Sheen's "Character" Killed Twice...On Television

CLEVELAND - As great as it's been watching Charlie Sheen's film and television performances during the past 25 years, it was immeasurably more gratifying watching the man get verbally dismantled by a series of low budget comics, then return the favor in grand fashion during a heavily hyped roast on Comedy Central last night.

Utterly hilarious.

Sheen, 46 spent the weeks leading up to Spring this year as the mastermind of a very disturbing, yet insanely popular media meltdown that both resonated and resulted in his firing from the top rated comedy on television, "Two and a Half Men." And speaking of that show, which starred Sheen as the hedonistic and womanizing Charlie Harper for eight seasons, it premiered its even more heavily hyped ninth season last night an hour before the roast aired. With Sheen's character killed off camera to start the episode, it gave his replacement Ashton Kutcher an opening to implement himself into the cast as well-endowed billionaire Walden Schmidt.

The new dynamic worked brilliantly.

"Two and a Half Men" played well mostly because they didn't allow the tragedy of Charlie Harper's demise to drag the always silly show into seriousness. The actors played the scenes with very little genuine sadness which made it seem as though Sheen was still in the saddle. CBS has issued preliminary figures that suggest that nearly 28 million viewers tuned in last night, by far a record for the series.

During Sheen's roast, the man himself sat in the hot seat as minor celebrities such as Kate Walsh and Anthony Jezelnik and washed up icons such as William Shatner and Mike Tyson hurled brutally scathing remarks in his direction. They often hit far below the belt, riffing on such sensitive topics as Sheen's domestic abuse history, insatiable appetite for heavy narcotics as well as his child custody issues. They even threw wheelchair bound porn publisher Larry Flynt under the bus as well as the Parkinson's stricken Michael J. Fox, both as analogies to Sheen's less than stellar moments.

When Sheen took to the podium to issue his own witty and brutal rebuttal, his rejoinders were calm and smooth while also fierce and cocky. Much more laid back and humble these days, he still let it be known that even though he's made many bad choices, once again, he came out [of a trying situation] "unscathed." All in all, it was a great comedy night and a truly entertaining look at a very accountable star in the wake of his darkest hour.

Impressive.

How I Overcame The Scary Horror of September 11th

CLEVELAND - With today being the 10th anniversary of arguably the most seminal catastrophe in U.S. history, I feel it's the perfect time for me to re-live the great things that diverted my attention from that epic tragedy.

September 11, 2001.

That fateful morning, which began very peacefully but ended in calamity was one of great anticipation for me. I went to sleep the previous night with three major things on my mind; the new Jay-Z album that was set for release that day, the pending return to pro hoops of Michael Jordan and the forthcoming, new Michael Jackson album.

Those things delighted me during an otherwise nerve-wrecking day and beyond.

By noon on 9/11, the U.S. was in full panic mode. The terrorist attacks and the cowardly masterminds behind them had successfully shattered the nation's collective morale and feeling of safety. The 8-month old Bush Administration did its best to assuage any lingering fears us civilians may have had, but it was still a very tension-filled day, mostly because none of us knew what would happen next. Seeing two seemingly unassailable giants like the World Trade Center destroyed by hijacked airliners was enough to frighten anyone into thinking that the terror could soon reach all parts of the country.

But that morning, I had the new LP, The Blueprint, the aforementioned sixth album from Jay-Z. I took the bus to a record store to purchase the highly anticipated opus and couldn't wait to hear a track on the album that I'd heard was on it. "Renegade" featuring Eminem, who was nearing the apex of his colossal popularity and as a meticulous lyricist, he was never better during the three year period from 2000 to 2002. Of course, any fan of that genre of music now knows that The Blueprint went on to attain legendary status. Some even consider it to be Jay-Z's master work.

Also on my mind that day and in the healing months after was Jordan, who just the day before announced that he would be returning to pro basketball as a player (for the lowly Washington Wizards) after being retired for the past 3 years. With me being the biggest of MJ fans, I was totally enthralled and excited, even as questions of his potential effectiveness floated around the media and the general public. With him being 38-years old (ancient in pro sports), there was major questions and doubts that he'd be able to dominate the basketball court the way he had during 13 brilliant seasons for the Chicago Bulls. When news of the terrorist attacks filled television and newspapers the following day, Jordan decided to postpone his official press conference announcing his return for a couple weeks out of respect for the thousands of lives lost that day.

Of course, Jordan's rock star status in basketball gave the country a much needed diversion, even though he struggled often to play up to the glittering heights of his Bulls days. I was a kid in a candy store having him back in the game, and 9/11 felt less depressing (though still quite tragic) to me because of him.

Finally, the other MJ, the man I admired since the age of 5 dominated my September 11th thoughts too. The great Michael Jackson had given two concerts, one on Sept. 7 and the other on Sept. 10. Both were held, ironically in New York City, site of the most destructive attacks. He was celebrating 30 years as a solo artist with those concerts, which were not shown live, but were instead filmed for televised broadcast two months later. Jackson, 43 at the time was also just several weeks away from releasing his first album of all new material in 10 years, and my eagerness was heavy.

Invincible, Jackson's new LP was released on Oct. 30, 2001 while the nation was still shell-shocked with grief and disbelief. As a double delight to me, Jordan made his regular season debut that day as well...a double MJ return that prompted me to label that day "National Michael Day." Unfortunately, both MJ returns fell far below critical and fans' expectations. For me personally, I was just excited to have my heroes back in the saddle. The ethereal nature of both men's historic careers was unprecedented. And it's safe to say that their impact on sports, entertainment and culture will forever influence and inspire.

On an impossible day and during an impossible time, these men gave me and millions of people something rare in a time of evil.

A reason to smile.