Bret Easton Ellis on Charlie Sheen.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-12/bret-easton-ellis-how-charlie-sheen-is-giving-us-what-we-want/

What's fascinating about Ellis' article is his use of the word "Empire" to describe earnest, there-are-rules Mainstream Show Business.  Also, it deserves mention that Ellis is trying overhard to project a sort of Patrick Bateman-meets-Howard Beale status onto Sheen's recent hubris.

A friend of mine and I were driving out to Santa Monica the other day and the topic of Charlie Sheen came up--specifically what I refer to as Sheen's upcoming Spoken Rant tour (the opportunity to pay at least $35 to see and hear the kind of stuff that Charlie has given America on radio, TV and the Internet).

He said that, yes, people will go see him at first.

And then, he implied that it will be a phenomenon that won't last.

I have no reason to disagree with my friend's assessment.

And the Michael Jackson news continues.....

Here's a link to the TMZ coverage about the actual parents of Michael's first two children (apparently not him and Debbie Rowe), plus the announcement of the public viewing of the body on Friday at Neverland Ranch:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/30/jackson-rowe-not-te-biological-parents/?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl1link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tmz.com%2F2009%2F06%2F30%2Fjackson-rowe-not-te-biological-parents%2F

Sportswriter in flames over Michael Phelps' pot smoke.

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2009/02/03/phelps-vow-to-kids-goes-up-in-smoke/

No comment except to say that this kind of cultural conservative "you must be a nonsinning role model 24/7/365" hysteria will probably eclipse a recent TMZ scoop about Miley Cyrus and some of her posse pulling their eyelids back to enact the timeless dumb and demeaning stereotype of Asians: http://www.popeater.com/music/article/miley-adds-racist-gag-to-already-long/326727