Charlie Sheen

It was billed as a "shocking tell-all" and a "world exclusive," but the National Enquirer's March 26 cover story landed with a thud. TMZ, Page Six and other major players in celebrity gossip ignored the article in which a masseur claimed John Travolta offered money for sex. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article used the term "masseuse"; it should have said "masseur. " Five weeks after the issue left the checkout aisle, a DUI attorney from Pasadena put the anonymous masseur's tawdry tale in a lawsuit and it became an overnight pop culture sensation, topping Google News, trending on Twitter and meriting a segment on "Good Morning America.

TBS, whose slogan is "Very Funny," has built its house out of sitcoms - most of them reruns (currently including "Seinfeld," "The Office," "Friends," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "The Big Bang Theory"), but with an increasing emphasis on the new. (It's also acquired "Cougar Town" from ABC.) It's like TV Land for viewers whose sense of nostalgia is rooted in the '80s, '90s and early '00s: a demographic that includes the characters in its new original series, "Men at Work. " "Men at Work," which premieres Thursday, was created by Breckin Meyer, who as an actor stars in TNT's legal buddy dramedy "Franklin & Bash," and as a writer was Emmy-nominated for Adult Swim's sparky, ironic animated-action-figure sketch comedy, "Robot Chicken.

The "rock star from Mars" has landed — in another TV show. Four months after getting axed from CBS' "Two and a Half Men" when he publicly attacked his bosses, Charlie Sheen was officially announced Monday as the star in "Anger Management," a proposed sitcom adaptation that seems destined for basic cable and is loosely based on the 2003 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler. Sheen will play the Nicholson character, a provocative doctor with some odd therapeutic techniques.

The courtroom battle between former "Desperate Housewives" costar Nicollette Sheridan and the show's creator, Marc Cherry, over the circumstances of her character's demise is another reminder that for an actor, the only thing worse than not getting a part on a show is getting killed off a show. "It's a one-way contract, they can drop you at any time," said Steve Schirripa, who spent seven years nervously pawing through the pages of scripts for "The Sopranos" wondering if this was the episode where his character would get whacked.

Everyone has by now heard about the manic, tough-talking Charlie Sheen, the sitcom actor who publicly insults his bosses and makes T-shirt-ready boasts of "winning" and having tiger blood. But former porn star Ginger Lynn says she got intimate with another side of TV's top-earning actor ? one that fans can now share for a price. "There's a side of him that I don't think many people hear about," Lynn said during an interview Friday. "Especially because right now, everyone's focusing on the negative.

Charlie Sheen voluntarily entered an undisclosed rehabilitation center Friday, according to his publicist. "He is most grateful to all who have expressed their concern," said Stan Rosenfield, Sheen's publicist. Adding, "Sheen asks that his privacy be respected at this time and that no additional informational will be provided. " As a result, CBS, Warner Bros. Television and executive producer Chuck Lorre are placing "Two and a Half Men" on production hiatus. "We are profoundly concerned for his health and well-being, and support his decision," the network said in a statement.

Is it fair that one of Hollywood's most successful and richest young actors didn't set out to be a performer -- in fact, never took an acting class -- when there are thousands of others like him, sweating auditions, posing for head shots, tweeting their every move? To underscore the point: Angus T. Jones, the "half" in the No. 1 comedy on TV, "Two and a Half Men," doesn't even know if he wants to continue to hone the skill that's made him a millionaire when the 7-year-old CBS sitcom goes off the air. He's a 16-year-old high school sophomore who wants to go to college, and that's as far as his plans go. "I don't know what I'm going to take or where I'm going to go," he said.

Last month, when actor Charlie Sheen was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain, his camp reported that he had a hiatal hernia .  This week, Sheen launched into a media blitz-slash-meltdown after CBS canceled his show, "Two and a Half Men," for the remainder of the season.  In interviews on ABC, CNN and other outlets, he spoke of "tiger blood" running through his veins, insulted his bosses and questioned the value of Alcoholics Anonymous in fighting addiction.

A look at actor Charlie Sheen's legal and personal troubles: December 1996 : Sheen was arrested and charged with attacking his girlfriend at his Southern California home. Sheen pleaded no contest to the charges and was placed on two years' probation. May 20, 1998 : Sheen overdosed after trying to inject himself with cocaine, for which he was hospitalized. His father, actor Martin Sheen, turned him in for violating his parole and issued a public appeal for his fans to pray for his son. Sheen was sent to rehab.

Not content to simply broadcast "Sheen's Korner" from Sober Valley Lodge, Charlie Sheen has announced that he's going out on the road with a live tour called "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option Show. " Sheen tweeted that he'll kick off the tour on April 2 at Fox Theatre Detroit. Under "show details," Ticketmaster lists a description that reads in part: "This IS where you will hear the REAL story from the Warlock. Bring it. I dare you to keep up with me. " This has been an eventful week for the actor, who was axed from CBS' "Two and a Half Men," filed a $100-million lawsuit against Warner Bros.

