Friday Box Office: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ … 
Cannes: Worldview Options Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn … 
UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
‘Mike & Molly’ Creator Mark Roberts To … 
Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts Set For … 
Hammond On Cannes: Weinstein Brings Out Stars For 2013 … 
Cannes: Fake Gunshots Interrupt Canal Plus Live Broadcast … 
‘The Great Gatsby’ Starts With $5.4M … 
Cannes: Music Box Acquires Competition’s … 
UPDATE: Amazon Studios Begins Pilot Pickups; … 
Bruce Rosenblum Bids Classy Goodbye 
RATINGS RAT RACE UPDATE: ‘American Idol’ Hits … 
UPDATE: ‘Iron Man 3′ Box Office Crosses $1B … 
Upfront Market: Will Auto Makers Subsidize TV … 
Cannes: Thief Makes Off With $1M+ In Chopard Jewelry Meant … 
‘Scandal’ Finale On Small Screen And Onstage At … 
‘Modern Family’ Gets Cable Makeover For Launch … 
Adam Sandler To Leno: “Maybe Go To Fox” 
Anyone Care Who Won ‘American Idol’? 
Syfy’s ‘Warehouse 13′ To End Run With … 
Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘The English Teacher’, … 
You are viewing the archive: “Chuck Lorre”
Chuck Lorre Hints At Writing “Tell-All Book”
Is Chuck Lorre dying to tell his side of the Charlie Sheen saga? The TV exec producer’s vanity card at the end of tonight’s Two And A Half Men episode could be a clue. His remarks are especially interesting because of the new legal settlement among Lorre, Sheen, and Warner Bros:
Charlie Sheen, Warner Bros TV & Chuck Lorre Announce Settlement
Charlie Sheen & Warner Bros TV To Settle Lawsuit
It’s official: Warner Bros TV and Charlie Sheen have settled their legal dispute stemming from Sheen’s $100 million lawsuit against the studio and Two and a Half Men executive producer Chuck Lorre over the actor’s March firing from the show. Here is the official statement:
“Warner Bros. Television, Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen have resolved their dispute to the parties’ mutual satisfaction. The pending lawsuit and arbitration will be dismissed as to all parties. The parties have agreed to maintain confidentiality over the terms of the settlement.”
Financial details on the settlement were not released, but sources indicate that the initial payment to Sheen would be in the previously floated range of $25 million. Because Sheen had not been paid following his termination, the settlement amount is said to primarily cover backend participation owed to him. Read More »
BURYING THE HATCHET: Charlie Sheen & Warner Bros. TV To Settle Lawsuit
Well, Charlie Sheen may have been able to upstage the hyped relaunch of his former series Two and a Half Men and not with the Comedy Central Roast that also airs tonight but with some news. Sheen has been sending his former employers at Two and a Half Men public … Read More »
EMMYS: Producers Under Pressure To Cut Charlie Sheen From Broadcast
Charlie Sheen To Make Surprise Appearance On Sunday
EXCLUSIVE: I hear that there has been some pressure put on the TV Academy and the producers of tonight’s Primetime Emmy Awards telecast not to have former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen as a presenter. Here is what I’ve learned has happened: Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, who was the subject of many of Sheen’s public insults last spring and is currently being sued by the actor over his termination from the show, confronted TV Academy chairman John Shaffner, who is the production designer of two of Lorre’s comedy series, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. I hear that Lorre demanded that Sheen’s planned appearance be cut from the broadcast. Meanwhile, Warner Bros Television Group president Bruce Rosenblum — who oversees the studio producing Men, Warner Bros TV, which also is being sued by Sheen — made a call to Fox chairman Peter Rice asking whether it would be possible for Sheen to be dropped. After Rice couldn’t commit to doing so, Rosenblum asked him to at least not give Sheen an open mike that the actor may use to embarrass Lorre or the other Emmy nominees from his shows, all produced by WBTV. Read More »
TCA: Nina Tassler On Charlie Sheen Fiasco, Ashton Kutcher, ‘CSI’ & ‘Minds’ Spinoff
CBS Reveals Ashton Kutcher’s ‘Men’ Character’s Name And Background
During TCA’s CBS executive session, the network’s entertainment president Nina Tassler was asked about lessons the network has learned from the Charlie Sheen debacle that culminated in his public firing. “Oh, where do I begin…,” she said. “What we learned is that we have an extraordinary cast — I was at the table red on Monday — we have extraordinary writers and actors, and there is a great value in hiring an actor like Ashton Kutcher, a talented, funny, gifted actor coming in with tremendous commitment and enthusiasm. What you learn is that the show is brilliantly written, extraordinary produced and you have the opportunity to move forward to create this exciting new character and do a great show.” She later added that Men will be as “smart, irreverent and risque” as it’s ever been. “Standards and Practices is already on high alert.” After the session, Tassler was asked to elaborate on her line from the Q&A that “you could cut the air with a knife” at the Monday table read. “The anticipation was great,” she said. “Hearing an actor utter the first line was a relief.” She also revealed that Men co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre opened the table read with what she described as “touching speech.” Read More »
UPDATE: ‘Two And A Half Men’ Premiere To Feature Charlie Harper’s Funeral, His Girlfriends Back & His House For Sale
UPDATE MONDAY: I’ve got more information on the shrouded-in-secrecy ninth-season premiere of CBS’ comedy Two and a Half Men, which will feature the debut of new star Ashton Kutcher and which I now hear will be a two-parter. I have been able to confirm that Charlie Sheen’s character Charlie Harper is indeed dead and the season premiere will feature his funeral. Charlie’s girlfriends will come back for the occasion, and his house indeed will be put on the market. The episode will feature potential buyers coming to see the house (as I reported earlier, the list is expected to include real-life celebrities and stars from Men co-creator Chuck Lorre’s other series), with Ashton Kutcher among them. However, I hear he will not be the rightful owner of Charlie Harper’s digs by the end of the premiere episode, with the storyline expected to be extended into Episode 2. As part of CBS and Men producer Warner Bros. TV’s efforts to keep details of the premiere under wraps, I hear the cast has been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, something potential audience members for the Friday taping will be required to do too.
