty night (doubtless fueled by raw patriotism), Lowe entered the hall of fame as one of the first celebrities to have his most private moments leaked, then commercially distributed.

CAREER KILLER? Well, it's never easy to be a pioneer, and it was a rough road for Lowe until 1992's Wayne's World (which, although we love slimy TV producer Benjamin Kane, was hardly an Oscar bid). The actor entered rehab for alcohol and sex addiction after the tape's release. But Lowe's real comeback was with Aaron Sorkin's West Wing. Congrats, Rob. Now when we look at you, we see 85 percent patriotic speechwriter Sam Seaborn, 15 percent statutory rapist.

BELLE OF HIS BALLS A mustachioed Gillooly, pictured with his greatest gift to humanity thus far

1994: TONYA HARDING AND JEFF GILLOOLY
Jeff Gillooly, husband of the disgraced champion ice skater, decided that it wasn't enough just to be known as the guy who hired someone to attack Nancy Kerrigan in order to advance Tanya Harding's career. In 1994, he sold a "wedding video" of him and his would-be ice princess. Harding allegedly wears a wedding gown in the video, although apparently it was actually a Halloween costume.

CAREER KILLER? There seem to be two kinds of sex tapes in this world: 1) tapes with really famous, attractive people that the public is hungry to see; and 2) tapes with sort-of-famous people that will be watched because they're there. Harding, who had already become a curious pop culture footnote by the time the tape was released, didn't really have a career to tarnish. Her most recent brushes with fame involve being arrested numerous times and a brief and unsuccessful celebrity boxing career.

I'M TOO HEP-C FOR MY SHIRT Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee(Photo: Getty Images)

1998: PAMELA ANDERSON AND TOMMY LEE
The grand dame of the amateur porn genre, Anderson is lady who knows what she likes: sex, rock stars, and videotape. In 1998, Anderson's notoriety skyrocketed from Baywatch babe to sex goddess as a honeymoon video of her and then-husband rocker Tommy Lee was stolen and made the rounds. No dumb blonde, Anderson sued the distributor, Internet Entertainment Group, and made $1.5 million plus court costs. Shortly thereafter, a second, earlier tape surfaced of Anderson with Bret Michaels of the band Poison. Anderson is currently married to Rick Salomon (or at least she was as of this posting—those crazy kids and their knee-jerk divorce papers), the costar in another celebrity porn tape we'll address later, One Night in Paris. He also may or may not have made cinematic magic in Anderson's boudoir.

CAREER KILLER? Of course, the Pam Anderson we know and love today wouldn't be nearly as famous without her exploits on film and in Playboy. But Anderson's a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, she's an author, PETA spokesperson, and former Jane magazine columnist. On the other, her main legacies to this world will be her boobs and the things she did with them. To her credit, however, Anderson never seems to try to convince the world that she should be famous for her Shakespearean acting talents or her contributions to the world of science.

DR. STAGEDLOVED Kelsey Grammer

1998: KELSEY GRAMMER AND ... SOME GIRLFRIEND OF KELSEY GRAMMER'S

In 1998, the Cheers and Frasier actor also sued Internet Entertainment Group, claiming that it had stolen a sex tape of him and former girlfriend Cerlette Lamme. The suit was dropped when IEG countersued, claiming that it had no such tape. Grammer later paid Lamme $1 million for possession of the tape, which has remained under wraps.

CAREER KILLER? Grammer's career has been like Teflon despite his rather turbulent personal life, which involves substance abuse problems and tumultuous relationships. Grammer continued to enjoy several more seasons on Frasier after the case, and is now costarring on Fox's newsroom sitcom Back to You—a sitcom that, okay, makes Two and a Half Men look inspired, but at least it's a job. Grammer is also spreading his hard-won wisdom to other celebrities: Frasier says, for the love of God, don't make a sex tape.

REEL TALK R. Kelly

2002: R. KELLY AND A 14-YEAR-OLD

In February 2002, a tape was sent to the Chicago Sun-Times that portrayed a man who looked an awful lot like R. Kelly doing an awful lot of dirty things to a girl who really resembled the 14-year-old daughter of an associate of his.

CAREER KILLER? The tape should have been a career destroyer, but for some reason, Kelly escaped from the golden showers cleaner than he ought to have been. While now widely regarded as a weirdo and a pervert, his records still sell, his case is still tied up in court, his videos still get played, and hipsters everywhere gather around at parties to laugh at Trapped in the Closet.

BIG TROUBLE, BIG CHYNA Joanie Laurer, aka Chyna Doll

2004: JOANIE LAURER, AKA CHYNA DOLL

Why wait for your celebrity sex tape to get "accidentally released" to make a buck when you can release it yourself? Laurer, the pro wrestler known as Chyna Doll, released a tape cleverly called One Night in China to Red Light District films in 2004, the same company that would later release One Night in Paris. The tape features such charming details as acne on Laurer's buttocks during a doggie-style scene, as well as Laurer's extremely large pierced clitoris, which resembles nothing you've ever seen on a biological woman.

