Charlie "The Sheen" has worn off

For the first time, a Hollywood star has made a complete ass of himself, and is actually suffering the consequences.

Last week, Charlie Sheen was fired from his cushy gig at “Two and Half Men” for, lack of better words, being a complete ass.
While other celebrities return from their fall outs even more successful than before (Drew Barymore, Eminem, etc.), Sheen seems to be spiraling into a self-destructive hole that not even he can climb out of (despite the Martian warlock magic).

In the rants that led to his dismissal from CBS, Sheen verbally attacked Chuck Lorre, the extremely successful producer of “Two and Half Men.” He claimed Lorre’s success was due only to Sheen’s own talent and accused him of stealing money from the cast and production crew.

Sheen is now filing a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Brothers for damages resulting from the halt of several episodes as well as his removal from the show.

The suit claims Lorre purposefully withheld production of the episode to suit his own evil egotistical means and as a way of punishing Sheen personally.

In a letter obtained by TMZ to Sheen’s lawyer Martin D. Singer, Warner Brothers described his destructive behavior in detail.
“[The problem is his] physical appearance, inability to deliver lines, inability to collaborate creatively with staff and crew, inability to work with the executive producers, inflammatory comments poisoning key working relationships, and frustration of the show’s creative environment by the public spectacle of his self-inflicted disintegration.”

The studio actually cited his behavior as the primary reason for his release.

It’s comforting to know that large media corporations can still act like a normal private industry. If somebody is incompetent, kick them out. You can’t insult your boss and expect a raise. Sheen was expecting a hefty increase to his already staggering $1.2 million per episode paycheck for “Two and a Half Men.”

Apparently there is a limit to how completely ridiculous people can act before it finally becomes inappropriate. But the saddest part of Sheen’s downward spiral, is the people he’s leaving behind.

The fate of “Two and a Half Men” does not look so good. Because of one sick man’s delusional behavior, hundreds of people will lose their jobs. The fate of one of the most successful sitcoms on television has yet to be determined. Continuing a show after the loss of a major character is a dangerous road. The writers and producers are currently brainstorming a possible brand new character to replace Sheen as the bad boy.

As for the fate of Sheen himself, it looks bleak. Once the media interest in his spectacle runs out, it’s hard to say whether or not he will ever work again. Many critics are predicting his talk show circuit is being treated like an audition.
Alec Baldwin, who has suffered a similar fate after being kicked off of the series “Hunt for Red October,” offered Sheen some advice in a recent Huffington Post article.

“Take a nap. Get a shower. Call [Two and a Half Men co-creator] Chuck [Lorre]. Go on Letterman and make an apology. Write a huge check to the B’Nai Brith. And then beg for your job back,” he wrote, adding, “P.S…. buy [Jon] Cryer a really nice car.”
It seems to me, Sheen can ride this wave in one of two ways.

One: Hit rock bottom and hope that he is still shocking enough to continue on talk show circuits or
Two: Take Baldwin’s advice and shape up quick before he loses the best thing that ever happened to him.

Although, many believe it’s no longer a question of whether Sheen will work again, but if he will survive. If he is serious about his claimed drug use, and if his delusions are real, Sheen’s self-destructive behavior could land him in prison, or actually kill him.

In the past few weeks Sheen has continued to make the talk show rounds, never failing to make a complete fool of himself.
“I am on a drug, it’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available because if you try it once you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body,” Sheen told Andrea Canning in a 20/20 special.

I guess all we can do is say a little prayer for all of the lost, lonely, self-absorbed cracked-out celebrities in the world. And be thankful that Hollywood even cares.

Something Queer

Gay teens on television have for a long time been either a fleeting dream or a blatant stereotype. Television has put gay characters in a neat little box. They are estranged outcasts or charming sidekicks.

But with the emergence of bold new gay characters (“90210’s” burly Teddy, “Pretty Little Liars” popular and beautiful Emily, and “Skins” punk cheerleader Tea, to name a few), Hollywood has been redefining they way we see gay teens on TV and creating a space for well rounded characters, who just happen to be gay.

The new hot ticket in the Gay community is up-and-coming teen cutie Chris Colfer, the charming and troubled crooner on Fox’s overnight hit “Glee.” The inclusion of his character has made waves amongst the LGBT crowd not only in Hollywood, but across the country as well.

At first glance, Kurt seemed like another typical “token gay,” what with the sweater vests, high vibrato and sleek hair-do. But what is revolutionary about Kurt is the way his sexuality defines him. Watching him interact with those around him makes it clear that he is neither sidekick nor outcast.

These new characters, like Kurt, are dealing with teenage issues that aren’t necessarily attached to their sexuality. They are portrayed as real people with normal problems.

Kurt is a young man who seems to have known he was gay from the very beginning. After coming out to his John Mellencamp/football father after just a few episodes, “Glee” moves on from the typical gay issues fairly quickly (coming out, acceptance, etc.). Kurt suffers from teen angst and unrequited love, much like his friends. He struggles with the death of his mother and his father’s remarriage and even questions his faith after his father’s heart attack.

Teenagers are often the main characters in classic coming of age stories and lessons about growing up. As teenagers, we go through challenges and tests that build character and teach us how to be adults. Young gay characters are now showing up as protagonists in their own stories, with their sexualities not always being the focal point.

And when “Glee” chose to focus on Kurt’s sexuality, they made it count. His conflict with a homophobic bully has lit a fire under anti-bullying and harassment campaigns in schools. His apprehension to spend time with the other men in Glee club highlights the way the boys identify with one another, and when stepbrother Finn let the F-word slip, the consequences were made very clear.

More recently, and perhaps most important of all, Kurt met Blaine – fellow show choir enthusiast with the same neat hair-do.

What makes the relationship between Kurt and Blaine so groundbreaking is not that they are openly gay teenagers living amongst peers who accept them (for the most part) and see them for who they are, but because they are willing to see their sexuality for what it is: purely sexual. Blaine makes the realization that perhaps being gay isn’t just about being in show choir and dressing nicely. Only after kissing a girl for the first time in the latest episode, is he able to truly know his sexuality.

Young men are constantly being called gay because they sing, dance, dress nicely, show emotion (etc.). The discovery that Blaine makes is that his gay identity does not have to be attached to any of his other characteristics. Look at Kurt’s maybe-gay football bully: a confused young man who probably thought playing football and beating people up would “cure” him.

Whether or not being homosexual is fate or choice or accident, it only needs to be one aspect of a person’s calling card.

A major key to the acceptance of gays is seeing them portrayed on screen as they are in real life. They are Doctors, lawyers, teachers and students. Whether it’s the confused jock or show choir geek. The gay characters in “Glee” not only raise acceptance and awareness amongst viewers, but hope for every scared kid who doesn’t know where else to turn.

When Colfer took home the Golden Globe for his performance this year, he said it perfectly.

“But most importantly, to all the amazing kids who watch our show and the kids that our show celebrates, who are constantly told ‘no’ by the people in their environments, by bullies at school. That they can’t be who they are, or have what they want, because of who they are. Well, screw that kids.”