2 1/2 Men

UPDATED: It's over for Charlie Sheen on the hit CBS comedy Two and a Half Men.
But his ongoing war with the series producer Warner Bros. TV is far
from over, with lawyers for both sides expected to take the lead in the
coming weeks. The news of Sheen's firing came shortly after 1:30PM this
afternoon when the studio released the following statement: "After
careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie
Sheen’s services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately."
Just like the studio did with its previous statement announcing the cancellation of Two and a Half Men
for the rest of this season, Warner Bros. TV stopped short of
announcing the end of the series, meaning that continuing the sitcom
with a new actor next season is a possibility. Two and a Half Men
has one more season under a three-year pickup at CBS. There has been a
lot of speculation about CBS and Warner Bros. TV putting together a wish
list of actors to potentially succeed Sheen on the show, with names
like John Stamos and Rob Lowe bandied about. CBS would not comment on
the future of Men beyond this season.
Sheen's termination by Warner Bros. TV follows a relentless media blitz by the Two and a Half Men star,
who has been taking numerous swipes at CBS, Warner Bros. and the show's
co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre over the past two weeks. He
also launched a Web-based series, Sheen's Korner, and is in talks with Mark Cuban's HDNet for unscripted/talk show projects.
Today's decision is fueling a new legal war between Sheen and Warner
Bros. In preparation, the studio last week hired top attorneys Ron Olson
and John Spiegel. Sheen's litigation lawyer, Marty Singer, last Monday
fired a letter
to the studio demanding that Sheen is paid in full for the eight
unproduced episodes of the show's current eighth season, but the actor
had refrained from launching a full-blown lawsuit against Warner Bros.
That is about to change after the letter sent to Singer today by Olson
and Spiegel's law firm, Munger, Tolles & Olson.
According to a copy obtained by TMZ, in it Warner
Bros. details its reasons for firing Sheen. "Your client has been
engaged in a dangerously self-destructive conduct and appears to be very
ill," the letter read. It chronicles Sheen's recent personal troubles,
including the New York hotel room incident in November, the wild Las
Vegas weekend in January and the 36-hour bender at his house that led to
Sheen's hospitalization on Jan. 27. It claims that Sheen reneged on a
promise he made as part of signing a new deal with Warner Bros. in May,
which required him to continue rehab treatments. The letter also claims
that on Jan. 28, in a meeting at his house with CBS and Warner Bros. TV
top executives Leslie Moonves and Bruce Rosenblum, Sheen agreed to enter
rehab. But, with an airplane waiting for him the next day, he refused
to leave his house, which he subsequently dubbed Sober Valley Lodge.
Even before the production shutdown, Sheen addiction problems had
begun to significantly impact his performance on the show, according to
Warner Bros. TV. In the letter, the studio cites "his inability to
perform the essential duties of his position, (including) his physical
appearance, inability to deliver lines, inability to collaborate
creatively with staff and crew, inability to work with the executive
producers," which subsequently escalated to "inflammatory comments
poisoning key working relationships, and frustration of the show's
creative environment by the public spectacle of his self-inflicted
disintegration." In the end, according to Warner Bros. TV's lawyers, the
actor was fired for violating a clause in his contract by committing "a
felony offense involving moral turpitude."
Sheen
today seemed unfazed by the termination. In his vintage colorful style
of bizarre imagery, he reacted to the firing with a statement to TMZ:
"This is very good news. They continue to be in breach, like so many
whales. It is a big day of gladness at the Sober Valley Lodge because
now I can take all of the bazillions, never have to look at whatshiscock
again and I never have to put on those silly shirts for as long as this
warlock exists in the terrestrial dimension." Sheen was far less
restrained in an interview with Access Hollywood: "These guys
are such yellow cockroaches that they didn’t even have the decency to
call me," he told Billy Bush, claiming that he was fired via text.“I
put 5 bil in their cheap suit pockets and another half a bil in
what’s-his-cheese’s pockets and this is the f**king respect I get? It’s
just deplorable, and they should be ashamed of themselves!” Sheen's
lawyer Singer later added that they plan to sue both Warner Bros. TV and
Lorre. Under his agreement with the studio, Sheen is bound to private
arbitration, though he can sue Lorre in court. Warner Bros. also said it
is considering legal action against Sheen to recoup lost revenues from
the episodes dropped because of his personal problems.
This is a sad end to one of the most successful sitcom runs for an actor. For the past (almost) eight seasons on Two and a Half Men,
Sheen reinvigorated his career, earned major awards nominations and
amassed a fortune. Under his most recent contract for the show, he
commanded $1.5 million-$2 million an episode.
As for trying to replace him on Men, it won't be easy. While it has been done successfully on workplace comedies, including Sheen's stint on ABC's Spin City after the departure of Michael J. Fox (NBC's The Office
is planning a similar transition following the pending departure of
Steve Carell), switching lead actors on a family sitcom is much
trickier. Let's face it, in real life co-workers come and go, but family
members don't get replaced. ABC tried to continue 8 Simple Rules after star John Ritter died, but that proved impossible.
Ironically, Two and a Half Men exists because of
Sheen. The project only made it to pilot because Sheen agreed to do it
-- CBS boss Moonves had made the pilot order contingent on Sheen, so the
comedy wouldn't have proceeded beyond a script without the actor.

