Monday, February 28, 2011

Award Shows? Feh... Charlie Sheen? Oh Yeah...


Greetings Friends,

It's been a while since I blogged about the goings on in LA LA Land. Well, I've been remiss in blogging, period. To take my mind off my ongoing living adjustment period, what better topic is there to focus on? Last night's Oscars was the snore-fest everyone predicted it would be, despite the infusion of "young" Hollywood for the hosting duties. By the way: why does everyone have to malign James Franco for his pursuit of a Ph.D. in English? Jealous? 

I did not watch the Oscars. Instead, I periodically checked in at People.com to look at the Oscar night fashions. I'll also be watching Joan Rivers and her "Fashion Police" now that I have access to E! on my cable package. Snark for the sake of snark is sometimes worthless, but when it comes out of the mouth of Joan Rivers, I can't resist it. By the way, I'm glad "The King's Speech" won the top accolades. 

Charlie Sheen has been my latest train-wreck obsession. I don't watch a lot of television, and I think the sitcom is probably the biggest waste of a half hour there is; but I've been a closet fan of Chuck Lorre's work for years, and "Two and a Half Men" has been a show I've gone out of my way to watch. I am simultaneously distraught by Charlie Sheen's recent outbursts about Mr. Lorre, and indulging in a bit of Schadenfreude at watching Sheen destroy his reputation. Then, there's Hollywood and the almighty dollar, which everyone in that business kowtows to. So, the combination of Charlie Sheen lashing out like a schizophrenic who's forgotten to take his meds, and the prospect of millions in lost revenue, has gotten my attention. It sure beats contemplating all the crazies I'm lucky enough to know personally. 

Last year, when Mel Gibson went batshit on his girlfriend, I defended him. This time around, I'm not sure how to feel about Charlie Sheen and his antics. I admire the guy's acting ability; I have since he starred in "Wall Street" over 20 years ago. "Two and a Half Men" is well written, well acted and funny as hell. I think Chuck Lorre and his musings rival those of Larry David and the brilliance that was "Seinfeld". Charlie Sheen has now taken on the role of "fly in the ointment" because of his outlandish personal behaviour, and his inability to slay the demons of drug addiction. By claiming that sobriety is as simple as flipping a switch in your brain, he's exhibiting about as much credibility as all the e-mails I've been getting, proclaiming that I've won 50 million pounds in the "British Lottery". I'm not saying it's easy to admit you have a problem; but ranting, raving and blaming everyone else is never the way to go. It just makes you look like an even bigger schmuck.

I'll be sad if "Two and a Half Men" goes bye-bye. I'd be even sadder at the ultimate demise of Charlie Sheen. It's never fun to watch someone flush their life down the toilet; be it with drugs or other types of destructive behaviour. I've been party to watching people I know behave badly, and it takes a lot of stamina to be the bigger person while others shout you down. I commend Chuck Lorre for keeping a lid on his emotions; were I him, I'd have a lot to say - in private. I hope he's doing that. As for Charlie Sheen, 45 is too old to be acting like a petulant child. It's also a damn shame that he's squandering his talent. He's not the first, and sadly, he certainly will not be the last to do so.

Nava

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