I shouldn't legitimize this with a response but never-the-less...the mind wanders and eventually draws conclusions from such a bizarre episode in pop-culture

You know how these days its somehow cool, maybe even hip to frame Ronald Reagan as some sort of economic visionary rather than the harbinger of the debt crisis that threatens to destroy America now? (Credit Cards?? We STARTED that!!! Yerrrr Welcome!!!)

I figure in this age of media blitzkrieg, instantaneous update, tweety-tweets and facey-spaces, that relatively speaking its been long enough since Charlie Sheen's interview that our general sense of horror and discomfort at seeing someone we assumed was over the top but at least somehow practical or normal in appearance (there's a vast segement of the population that would just assume romanticize as criticize the drugs booze and sex) that we can now look back on the golden age of this foul product of our own fascinations and remember the laughter and fun it originally brought us, in a more care-free (wolf, leonard, moke) and ignorant time.

The Chase - 1994

Thats epic.

Starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson (Sci-Fi tie in.. Kristy is best known as the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was written and directed by Joss Whedon of course, and where-in she co-starred with Luke Perry, 90's iconic 50's rip-off hunk, and Paul Reubens, better known as the illustrious  and equally if not more iconic Pee-Wee Herman)
Directed by Adam Rifkin. Adam has written and or directed at least 17 major studio releases that are completely unworthy of mention.

The Chase also co-stars two icons of what was then arguably the more stylish and possibly intellectual end, but in any event extremely Los Angeles-y Punk Rock scene in the forms of Flea, Bass Player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Henry Rollins, the former frontman of Black Flag and dark-metal poet. Ironically, they appear as police officers, and partners to boot.

I remember thinking that Charlie Sheen was so undeniably cool in this movie. He accomplishes a lot, kidnapping Swanson using a candy bar and eventually dragging her so far into Stockholm Syndrome that he is able to bang her IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT WHILE DRIVING all the while the subject of an All Points Bulletin hot pursuit full-on legendary OJ-style police car chase. Its epic. And you root for him the whole time.

The only other movie I really think bears mention for Charlie is Major League. There is nothing to say about Platoon that hasn't already been said. A lot of people point to his performance as somehow groundbreaking or stand out and revelatory, clearing the way for Sheen to put out a slew of fantastic character-driven dramas... what were people thinking? I don't think he even comes off as convincing during most of Platoon and the full-on narrative he delivers is just painful. Its kind of fitting when he gets high by taking a pull off a marijuana smoke-filled M-16 though. The best part about Charlie Sheen appearing in Platton was to allow for the set-up of the joke in Hot Shots part Deux when, while driving a boat down a jungle river, Charlie's internal narrative is interrupted by the narrative of a passenger on a boat headed the opposite direction, who turns out to be his father Martin Sheen...upon seeing one and other, they both exclaim....wait for it.... " I LOVED YOU IN WALL STREET"

Major League - 1989

Yikes! Probably wont be climbing any trees!

Starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and the guy who became Black President David Palmer on 24 which, when you really think about it, probably allowed the general public to take a more sympathetic view of a Black Man in the White House when the time came to decide on really casting your vote with him in 2008... just a possibility.

Tom Berenger, coincidentally, stars along side Sheen in Platoon, and ends up letting Willem Dafoe get killed (on his knees, raising hands to the skies, multiple gunshots ensue...) I can't find a really good sci-fi tie-in for Berenger but I'm almost positive one exists. Personally he is immortalized for me in The Substitute...and weirdly, I just became one of those... hmmmm (guys, thats what blogs are for, so I can stream of conscious connect all these things loud rant-style! Gimme some room!)

Major League is classified as one of the archtypical bumbling sports stories and its heroes are hard to deny, though Sheen is not the slick ball of overconfidence and venomous-looking incisors he was by the time The Chase was released. Berenger plays the real turn-around character, struggling to find recognition in the twilight of his career and remain relevant to a sport, its new stars, and most importantly his ex-wife. Sheen's Ricky Vaughn/ Wild Thing character is as iconic a movie sports star as there can be. Since I was born in Youngstown, Ohio the city my mother grew up in, the plot's use of the Indians as the franchise of note, a team so bad that its owners hatch a plan to disband the franchise and liquidate the assets by sabotaging the plans of the manager and veteran players and introducing younger players seemingly with so little experience that they won't be able to play at the major league level. A few years back when Jonathan Papelbon cut his hair in the style of Ricky Vaugn ( a buzzered sort of tiger-swatch in the back of his head) reportedly upon losing a bet with Jason Varitek, fan response was immediate and approving. Sheen certainly cast Ricky Vaughn as the perfect underdog. Almost retarded but with just enough latent skill to make you want to seem him win.


At this point I feel like I actually could go on and on, I think I must have accidentally drank my own Kool-Aid (never get high on yer own supply) because now I wanna spend time on Wall Street and tip my cap to the fairly high-ranking comedies that are the Hot Shots! franchise.... love Lloyd Bridges!

But I'm gonna let it go. Sheen looks like a man who doesn't totally understand what is going on around him after tonights debacle. It is sad and frightening because he appears to seriously need medical help. And it's sad and frightening that I can already predict which quotes I'm going to hear from co-workers and aquaintences tomorrow (hopefully not from too many of my close friends, they should know better). I don't have anything else to say about this right now. We should all be letting it sink in and then go home and figure out how to change our lives for the better.