Will Moonves have enough power to pull this off ? Will Sheen be willing to come back ? Can he and Lorre ever 'kiss and make up" ?




EXCLUSIVE: CBS Wants Charlie Sheen BackEXCLUSIVE: CBS Wants Charlie Sheen Back

Posted on Mar 21, 2011 @ 01:00PM


WENN

[color:8148=blue ! important][color:8148=blue ! important]CBS wants Charlie Sheen back on its Two and a Half Men, and they want him back now, RadarOnline.com can is reporting exclusively.
PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen Introduces His 'Winning' Recipes
The top exec at the Eye network is ready, willing, and able to
forgive and forget all of Sheen's recent antics and continue
broadcasting the series, with Sheen back in the starring role, a
well-placed insider tells us.
According to our source, [color:8148=blue ! important][color:8148=blue ! important]CBS President and CEO Les Moonves has been speaking directly with top execs at Warner Bros. Television -- the company that produces Men and also fired Sheen.
PHOTOS: Couples We’d Like To See!
Moonves has also spoken directly to 'Men' co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre, who has been the target of Sheen's "violent hatred."
Moonves wants a solution that brings Sheen back to the show in a situation everyone can live with.
PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen Does A Drug Test For RadarOnline.com At His Home
"Moonves told Chuck Lorre that he should 'let us handle Charlie'," the source says.
Lorre produces two other huge CBS hits, The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly. The prolific writer/producer also has several other projects in development for CBS.
PHOTOS: Brooke Mueller Out With Her Twins By Charlie Sheen
"Moonves wants to get the show back on the air. He's all for it," the
insider adds. "He says certain people need to forget anything and
everything Charlie's done recently and just move on with the [color:8148=blue ! important][color:8148=blue ! important]business at hand.
"The core issue is, as he put it, the volatile relationship between
Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre. He believes that if CBS and Warner Bros.
TV honchos can find a way to get Chuck and Charlie to speak again,
cooler heads will prevail."
PHOTOS: Chuck Lorre Steps Out With Charlie Sheen's TV Ex
Discussions about the possibility of bringing Charlie back to Two and a Half Men have been going on in earnest the last couple of days.
As RadarOnline.com has been reporting, the actor was fired earlier
this month, with CBS and Warner Bros. TV issuing a statement that
"Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services" for
their hit sitcom.
Since then, in several exclusive interviews with RadarOnline.com,
Sheen's spoken about his "winning" attitude, life with his "goddesses"
and regularly referred to everyone connected with 'Men' as "trolls."
PHOTOS: See All Of Charlie Sheen's Porn Star Girlfriends
He also filed a $100 million [color:8148=blue ! important][color:8148=blue ! important]lawsuit against Lorre and Warner Bros. TV.
Sheen is now taking his rant on the road, and has 20 concert dates planned, including one at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
It's unclear how far along CBS' Moonves is in convincing the powers
at Warner Bros. TV to rehire Charlie or if he'd accept their offer if
one is made.

