In a statement issued late Tuesday, Jones said he had the highest regard for all of the people he has worked with on the comedy, including creator Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros studio chief Peter Roth.  — Photo by Reuters

NEW YORK: Teenage actor Angus T Jones of the comedy “Two and a Half Men” apologised Tuesday for a series of interviews denouncing his own show, an episode that has rivaled former colleague Charlie Sheen’s meltdown as an off-screen oddity.    

Speaking to religious media outlets, the 19-year-old Jones has called the CBS comedy “filth” and “very inappropriate” and talked about how his religious awakening has affected his attitude toward life and work.

“Two and a Half Men,” television’s third most popular comedy, remains heavy on sexual innuendo even with Ashton Kutcher replacing bad-boy Sheen following his firing for drug use and a subsequent public meltdown.

Jones, who started on the show when he was 10, plays Jake Harper, son of the uptight character portrayed by Emmy winner Jon Cryer.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, Jones said he had the highest regard for all of the people he has worked with on the comedy, including creator Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros studio chief Peter Roth.

“I apologise if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed,” said Jones, who reportedly makes $350,000 an episode. “I never intended that.”

Jones wasn’t at the studio lot for a rehearsal on Tuesday. He’s not scheduled to appear on the two episodes that are being filmed before the end of the year, said a person close to the show who spoke on condition of anonymity because Warner Bros and CBS haven’t commented publicly on Jones.

His character has recently joined the Army and his airtime has been cut down. His real-life adventure came to light on Monday, when he said in a video posted by the Forerunner Chronicles in Seale, Ala., featured him talking about not wanting to be on “Two and a Half Men” anymore.

“Please stop watching it,” Jones said. “Please stop filling your head with filth.”

In a radio broadcast, “The Voice of Prophecy,” recorded for the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Jones’ birthday in October, Jones described his religious path. He has been attending a Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Los Angeles area.

Jones said he felt drawn to God after a tough time in his life when his parents were going through a divorce and he experimented with drugs.

“I never drank,” he said. “That was one thing God protected me from, and I’m still a virgin. God protected me from those things.”

Jones said that “it’s very weird that I’m on a television show, especially now that I am trying to walk with God. My television show has nothing to do with God and doesn’t want anything to do with God.”

Still, he said he had no plans to get out of his contract.

In another interview posted on Tuesday with Christianity Today, Jones described himself as a “paid hypocrite.”

“Even though it’s my job to be an actor, I have given my life to God,” he said. “I am very comfortable and firm in that, but I still have to be on this show. It’s the No. 1 comedy, but it’s very inappropriate and the themes are very inappropriate. I have to be this person I am not.”

“Two and a Half Men,” which has seen its ratings tumble this fall with a move to Thursdays, is now behind “The Big Bang Theory” and “Modern Family” in the comedy ratings

TV show ‘Anger Management’ poster. — File Photo

BEVERLY HILLS: Charlie Sheen says he’s not insane anymore.

Instead, these are good days for the “Anger Management” star, he declares, with his FX cable TV comedy half-way through its initial 10-episode run and poised to get an order for 90 more.

Sheen told reporters Saturday that the prospect of continuing is as “exciting as hell,” and he added cheerily, “I don’t think 90′s gonna be enough.”

With the expected pickup, FX plans to bring aboard Sheen’s dad, Martin Sheen, as a recurring cast member. He will play the father of Charlie Goodson, the anger-management therapist played by Charlie Sheen.

The veteran movie actor, who also played President Jed Bartlet on the drama series “The West Wing,” is guest-starring on an “Anger Management” episode that airs Aug. 16.

“I think that was the best episode we did,” his son said.

Adding Sheen’s father to the series “will give an extra dimension and make it a multi-generational family show,” said FX boss John Landgraf in making the announcement.

The production schedule would call for filming a total of 100 episodes in just two years. This kind of cost-saving routine means no time for rehearsals, said executive producer Bruce Helford.

