The following is a guest contribution from Daniel Elsa. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at @dboy03.
The drama leading up to Super Bowl XLVI has never been greater. The game of the century includes two premier Quarterbacks playing at their highest level at the best possible time. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots will be making his fifth Super Bowl appearance, tying the great John Elway along the way. While the opposing Quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants will be making his second appearance with the hopes of winning his second title.
The pressure is on, the question is who will step up to the plate on the big stage in Indianapolis on February 5th, 2012 to stake their claim as the best football team in all of professional sports? Although Brady has been on this stage a record four times prior to this, a record of my era, the nerves are beginning to kick in. Brady, in speaking to Pats Pulpit via ESPN Boston “I think there is pressure for every player. It’s not necessarily me. There is certainly pressure on me, there is pressure on the coaches and the players. We’re expected to do our job at a very high level. You go into this game, where you’re playing your toughest opponent, there are only two teams that are playing in this that are still going.”
Including the preseason, regular season and now post season, this will be the third matchup overall between the two. The two sides are well acquainted with another. In week 4 of the preseason the Patriots fell to the Giants 18-17. Also, in week 9 the Patriots fell to the Giants 24-20 in which Manning lead the G-men on a 8 play 80 yard drive culminating with a 1 yard TD to TE Jake Ballard.
Did I mention each of these losses came with the Patriots at home? It’s safe to say the Giants have the Patriots number at Gillette stadium. This year’s Super Bowl will be taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium home of the Indianapolis Colts. An eerily similar stadium to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona home of the Arizona Cardinals, in which the New York Giants lead by Eli Manning put on the most improbable display in sports to beat the then undefeated New England Patriots.
One of the leading online sports book, TopBet has the New England Patriots slotted as a 3 point favorite. After opening at -3.5 for New England, and +3.5 for New York we have seen a large amount of money being placed on the Giants side, essentially driving book makers to the slot at -3 for New England and +3 for New York.
Hollywood movie studios are notorious for under-representing profits. On August 30, Napoleon Pictures filed a lawsuit against Fox Searchlight for $10 million in undisclosed profits derived from the hit indie Napoleon Dynamite. The plaintiff claims that the studio failed to pay them the full amount of home video royalties owed and also overstated deductions.
At the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, the breakout comedy had its choice of several distributors. One of the reasons that the producers chose Fox Searchlight was because of the high royalty payments that were promised. Napoleon Pictures also alleges breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation.
With stories such as this often surfacing in the press, one may ask ‘how do studios get away with this’? Some of the reasons are that plaintiffs require time and money to bring a lawsuit. Many younger artists may also be deterred by the public exposure and the possibility of earning a bad reputation.
Three legal verdicts handed down last year favored producers over studios. The first verdict was handed down by a unanimous jury in 2007 and affirmed by a California Court of Appeal last May. It concerned profit distributions by Warner Bros Entertainment Inc to a producer (Ladd) for the movies Police Academy, Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner. The total amount awarded to Ladd was a whopping $97 million.
In order to bring a profit participation case against a studio, artists commence the process by requesting an audit of the studio’s books. The artist will need to hire a professional studio auditing firm and work through their concerns with studio reps.
The term ‘net profit’ is defined in Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (‘GAAP’). In addition to GAAP, Financial Accounting Standards Bulletin 53 (‘FASB 53′) discusses when income from the exploitation of a motion picture is to be recognized as earned and when the cost of producing and distributing a motion picture is recognized as incurred.
What is surprising is that the reports to net-profit participants by studios do not follow GAAP or FASB 53. Instead, the reported net profit follows a complex document which explains the accounting methodology employed by the studio.
This document will often appear as a schedule to the participant’s employment agreement containing the studio’s Standard Profit Definition (‘SPD’). The accounting provisions which are contained in the studios SPDs make it difficult, if not mathematically impossible, in many cases, for net profits to ever be derived.
GAAP is based on the accrual method of accounting. The accrual method provides that revenue is recognized when it’s derived and expenses are recognized when they are incurred. In an SPD, revenue is recognized when cash is received (which can take an inordinate amount of time, if ever) and expenses are recognized when they are incurred. This mismatching of revenue and expenses will delay, possibly forever, the reporting of profits.