Greek museum looted Armed robbers have stolen scores of ancient artifacts from a museum in Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics, sparking the resignation of Greece's culture minister and adding to concerns over the state's ability to guard the country's national treasures. Authorities in Athens and Olympia said Friday that at least two thieves tied up the museum's sole night guard before fleeing with priceless artifacts, including bronze, clay and gold items used by ancient athletes during the Games.

Patrice O'Neal, 41, a veteran stand-up comic who gained a wider following through TV and radio and helped roast Charlie Sheen in September, died Tuesday from complications of a stroke he suffered last month. O'Neal's manager, Jonathan Brandstein, said he died at a New York-area hospital. O'Neal grew up in Boston and started his stand-up career there. He appeared on Conan O'Brien and David Letterman's late-night TV shows and was a frequent guest on the "Opie & Anthony" radio show on Sirius XM. His performance was a highlight of the Comedy Central roast of Sheen, who had been fired from the hit CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men. " O'Neal had half-hour specials on Showtime and HBO and was the host of "Web Junk 20" on VH1. He also acted in the TV series "Arrested Development," "Chappelle's Show" and "The Office.

Television personality Brooke Mueller has sold the gated Los Feliz home she once shared with her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen , for an undisclosed amount. The buyer is actor Simon Helberg of "The Big Bang Theory. " The restored 4,179-square-foot villa has four bedrooms and 41/2 bathrooms. A fountain stands in the tiled front courtyard of the Mediterranean-style home, built in 1927. Inside, the dramatic two-story entry has wood floors and a vaulted ceiling. The step-down living room features a fireplace and wood-beamed ceiling.

Television personality Brooke Mueller has sold the gated Los Feliz home she once shared with her ex-husband Charlie Sheen for an undisclosed amount. The buyer is actor Simon Helberg of "The Big Bang Theory. " The restored 4,179-square-foot villa has four bedrooms and 41/2 bathrooms. A fountain stands in the tiled front courtyard of the Mediterranean-style home, built in 1927. Inside, the dramatic two-story entry has wood floors and a vaulted ceiling. The step-down living room features a fireplace and wood-beamed ceiling.

Millions of us will gather in just a few days to observe a ritual that some have been anticipating all year. We'll spend our savings, experience a sugar rush and garb ourselves in garments inspired by our favorite characters. We'll dress up like Angry Birds or march around in tracksuits in an attempt to channel Sue Sylvester or we'll don a winged helmet à la Captain America. We are, of course, talking about Halloween, a holiday that will be celebrated by more than 160 million Americans, according to the National Retail Federation, which also predicts that we'll spend almost $7 billion on merchandise, $1.2 billion of that for costumes.

The results of the first couple of weeks of the fall TV season are in, and there are some surprises. For the first time in its 25-year history, Fox won premiere week among young adults, which cements the network's dominance in the main demographic that drives ad spending and programming decisions across the industry. It looks like it has a good shot at taking the second week as well, thanks in part to a youth-oriented sitcom sleeper hit, "New Girl," with Zooey Deschanel — already the first new show to get a full-season order.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Monday. Night 1 of Charlie Sheen's "Violent Torpedo of Truth" tour was a disaster. ( Los Angeles Times ) But Night 2 in Chicago was ... a success?!? ( Chicago Tribune ) Country stars Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum won Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas Sunday night. ( Los Angeles Times ) Katie Couric has decided she would rather be the next female Oprah instead of the first female Walter Cronkite.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Charlie Sheen will get his own Comedy Central roast. ( Los Angeles Times ) Demi Lovato reveals the cover art for her upcoming post-rehab single. ( Huffington Post ) Kate's and William's Canada tour includes food, fashion and foosball. ( Too Fab ) "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling splits with her longtime book agent. ( BBC ) "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe splits with the bottle. He admits he had a drinking problem -- and it wasn't butter beer.

The dinosaurs may have roamed in prime time, but Ashton Kutcher's roar was louder. Fox's dino-epic "Terra Nova" got off to a decent if unspectacular start Monday night, proving no match for CBS' "Two and a Half Men," which remained strong in Week 2 with new costar Kutcher. The heavily publicized two-hour premiere of "Terra Nova," the long-anticipated time-travel drama from executive producer Steven Spielberg and already one of the most expensive series in TV history, averaged 9.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Charlie Sheen, Warner Bros. Television and "Two and a Half Men" co-creator Chuck Lorre have officially made peace and settled their legal differences. Sheen has been at odds with the studio and Lorre since early this year after Warner Bros. shut down production of the CBS sitcom to force Sheen to seek treatment for substance abuse issues. Warner Bros. later fired the actor after he publicly criticized the studio and Lorre. Although none of the parties would comment on the deal, last week the Los Angeles Times reported that Sheen would receive $25 million to settle the matter.