“The actors get the lines, we see the scene, the writers make changes, the actors go to makeup, cameras are blocked, we come back together and shoot the scene,” he explained.

At first, the cast members “felt like basically they were on the ledge. But by the third episode, everyone found the characters to the point that the writers were following their lead,” Helford said.

“I feel like how we started, we just scratched the surface — barely,” said Sheen, who arrived for his appearance at the Television Critics Association session clad in Bermuda shorts, a long-sleeve shirt and loafers without socks.

He likened his tumultuous departure from “Two and a Half Men” and the stormy aftermath last year to a dream he couldn’t wake up from. Or like “a train I couldn’t get off of, except that I was the conductor,” he added, speaking in quick bursts and fidgeting in his chair.

He said he learned a lot from that period, including “stick to what you know.” Referring to his disastrous “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option” tour in spring 2011, he got laughs from the group when he advised, “Don’t go on the road with a one-man show in 21 cities without an act.”

“I’m not insane anymore,” he summed up.

What’s different now from Sheen’s angry stretch on “Men,” characterized by his much-publicized clashes with series creator Chuck Lorre?

Helford weighed in with a theory. On “Men,” he ventured, “Charlie didn’t really have a voice with creative input. It wasn’t built that way.”

On “Anger Management,” Helford said he’s forged a partnership with his star.

“We built this together,” he said. “And when Charlie’s on the stage, that’s his stage. When you feel that, your creative juices are flowing, everything is better for you, because you have a say in what you’re doing.

“When you don’t control your destiny, things get screwed up in your head,” he said as Sheen nodded.

On “Anger Management,” Charlie Goodson thrives on chaos. Sheen was asked if he does, too, or if he longs for a simpler life.

“I can wish every minute for a simple life. It’s not gonna happen,” Sheen replied. “But I don’t really look at it as chaos. I look at it as challenges.”

TV show ‘Anger Management’ poster. — File Photo

LOS ANGELES: The first episode of Charlie Sheen’s new comedy “Anger Management” opens with the actor hitting a punching bag and shouting: “You can’t fire me. I quit!” It ends with his character jumping into bed with a hot chick.

That behavior may look and sound like the character on his old TV show, hit comedy “Two And a Half Men,” as well as the real-life Sheen. But the Hollywood bad boy who was fired from “Men” last year in a public dispute with its makers, insists that “Anger Management,” which debuts on the FX network on Thursday, is different.

“Anger Management” creator Bruce Helford agrees. “It’s a really interesting evolution for Charlie Sheen, as well as for the character,” Helford told Reuters.

Sheen’s character on “Men”, Charlie Harper, was a boozing, womanizing bachelor who had failed to grow up. The new Charlie Goodson on “Anger Management” has a teenage daughter and is fully aware he needs to deal with his anger.

Sheen, 46, has said in a YouTube promotion that Goodson is “really smart, really funny. I think it’s going to be refreshing for people to see this character, unlike a guy (Harper) who has two moves – drunk and drunker.”

“C’mon,” he quips as he walks away unscathed from an explosive train wreck in another video promotion for the new series, “everyone deserves a 24th chance.”

But if Sheen’s fans tune in on Thursday, they will be right to think that both Charlies – the thrice divorced actor and one-time cocaine addict with a penchant for call girls and the skirt-chasing TV character Harper – sound a lot like this new creation.

Indeed, “Anger Management” therapist Goodson is divorced and sex mad – at least initially.

“Charlie and I both agreed that for the first couple of episodes, people are going to be watching largely because of all that craziness last year. So we thought, let’s have some fun with that,” Helford told Reuters.

“But by episode three, it’s got to be about the show and the characters. Charlie has moved on from that. He is trying to prove himself, make amends,” Helford added.

Bad boy makes amends

In a recent interview for the July issue of Playboy magazine, Sheen called the weeks and months after his March 2011 firing from “Men,” a “psychotic break.”

