My Life as a Couch Potato

I watched a full episode of "Two and a Half Men" on Monday night, and I can't say that I'm not more than a little bit ashamed. However, I truly must confess that watching the program alone isn't what did this to me. The problem is that, and this isn't easy to say - I actually laughed out loud while I was watching it. I found myself thinking of Charlie Sheen as an "adorable scamp." (Damn those marketers and "spin" masters.) Despite his character's gross womanizing (where did they come up with that surprising characterization?), I found most of his antics quite amusing rather than despicable. I like the way he "tells it like it is." I loved his unapologetic behavior. And, then I started to wonder if Charlie Sheen really might be one of the smartest/most charming people that has ever lived. I mean, seriously, not many people can bounce back from public drug addiction and hooker obsessions. After all, this is the guy who, when asked why he paid women to have sex with him when he was a huge star, answered, "I don't pay them to come. I pay them to leave afterwards." He chain smokes and gambles. And, yes, he is attractive, but not more so than a lot of other people in Hollywood. There should not be anything redeeming about Charlie or his television persona. And, yet, I still like him. (This probably explains some of my relationship problems, but let's leave that out of the conversation for now. My attraction to Tom Skerritt leaves me with enough of an issue to work through on a daily basis.) Really, I think if Charlie Sheen decided to run for political office we'd all be in trouble. It would be like raising Clinton to some exponential power, and I don't think the world is ready for that... P.S. I also would like to mention that despite Charlie's raucous behavior, I still thought Denise Richards was marrying up when she got him. (Eyebrows and roots really aren't that hard to manage, Denise. After all, you were on a quickly cancelled UPN program. You married a man who spent thousands of dollars on prostitutes. You obviously have standards.) And, I'm permanently placing myself on Team Locklear.