Monday, February 14, 2011

Charlie Sheen says ready to return to TV sitcom

LOS ANGELES | Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:29pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen said in an interview on Monday that he is ready to return to work on the sitcom, after he took a break to deal with his drug problems.

"We are on forced hiatus," the actor with a history of drug and alcohol abuse told the Dan Patrick Television Show on DirecTV.

"They said, 'You get ready and we'll get ready.' And I got ready and went back and nobody's there. I don't know what to tell you ... I'm here and I'm ready. They're not. Bring it, you know?" the actor said in the DirecTV interview.

Sheen, the highest paid actor on U.S. television and the star of its top-rated comedy "Two and a Half Men," forced production to be suspended last month when he began a drug rehab program, after being hospitalized following a wild party at his home.

A spokesman for Sheen said on February 3 that the actor expected to return to work at the end of this month.

In his interview on Monday, Sheen seemed less certain about his return date to CBS Corp's "Two and a Half Men," which was suspended with eight episodes still to be shot.

"I believe August of 2014 at this pace," Sheen joked about his expected return to the set.

"I don't know, it's supposed to be the 28th or the 29th. That's what it is! It's the 29th of the non-leap year."

A spokesman for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros division, the studio that produces "Two and a Half Men" for the CBS network, declined to comment on Sheen's radio interview, or when production will resume.

Warner Bros and CBS said when they suspended production that they were "profoundly concerned" about Sheen's "health and well-being" and supported his decision to begin rehab.

Sheen, in his interview, said that he has made a quick recovery from his drug and alcohol-fueled binge.

"Check it, it's like I heal really quickly. But I unravel pretty quickly. So get me right now, guys," Sheen said.

At another point, Sheen suggested that people should avoid crack cocaine "unless you can manage it socially."

Sheen, who recently agreed to the terms of his divorce from estranged wife Brooke Mueller, was asked if he thought that he could manage crack socially. "Well, yeah, but that kinda blew up in my face," he said.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)



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Grammy TV audience hits 10-year high

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Pop idol Justin Bieber: No Grammys, no worries

LOS ANGELES | Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:44am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber was too busy arranging a Paris rendezvous with his mentor, R&B star Usher, to worry too much about leaving the Grammy Awards empty-handed on Sunday.

The 16-year-old pop phenomenon was considered a strong contender for the coveted best new artist category, and was also nominated for best pop vocal album.

But he was beaten up by a pair of glamorous women. Esperanza Spalding, a 26-year-old jazz virtuoso with a large Afro hairstyle, was the shock winner of best new artist.

And flamboyant pop singer Lady Gaga's haul of three statuettes included best pop vocal album.

Bieber's fans, accounting for a sizable percentage of excitable young girls around the planet, vented their anger on Twitter -- the social-networking Web site that helped turn him into a superstar in barely a year.

He came backstage to speak with reporters, an uncustomary move for losing acts, to indicate that he would survive the setback. In fact, he made a grand entrance by jumping on the back of Usher, who seemed more disappointed than Bieber.

A little later, Bieber let reporters overhear his scheduling conversation with Usher. Bieber is flying to London on Monday, and Usher to Paris. They made plans to connect on the continent.

Bieber was still buzzing after performing with both Usher and Jaden Smith, the son of actor Will Smith. Asked about the best new artist race going the wrong way, he said, "I'm really happy for her, and hopefully she has a good year."

In other tidbits, he denied a media report that he would move to Los Angeles and suggested he would relocate to Canada from his current professional base in Atlanta.

Spalding said Bieber and his fans need not be too upset. At any rate, the rivals have one thing in common, she noted. "He has great hair, and I have great hair."

Equally famed for his soulful voice and the casual flick of his lustrous head of hair, Bieber was the fourth best-selling albums artist in the United States last year.

The latest in a long line of lovable balladeers to whip up a frenzy among teen and pre-teen girls, Bieber relied on Twitter and YouTube to spread the word after record labels failed to recognize his talent.

A little more than a year after playing to handfuls of bystanders at fairgrounds, he sold out New York major concert venue Madison Square Garden in about 20 minutes.

The weekend was not a total washout for him. His 3D concert documentary, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," opened at No. 2 at the North American box office with better than expected weekend sales of $30.3 million.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)



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Paul McCartney wins Grammy for "Helter Skelter"

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Lady Antebellum wins song of the year Grammy

Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

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