That period included bizarre rants on YouTube in which he boasted of having tiger blood in his veins and his live stage show, “My Violent Torpedo of Truth: Defeat is Not an Option,” that initially bombed with fans.

During his years on “Two And a Half Men,” Sheen would admit sharing some common traits with Harper, but Helford said Goodson – a former minor league baseball player turned anger therapist with more problems than his patients – was “way more mature” than the old character.

On “Men,” Helford said Sheen had little influence in terms of character and plot. “He was a hired gun. He was there. The show had been created. They didn’t run the stories by him.”

So when the two men sat down to discuss “Anger Management,” Sheen was keen to make a contribution – and change direction.

“He really didn’t want to play that juvenile guy who was just chasing girls all the time and who was kind of a joke. He is a much smarter, more complicated, more sophisticated character,” said Helford.

And the actor was keen to make amends. One of Sheen’s ex-wives – Denise Richards – appears in a guest role on “Anger Management,” and Sheen’s dad, “The West Wing” actor Martin Sheen, portrays his father in one episode.

“Charlie wanted to work with Denise and he wanted to work with his dad. He gets to do a lot of wish fulfillment,” Helford said. “Now, we are all waiting for America to tell us if they like it.”

Charlie Sheen played a hedonistic bachelor in “Two and a Half Men” but he was fired for slamming its producer Chuck Lorre. — Photo AFP

MONTREAL: Quebec pranksters revealed Monday they convinced actor Charlie Sheen to star in a sequel to the Oscar-winning silent film “The Artist.”

Marc-Antoine Audette, a Montreal radio personality known locally as half of the duo Masked Avengers, pretended to be the film’s award-winning actor Jean Dujardin in a telephone call to Sheen, once television’s highest-paid actor.

He told Sheen in an exaggerated French accent that he wanted to make a comedy with him to raise money for a foundation against dictators.

Sheen congratulated Dujardin on his Oscar win.

“Thank you for considering me, that’s very sweet,” he also said, accepting the offer despite at times being unable to understand what the caller was saying.

Sheen earned $2 million per show for his role as a hedonistic bachelor in “Two and a Half Men” but he was fired for slamming its producer Chuck Lorre in a rant described by his bosses as part of a “self-inflicted disintegration.”

The two Montreal pranksters have also snared Bill Gates, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, even Sarah Palin during the 2008 US election, in their gags.

Jon Cryer (3rd R) poses with his TV series “Two and a Half Men” co-stars (L-R) Marin Hinkle, Conchata Ferrell, Ashton Kutcher, Angus T. Jones and Holland Taylor during a ceremony honoring Cryer with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles September 19, 2011. - Reuters Photo

NEW YORK: Both Ashton Kutcher and Charlie Sheen have something to brag about during their big nights on television.

Kutcher’s debut as Sheen’s replacement in the CBS sitcom ”Two and a Half Men” was seen by 27.8 million people on Monday. The Nielsen Co. said Tuesday that was more than any other episode in the show’s first eight seasons, when Sheen was the star.

The sitcom’s previous best came in May 2005 following the final episode of ”Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Meanwhile, Sheen appeared Monday as the ”victim” of a Comedy Central roast that reached 6.4 million people. That is the second most-watched telecast in the cable network’s history, behind only Jeff Dunham’s holiday special in 2008.

The season-opening episode of ”Two and a Half Men,” television’s most popular comedy, was much anticipated. Producers kept it a secret how they would kill off Sheen’s character and introduce Kutcher’s.

Sheen had been fired from the show last season for drug use and erratic behavior. He launched a weekslong tirade against his bosses, including show creator Chuck Lorre, and Lorre got revenge in Monday’s episode.

Sheen’s Charlie Harper character was killed when he was hit by a subway train in Paris.

Meanwhile, Kutcher appeared as an Internet billionaire unsuccessful in a suicide attempt over a crumbled relationship. He fell right into the show’s randy ways, picking up two women during a bar visit that same night.