Lawyers representing net profit net profit participants can challenge SPDs for breach of contract; unconscionability of the SPD; and breach of fiduciary duty (amongst other remedies).
Gene Goodsell is a consulting lawyer at Burgess Sport & Entertainment Law and the Executive Manager of Gum Leaf Entertainment. Gene can be contacted at gene.goodsell@gumleafent.com; or gene@bselaw.com.au.
The following is a guest contribution from Daniel Elsa. Feel free to follow him on Twitter at @dboy03.
The man who is currently on top of the Golf World is Dustin Johnson, after winning the hurrican-shotened Barclays just two strokes ahead of the defending champion Matt Kuchar. Although the event was subject to be shortened due to incoming Hurricane Irene, 54 holes were played and the PGA Tour final leader board had Johnson on top. Johnson, 27, has now won 5 tournaments this year leaving none to ponder whether he is one of the top competitors in the golf game.
It seems no legitimate golf conversation can exist without at least one mention of Tiger Woods. Nonetheless, Johnson and Woods share an eerily similar feat. In fact, Dustin Johnson is only the second golfer to leave college and win in each of the first four years of being on the PGA Tour. The first to do so? Tiger Woods.
Critics oftentimes question a competitor’s desire to win, but Johnson seems to be making the golf game look easy. Coupled with a laid back approach and a new swag that appeals to the younger generation of golfers, we may be seeing the future of golf right before our eyes. Whether some like the new swag or not, which DJ has brought to the forefront of the PGA Tour, critics are now put to rest for the time being with the most recent victory at the Barclays. Johnson is now on top of the leader board at the Fed Ex Cup standings. The storm is looming, lookout for Dustin Johnson.
In the beautiful state of Arizona, with its high temperatures and seemingly endless days, we recommend cooling off and taking a trip down to one of the local Golf courses in the state of Arizona. Sitting atop the list of Best Arizona golf courses produced by golflink is the Grayhawk Golf Club Raptor Golf Course. The course was ranked in the top 10 of Golfweek Magazine’s America’s Best Public-Access Courses for Arizona 2005. We recommend you check it out by cooling off some steam and hitting the course for some good fun in the sun.
For those interested, here is a complete list of all Phoenix golf courses.
In the world of talent agencies there’s the big four; Creative Artist Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA), William Morris Endeavor (WME), International Creative Management (ICM), and then there’s everyone else. While there’s hundreds of other perfectly capable agencies, and even a few prominent ones that challenge the big four; CAA, UTA, WME, and ICM have set the standard for the rest of the agency world.
When you examine any one of the big four the thing that stands out the most is literally their size. They’re actually really “big,” CAA for instance has 10 offices, spanning the globe from Los Angeles to Beijing. William Morris has 5 offices, and employs well over a hundred agents. With their enormous size and far reaching influence they have become powerful symbols in more than just the entertainment industry.
While most people correlate the term “talent agency” to dealing strictly with actors and models, which may be true for most talent agencies, the big four have become major players in several other industries. Corporate Consulting for instance, has become a major revenue stream for the big four, as has branding and licensing. Several athletes have also now signed on with the big four to help increase their endorsement exposure. (E.g. WME represents world-class athletes such as Alex Rodriguez, Serena Williams, and Magic Johnson).
Another mechanism that separates the big four from the rest is their client demographics. If you were to walk through the front doors of ICM you may see the likes of Al Pacino, Samuel L. Jackson, Eminem, Beyoncé, and many other world class stars. The world’s biggest stars are represented by the world’s biggest agencies, and the big four have truly established themselves as representation to the stars.
The success of CAA, UTA, WME, and ICM didn’t happen over night though; years of hard work, mergers, and great individuals (Ari Emanuel – character Ari Gold from entourage is based off of) have been the recipe behind their success.
With all of that said though, it’s important to point out that while representation by one of the big four could be very helpful in progressing a young talents career there is other avenues for reaching success. There are literally hundreds of other good and capable agencies out there, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get signed by one of the big four right away, just like anything else, it takes time to climb to the top.
