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Lawrence O’Donnell is Wrong: The Charlie Sheen Show is Sick, Not Sad

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by Tommy Christopher | 8:52 am, March 1st, 2011

» 35 comments

On Monday night, I watched my first, and hopefully last, Charlie Sheen trainwreck interview, courtesy of The Last Word host Lawrence O’Donnell. While O’Donnell laudably tried to focus the audience’s attention on the tragic undertow that threatens to pull Sheen under for good, I was overtaken, not by the spectacle of Sheen’s unraveling, but of the blithe interviewer pulling on the thread, and the voracious audience he serves. It didn’t make me sad, it made me angry.

When it comes to celebrities, we can be a heartless country, basking in their misfortunes like nude sunbathers at Schadenfreude Beach. The impulse is understandable, to some degree. It can be grating to listen to complaints from people who enjoy privileges that most of us can’t even imagine. If you can’t muster up some compassion for Charlie Sheen, who makes more money for a day’s work than most of us will make in a decade’s time, I guess I can’t blame you.

Less understandable, but still within the norms of human nature, is the impulse to rubberneck, to slow down and check out the carnage of Charlie Sheen’s life as we pass it in the right lane of our everyday lives. To be honest, it can be tough for people to discern the difference between a run-of-the-mill attention whore, and an honest-to-goodness, circling the drain tragedy-to-be. On its own merits, a quote like “I Am On A Drug. It’s Called Charlie Sheen” is sheer genius, and we can’t all be expected to take the full measure of someone’s life every time we hear something funny.

But the people who are inviting Charlie Sheen to star in his own slo-mo snuff film don’t get a pass, and at a certain point, neither does their audience. It should be clear, to anyone who’s paying attention, that Charlie Sheen is in serious trouble, and that his next big exclusive could very well be with the LA County coroner. I disagree with Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall that interviewers like Piers Morgan are enabling Sheen, or even exploiting him. They’re not just pointing at Charlie Sheen’s self-immolation, they are throwing gasoline on it, and with Sheen’s distress as obvious as it is, making accomplices of the audience.

As it happens, I really like Charlie Sheen. I know it’s fashionable to snark about his TV show, but Sheen really is a gifted actor, and for those of you who think he owes his success to his famous father, I have two words for you, and one of them is “Emilio.” I don’t know if any man really deserves the kind of money that Sheen makes, but then again, if I had a nickel for every gag I laughed out loud at through two Hot Shots movies, I’d have a big-ass pile of nickels.

But even if you don’t care for Sheen, or you’re one of those people who can’t muster compassion for addicts who “bring things on themselves,” doesn’t decency at least dictate that you not make things worse?

Lawrence O’Donnell speaks knowingly about the trouble that Charlie Sheen is in, and with regard to Sheen’s current trajectory, he’s right, it is sad. But the interview he uses to illustrate that downward spiral is much more a symptom of our own sickness than Sheen’s: (from MSNBC)

Charlie Sheen, Colby Hall, Lawrence O'Donnell, Piers Morgan, The Last Word

Probably NOT wrong

The Lawrence O’Donnell Show is both sick and sad!
The Lantern of Truth

Ted Kennedy was Sheen 50 years ago . Renting a brothel in Chile .

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/28/politics/main20037408.shtml

The difference : The American public to pay up to 75 million for Ted Kennedy ‘s museum .
He was not a President , just a Senator for way too long . Here he is still wasting public money .

http://dailycaller.com/2010/04/21/ted-kennedy-shrine-to-be-paid-for-with-millions-of-taxpayer-dollars/
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

Sheen and Olbermann are twins.
Harry Flashman

As I stated in another thread about the train wreck Sheen has become, part of me feels sorry for the man.

Watching him – or any other human being – go into a meltdown like this isn’t entertaining – its sad. And I agree with Tommy – those who are booking him are doing so with the same mentality as the old time freak show carnival hucksters. They put him on display for their own ends and it has NOTHING to do with him.

By the way….this expression from the article is priceless:

“When it comes to celebrities, we can be a heartless country, basking in their misfortunes like nude sunbathers at Schadenfreude Beach.”

Heh. Good job.
George C

The Lantern of Truth said:
Ted Kennedy was Sheen 50 years ago . Renting a brothel in Chile .

Get off your high horse ,little man. Inviting one of the Embassy chauffeurs to join him on demonstrates that he was t true man of the people .
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

Great post Tommy, and I agree most heartedly with you.

I am one of those people who LOVES films. (I love music too.) I love the talent, the creativity, the ability of those people (including behind the scenes) to put together songs/movies that I love.

