Katie Couric's home movies

If that "CBS Evening News" thing doesn't pan out, Katie Couric has a pretty modest Plan B: posting videos on YouTube.

Couric has created her own channel at YouTube, offering behind-the-scenes glimpses of Couric as she steps out on the town or appears on other programs, such as the "Today" show or "Larry King Live." Per the L.A. Times, these clips "display the mischievous and often hammy personality that the newscaster doesn't get to show in her current post," but that seems a euphemism for "wallows in cutesy self-indulgence that breaks the first rule of journalism - never make yourself the story."

"Hi, YouTube!" she greets viewers in one; later, she kind of pushes it by burbling, "Very exciting - we're in the elevator going up to Larry King." Yeah, elevator rides are a thrill a minute.

My favorite bit comes when she's wandering around backstage at the "Today" show and happens up Charlie Gibson in the green room. Charlie turns, sees the camera and when Katie explains it's for her YouTube channel, he turns away in something akin to disgust.

Well, it's nothing Gibson or Brian Williams would do; you decide if that's a good thing. But despite the star power, they're still home movies, and generally, people would do anything to get out of seeing others' home movies.

But you be the judge: Here's one of the most popular, in which Couric sings with Bette Midler at a benefit. She waves at us viewers a lot, and in the brief snippets, shows she can carry a tune if not boast a lot of stage presence. (She also does what Fox News Channel would call a "terrorist fist jab" with Midler - is Katie a terrorist?)

So, what do you make of it: Perky pastiche, or attention-grabbing waste of time?