A great tool for comparing the big four is FindTheBest’s Talent Agencies Comparison. FTB’s tool allows you to compare the big four in a side-by-side view.
Ticketometer officially launched into beta with what may be a new
development in concert ticket sales and booking. They have created a new
tool that combines other successful concepts such as KickStart and
Groupon. Normally, a company entering into the concert ticket sales
industry doesn’t bring anything new to the table – but this isn’t
the case with Ticketometer.
Basically, an artist or his/her representation can set up a concert in
your town and specify a minimum amount of tickets that makes playing
there worth it. Booking a show is free and until this minimum amount is
met (or their lingo “set-off point”) the transactions won’t go
through. If for whatever reason the concert doesn’t take place, all
purchases are fully reimbursed. They also have an industry low service
fee at around $4.
For artists it’s a great way to test interest in a certain destination
and branch out into new markets. Gone are the days of low attendance,
with Ticketometer only shows that are up to snuff will actually happen.
In return, the fans partake in the tour selection and artists have new
negotiating power through predetermined results – a guaranteed product
to offer. Venues win too. They can potentially book empty nights by
letting artists compete to meet a setoff point.
Almost just as interesting as the concept itself is how limitless its
uses are. Big house agencies may not always know where their artists’
fans are centralized. A co-founder, Ardon Lukasiewicz said, “It has
been really exciting to see all the positive feedback from artists,
agents and managers. They bring new ideas to the table… one was to
book 20 shows with a famous artist and the first 15 shows to reach the
setoff point happen!” Their service can be used as a safety net,
negotiating factor or to maximize tour performance for all sizes of
artists.
You can see a demonstration of their ticket pages at www.ticketometer.com/u - which was posted by a Coldplay cover band along
side Chet Haze… Tom Hank’s son. The site, as you can see, is
eye-catching, intuitive and easy to navigate. After speaking to them
about the future of Ticketometer, they have a lot of new features and
development still ahead for their full launch. Feel free to sign up, and
if you’re an artist, big or small, I’d highly recommend that you
give it a try, you have nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain.
Choosing a talent agency can often be like selecting a college. It’s a huge decision that will greatly impact your future, and yet it’s a decision that is often made nearly blind. While you may take a visit on campus or get an interview with an agency representative, how much insight does that really lend into the next few years of your life?
Furthermore, narrowing your choices down can be confusing. That’s of course after you actually know what all your choices are. With thousands of registered talent agencies across America and even more internationally, finding an agency that meets your needs can be a daunting task. Luckily, there’s now a tool to help you; FindTheBest’s new Talent Agencies Comparison is an easy to use, objective based tool that helps every type of talent find a talent agency that best meets their needs.
FindTheBest’s talent agencies comparison allows users to sort and filter on a variety of different fields ranging from location and industries covered, to number of agents employed by each agency. For instance, if you were looking for a talent agency in Los Angeles that employs more than 100 agents and works with licensing intellectual property, you would be directed towards United Talent Agency (UTA), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), International Creative Management (ICM), and William Morris Endeavor (WME).
While the comparison covers all the top agencies in the world, it’s also a great starting point for any young talents out there looking for a talent agency in their backyard. All you have to do is type in your zip code or address into the location bar and all the agencies nearest to you will be filtered to the top of the search results.
Additionally, the comparison supplies a lot of useful information for each agency- such as office contact info, representation forms, and union affiliations, but it also makes for a fun resource. You can use the comparison to see who represents who in the entertainment industry. For instance Creative Artists Agency has an extensive list of notable clients; Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Steven Spielberg, and David Beckham to name a few.
Check out FindTheBest’s Talent Agency Comparison for making sure the agency you choose best meets your needs. It’s a fun interactive tool that can help make a difficult decision like choosing a talent agency much easier.
