Police showed up to Ashton Kutcher's house ready to defend the actor from a home intruder ... only to realize it was ANOTHER false alarm ... but this time swatters were not to blame.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops rushed to Ashton's L.A. digs around 5:30 AM earlier this week after a friend (who was crashing at his pad) heard a scary noise, thought there was an intruder and pressed the panic alarm on the security system.
Read the whole story at TMZ
Police showed up to Ashton Kutcher's house ready to defend the actor from a home intruder ... only to realize it was ANOTHER false alarm ... but this time swatters were not to blame.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops rushed to Ashton's L.A. digs around 5:30 AM earlier this week after a friend (who was crashing at his pad) heard a scary noise, thought there was an intruder and pressed the panic alarm on the security system.
Read the whole story at TMZ
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film and television stars Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher said on Thursday they are ending their marriage after six years, breaking up one of the most widely followed May-December romances Hollywood has seen.
The marriage between Moore, 49, and Kutcher 33, has been in trouble since late September when a San Diego woman went public about a brief affair she had with Kutcher, a star on CBS television comedy "Two and a Half Men," during a weekend of partying in the southern California city.
"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life," Moore said in a statement.
The star of films such as "Ghost," "G.I. Jane" and "Indecent Proposal" also asked for "compassion and privacy" and said it was a "trying time for me and my family.
Moore released her statement first and Kutcher quickly followed on Twitter where both were early converts to the social network, posting messages and pictures about their personal lives. Ashton has more than eight million followers and Moore has more than four million.
"I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK," Kutcher tweeted.
Moore was married twice previously, the first time to singer Freddy Moore and the second to film star Bruce Willis, with whom she has three children. They divorced in 2000.
She began dating Kutcher a few years after breaking up with Willis when Kutcher was a rising star on the TV sitcom "That '70s Show."
Their affair immediately became fodder for the tabloid press because of their 16-year age difference, but in the months and years after their wedding, it seemed they were living happily ever after.
But Hollywood can be cruel to celebrity couples and speculation about Kutcher straying from his marriage began to surface earlier this year. In September, Sara Leal, a 22-year-old part-time model told celebrity media that she had slept with Kutcher twice over a wild weekend of partying.
She told Britain's The Sun newspaper "I was attracted to him, and he was attracted to me," and said that Kutcher had told her he and Moore were separated.
In the past month, Moore and Kutcher had stayed out of the public spotlight and not commented on reports of the affair. They have offered only cryptic posts on Twitter, such as this from Moore on September 23, the eve of their sixth anniversary, quoting Greek philosopher Epictetus: "When we are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger."
Apparently, she couldn't forget.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Ashton Kutcher has found his source of heartache. Or at least his "Two and a Half Men" character, Walden Schmidt, has.
Judy Greer, who starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom "Mad Love," has landed the recurring role of Bridget, Schmidt's estranged wife, on "Two and a Half Men," an individual with knowledge of the production confirms to TheWrap.
As reported earlier, Kutcher will play a heartbroken Internet billionaire on the series, which is scheduled to make its Charlie Sheen-less debut on September 19. (The same night, perhaps not so coincidentally, that Sheen's Comedy Central roast airs.)
During an appearance on "Late Show With David Letterman," Kutcher confirmed long-running reports that Sheen's character, Charlie Harper, is being killed off from the series, though he neglected to say how Harper meets his demise.
Interestingly, this won't be Greer's first go-round with the hit CBS sitcom -- she portrayed one of Harper's many love interests, Myra, on two episodes of the series back in 2007. (She's also enjoyed relations -- though professional -- with Kutcher in the past; she starred as Becky Freeley in the ABC sitcom "Miss Guided," which Kutcher executive-produced.)
Greer also provides the voices of Wendy Park on Nick at Nite's "Glenn Martin, DDS" and Cheryl on FX's "Archer."
NEW YORK – Like David Letterman, Ashton Kutcher isn't afraid of a little fatwa humor.
Kutcher taped an appearance for Letterman's talk show Wednesday, and the actor came on stage wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest printed with the phrase, "Not Dave."
Last week, a contributor to a jihadist website posted a threat of violence against Letterman because the comedian had made fun of al-Qaida leaders on a previous show. Letterman, back from vacation Monday, played the threat for monologue laughs.
