Series suspended after Sheen tirade
In the wake of an incendiary radio interview by “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen, CBS and Warner Bros. Television said Thursday they are ending production on TV’s top-rated sitcom for the season.
The decision was based on the “totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition,” the companies said in a joint statement. The show’s future was not addressed.
Production had been suspended in January to allow Sheen to seek rehabilitation. Earlier Thursday, Warner and Sheen’s publicist had announced that the series would resume taping next week.
That was before the 45-year-old actor’s rambling, often vitriolic radio interview with host Alex Jones in which he derided “Two and a Half Men” producer Chuck Lorre in an attack that suggested anti-Semitism, and called Alcoholics Anonymous a “bootleg cult.”
As for himself, Sheen said he has “magic and poetry in my fingertips, most of the time.”
The series went on hiatus last month after a tumultuous period in Sheen’s checkered life, including three hospitalizations in three months.
Warner had already planned to cut this season’s 24 planned episodes to 20 because of the hiatus. All 16 episodes already filmed have aired.
‘Idol’ goes online
“American Idol” is taking democracy online.
Viewers will be able to cast votes through Facebook, along with the previous options of phone and text message, when the singing contest shifts from judges’ to audience’s choice on Tuesday.
It’s the first time Internet voting will be part of the Fox series, which is in its 10th season. Toll-free phone and AT&T text-message voting, at standard rates, will continue.
Online participation will be limited to viewers in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who have a Facebook account, Fox said. Each person can cast up to 50 online votes.
The top 12 male contestants will take the stage Tuesday, followed by the top dozen female singers Wednesday. The finalists will be announced Thursday.
The ‘O’ in MTV
MTV is naming its new digital music awards the OMAs – and leaving the “O” up for grabs.
The O Music Awards will take place April 28. MTV is leaving the “O” undefined and open to interpretation from viewers.
The awards, the network said, “honor the migration of music to the digital space, and celebrate the art, artistry and technology of digital music.”
MTV plans to present an untraditional, heavily interactive award show, spread out across multiple screens including the Internet, social media and mobile.
Categories could include things like best app and best Kanye West tweet. Social media buzz will play a role in choosing the winners.