Mogul Entertainment is seeking experienced and motivated intern to assist in the day-to-day operations of organizing, promoting, marketing, managing and attaining sponsorship for the Takeover Tour featuring Imran Khan. The tour is set for September 16th – October 16th 2011. Interns will be given special tasks to complete on a daily basis in order to help prepare for the tour. Mogul Entertainment is constantly looking for new ways to increase the efficacy of our work. We are looking for individuals who force us to think outside the box – those who are willing and able to earn a position that utilizes their unique skill set and fits our particular needs. This job can be done remotely so long as the candidate is equipped with a laptop, Internet access and a hefty mobile/data package. We encourage candidates from across the country to apply.
Requirements:
Junior or Senior in college, or college graduate. Strong analytical ability. Extensive experience with Mac OS/Software; Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Preferences given to candidate who are adept at using i Movie, Final Cute Studio/Pro. Must be a self- starter, who is detail-oriented. Must possess a strong aversion to complacency.
Experience in the Entertainment/Music industry a big plus.
BRAVO is currently casting New Yorkers who are looking for love and would like help from a young, professional matchmaker.
They are looking for both men and women in the New York area who would like to have a supportive and nurturing matchmaker on their side as they search for love! The matchmaker will use her talent and expertise to set her clients up with someone who could be “the one.”
All applicants must:
• Live in the New York City area
• Be at least 21 years of age
• Currently be single & ready to meet the right person!
Anyone who is interested can feel free to email NYCSinglesCasting@gmail.com with the following information:
1. Name, age
2. Contact information (phone number, email address)
3. Occupation
4. Recent photo
5. Brief summary describing themselves and their ideal mate
The Spook is a 20 year old up and coming rapper from Australia. After moving throughout Asia, he has settled in Los Angeles to pursue his career as a rapper. He currently has downloadable content located at www.soundcloud.com/thespook. He also can be viewed on his YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/TheClocksTickin.
EAB: You have been a very frequent contributor to YouTube under your account “TheClocksTickin.” How old were you when you decided to record music and post your songs to YouTube?
The first song I ever uploaded to YouTube was when I was 14. It was just a joke song in which I took one of my best friend’s songs about pufferfish (metaphor) and made a parody out of it by switching all his serious lyrics into joke lyrics. You can find his YouTube under the name “AvidusVinco”; he recently just joined, and he’s been a big inspiration behind why I started to rap in the first place. Anyway, this parody song started to get a lot of comments and they actually told me to make more songs—I wasn’t that interested in YouTube as it was just getting started and I had no idea it would become as big as it is today, so I wasn’t committed to taking advantage of the new website; if I knew where it would be today, I would have recorded a million more videos and uploaded them before the huge tsunami of crap was uploaded there, making it impossible for anyone to find any of your stuff. Anyway, the next song I uploaded was to a contest held by Vanilla Ice and sponsored by TurboTax in which the first place prize was 25,000. Honestly, I didn’t care so much for the prize because I knew the contest was either rigged or had unfair voting—I just wanted to impress Vanilla Ice and show him that a little song I did at 15 years old is better than anything that fruitcake has done in his life. I eventually deleted that YouTube account and started a new one, mainly to promote my short films that dealt with world issues. I never really wanted to become a rapper for the sake of rapping to gain respect or fame or whatever else it is that others look for behind a mic. I only used rapping as a vehicle to drive my philosophies and the wisdom I’d accumulated from all the people and places I encountered in my life. After I realized it takes a lot of work to make a film and even more work to promote it and get people to actually watch it, I moved to rap, just because I always was a fan of artists like Tupac and Immortal Technique and was inspired by the way they used their fame to spread messages and opinions to a wide audience. I think one of the first songs I wrote was just a little verse about how there was a lot of ignorance going around about Muslims being evil and being terrorists. I recorded myself rapping the verses and uploaded the video to YouTube: I received praise from Muslims but a lot of hatred from people who disliked the religion. I even received a few death threats which made me laugh and shake my head at the same time—that just made me more inclined to make songs that pissed off ignorant people. After that video I began to make more songs and uploading, and eventually I just started making all sorts of songs.
EAB: You have received criticism for calling yourself “The Spook.” How did you select the name you would carry into your rap career?
