Sheen, studio settle lawsuit over 'Men' firing (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Tue Sep 27, 7:05 am ET

LOS ANGELES – The studio that fired former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen said Monday it has struck a deal with the actor to end their legal dispute.

Warner Bros. Television released a statement saying that Sheen's lawsuit against the studio and series executive producer Chuck Lorre has been settled "to the parties' satisfaction." The statement said terms of the settlement are confidential.

Sheen had filed a $100 million lawsuit for wrongful termination against Warner after his firing last March. His attorney, Marty Singer, had said much of that amount was the actor's share of DVD, syndication and other profits that the studio was withholding.

Singer said he could not discuss specifics of the settlement, but he said all parties were satisfied with the resolution.

The Los Angeles Times reported Sheen's settlement would be $25 million, although celebrity website TMZ reported the deal would be worth roughly $100 million over the next several years. Both outlets cited unnamed sources in reports about the settlement amounts.

Sheen was fired at a time when he was the highest-paid actor in television, with a per-episode salary reported to be between $1.2 million and $2 million. His exit cut short the CBS comedy's season.

By then, Sheen had been on a media blitz for weeks, using catchphrases such as "Tiger Blood" and "winning" and describing himself as a warlock.

The case never became the forum for Sheen's grievances that the actor said he was seeking — most of the court proceedings centered on whether the dispute should be heard through private arbitration, as called for in the actor's contract. A judge determined that the case should be moved to arbitration in June and attorneys had been working through that process.

Sheen has distanced himself from his previous outlandish behavior in recent weeks and has acknowledged he was at least partly responsible for his ouster from television's top-rated comedy.

"It was bad," Sheen told Jay Leno, "and I own my part in that, and I just want to make everything right."

Appearing last week at the Emmy Awards as a presenter, he addressed the "Two and a Half Men" cast and crew, saying, "I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season."

"Men" returned to the air last week with Ashton Kutcher joining the cast as a new character. He plays an Internet billionaire who decides to buy the house that had been owned by Sheen's now-deceased character.

A phone message for Lorre's attorney Howard Weitzman was not immediately returned.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

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Mel Gibson, Oksana Grigorieva settle child custody (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Mel Gibson and his ex-girlfriend on Friday settled a deeply bitter custody dispute over their young daughter which led to the Oscar winner's plea of no contest to domestic violence earlier this year.

Los Angeles Superior Court said in a statement an agreement was complete and terms will be heard on August 31. A spokesman for the "Braveheart" film director confirmed the parties had settled.

"We appreciate all the judge's help," the spokesman said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear whether the custody deal between Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva over their daughter Lucia settled all of the legal problems between the two. Gibson's spokesman declined further comment.

Gibson and Grigorieva had a long-running relationship that involved the breakup of his marriage and the birth of their daughter but it began to unravel in early 2010. Grigorieva claimed Gibson punched her and broke her tooth during a heated argument in January that year.

In March, the "Passion of the Christ" director admitted in front of a judge that he slapped Grigorieva with an open hand during an argument in which he was concerned for the safety of Lucia. He pleaded no contest -- the equivalent of guilty -- and was sentenced to three years probation.

Gibson has alleged Grigorieva tried to extort money from him beyond a reported $20 million settlement that resulted from their breakup by using a series of audiotapes of insults and a racial slurs hurled at her over the telephone. Prosecutors declined to charge her in the matter.

The tapes, posted last year on celebrity website Radaronline.com, damaged Gibson's career. His manager left, a movie's release was delayed and others refused to work with him.

Roughly one month later, Gibson said in a television interview he regarded the leak of the phone calls to the media as a "personal betrayal."

(Reporting and writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

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