Regardless if it never comes back, we can remember some of the classic episodes such as "She'll Still be Dead at Halftime" from 2009, featuring Diora Baird as Wanda in her one and only appearance on the show which nevertheless created quite a stir at the time for obvious reasons. :lol:







Angus T. Jones got to do things on the show that your "average" teenage actor didn't get to do... :lol:



Chelsea (Jennifer Taylor ) came home early and was clueless until Wanda popped into the bedroom,while she and Charlie were in bed, to retrieve her underwear.

Charlie Sheen (Photo: ABC)

CBS Might Want Sheen Back, But ‘Men’ Producers Do Not

by Adam Buckman
Mar 23rd, 2011 | 10:06 AM | Comments 0

The slippery, ever-changing saga of Charlie Sheen has taken a new turn now with news reports insisting that the producers of “Two and a Half Men” do not want him back and are already discussing plans for moving the show forward without him.
The latest stories represent a reversal of the reports that circulated earlier this week that CBS President Les Moonves
was actively lobbying Warner Brothers Television execs – who have the
power to hire or fire Sheen (having already done the latter) – to figure
out a way to bring the wayward star together with executive producer
Chuck Lorre and broker a peace between the two men. Such a peace would
theoretically allow production on the sitcom to start up again.
Report: CBS Still Wants Charlie Back, Despite Everything
But the new stories coming out on Wednesday indicate that a Sheen
return is not in the cards. Once again, unnamed sources are cited in
stories posted on TMZ.com and Eonline.com
saying that there’s “no chance” Sheen will be asked back for the most
obvious of reasons – his alleged (but probable) drug use and resulting
unreliability, his campaign of name-calling and threats of violence
against Lorre and others, and the lawsuit he filed against Warner
Brothers after the company fired him.
In fact, the Eonline story is a pretty astute analysis of what’s
going on behind the scenes here. As we have speculated also, the best
guess is that the sources (or source) in the stories earlier this week –
the ones reported by Radaronline.com and NBC News correspondent Jeff Rossen
– may have been Sheen himself or someone close to him. And the unnamed
sources in these new stories on Wednesday are likely from the
production company camp – two factions apparently at war and operating
under the cloak of anonymity.
As for TMZ, their story is written so adamantly that you could
interpret it as a slap at Radar, which was the first news organization
to report that efforts were underway to get Sheen back on the sitcom.
TMZ and Radar are rivals – particularly on this Sheen story, for which
representatives of both have been granted substantial access to Sheen
and his household ever since this drama got started.
So, which stories should you believe – these latest reports or the
earlier ones? Our take: These new ones seem to us like the more likely
scenario. Stranger things have happened in TV and in show business
generally, but we think Charlie’s bridges to CBS, Warner Brothers,
Chuck Lorre and everyone else associated with “Two and a Half Men” are
pretty well burned at this point.

‘Two and a Half Men’ Reboot In Works, Without Sheen

By Kim Masters and Lacey Rose

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The relaunch of “Two and a Half Men” without Charlie Sheen is beginning to take shape.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that series co-creator Chuck Lorre has presented close associates and “Men” co-star Jon Cryer with his plan to take the top-rated CBS sitcom in a new creative direction. According to an insider, Lorre has told Cryer this reboot would involve a significant role for him and the introduction of a new, yet-to-be-cast character.

Sheen, who was fired from the show in March and is suing Lorre and producer Warner Bros. for $100 million, has frequently expressed his desire to get his job back as he has crisscrossed the country on his comedy tour.

