Who will replace Charlie Sheen in the highest paid acting job on American television? At least three actors have been linked with the starring role in the US comedy Two and a Half Men, including two of Sheen’s 'brat pack' contemporaries from the 1980s.
The blogosphere has gone into overdrive after it was reported that Rob Lowe was in talks with the show's creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre to replace the errant Sheen, who was allegedly paid $1.8 million an episode before he was was fired on Monday.
Lowe, who starred alongside Sheen's brother Emilio Estevez (the generally acknowledged 'brat pack' leader) in The Breakfast Club and St Elmo's Fire in the mid-Eighties, is currently appearing in ABC's drama Brothers and Sisters and the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. According to US reports, Lorre has talked to Lowe's agent at William Morris-Endeavor to discuss the possibility of him joining the cast.
However, Lowe's executive producer on Parks and Recreation, Mike Schur, is adamant that "there's no truth" to the rumour. Speaking at the annual television festival PaleyFest in Los Angeles yesterday, Schur said that Lowe would not be leaving the comedy anytime soon, as he has a "multi-year contract" with the show.
Lorre is also said to be in talks with Matt Dillon, the 47-year-old Oscar-nominated actor who recently showed off his comic timing in the hit ABC comedy Modern Family. But Dillon's publicist Staci Wolfe has told the entertainment website Rumorfix it is untrue.
Glee and Full House star John Stamos is another name linked to Two and a Half Men. But the 47-year-old actor has denied that he would be interested in the role, tweeting: "Contrary to the rumours, I am not replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and Half Men."
Production was halted on Two and a Half Men a fortnight ago after Sheen launched an astonishing verbal attack on his bosses. He was eventually sacked this week.
For his part Sheen has given his blessing to both Lowe and Stamos, whom he had earlier ridiculed as a replacement. He told a radio interviewer yesterday: "I think they're both fabulous and my apologies to John. I was rude to him earlier, John Stamos. That was unnecessary."
As for Lowe, the 46-year-old is "a buddy of mine, he's a beautiful man, a brilliant actor, and I hope he does it and kicks its ass because I still get [paid]," he said, referring to an alleged clause in his contract known as the 'Michael J Fox clause'. It is so named after Fox's contract on Spin City which ensured that he would keep drawing a salary from the show even if he left. In a neat twist, Sheen took over from Fox on Spin City and presumably got the idea for the clause from him.
Not surprisingly, the producers of Two and a Half Men, Warner Bros are challenging this. TMZ.com reports that the contract is null and void because Sheen was sacked.
Read more: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/76207,news-comment,entertainment,rob-lowe-and-matt-dillon-deny-replacing-sheen'Modern Family' scoop: Matt Dillon to play Claire's ex
by Lynette Rice
Modern Family is about to demonstrate that Claire Dunphy has always had excellent taste in men. EW has learned exclusively that Matt Dillon (Crash) will play the ex-boyfriend of Julie Bowen’s character in an upcoming episode of the ABC comedy.
There’s no airdate – much less a script for the episode - but EW has also learned this juicy little detail: Claire’s ex has a new galpal and the mother of three is probably not going to like her. It’s Claire’s mom, DeDe Pritchett! Shelley Long will reprise her role as DeDe, a role she originated last season in an episode titled “The Incident.” (Remember? DeDe comes to visit the family for the first time since making a huge, drunken scene at Jay and Gloria’s wedding).
Dillon most recently appeared in Armored and Old Dogs.