The thing I find so sad is that people with such talent, such ability can just *throw it all away*. I mean…they are people too, and a lot of people have issues/problems – it’s just really sad, IMHO, that people so gifted, who seem to have everything, can just destroy their lives. But, we never know what goes on at home, or in their heads. And some, I suppose, are just crap people. (That’s why I wish actors would just keep their mouths shut (Charlie is a 9/11 truther), and their private lives private…. it kind of ruins the whole mystique of it all.)

But this industry also seems like an enabler at large, it can use people up and spit them out. and CBS/Two and a Half Men, it seems, have been putting money over better judgment for a long time. I don’t think this is funny, I think it is disgustingly sad. All of his arrests, problems, etc. being excused, overlooked, and now used for ratings. Get him off tv, and throw his *ss in the hospital.

Charlie used to always remind me of my brother, when he was younger – they look very similar. So, I guess I always had a soft spot for that reason…but the dude is messed up. Whether it is all self inflicted, or he has some mental issues that led to his drug abuse and spiral, i don’t know, but he doesn’t need $2 or 3M an episode, he needs help. It’s either that, or it will be a coffin.
The Lantern of Truth

George C said:
Get off your high horse ,little man. Inviting one of the Embassy chauffeurs to join him on demonstrates that he was t true man of the people .</blockqu

Ted should have kept the chauffeur and used him at Chappaquiddick .
Guess Ted figured he would drive off that bridge when he came to it .
The Real RoyaI King

He’s very self-aware. Note the part in the interview where he demands a raise by citing emotional distress and then makes fun of it in the same breath.

He knows exactly what he’s doing.

“They’ve picked a fight with a warlock!”

Well I guess we know which class he plays in World of Warcraft.
Color Me Badd

Charlie Sheen passed a drug test he isn’t on drugs at the moment, ,he shows chronic symptoms of bipolar disorder, which can kill him too. I hope he gets help and yes I agree the things the press are doing to Charlie makes me mad too, they want him to die, imagine the wall to wall reporting all the cable news outlets will be able to do when he finally hangs himself. Makes me feel ashamed of our culture.
notsofast

Yes, Tommy, now Charlie is the victim. Give me a break.
Mr.Papshmer

Yes, Sheen’s a sick sob, but is also the kind of guy who’s going to stay the course unless he gets some tough love. Every time people coddle him, and say, “oh, you’re just sick and can’t help it”, he’s the kind of guy who’ll use that and run, we all know that.

Someday, he’s going to run out of money, and he’ll run out of coke, and he’ll find that since he’s out of money and coke, all of his “friends” have left, and he’ll wake up next to a burrito wrapper behind a 7-11 somewhere, and he’ll either get help, or die.
kvon

Okay, so every news show in America does a piece on Charlie Sheen and Larry O’Donnell is an asshole for some reason? Tommy…buddy…you can’t let these Conservatives get to you. DON’T PAY THE REPUBLICAN CRAZY TAX. It’s beneath you, they are going to call you a “Liberal media whore” if you ever write anything nice about anyone perceived to be on the left so its a losing game.
Mr.Papshmer

kvon said:
DON’T PAY THE REPUBLICAN CRAZY TAX.

Sad that you think commenting on some guys suicide is a some sort of game.
Probably NOT wrong

kvon said:
Okay, so every news show in America does a piece on Charlie Sheen and Larry O’Donnell is an asshole for some reason? Tommy…buddy…you can’t let these Conservatives get to you. DON’T PAY THE REPUBLICAN CRAZY TAX. It’s beneath you, they are going to call you a “Liberal media whore” if you ever write anything nice about anyone perceived to be on the left so its a losing game.

Larry is an asshole regardless of subject, kv!
just sayin’
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

Color Me Badd said:
Charlie Sheen passed a drug test he isn’t on drugs at the moment

And you believe that? LOL That explains why you believe everything Obama says.
kvon

Mr.Papshmer said:
Sad that you think commenting on some guys suicide is a some sort of game.

Um…

Mr.Papshmer said:
Someday, he’s going to run out of money, and he’ll run out of coke, and he’ll find that since he’s out of money and coke, all of his “friends” have left, and he’ll wake up next to a burrito wrapper behind a 7-11 somewhere, and he’ll either get help, or die.

…or some sort of joke?
kvon

Probably NOT wrong said:
Larry is an asshole regardless of subject, kv!
just sayin’

Let the adults talk…go play with your Sarah Palin action figures and play with your “Global Warming is a Fraud” coloring book.
Mr.Papshmer

kvon said:
…or some sort of joke?

I wasn’t joking, that’s exactly what’s going to happen to Sheen if someone doesn’t beat the shit out of him and shake him of the notion that he’s some sort of god. You, on the other hand, seemed to think that using Sheen as some sort of political pawn in a left v. right “game”, as you put it, is acceptable.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Arthur-Clough/1419363514 Arthur Clough

LOD trying to keep Sheen relevant due to his relationship with Charlies father. Pretty sad either way.
kvon

Mr.Papshmer said:
I wasn’t joking, that’s exactly what’s going to happen to Sheen if someone doesn’t beat the shit out of him and shake him of the notion that he’s some sort of god. You, on the other hand, seemed to think that using Sheen as some sort of political pawn in a left v. right “game”, as you put it, is acceptable.

