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Sheen's $5M HBO Deal Claim Shot Down
By JILL SERJEANT, Reuters
LOS ANGELES - Undeterred by the shut down of his "Two and A Half Men" TV comedy, actor Charlie Sheen unleashed a new torrent of messages Friday as Hollywood backed away from the increasingly erratic star.
Sheen, on vacation in the Bahamas after a month of "rehab" at his Los Angeles home for alcohol and drug addiction, told TV show "Good Morning America" in a text message he would turn up for work next week despite the fact that Thursday producers pulled the plug on his top-rated CBS comedy for the remainder of the season.
In a separate text message to celebrity website Radaronline.com, Sheen claimed he was in talks for a new program of his own on cable channel HBO that would and him an unheard of $5 million an episode. HBO said there was "no truth to the report."
Sheen, 45, had also been in line to make a third "Major League" baseball movie. But producer James G. Robinson told TMZ.com he would not risk putting Sheen in the film.
"If Charlie doesn't straighten up...I unfortunately can't put him in the movie," said Robinson.
"When an actor doesn't show up for work, you can lose half a million dollars a day paying the 250 other people there for the shoot and the costs for the set," he said.
Sheen claimed Friday he was clean of drink and drugs despite manic, rambling remarks the day before in which he called "Two and A Half Men" co-creator and producer Chuck Lorre a "stupid, stupid little man" in expletive-filled rants.
His comments were the last straw for CBS, which airs "Two and A Half Men" and Warner Bros. Television, which makes the comedy, after a year of Sheen's rabble rousing and a conviction for assaulting his ex-wife.
"I am frightened for the guy," celebrity addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky told website TMZ.com. "It's no joke. He's getting manic...these are bi-polar, manic symptoms."
Production of "Two and a Half Men" -- the most popular comedy on U.S. television and a major cash cow for CBS and Warner Bros Television -- was suspended in January when Sheen was persuaded to seek help after a wild 36-hour party.
"CBS and makers Warner Bros Television may very well decide to call it a day on 'Two and A Half Men' because the hassle is not worth it," said Michael Schneider of TV Guide Magazine.
TV industry sources said a deal was already in place for a 9th season of the comedy,but they declined to speculate whether Sheen would be in it.
Schneider said that with eight seasons of "Men" under their belts, the TV show would continue to do well in syndication for Warner Bros. The Hollywood Reporter estimated Warner Bros makes up to $250 million in domestic syndication deals on the show.
On Friday, he was compared in U.S. media to fallen actor Mel Gibson and starlet Lindsay Lohan, whose careers have tumbled in recent years as each battled substance abuse.
Schneider said he doubted Sheen's Hollywood career was over, but added; "It will require him really cleaning up and doing a little bit of a mea culpa tour.
"But this is Hollywood. Everyone can reinvent themselves."
In an open letter on Thursday, Sheen urged fans "to walk with me side-by-side as we march up the steps of justice to right this unconscionable wrong" and bring the TV show back.
Despite his problems, Sheen has remained popular, so far, and audiences for "Two and a Half Men" have remained strong with about 15 million U.S. viewers a week.
Sheen signed up for two more seasons in May 2010, and got a pay raise that brought his salary to a reported $27.5 million a year for his role as hard-drinking womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper, which in many ways has mirrored his real life.
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