The success of ”Two and a Half Men” gave a boost to the premiere of CBS’ new comedy ”2 Broke Girls” that followed it. That show had an audience of 19.2 million, the largest audience for a fall sitcom premiere since ”Inside Schwartz” a decade ago.

The veteran CBS comedy ”How I Met Your Mother” had its best season premiere numbers. By contrast, the season premiere of ”Hawaii Five-0” had a relatively modest audience of 12 million.

Actor Jon Cryer poses beside his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at Cryer's star presentation ceremony September 19, 2011 in Hollywood, California. Cryer, one of the stars of the television show “Two and a Half Men,” was honored with the 2,449th star on the famous Hollywood walk. - AFP Photo

LOS ANGELES: Charlie Sheen’s former co-star Jon Cryer lauded the troubled actor Monday for burying the hatchet with the makers of “Two and a Half Men,” while adding that being sacked probably saved his life.

Cryer, speaking as he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, thanked Sheen a day after the perennially-troubled actor used the Emmys show to wish his former colleagues best wishes.

“I do have to say a real word of thanks to my co-star of eight years, Charlie Sheen, who gave me so much as a performer and who I enjoyed working with so much,” said Cryer.

“But perhaps, more importantly, I feel the need to thank (show co-creators) Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn, who when they saw somebody who was clearly in distress, took every possible means to try to help their friend,” he added.

Sheen, who earned $2 million a show for his role as a hedonistic bachelor, hit the headlines – and became an Internet sensation – when he launched a series of colorful and sometimes rambling attacks on Lorre.

The party-loving actor was eventually fired in March for slamming its producer Chuck Lorre in outbursts described by his bosses as part of a “self-inflicted disintegration.””When it came time to make the ultimate decision, which was someplace that nobody wanted to go, (they) did something that in my belief saved my friend Charlie Sheen’s life,” said Cryer.

Sheen has appeared chastened in chat-show appearances in the last week, and used an appearance on the annual Emmys television awards show Sunday night to wish his former “Two and a Half Men” colleagues well for the coming season.

There was no on-stage reconciliation with his replacement on the show, Ashton Kutcher, but after the show Sheen tweeted a picture of himself and Kutscher together, with the tweet: “Giving the new kid a little advice..!”.

“Two and a Half Men” has been a hit since it was launched in 2003 and has been nominated for numerous awards, including nods for Sheen at the Emmys and Golden Globes.

Its new series, starring Kutcher, was due to open on CBS on Monday night, almost at the same time as a Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen show in which the actor faces some honest commentary from colleagues.

Sheen is also due to star in a new television series, “Anger Management,”based on the 2003 movie starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson.

FILE - In this May 18, 2011 file photo, actors, from left, Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher and Angus T. Jones attend the 2011 CBS Upfront party in New York. The three actors are a comfortable fit with each other and for the revamped “Two and a Half Men,” which returns Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. EDT for its ninth season, minus Charlie Sheen. - AP Photo

LOS ANGELES: Perenially troubled actor Charlie Sheen held out an olive branch Sunday to his former bosses on hit TV show “Two and a Half Men” – and even cuddled up with his replacement, Ashton Kutcher.

Sheen, who was sacked from the show in March after criticizing its producer and then went on a months-long public meltdown, has appeared chastened in chat-show appearances in the last week, as his new TV show airs this week.

“I want to take a moment to get something off my chest and say a few words to everybody here from ‘Two and a Half Men,’” Sheen said, before announcing the winner of the best actor Emmy, or what he called “my old category.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season. We spent eight wonderful years together and I know you will continue to make great television,” he said.

Kutcher, who joined the show in May, drew laughter when he came on later in the show to present another category’s winner, deadpanning: “I am not Charlie Sheen.”

There was no on-stage reconciliation, but after the show Sheen tweeted a picture of himself and Kutscher together, with the tweet: “Giving the new kid a little advice..!”.