Can you even read dumbass? I was critiquing Tommy for needlessly bringing Larry into this.
TeaPartyPatriot

Gadhafi and charlie sheen…

…Name two people whose careers are deader than a door nail.

Operators are standing by, so VOTE NOW:

Gadhafi vs. charlie sheen — which one of these despicable, depraved clowns is funnier?

Just think: if sheen overindulges on coke and hookers and gadhafi leaves his cushy ruler-for-life gig in Libya, the C(ertified)B(iased)S(ocialists) network will have an immediately replacement to star in “Two and a Half Men”. They don’t call the VD-infected and drug-crazed gadhafi the “charlie sheen of lybia” for nothing.

BTW: does anybody know if sheen is related to mel gibson? They seem to have a lot in common.

Will he sue? “Wouldn’t you? I’m out of a job. I got a whole family to support.”

…Sheen’s “family”: 18547 hookers and 4276 drug dealers.

Q: How can you tell that charlie sheen has stopped using drugs?
A: The economy of mexico collapses.

Q: How can you tell that charlie sheen is still using massive amounts of coke and other drugs?
A: He attends one of “You Lie!” hussein’s daily White House parties.
Mr.Papshmer

kvon said:
Can you even read dumbass? I was critiquing Tommy for needlessly bringing Larry into this.

kvon said:
Tommy…buddy…you can’t let these Conservatives get to you. DON’T PAY THE REPUBLICAN CRAZY TAX.

Yes, I can read, nutcheese.
Tommy Christopher

kvon said:
Okay, so every news show in America does a piece on Charlie Sheen and Larry O’Donnell is an asshole for some reason?

Where do I call O’Donnell an asshole? I liked his segment.
Tommy Christopher

kvon said:
Can you even read dumbass? I was critiquing Tommy for needlessly bringing Larry into this.

I won’t call you “dumbass,” but I will point you to my concluding paragraph:

“Lawrence O’Donnell speaks knowingly about the trouble that Charlie Sheen is in, and with regard to Sheen’s current trajectory, he’s right, it is sad. But the interview he uses to illustrate that downward spiral is much more a symptom of our own sickness than Sheen’s:”
OxyCon

A couple years ago, when I pretty much figured out what Obama is all about, I said that in this country we really love to build celebrities up and then tear them down. That is ingrained into our culture at this time.
Obama is on drugs…it’s called “Barack Obama”.
Probably NOT wrong

kvon said:
Let the adults talk…go play with your Sarah Palin action figures and play with your “Global Warming is a Fraud” coloring book.

Well, shit, k, THAT was a very ADULT thing to say.
If YOU are one of them adults you are referring to———-
Ah don’t wanna be!
Great AVATAR though. Makes you look menacing.
notsofast

kvon said:
Let the adults talk…go play with your Sarah Palin action figures and play with your “Global Warming is a Fraud” coloring book.

Why don’t you let the adults talk, son?

You never can stay on topic- this isn’t about SP or Global Warming lies.
tatboy

Never watched 2.5 men. Only movie with Sheen I’ve watched is Major League. It’s his life and his money so let me enjoy my popcorn and watch the only entertaining thing a Sheen has ever put to film.
valkyrie101

Seems like much of the condemnation against Sheen is that he too much resembles his tv character that people love.
whytee

Finally somebody says it. I completely agree with you on this one, Mediaite. Well said. Lately your site has been way too fast and loose with pandering to corporate talking points but I think you got this one right!
lazzzlo

Tommy said: ” I was overtaken, not by the spectacle of Sheen’s unraveling, but of the blithe interviewer pulling on the thread, and the voracious audience he serves. It didn’t make me sad, it made me angry.”

That might make sense for most of this audience as well.

I don’t want him to fail but I don’t want him to succeed either.
lazzzlo

notsofast said:
Why don’t you let the adults talk, son?

You have to stop referring to every one else as your child.
lazzzlo

If you want to sound Southern….you don’t say “your phrase” all the time.
lazzzlo

Only Matriarchs in the the South actually call other people “children”.
benchurchill

I think Charlie Sheen knows what he is doing. He’s working the celebrity/media routine. You don’t become as successful as him and then do this in public like this.

This reminds me of the Joaquin Phoenix documentary. He was doing it for the movie. I think Charlie Sheen is doing this for his career and control. It’s real, but manipulated.

There’s a VIDEO based on this theory. Judge for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4De9pWbQkL0

Thanks