A source said Sheen is still actively working behind the scenes to be reinstated, attempting as late as this week to set up meetings with “Men” cast members, hoping to clear the air and win their support. But Lorre is said to remain uninterested in meeting with Sheen, and Warners sources are adamant that Sheen will not be invited back.

Neither CBS nor Warner Bros. has said whether “Men” will return for a ninth season. But industry speculation is that the show will almost certainly return. And talent representatives say that Warners has quietly begun pursuing an actor to appear in the series next season. Who that actor will be has become Topic A in Hollywood. Speculation has ranged from the plausible to the peculiar, with names from Woody Harrelson to Jeremy Piven to Bob Saget being bandied about. A Warners spokesperson says none of these actors is in contention.

While a new cast member wouldn’t make “Sheen money” — in the $1.2 million realm, per episode — slipping into a top sitcom would earn an actor a rate well above the usual freshman series fee, says one observer. But the role would come with intense pressure, as blame could be placed on the newcomer if the revamped show flops.

Others have suggested that “Men” might consider a “roommate” scenario, with multiple stars appearing on one or a few episodes to fill the Sheen void.

When exactly “Men” would return is another open question. Two sources say a mid-season relaunch is more likely than a fall return. While delaying “Men’s” start would leave a significant revenue and ratings generator off the CBS fall schedule, the network and studio would have more time to retool the series.

Something tells me that the show would need a reboot even without the Sheen fiasco.

Little boys grow up fast...Holy Moly!

Angus Turner Jones

Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Profession: Actor
Appears in: The Rookie, Bringing Down the House, ...
TV Series: Two and a Half Men
Nationality: American
Place of birth: Austin



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1381959/Charlie-Sheens-Two-And-A-Half-Men-star-Angus-T-Jones-loses-puppy-fat.html

You could be right. Back when he was a kid they could bounce jokes about his naivete and denseness off him and he played that role well. But it will be harder to do as an adult and his role will have to take a new turn....I don't envision how it will off hand, but a lot depends on who replaces Sheen, Cryer's role, etc. I suppose it's a forlorn hope that they would bring Jennifer Taylor back.....but one can always dream....

I don't see Grant as a good candidate unless Lorre has some genius plot developments in mind. Of those listed in this article Jeremy Piven looks the most interesting. If he retained the same persona that he had in Entourage (not the exact character, they couldn't do that anyway because of the copyrights) but just the same general outlook and methods of relating to people, it might work.


Hugh Grant Pulls Out of Deal to Replace Charlie Sheen

by Adam Buckman
May 11th, 2011 | 1:47 PM | Comments 0

Hugh Grant nearly became the savior of “Two and a Half Men,” but he suddenly dropped out of the running, according to a sensational story posted on the showbiz Web site Deadline.com.

Grant’s withdrawal leaves CBS still scrambling to find a replacement for Charlie Sheen just days away from next week’s fall-lineup announcements in New York. CBS is scheduled to announce its new fall shows at its annual May “upfront” presentation next Wednesday. The network had likely hoped to sign Grant in time to present its plans to the advertising community for reviving and sustaining “Two and a Half Men” in the wake of Sheen’s meltdown and dramatic departure this past winter.

According to the Deadline story, the deal with Grant was almost all sown up until he stepped away due to unspecified “creative differences.” The story said Grant was offered more than $1 million per episode. As an A-list movie star, the British-born Grant is well-liked and also adept at playing comedy. He was exactly the kind of top personality the sitcom’s producers – led by Chuck Lorre – were looking for to replace Sheen.

Apparently, there’s no other actor under consideration who was as close as Grant was to signing on to join the show, even though a number of top male actors have been named as possible (but unconfirmed) candidates for the job – Woody Harrelson, Rob Lowe, even Jeremy Piven of “Entourage.” That means CBS won’t likely have a new star to announce next week, unless Grant changes his mind.

On that subject, the Deadline story holds out the possibility that these “creative differences” – whatever they are – could be overcome and Grant could return to the table and sign on the dotted line before next week’s upfronts.