Great question. Unfortunately, a lot of people are uninformed and have never heard of the term “homonym”, thus come to the ignorant conclusion, probably because they use Urbandictionary.com as their main source of information, that the term “spook” ONLY refers to the derogatory racial slur for Black people. “Spook” has several meanings actually, but the context in which I use it is the connection it has in the spiritual world of apparitions and spirits, both positive and negative energies. For a part of my childhood, I grew up in Indonesia and witnessed many of these paranormal activities and I believe that my time there deeply affected who I am as a person and artist. My rap name “The Spook” comes from a book called “The Spook’s Apprentice” by Joseph Delaney, and the Spook was a character who had extra senses to this 4th dimension or whatever you want to call it, and would fight off the evil spirits to protect the people of his town. The Spook was not a likable person and people often mistreated him or scowled him, despite the fact that he was saving their asses. I guess in a way, I try to do the same thing with my music, and ward off the evil prejudices in this world although the majority of people rather hear Little Wayne rap about lollipops.
EAB: You wrote a song in 2007 about the Darfur conflict. Many people cannot even locate Darfur on a map, yet your video managed to attract 30,000 views. What about your upbringing led you to pay attention to foreign policy at only 17 years old?
Well I’ve been interested in foreign policy since I’ve lived in many foreign countries and experienced how different cultures, religions and ethnicities live their daily lives and how their customs and ways of life shape who they are, what they believe in, and how they think. Basically what I gained from spending my childhood in countries outside of my own (Australia), is that no matter who you are or where you’re from, we’re all human and we all deserve respect, love and peace. However cliché that may sound doesn’t matter, because if you can’t accept those facts then you’re not worthy of being on this planet. I don’t think it’s acceptable for one race or group or nationality or religion or whatever to believe that they are superior to others. That was one of the major problems myself and thousands of others around the world could not tolerate with what was going on in Sudan. How can we just sit here watching Jersey Shore, talking about prom night or that new iPhone to buy when there’s women and children having their eyeballs ripped out of their sockets or tongues cut out from their mouths while completely conscious or their families being raped and burned alive in front of them, and do what? Simply ignore them? I don’t get it. Obviously some rap song I make isn’t going to make the slightest difference as to what’s going on in Darfur or anywhere else in the world at this moment, but at least it gets us who are more fortunate to understand how lucky we really are, and that maybe we should shift our attention away from the material life and into the human life and support our brothers and sisters around the world. People may say “don’t rap about Darfur, no one wants to hear that. We just want something to slap while we’re driving our whip drinkin 40’s and looking for innocent families to crash our car into”. Well my friend, that’s what Lil Wayne and Gucci Mayne are for. However, now that I’m more serious about this rap thing, I’m not going to solely make songs that promote thought and question our world, I’m also interested in making songs that you can chill to, party to, or whatever it is you may want. I’m down to do all styles, but I’ll never steer away from making conscious songs and sell out to the stuff that’s in the industry no matter how much money is waved in my face. That’s not why I’m doing this and that’s not what I’m trying to achieve. What I ultimately want to do is follow in the footsteps of Immortal Technique in the sense that he used all his profits from his music to create an orphanage in Afghanistan. He didn’t even publicize it either, he kept it on the low because he wasn’t looking for fame or praise from it—he’s a true example of an artist who does music for reasons he loves and has a passion for, not simply to make money to buy stupid looking chains to hang around his neck like soldier boy.
EAB: Where were you born? How many places did you live before you moved to Los Angeles
I was born in Sydney, Australia, and also grew up in Indonesia, China, Japan, the Bay Area and L.A. My father’s job included a lot of travelling. He never finished high school, instead he started working at a local K-Mart when he was a teenager and worked his way up to the top. He’s actually in Japan right now helping out with coordination of his employees after the 8.9 earthquake.
EAB: You have uploaded some very impressive “Freestyle Raps” (improvisational, unrehearsed lyrics) to various internet sources including YouTube. Why is freestyle rap important to you?