During Wednesday's taping, Letterman asked Kutcher if his bowtie was bullet-proof. The actor replied that "you can't be too careful" sitting next to a guy facing a threat.
Kutcher joined CBS' "Two and a Half Men" after Charlie Sheen was fired. He and Letterman predicted success for the revamped sitcom.
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) – Well that was a quick resolution to Ashton Kutcher's potential legal headache.
A day after a New York Times article raised the question of whether Kutcher would face a Federal Trade Commission investigation for his failure to disclose investments he made in technology companies, the FTC says it will not launch any investigation.
The "Two and a Half Men" star and social media entrepreneur served as guest editor for an online-only version of Details dubbed "The Social Issue," but he failed to reveal that he had invested in many of the companies the magazine touted.
While initially an FTC official said an investigation was "certainly a possibility," and FTC spokesperson has since told the Times that the agency had no plans to investigate Kutcher.
Kutcher has not issued any kind of public response regarding the matter, though Details' editor Dan Peres defended both his magazine and the actor Thursday.
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – It took U.S. network CBS's chief executive Leslie Moonves seconds to make the afternoon's first "Two and a Half Men" joke, telling the Madison Avenue crowd gathered at Carnegie Hall for the network's upfront that he wouldn't be up on stage too long.
"Tops, two and a half minutes," he said.
About 45 minutes into the presentation, CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler finally addressed the elephant in the room.
"Deep cleansing breathe," she said. "Well, it's been an educational few months for us. Thanks to a tweet ... we all learned the square root of 6.25." Tassler was referring to Kutcher's tweet that he sent out after THR confirmed he would be joining the CBS comedy.
"We could not be happier to actor, producer and multimedia mogul Ashton Kutcher joining the cast of 'Two And a Half Men,'" she said.
With all the images of Charlie Sheen scrubbed from the preceding "Men" video clip, the brand new co-star took the stage with Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones.
"It's awesome to be here," said Kutcher. "I could not be more excited. I never in my 13 years of show business received more e-mails and phone calls congratulating me for this job. It's almost like I won the lotto. And I kind of did."
Kutcher is making $700,000 per episode plus incentives for "Men."
Standing next to the 6-foot-plus Kutcher, Cryer joked: "Did you have to get a tall guy?"
And then he suggested a new name for the show: "One and Two Half Men."
(Editing by Zorianna Kit)
COMMENTARY | Ashton Kutcher, who previously appeared on "That '70s Show," has been selected to replace Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men." Kutcher will play a new character opposite the show's other star, John Cryer, according to Deadline Hollywood.
There is no word yet how Sheen's character, the pleasure-loving jingle composer brother of Cryer's chiropractor character, will be written in, who Kutcher's character will be, and how he will be introduced. The new show format, developed by show runner Chuck Lorre, seems to have satisfied everyone concerned. Production for the next season is said to begin as soon as possible.
Names that were mentioned for Sheen's replacement ranged from Rob Lowe to Hugh Grant. Grant had been in serious negotiations which broke down, leading to the selection of Kutcher.
Kucther's selection for "Two and a Half Men" is an interesting one. Whereas Sheen's persona, reflected in the character, was edgy and arrogant, Kutcher's persona is more pleasant and amiable, as developed in "That '70s Show" and his brief film career. The question arises will Kutcher's character be true to type, or will the actor be allowed to stretch a little bit.
The choice of Kutcher is also understandable for two other reasons. First, he is an experienced television actor with a role in another long-running sitcom on his resume. Second, and most importantly, Kutcher has a reputation of being a solid professional whose lifestyle does not generally provide lurid copy for the tabloids. This contrasts with Sheen, whose off-screen behavior, even before he was fired from "Two and a Half Men," has been increasingly bizarre and alarming.
The question arises: Will the format and actor change save "Two and a Half Men" for more than one season? Or will the changes, brought on by the public meltdown of one of the show's stars, condemn the program to television history?
Certainly the people behind and before the camera of "Two and a Half Men" have the talent to pull it off. Viewers of the show are well prepared for the change after watching with horrid fascination Sheen's antics. The proof, of course, will only be apparent when the new version premiers this fall.