The "creative differences" probably ran along the lines of "Can you do an American accent?"

Hugh Grant? You're kidding?

Hugh didn't work out. It's official. Ashton Kushner is the new guy at 2 and a half men

http://www.tvline.com/2011/05/its-official-ashton-kutcher-replacing-charlie-sheen-on-two-and-a-half-men/

Here's another article. At least he can do comedy. There could have been many worse choices. I predict he will be Charlies long -lost brother, or maybe a hidden "black sheep" brother or even another relative.

Ashton Kutcher to Replace Charlie Sheen on ‘Two and a Half Men’
by Tracy Phillips
May 12th, 2011 | 8:25 PM | Comments 0

The Sheen saga may not be over, but it certainly took another unexpected turn.

Ashton Kutcher has finalized a deal to replace Charlie Sheen on “Two and a Half Men,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

No, America, you’re not being Punk’d.

The deal quickly fell into place after Hugh Grant pulled out at the last minute on an offer to join the show.

No specific details on the role are available yet, but series creator Chuck Lorre has reportedly found a “really funny” way to introduce Kutcher’s character into the storyline of the show. “People are going to love it,” says a source.

While the terms of the deal are unknown, Kutcher is reportedly getting a “huge payday” says THR, with some reporting it’s as high as $1 million per episode.

The casting news puts an end to the ongoing speculation over whether or not a.) Sheen would woo his way back; b.) the show would end; or c.) the show goes on without him. It also makes a lot of sense, as Kutcher should help TV’s No. 1 comedy bring in some younger viewers…and who needs Tiger Blood when you’ve got 6.7 million Twitter followers???

The actor’s name surfaced out of the blue Thursday, with Broadcasting & Cable first reporting that Demi’s husband had emerged as a serious contender for the gig. The contract signing comes just in time for CBS to make a big splash at the network’s upfront presentation next Wednesday.

No stranger to television, Kutcher had his breakout role on “That 70s Show,” which ran on Fox from 1998 – 2006. He also served as executive producer of the MTV prankster show “Punk’d.”

TV
Charlie Sheen Mocks Decision to Hire Ashton Kutcher as His Replacement on 'Two and a Half Men'

Published May 13, 2011
FoxNews.com

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!

That was the message CharlieSheen had for Ashton Kutcher after CBS confirmed the former "70's Show" star would replace Sheen on "Two and a Half Men."

"Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer ... Oh wait, so am I!!" he said in a statement to TMZ. "Enjoy the show America. Enjoy seeing a 2.0 in the demo every Monday, WB."

Sheen was making a reference to the ratings he thinks the show will lose without him on it.

"Enjoy planet Chuck, Ashton. There is no air, laughter, loyalty, or love there," he said, referring to the show's Executive Producer Chuck Lorre, with whom he has been feuding since he was ousted from his job in February.

Ashton Kutcher, who is married to actress Demi Moore and got his start in showbiz on “That 70’s Show,” inked his deal to replace Sheen on Friday.

Sources told TMZ that Kutcher is getting a “huge payday,” but nowhere near Sheen's haul.

Sheen made a base pay of $1.25 million an episode, Kutcher will be getting somewhere between $625,000 and $800,000.

Sheen received upwards of $2 million once profit participation was factored in. Kutcher won't be getting a slice of that pie.

The news comes just after Hugh Grant reportedly ended discussions about joining the show, citing creative differences.

Other Hollywood stars like Rob Lowe, John Stamos and Jeremy Piven were also reportedly considered to assume the lead role.