Freestyling is an aspect of rap that is just fun to experiment with and anyone who hates on freestyle rap doesn’t appreciate the art form of rap itself. Of course written rap will always be my preferred style but Freestyling is a way to embrace the creativity of spontaneously coming off the top of your mind. It’s obvious that free styled lyrics are far subpar to written ones and sometimes they may not make sense because you’re searching for a word to rhyme with what you just spontaneously came up with, and to connect that rhyme with an actual sentence is quite difficult. One of the reasons I find freestyling quite difficult compared to others is because I like to use what is called “multis” in which you rhyme more than one word during your lines. For example, let’s just use the word “interview”. A lot of freestylers may rhyme interview with “true,” “blue,” or “through.” What I like to do is take every syllable of the word and rhyme it with either another word or combination of words such as rhyming “interview” with “missed-a-clue.” The “missed a” rhymes with the “inter” and the “clue” rhymes with the “view”. I’ve basically developed a habit for this rhyme style which sometimes makes the lines not make sense because I’m too focused on finding other words to rhyme with it. So I’ve got a lot of practice ahead of me when it comes free styling which is why I like to focus on writtens because you can get out a message more clearly. Freestyling will always be fun and important though in the respect that it’s what built the foundations of rap music in the first place, so I don’t think people should abandon it anytime soon.
EAB: What will we be able to look forward from you in 2011? Any mixtapes for download or special collaborations?
I hope to drop a couple mixtapes this year–the main problem I have with creating mixtapes is finding beats that suit my style. I get hundreds of beats from friends or fans but they just don’t have the same intensity and feeling as the lyrics I want to put out there, which is pretty much why I always rap over instrumentals rather than original beats. Once I find a real dope producer I hope to have that change. I have a few collaborations lined up with people of interest but I won’t say who until it’s confirmed entirely. Currently I have some collaborations coming up with a new female singer, Ishraq Ali, who you can view at www.facebook.com/raqness. , and hope to also get in some good tracks in with a high school friend of mine, Ryan Stylez, who has just recently dropped his first single “Right Here Right Now” featuring The Cataracs.
EAB: Who are some artists or individuals who you look up to or you have been inspired by?
Tupac, Immortal Technique, Steve Irwin, Lupe Fiasco, Dali Lama, Obama, Jin, Eminem, Nate Dogg, Ghandi, Morgan Freeman (I actually interned at his film company for a year and he was an incredibly humble and passionate man), both my parents and family in America and overseas, Tonedeff, Ken Tate’, Ishraq Ali, Huey Jazz, Jack Johnson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dizaster, Charron, An0maly, Alyssa Marie, and Jacques Fresco (developer of The Venus Project).
EAB: So, what are your thoughts on Charlie Sheen?
Losing. Duhhhhh. He’s a character alright. I admire his passion and he’s actually quite smart, I mean, you don’t become the highest paid actor on television for nothing, but he certainly is in denial. The media are acting like vultures…feeding off of his dead body. The reason so many people are watching him is because they know he’s eventually gonna just lose it and crash.
EAB: Charlie Sheen seems to be moving to reality television. If you had a reality show, what would it be called and what would the concept center around?
Hmmm. probably something called something like “Look What You’ve Done” and it’ll be a reality show showing the effects of our materialism on other countries or places that are affected by the actions of us here. The effects of buying certain diamonds by taking a look at the daily lives of child soldiers in Sierra Leone, or by showing the effects of America’s drug addiction and displaying the daily lives of cartels or people that work to bring us drugs from Mexico or Columbia. My generation has been called the “MTV generation” for a reason. We’re being dumbed down by the second, in just the same way that MTV…which actually stands for MUSIC TELEVISION believe it or not, now shows barely any music and mostly reality shows about Jersey Shore or whatever other garbage they put on there that corrupts our brains. Speaking of Jersey Shore…why hasn’t Eminem dissed them yet? I guess I’ll have to do it. Time well spent in my opinion haha.
EAB: We’ll watch for it! Is there anything else you would like to share?
Yea I’d just like to give a shout out to Entertainment Agent Blog and Ken Tate’ for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed for the first time. He’s been a pretty nice guy and has been supportive of my songs no matter what they may be about. Also I wanna thank my father who just recently told me to continue rapping, while my mother told me the exact opposite. BIG SHOUT OUTS TO WAX! I’m proud to be your fan and it’s awesome to know that someone who is signed to Def Jam is also subscribed to my YouTube channel. Shout outs to all my fans! You’re the best. Peace!