Source: Ashton Kutcher New Star Of 'Two & A Half Men' Replacing Charlie Sheen, Nikki Finke and Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood, May 12, 2011
COMMENTARY | Ashton Kutcher has been all but confirmed as the new Two and a Half Men replacement star. According to TV Line, the deal was made official Thursday night, which would answer one of the biggest mysteries on television. Not only is the show officially moving on from Charlie Sheen, but it has a replacement who is a TV veteran and bankable star in his own right. Yet while bringing Kutcher on may pay off for CBS, it may not compare to the earlier rumors that Hugh Grant was interested in the job.
Once Two and a Half Men was spared from a post-Sheen cancellation, CBS set out to find a new A-list headliner, or at least one with some star power. Days ago, the rumor mill suggested that Grant could be that headliner. But then Deadline Hollywood reported that although Grant was offered the job, he turned it down because of its demanding, 24-episode-a-year schedule.
If Grant had taken the deal, it could have been a big shot in the arm for the show. At the least, it would have had another A-list star with a few past sexual exploits to joke about -- albeit not as extreme as Sheen's. But the curiosity factor of having someone like Grant step in would have garnered a lot of interest.
However, since Grant is decidedly British, it would have been much harder to explain how his character would be connected to the show's American family -- or what's left of it. Yet CBS didn't have to wait long to find a backup for its potential replacement; someone who had dealt with a grueling TV schedule for years when he was younger.
Kutcher has proved profitable on TV and in movies, even if he still hasn't won the respect of critics. Because of that, although he has the buzz to keep the show a ratings winner, critics are unlikely to be as intrigued as they might have been with Grant.
It's still uncertain just how the show's quality will be altered, or not, with its new lead. No one even knows what kind of character Kutcher will play, although CBS could provide some details during its upfront day May 18. At the least, the series now has an even bigger Twitter icon than Sheen, and one who is a lot more squeaky-clean by comparison.
The return of Two and a Half Men, and the return of Kutcher to television, is guaranteed to be a big event sometime in September. For that, at least, CBS is winning again for now, even if the revamped show itself might have more question marks than ever.
Sources
TV Line- "It's Official: Ashton Kutcher Replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men"
Deadline Hollywood- "MYSTERY MAN REVEALED: Hugh Grant Almost Replaced Charlie Sheen On Men"
NEW YORK – Ashton Kutcher will replace troubled star Charlie Sheen in the hit CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men" next season, the network and producers Warner Bros. Television said on Friday.
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."
Kutcher said 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," he 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."
Producers did not immediately say how Kutcher would be integrated in 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.
Even through reports of Sheen's personal problems, "Two and a Half Men" had continued to reign as television's top situation comedy and anchor CBS' Monday night lineup. 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.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Ashton Kutcher will join the cast of top-rated TV comedy "Two and A Half Men", CBS television said on Friday, replacing fired star Charlie Sheen.
"We are so lucky to have someone as talented, joyful and just plain remarkable as Ashton joining our family," Chuck Lorre, creator and executive producer of "Two and A Half Men" said in a statement.
CBS said production on the 9th season of the comedy would start in the summer for broadcast in the fall of 2011. Friday's statement did not say which role Kutcher would play.
Kutcher, 33, is the husband of actress Demi Moore and is best known for his role as a dim-witted stoner in "That '70s Show," a comedy that aired for eight seasons on Fox and remains popular in syndication.
He was last seen in the January romantic comedy "No Strings Attached" opposite Natalie Portman. He was an early adopter of Twitter, with a huge following of 6.8 million people.
"Two and A Half Men" is the most-watched TV comedy in the United States with about 15 million regular viewers and has been a lucrative source of advertising revenue for CBS, and syndication fees for its makers Warner Bros. Television.
But the future of the comedy has been in disarray since Sheen was fired in March from his starring role as a womanizing bachelor after weeks of erratic behavior and for publicly insulting the producers.
Production was shut down for the remaining eight episodes of the 2010-11 TV season.
"I can't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and I believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes," Kutcher said in a statement.
"I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!", he added.
Producers have been working for weeks to retool the money-spinning show without Sheen, or add new characters. Hugh Grant was reported earlier this week to have pulled out of talks citing "creative differences."
Sheen, 45, who has been in and out of drug rehab for the last 12 months, was the highest-paid actor on U.S. television, earning more than $1.2 million per episode.
Warner Bros. last month strongly denied claims by Sheen that the studio was in talks to reinstate him, and said there was no chance of him returning to the show.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Christine Kearney)