A later tweet, using Kutcher’s Twitter name @aplusk, added: “Seriously…@aplusk great talking to you! We’ll all be watching! Make us proud!!” Sheen, who earned $2 million a show for his role as a hedonistic bachelor, was fired from “Two and a Half Men” for slamming its producer Chuck Lorre in outbursts described by his bosses as part of a “self-inflicted disintegration.”

“Two and a Half Men” has been a hit since it was launched in 2003 and has been nominated for numerous awards, including nods for Sheen at the Emmys and Golden Globes.

Sheen’s new show is due to screen Monday evening, at almost exactly the same time as the return of “Two and a Half Men” on CBS with Kutcher in the lead.

The actor’s Emmys olive branch came after he has sounded contrite in a number of TV appearances ahead of the first airing Monday of his new show, Comedy Central’s “Roast of Charlie Sheen.”

“I would have fired my ass, too,” Sheen told Jay Leno on the Tonight Show last week, adding: “I might have overshot the mark a little bit. But these were just metaphors.

“I didn’t really believe I had tiger blood or Adonis DNA,” he said, referring to things he said during several months of erratic TV and other media appearances, which drew him a cult following online. “These were just jokes,” he said.

Actors Charlie Sheen (L) and Ashton Kutcher are seen in this combination file photograph. – Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Ashton Kutcher has moved into the star role on the hit US television series “Two and a Half Men” – and US celebrity media revealed Monday how Charlie Sheen’s character dies in the show.

Kutcher joined the cast after Sheen, who earned $2 million per episode for his role as the erratic, hedonistic bachelor, was famously fired from the show in March for slamming its producers in outbursts that Warner Brothers described as part of his “self-inflicted disintegration.”

Sheen’s character, jingle writer Charlie Harper, “slips” in the Paris subway soon after he was caught cheating on his wife right after their wedding, is hit by a train and dies in a “meat explosion,” according to entertainment website TMZ.com.

Kutcher, 33, agreed to join the cast in May and enters the show ensemble as a brokenhearted Internet billionaire.

“Two and a Half Men” has been a hit since it was launched in 2003 and has been nominated for numerous awards, including nods for Sheen at the Emmys and Golden Globes.

“Preparing to tape the first ep of 2.5. Little nervous. All will be revealed!” Kutcher announced on his Twitter account Friday just before filming for the new season began.

Kutcher rose to fame as the handsome, dim-witted Michael Kelso in the TV comedy “That 70s Show.” He also produced the practical joke show “Punk’d” and has starred in a handful of movies. He is married to actress Demi Moore, 48.

Filming of “Two and a Half Men” was canceled for the rest of the season in February following Sheen’s public tirades against producer Chuck Lorre.

In addition to his reported substance abuse, Sheen, 45, had several run-ins with the law in the 1990s in cases related to drugs, domestic violence and prostitution.

Sheen turned his talents to the Internet, then went on tour with a live comedy show, entitled the “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option” in which he talked about being fired from the show.

He is is suing Warner Brothers studios for $100 million for alleged breach of contract after the show was canceled.

This 2009 file photo shows Charlie Sheen in Los Angeles. Former Two and a Half Men star Sheen is planning a return to series television in “Anger Management,” a new sitcom based on the 2003 film of the same name. No network is attached to the series, which will be produced by Lionsgate Television and distributed by a subsidiary, Debmar-Mercury, the company announced Monday, July 18. - AP Photo

LOS ANGELES: Charlie Sheen is to return to the small screen in a TV series about anger management, he said Monday, four months after being sacked from a mega-hit show for a string of rants about its producers.

The troubled US actor, who was fired “Two and a Half Men” in March, said he thought “Anger Management” – based on the 2003 movie starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson – would suit his talents and ambitions.

“I chose ‘Anger Management’ because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept,” Sheen said, with apparent irony.

“It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth,” he said.

The 45-year-old actor is suing Warner Brothers studios for $100 million for alleged breach of contract after “Two and a Half Men” was canceled for the rest of the season following Sheen’s public tirades against producer Chuck Lorre.

