Sheen taking a big gamble in showdown with studio

CHARLIE SHEEN might consider himself a “winner”, but it’s far from clear whether the Two and a Half Men star would prevail in what seems like an inevitable legal showdown over who is to blame for the implosion of America’s most-watched sitcom.

After the CBS network and producer Warner Bros Television (WBTV) cancelled the show’s eighth season, the 45-year-old actor launched a nonstop media blitz demanding that the cast and crew be paid for the remaining eight episodes (WBTV will pay the crew for four) and possibly for the ninth season.

Sheen’s lawyer Marty Singer argued in a terse letter to the network and studio that his client is “ready, willing and able” to resume work and that he’s been locked out “in retaliation for” criticisms of “Men” co-creator Chuck Lorre.