PREVIOUS SUNDAY 6 PM: Speculation over the plot of the rebooted Two and a Half Men is expected to go into overdrive next week when production on the upcoming ninth season begins. Co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre has been mum on the setup for Two and a Half Men 2.0 and the way new star Ashton Kutcher will be introduced to the series. In keeping with the secrecy, I hear the cast members of the show were supposed to get their scripts for the Read More »
VIDEO: ‘Big Bang’ Theme Song Filmed On Show’s Set With Cast And Chuck Lorre
The music video, shot to promote the syndication launch of The Big Bang Theory this fall, features rock band Barenaked Ladies on the set of the hit CBS comedy series performing the theme song from the show in front of the cast and crew. Taking a turn on the guitar … Read More »
Judge Rules No Circus Trial For Charlie Sheen
LA Superior Court Judge Alan Goodman just issued a ruling in both Charlie Sheen vs. Warner Bros TV and Sheen vs. Two And A Half Men co-creator Chuck Lorre lawsuits: they will have to be settled in arbitration and … Read More »
The Over-Achievers Of This Year’s Upfront
Here is the second-annual honor roll of the best and brightest at the broadcast upfront. First off, to all who got their pilots picked up to series — congratulations. You’re already winners. This is a list of those who took their upfront success to an extra level:
Whitney Cummings: The undisputed queen of Upfront 2011. She is behind two new comedy series that are among the highest-profile new half-hour entries next fall. She created, stars in and executive produces her eponymous comedy for NBC, which was assigned the network’s best comedy slot, following The Office. She also co-wrote on spec with Michael Patrick King the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls, which broke records as CBS’ best-testing pilot (comedy or drama) ever. Both were the first comedy pilots to get a series order at their networks. Cummings, who also has a talk show in contention at E!, will serve as an executive producer on 2 Broke Girls but will be full-time on Whitney, which was in first position. I hope that doesn’t impact 2 Broke Girls, which King is expected to run/co-run, because the pilot indeed looks great. Honorable mention in the category of creators with multiple projects for Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. One of their two ABC pilots, Work It, was picked up to series, while the other, Smothered, is very much in contention for midseason.
What a comeback for J.J. Abrams! After his high-profile NBC drama Undercovers went bust last fall, some questioned whether the networks will continue to bet on him. But bet they did this upfront, with both pilots he produced, CBS’ Person of Interest and Fox’s Alcatraz, going to series. Person of Interest instantly became one of the most anticipated new fall series when CBS made it its new Thursday 9 PM anchor. The network also said it was its best-testing drama pilot ever. And over at Fox, Alcatraz prevailed over several high-profile pilots to land one of only two drama series spots. Then, as icing on the cake, Abrams’ modestly rated but well-liked Fox sci-fi series Fringe got a renewal for next season, bringing the producer’s series for next season to three. Read More »
MYSTERY MAN REVEALED: Hugh Grant Almost Replaced Charlie Sheen On ‘Men’
EXCLUSIVE… UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS, 3:45 PM: We hear that the idea of Hugh 
Grant as a replacement for Charlie Sheen in Two And A Half Men was first pitched to CBS boss Les Moonves and CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler about a month ago. After a couple of weeks sorting out the Sheen lawsuit fallout, the two execs blessed the plan and Grant was approached by the producers at Warner Bros. We hear Hugh flew in and had 2 creative meetings. Things were progressing and he had all but a completed deal when he backed out unexpectedly. ‘It was not the money. He didn’t want to do TV because those 24 episodes are a grind and a lot of work. At the end he couldn’t get his head around doing a series.” Another insider tells us that, if Grant committed, “the show could have gotten another 3 to 4 more seasons”.
