First, I’m not a fan of celebrity gossip. I could care less about who’s dating who, where a person has been ‘seen’, or how many times a celebrity has gone to rehab. Honest to God, I don’t understand America’s fascination with Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan, or any other such overexposed celeb.
Second, I have never been a Charlie Sheen fan and frankly, I don’t understand why ‘Two and a Half Men’ has been so darn popular. It’s a horribly ugly show full of immature, sophomoric humor delivered as a series of punch lines… it’s just not my style and its popularity makes me worry about my fellow man.
So… why am I so fascinated with the self-destructive crater that was once Charlie Sheen’s career?
I don’t know! Well, I guess I kind of know.
Even though I don’t like Celebrity gossip, I am fascinated by the entertainment BUSINESS. I love following the actual day to day operations that go into making movies and television shows. Actually, it’s more like an obsession. And Charlie Sheen’s breakdown, although inevitable, has actually triggered by a business decision.
I think Chuck Lorre, creator and executive producer of ‘Two and a Half Men’, deserves the badass of the year award for standing up to Charlie Sheen. Let me tell you… dealing with an erratic actor who publically humiliates you is one thing, but to cancel production on the #1 sitcom on television and to do so with the networks blessing takes a special pair of… well, the guy has guts. And I take my hat off to Chuck Lorre.
I would do the same thing. If an actor I was trying to help grabbed a microphone and bragged about trying to embarrass me in front of my kids I would kick that actor to the curb so fast he head would spin. And guess what? Sheen’s head is SPINNING. Spinning fast… too fact. He’s spinning F-16 fast. His head spinning only has one speed, it’s ‘Go!’. Lol. (If you haven’t figured it out, I’m sampling Sheen quotes.)
Anyway, what is the REAL catalyst to Sheen’s breakdown? Drugs and Alcohol? Sure, they are fueling it, but there is a deeper issue…
Because Chuck Lorre suspending production until he felt Sheen was ready to come back? And refused to go back into production until Sheen had actually checked into a legitimate form of rehab? Partly, but not really…
So… what is the catalyst?
I think it’s because Jim Parson’s (The Big Bang Theory) won the Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series… and I’ll tell you why.
Sheen has always confused popularity with good. For years he has shared his frustration openly for not winning awards for his work on ‘Two and a Half Men’.
In 2009, The Emmy Awards expanded their Best Comedy Series field from five to seven, and guess what? ‘Two and a Half Men’ wasn’t nominated. Sheen took this very personally and openly questioned how the most watched comedy on television wasn’t nominated. He even made comments like, “they shouldn’t even be holding a competition, there is no competition, we’re #1, just give us the award.” He even said something like this while presenting at the Emmy’s that year… or Golden Globes, one of the two.
However, Sheen’s not as dumb as he acts sometimes. ‘Two and a Half Men’ is one of the few Multi-Camera/Studio Audience Sitcoms on the air right now. In turn, the current fad for Comedies right now is Single Camera/Non-Studio Audience shows, shot like dramas: The Office, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Scrubs, Entourage, and Ugly Betty. In fact, from 2006 – 2008, the three years Two and a Half Men received nominated for Best Comedy, they were the ONLY Multi-Camera show in the field, and Sheen knew this, and would express his disappointment is terms of being the odd show out, or considered to be ‘behind the times’… discriminated against for being a Multi-Camera Show.
Although, in 2009, it became more difficult to make the claim that critics didn’t like ‘Two and a Half Men’ because it was a Multi-Camera show… mainly because ‘How I Met Your Mother’ was nominated for Best Comedy Series AND John Cryer won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Two and a Half Men.”
However, Sheen was still able to claim he was the odd man out because in 2009 he lost Best Actor in a Comedy to an actor from a Single Camera Series… for the fourth year in a row. And for two of those four losing years, Sheen was the ONLY actor nominated from a Multi-Camera Series, (Kevin James was nominated in 2006 for ‘The King of Queens’, and Jim Parsons was nominated in 2009 for ‘The Big Bang Theory’).
That said, in 2010, Sheen’s fifth consecutive nomination, he was up again Single Camera comedians Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), Larry David (Curb Your Enthisiasm), Matthew Morrison (Glee), and Tony Shalhoub (Monk)… and once again, he was sharing the Multi-Camera spotlight with Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)… and as we all know… Jim Parson’s won, making him the first actor from a Multi-Camera Series to win Best Actor in six years; since Kelsey Grammer won for the final season of ‘Frasier’.
Also, keep in mind. Back in 2005, Charlie Sheen became the last actor in a Multi-Camera Comedy Series to be nominated for the Golden Globe… at least until 2010, when Jim Parsons was nominated AND won.
Yes, Sheen has a history of alcohol and drug abuse, however, I think Jim Parsons double win in 2010 sent Charlie Sheen over the edge for the following three reasons:
1) He could no longer claim that he was being passed over because he was on a Multi-Camera Comedy. And furthermore, I don’t think could fathom why Jim Parsons was getting all the recognition when Sheen was the highest paid actor on television AND on the #1 Comedy.
2) The creator and executive producer of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is non-other than Chuck Lorre; the creator of ‘Two and a Half Men’. I think Sheen took Jim Parsons win VERY personal… almost as a betrayal on Lorre’s part. As if Lorre was giving his best material to Parsons instead of Sheen, who is a much bigger star (in his own mind). If you read transcripts of the nasty things Sheen says about Lorre, it almost sounds like Sheen is describing the cast of ‘The Big Bang Theory’. Take a look.
3) Sheen started 2010 by entering rehab and getting clean. However, after the Emmy Awards were held on August 29, 2010 his behavior started becoming erratic again… and then after the Golden Globes were held on January 16, 2011, Sheens behavior reached new horrific levels. And based on this hateful behavior, I can’t help but think that there is more going on in Sheen’s head than just drugs and alcohol. He’s a man who thinks he’s been legitimately betrayed… and the booze is just fuel to his fire.
Then again… this is only a theory… a Big Bang Theory?
In closing, my favorite Charlie Sheen quote so far is “Yes, I’m on a drug, it’s called Charlie Sheen.” And it inspired me to get a little creative:
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