CAREER KILLER? Unlike other amateur celebrity porn stars, Laurer was able to take control of her raunchy video and turn it into a paycheck. We hope that money goes a long way, because we don't see a spot on The View for her anytime in the near future.

CAMERA SHY Hilton, and the tape that made her a reviled household name

2004: PARIS HILTON AND RICK SALOMON

Either she was the first to do it or the first to do it really blatantly, but Paris Hilton blazed trails with a sex tape that vaulted her into stardom, thanks to some coincidental timing of the release of 2004's night-vision One Night in Paris and her TV show, The Simple Life.

CAREER KILLER? Despite some halfhearted attempts to distance herself from the video, Paris profited from it, literally and figuratively. In fact, rumors abound that even her parents were proud of the stardom the tape brought her. In terms of being the butt of late-night talk show jokes, however, she's the best thing to happen to comedy writers since Monica Lewinsky. And she's not exactly been making any great strides with her acting or singing careers. But still, she's more rich and famous than your favorite religious icon, even with Grandpa Hilton giving that fortune away to charity. Truth is, the world has kind of gotten used to her presence, as long as Britney Spears continues to make her look good by comparison.

IRISH ROGUE Colin Farrell and girlfriend/costar/defendant Nicole Narain

2005: COLIN FARRELL AND NICOLE NARAIN

In July 2005, the Irish actor sued his ex-girlfriend, Playboy model Nicole Narain, Internet Commerce Group, and adult entertainment producer David Hans Schmidt over the distribution of a tape he made with Narain in 2003. The tape was never legally made and distributed, but it did surface online at the appropriately named site dirtycolin.com. Narain denies her involvement.

CAREER KILLER? Farrell has been laying semi-low lately, out of rehab for a painkiller addiction and doing work with the Special Olympics, but thanks to his already randy reputation, it's unlikely the tape will have any serious detriment to his career. Plus, it's just nice to have a celebrity sex tape that has a little something for the ladies.

DIAMOND, HARD You didn't see that dirty sanchez coming from Screech

2006: DUSTIN DIAMOND

Late in 2006, the former child star of Saved by the Bell was shown on tape doing dirty deeds with a couple of young ladies and a friend of his, including a poop-related sex act that involves a Hispanic surname that is one of maybe the top 10 favorite punchlines of males ages 15 to 40. Screeched, aka Saved by the Smell, was released by Red Light District films, which Diamond happily promoted at porno conventions. Can't help but want to take a look? The ever servicey TMZ has provided a preview!

CAREER KILLER? Diamond, who had been relegated to the celebrity dollar bin, was scraped back into the public eye, but at a D-List level (and we hesitate to even use that term, because to call him a D-List celebrity is an insult to D-listers everywhere). Now Diamond has a new reputation: for the sex tape, and for being an irritating bastard on Celebrity Fit Club. Whether this is preferable to being remembered as Screech is unclear.

CAUGHT ON TAPE Ray-J and Kim Kardashian in much happier, far-more-clothed days

2007: KIM KARDASHIAN AND RAY-J
Kim Kardashian was clearly born for great things. Her father, Robert, represented and is a friend of O.J. Simpson, while she was friends with Paris Hilton. We haven't seen talent pedigree like this since the Fondas or the Barrymores. Kim put her skills to use in a sex tape with ex-boyfriend Ray-J, also extremely famous for being the brother of the singer Brandy. After denying the existence of the tape, Kim sued Vivid Entertainment, which had purchased the tape, and then dropped the suit for $5 million after the company promised to stop selling the tape as of May of this year and to share the profits. Kim since then has gone on a goodwill PR tour by engaging in such image-changing activities as posing for Playboy and appearing in the E! reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

CAREER KILLER? It depends. If Kim has no real aspirations beyond the tape, it made her a star. If she's hoping for anything more, well, it's probably not going to be a huge asset (pun intended—because she has a huge ass, get it?).

2008: AMY FISCHER AND JOEY BUTTAFUOCO
Last month, the New York Post reported that the former Long Island Lolita starred in a sex tape sold to Red Light District video by her first husband, Lou Bellera. But Joey isn't going to let Amy steal the spotlight. Fischer's ex-lover is releasing his own tape through Red Light District video. She even threw a party to celebrate the auspicious occasion! Dare we hope for a Buttafuoco–Fisher box set in time for Mother's Day?

CAREER KILLER? Well, it's not as bad as shooting someone in the face. Or letting your nymphet jailbait girlfriend shoot your wife in the face. If these two come out looking slightly better than John Wayne Bobbitt, we're calling it a win.

ALL FOR ASHLEY Pete Wentz

CAREER KILLER? Um, right. The thousands of girls screaming his name would probably prefer a dozen Pete's penis pics to any of him sucking face with Ashlee Simpson.