PREVIOUS FROM NIKKI FINKE: I’ve learned that one-time bad boy Hugh Grant was deep into final negotiations to replace Charlie Sheen as the lead on Two And A Half Men until he pulled out last night at the last minute due to creative differences. Insiders tell me he’d been offered more than $1 million an episode [UPDATE: but Warner Bros sources are now saying it was not that much], which is the sort of $25M-a-year payday Grant doesn’t get from movies anymore. All along insiders at Warner Bros and CBS had been saying that they were going after “an A-lister” as the new star of the top-rated sitcom after Sheen was fired, and Hugh sure fits the bill. (Let me tell you, I would have watched that show!) CBS has been working hard to announce the return of the show and its new star at next week’s upfronts. Maybe Grant will reconsider. Let’s hope. But it’s a decision that will affect not just CBS’ Nielsen ratings and advertising revenue but also billions of dollars of future syndication contracts for Warner Bros Television.
Insiders have been explaining to me that, at first, executive producer and co-creator Chuck Lorre wasn’t sure if he wanted to proceed with the show after Sheen’s implosion. With three successful sitcoms on CBS — Two And A Half Men, Mike & Molly, and The Big Bang Theory — Lorre was enjoying only showrunning two of them. But the problem, and it’s a very nice problem to have, is that there is so much moolah at stake because Two And A Half Men is a multibillion-dollar asset in syndication on terrestrial broadcast stations like the Fox station group, on cable with FX, as well as via multi foreign and DVD deals. The terrestrial contracts called for the stations to have to carry the show as long as Sheen was “of the essence” of each episode. Once Sheen left, the stations could get out of the contract. The hope was and still is that his replacement will be so compelling that the stations will want to continue the contract. Not so with the cable and foreign deals, where Charlie was not “of the essence”, meaning it didn’t matter to the contracts whether Sheen was in the show or not as long as the sitcom’s concept remained similar. This is why everybody have been working so hard to find a replacement, with names like Woody Harrelson, Rob Lowe, John Stamos and Jeremy Piven circulating in the blogosphere. But until now, with Deadline’s news about Hugh Grant, there’s been nothing concrete about actual negotiations going on with any specific actor to replace Sheen. Read More »
How Charlie Sheen Committed To ‘Men’ & Made The $100 Million Deal He Just Lost
Vanity Fair is previewing online a portion from its upcoming profile of troubled actor Charlie Sheen. Here are 2 pretty juicy excerpts, in which Sheen’s manager Mark Burg recollects how Sheen closed his most recent $100 million deal for … Read More »
Charlie Sheen To Chuck Lorre: ‘No One Cares About Your Feeble Show Without Me’
After mostly conciliatory messages for the past month, Charlie Sheen has fired one of his most vicious attacks on Two and a Half Men co-creator Chuck Lorre over increased speculation that Lorre is plotting a Men without Sheen. The letter … Read More »
Sheen, Lorre, & Warner Bros Back In Court
2ND UPDATE: The judge took it under advisement.
UPDATE 2:15 PM: Wow, this hearing took all morning, broke for lunch, and resumes any minute this afternoon. So far the only decision made is that the judge is letting a lone video camera film in the courtroom. Team Sheen and the media wanted it, Team WB/Lorre … Read More »
UPDATE: Lawyers For Warner Bros & Charlie Sheen At Odds Over If There Have Been Talks About Sheen Return To ‘Men’
UPDATE: Charlie Sheen’s lawyer Marty Singer has fired back at Warner Bros’ lawyers for claiming that his client has lied about discussions for him to return to Two and a Half Men. “There have been discussions as late as Tuesday, and all parties have been involved — Warner Bros, CBS, … Read More »
Charlie Sheen Says “There’ve Been Discussions” About Him Returning To ‘Men’
Charlie Sheen has been hinting about a possible return to Two and a Half Men for the past week. Tonight, he dropped the biggest hint so far in a radio interview with Boston sports station WBZ-FM. “There’ve been discussions, but … Read More »
Chuck Lorre’s Vanity Card ‘Mishap’ Tonight
Remember when Chuck Lorre got a lot of flak for some recent vanity cards about his ongoing feud with Charlie Sheen? Now Lorre has put a twist on the oldest schoolkid’s excuse. “My lawyer ate my vanity card,” was all Lorre wrote when the card appeared at the end of tonight’s new Big Bang … Read More »
Chuck Lorre: “I’ve Been Going Through A Tough Time Recently”
Chuck Lorre took to his favorite outlet, the vanity cards running at the end of his CBS comedies, to reflect on the impact the ongoing war with Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen has had on him. The … Read More »
Charlie Sheen Attacking Arbitration Clause
Here’s a mildly interesting Hollywood legal wrinkle: Charlie Sheen’s litigator Marty Singer is going to challenge the standard arbitration clause in Warner Bros TV contracts. He went to court today and received a sped-up April 19th hearing date for Charlie’s motion to stay the JAMS arbitration because the off-the-hook actor wants to proceed … Read More »
-
Marketplace
News/Opinion Poll
Loading ...Box Office Poll
Loading ...