Follow The Spook at www.YouTube.com/TheClocksTickin
Charlie Sheen has stolen all entertainment headlines and set the record for the fastest person to ever reach 1 million followers on Twitter in the Guinness Book of World Records.
For the regular consumer witnessing the events of the past two weeks, Sheen appears to be a nightmare of rants and raves, drug abuse, and sexually deviant behavior. For Entertainment agents, managers, script writers, networks other than CBS, and studios other than Warner Bros, Charlie Sheen is the quintessential blue print for the new age of maximizing potential for talent into the next decade. Despite the fact the hit show “Two and a Half Men” has ended with the release of Sheen, Sheen effectively created a new conversation in future business negotiations within his career. Now that he has nearly 2.5 million Twitter followers, he has created tangible proof that he has not lost his following and Charlie Sheen as a brand name is still big business. His leverage with studios and networks will be unlimited now that he has both established movie and television sitcom careers, and has demonstrated his ability to deliver in a reality television show format hosted by Ustream via Twitter, in which Sheen sounds off on leaders of CBS:
Even the Red Cross has jumped on the Charlie Sheen bandwagon, declaring via Twitter on March 2nd:
We may not collect #tigerblood, but we know our donors & volunteers have fierce passion for doing good! #RedCrossMonth
What we are witnessing is flatly amazing considering the depth and severity of allegations that Sheen has survived throughout his career. According to Perez Hilton.com, Charlie Sheen had faced the following allegations:
1990 – Sheen shot then-fiancee Kelly Preston with a .22 gun…accidentally of course…
1994 – Sued by a UCLA student for allegedly striking her in the head after “she refused to have sex.”
1996 – Arrested after adult film star girlfriend Brittany Ashlandclaimed Sheen “knocked her out and threatened to kill her.”
2006 – Denise Richards filed for divorce from Sheen and claimed he threw chairs at her and threatened to kill her, multiple times
2009 – Allegedly strangled Brooke Mueller, held a knife to her throat, and threatened to kill her, on Christmas Day
2010 – Adult film star Capri Anderson claimed Charlie “put his hands around her neck and threatened to kill her”
You don’t have to live in a Sober Valley Lodge to realize that Sheen was not a model citizen but remained in the spotlight the past twenty years because the American consumers and those tuning in from around the world forgive the lifestyles of A-list actors; however, reality television is produced more frequently than any other form of television show because of the ratio of production cost to revenue generated. As a result, this forgiveness has extended to unprecedented amounts and has resulted in common people such as the case of MTV’s Jersey Shore to become famous for socially unacceptable behavior they display on camera. Sheen’s rebellious approach to CBS by naming specific individuals within the corporation is not typical A-list actor behavior, and has turned him into the people’s champ. His “twitter trends” known simply as “winning” and “tiger blood” have become long running jokes that have been copied and repeated by millions throughout daily life when they log off their computers.
Sheen is a pioneer as an A-List actor who is embracing social media as a link into the “reality” aspect of the entertainment industry. Aside from releasing his personal live performance on Ustream, he has advertised for a “social media intern” to begin for 8 weeks this summer.
What Sheen is accomplishing is an A-list actor’s parallel to a professional athlete recovering from a scandal and still #winning. What we are witnessing is Shaq leaving the Lakers and Kobe Bryant striving to win more championships after being accused of rape. Sheen is no stranger to public controversy and he has demonstrated that even when large conglomerates such as CBS and Warner Brothers part ways with him, he still has millions of fans. The bottom line is determined by none other than us, the consumers, who continue to value the pizzazz, humor, and wit Sheen exudes on the screen.
Sheen’s most recent interviews have been described as “manic episodes” by some psychotherapists. In a world such as Hollywood, where the fast life of cocaine, sexually liberated women, and endless amounts of cash spent on alcohol is common place for men in Sheen’s position, one might view his fast chatter and declaration that he has “tiger blood” as the cry out of a man who is in need of help. Until consumers turn off the television, Sheen’s portrayal of a man on the road to recovery is not only entertainment, but also big business.
