Sheen rants, CBS/WBTV pull plug on 'Men' (THR, AD, TW, VUL, TMZ, LAT, VAR, DH, RADAR, NYP)

By Nancy Tartaglione

Following heated comments by Charlie Sheen on Thursday, CBS and Warner Bros. TV shut down production on "Two and a Half Men," leaving the show's future in limbo -- and Sheen even more vocal. A round-up of yesterday's developments follows.

The statement from CBS and Warners read: "Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen's statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros. Television have decided to discontinue production of Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the season."

Thursday, pre-shut down:

Earlier on Thursday, Sheen was on a tear on the Alex Jones radio show. The Reporter has a rundown of the 10 strangest moments in the interview which included Sheen making slams at Chuck Lorre, calling the people around him "fools and trolls and soft targets," saying he has cured his alleged addiction with his mind, referring to Alcoholics Anonymous as a "bootleg cult" which he prefers to forgo in favor of hanging "out with these two smokin' hotties and fly privately around the world" and calling President Thomas Jefferson "a p***y." He also referred to himself as a Vatican assassin warlock.

Vulture provides its take on "The Eleven Most Inexplicable Quotes From Today's Charlie Sheen Radio Meltdown," here.

Also on Thursday, Sheen told TMZ, "I violently hate Chaim Levine (Chuck Lorre)." The Los Angeles Times notes that Lorre's real name is Charles Michael Levine.

Sheen, who TMZ says insists he is sober, made the comments from the Bahamas.

Sheen, Variety notes, appeared to be reacting to recent criticism that his behavior led to the earlier (Jan 28) shutdown of "Two and a Half Men." In recent days he has insisted it was Warner, CBS and Lorre who were to blame for forcing the darkening of the set in order to spur him into rehab.

"That piece of s**t (Lorre) took money out of my pocket, my family's pocket, and, most importantly, my second family -- my crew's pocket. You can tell him one thing. I own him," Sheen told TMZ.

(Lorre, meanwhile has been updating the vanity card messages that run at the end of "Men" and his other CBS comedies. A recent card read, "If Charlie Sheen outlives me, I'm gonna be really pissed." On the end card for Thursday's episode of "The Big Bang Theory," Lorre said "I've decided to take a break for a few weeks. Let things cool off a little," and that going forward, he will "display a photograph of a part of my body that is entirely innocuous" -- which he did, releasing a photo of his knuckle. Per The Live Feed blog, the same message first appeared after Monday's "Mike & Molly," with a photo of Lorre's elbow.)

Variety says the vicious comments Sheen made to TMZ (which included remarks that could be construed as anti-Semitic) were the last straw, according to insiders.

VAR:

Execs including Warner Bros. TV's Bruce Rosenblum and CBS boss Leslie Moonves conferred and quickly decided that the situation with Sheen was untenable. There's a strong possibility that Sheen will bring a lawsuit against the studio for the shutdown, but even in the face of possible legal headaches, execs were outraged and unnerved enough to make a call that will cost the studio and the network many millions of dollars from lost ratings, license fees and syndication revenue.

Also on Thursday, post-shut down:

After CBS and Warners released the statement that "Men" would shut down for the season, Sheen sent a letter to TMZ that further attacked Lorre and suggested legal action. Deadline notes that Sheen previously retained Hollywood litigator Marty Singer and threatened to sue if the studio stopped production without a cause.

The letter can be found here.

Also after the decision by CBS and Warners, Sheen sent a text message to Radar Online saying, "I'm close to securing a deal with HBO for a 10 show guarantee...It will be epic, all types of guests and we will focus on the truth and the absurd!" HBO, per Radar, could not be contacted for comment.

Sheen also told Radar he would accept a challenge to undergo a drug test on Monday at his Mulholland Estate mansion to prove he is clean and sober. Per Radar, this occurred moments before the CBS statement.

What happens now:

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Sheen will not be paid for the remainder of episodes that were to be shot this season while the rest of the cast and crew also face the possibility of no more paychecks.

CBS and Warners said the show was shut down for this season only, but, as THR notes, with the series facing an uncertain future, those affected by the shutdown may start searching for new jobs.

AdAge notes that by shutting down Men for the rest of the season:

CBS not only removes the most expensive program for advertisers from its schedule -- a 30-second spot during the show costs an average of $206,722, according to Ad Age's annual survey of prime-time ad prices -- but also takes out a show that has been the linchpin of its Monday-night lineup. "Two and a Half Men" brings audiences for emerging sitcom "Mike & Molly" as well as its freshman drama "Hawaii Five-0," one of the best-performing new shows of the 2010-2011 TV season...Ad buyers faced with a hiatus of "Men" in the past have suggested they would try to use the development to renegotiate clients' ad schedules with CBS.

According to The Wrap, CBS has ordered more episodes of "Mike and Molly" and "Rules of Engagement" to replace "Men."

Per Deadline, the question now is should "Two And A Half Men" continue?

One CBS source told The New York Post, "We have eight years of the show, and we're going to lose four shows this season and lose money on that, which is too bad." The person added that the comedy "is a billion-dollar asset with or without a ninth season."

(In a related posting, The LAT offers up examples of other "incidents in recent memory that give Sheen versus Lorre a run for their money." Those can be found here.)

**This article was compiled using reports from The Hollywood Reporter, AdAge, The Wrap, Vulture, TMZ, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, Deadline, Radar and The New York Post. The original stories can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlinks in the text above.