Sheen has in the past boasted of his own wild lifestyle and drug binges but claimed to have single-handedly defeated addiction, arguing that he was able to work.

But the show’s producers insist he had breached his contract, and in May announced Twitter-friendly actor Ashton Kutcher as his replacement for a ninth season, due to be broadcast on CBS later this year.

Sheen became an Internet sensation amid the sacking row and went on tour with a live comedy show, entitled the “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option” tour.

“Two and a Half Men,” about hedonistic jingle writer Charlie Harper, has been a hit since it was launched in 2003 and has been nominated for numerous awards, including nods for Sheen at the Emmys and Golden Globes.

In November, the star filed for divorce from his wife of two years, days after being taken to the hospital following the reported drunken incident at a luxury New York hotel involving a porn star.

In addition to his reported substance abuse, Sheen had several run-ins with the law in the 1990s in cases related to drugs, domestic violence and prostitution.

Actor Ashton Kutcher speaks during a news conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in this November 4, 2010 file photo. - Photo by Reuters

NEW YORK: Pressed by a deadline to keep TV’s most popular sitcom alive after it was derailed by Charlie Sheen’s personal troubles, CBS and Warner Bros. Television said Friday that Ashton Kutcher will replace Sheen in ”Two and a Half Men.”

The show resumes production this summer and will be on CBS’ schedule in the fall, with Kutcher playing a new character, not Sheen’s Charlie Harper.

The deal apparently came together quickly, following reports earlier this week that negotiations with film actor Hugh Grant to join the show had fallen through. Kutcher is familiar to television audiences through his role on Fox’s ”That 70s Show,” film roles like the romantic comedy ”No Strings Attached” and for producing and hosting the prank show ”Punk’d.”

A deadline on deciding whether the show would continue was looming, with CBS set to unveil its fall schedule to advertisers in New York next Wednesday.

Kutcher is not as well known as Sheen but is 12 years younger and has a huge following of fans who check in on his every utterance on Twitter. He said Friday he believes that ”we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers’ homes.

”I can’t replace Charlie Sheen but I’m going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people,” Kutcher said.

Kutcher’s quote was the only mention of Sheen in Friday’s news release. Warner cut short the show’s eighth season and fired Sheen two months ago following his public implosion through hard partying and angry criticism of show creator Chuck Lorre.

”We are so lucky to have someone as talented, joyful and just plain remarkable as Ashton joining our family,” said Lorre, also the show’s executive producer. ”Added to that is the deep sigh of relief knowing that our family stays together. If I was any happier, it’d be illegal.’

Neither Lorre or CBS executives made themselves available to address what sort of character Kutcher would play or how he would be integrated into a show where Sheen’s character was the comic center, portraying an advertising jingle writer with a playboy lifestyle not unlike the actor’s own. Jon Cryer portrays Sheen’s brother, and Angus T. Jones plays Cryer’s son.

Sheen offered his replacement a welcome on Friday – sort of.

”Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer … Oh, wait, so am I,” Sheen said.

”Enjoy the show, America,” he said. ”Enjoy seeing a 2.0 in the demo every Monday, WB.”

Sheen used TV lingo to predict failure for the revamped ”Two and a Half Men.” He referred to a 2.0 Nielsen Co. rating among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that advertisers often seek. This season, ”Two and a Half Men” averaged a 4.1 rating in that group.

Actually, Kutcher might be expected to have a younger following than Sheen and one which could be curious about his new role. The difficulty might be the older makeup of CBS’ audience in general, more Sheen’s crowd than Kutcher’s.

”He’s not a star, I don’t think, the way Charlie Sheen is,” said Brad Adgate, an analyst for the firm Horizon Media. ”He’s more like a supporting cast.”

Still, Adgate said, ”it’s a hit show and it’s something worth trying before you pack it in. You just never know.”

Sheen, in his statement, advised Kutcher to ”Enjoy planet Chuck … There is no air, laughter, loyalty or love there.” That’s a reference to his feud with former boss Lorre.