Sheen was fired from “Men” in March after a series of booze and drug benders and tirades against CBS executives and Chuck Lorre, the show’s creator.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/05/13/charlie-sheen-mocks-decision-hire-ashton-kutcher-replacement-half-men/#ixzz1MGZpB5A4

I had just read about Ashton on facebook. I just may tune in to check it out. I like Ashton as an actor. Could be a good thing for the show. Although I still would have liked to see John Stamos in that role.

according to the media in LA, Aston Kutchner has been signed to replace Sheen

I'm looking forward to finding out more about Kutchner's character and how it fits in with the the rest of the groups. I think the show will go forward...but someone else in my household is

We won't know much until August, I guess, which will be his first appearance or when they shoot the first new episodes , not sure which. Of course the details and who his character is will probably be leaked before then but my theory is still that he will be a Harper relative of some sort.

I think the new poster is cute. How that teenager has grown. I am looking forward to tuning in to see how it goes, though I wasn't a steady watcher before.

I agree I think the poster is cute...I'm eager to see what the twist will be although I did read somewhere that they were killing Charlie off...which is what I suggested...who knows what the new story line will be.

Craig mainlines the reruns until I know every punchline...I'm hoping things will be successful or I'll be dealing with "Mr. Grumpy" for quite a while...

"Craig mainlines the reruns until I know every punchline...I'm hoping things will be successful or I'll be dealing with "Mr. Grumpy" for quite a while...Wink........

"My Son's Enormous Head"......that's one I never miss. I always wonder what the makeup dept. did to make Jennifer's (Chelsea's) hair look like that and how long it took to get it back to normal.... :lol: She had to be a "good sport" to put up with looking like a clown, plus all the lines about her "upper anatomy" in most of the eps that she was in. The best thing they could do in the new show would be to bring her back.....in what capacity I don't know, but having her take up with Kutcher would be too creepy on several levels...

Thank goodness one of the choices isn't: Marries Chelsea and has 5 kids.


Place Your Bets On How Charlie Sheen Will Exit ‘Men’
by Reuters
Jul 25th, 2011 | 3:10 PM | Comments 0

By John Sellers

NEW YORK (TheWrap) – Charlie Sheen will be written off “Two and Half Men” by having Charlie Harper drive his car off a cliff — at least if you believe a wager offered by an Irish bookmaker.

Paddy Power, which frequently offers so-called novelty bets about pop-culture events, has placed the odds of such an exit in the season nine premiere at 11-10.

Most of Paddy Power’s speculations about how Charlie Harper’s absence will be dealt with in the first episode are ludicrous, and betting on them would be like throwing your money into a fire and dancing around it in glee as it burns.

CBS Launches ‘Men’ Publicity Push with Revealing Photo

But others make some sense for inveterate risk-takers. Among the choices that seem completely plausible: “Jail sentence” (25-1), “join a monastery” (50-1) and “gets lost at sea” (66/1).

Not listed is “Gets kidnapped by Somali pirates and forced to write jingles for a pro-Somali pirate ad campaign,” which is clearly how Charlie Harper will be written out of the program, at least in our perfect scenario.

As Sheen’s New Sitcom Takes Shape, Questions Remain

Last week, Paddy Power was giving odds on who Sheen’s “Anger Management” sitcom co-star will turn out to be, but has since taken down that bet.

Here are all of the silly Charlie Harper options Paddy Power is currently offering:

11/10 — Drives his car off a cliff

5/4 — Leaves via airport with Rose

3/1 — Gets shot in a crime of passion

6/1 — By accidental poisoning

12/1 — Plane crash

14/1 — Gets hit by lightning

20/1 — Surfing accident

25/1 — Jail sentence

50/1 — Joins a monastery

50/1 — Taken into the witness protection program

66/1 — Gets lost at sea

200/1 — A piano falls on him

250/1 — Elope with Bertha

I was just wondering the other day how they would explain Charlie's departure and who Kutcher will be. I am sure many will watch the premier!

I will watch but probably won't be a regular though.

Saw in next week's TV Guide that I get early that Sheen has a new show already! A new sitcom based on the 2003 movie "Anger Management."

While the series has a studio, a distributor and an executive producer, it still doesn't have a network or a show runner. While a broadcast network might stay away, plenty of cable networks are expected to try and take a chance on Sheen. beatsme: