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Plaza Hotel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
NYC Landmark
The Plaza Hotel as seen from the corner of 5th Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan
Location:	New York City
Built:	1907
Architect:	Henry J. Hardenbergh; Thomas Hastings, et al.
Architectural style:	Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
NRHP Reference#:	78001878
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	November 29, 1978[1]
Designated NHL:	June 24, 1986 [2]
Designated NYCL:	December 9, 1969

The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of 250 ft (76 m) and length of 400 ft (120 m) that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza. It is owned by El-Ad Properties and managed and operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada.

Grand Army Plaza[link]

Karl Bitter's Abundance, or Pomona in the Pulitzer Fountain

Augustus Saint-Gaudens' General Sherman monument

The hotel's main entrance faces the southern portion of Grand Army Plaza, commemorating the Union Army in the Civil War. Grand Army Plaza is in two sections, bisected by Central Park South. The section in front of the Plaza Hotel is centered by the Pulitzer Fountain, of Abundance by Karl Bitter, funded by the will of the newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer: the statue in the fountain is specifically Pomona, Roman goddess of orchards. The statue was posed for by Doris Doscher, also famous for posing for the Standing Liberty Quarter. The north side of Grand Army Plaza, a corner cut out from Central Park, has Augustus Saint-Gaudens' part-gilded bronze equestrian statue of PIKLAS GENERAL.^[3] Scholars Gate, behind Grand Army Plaza, provided one of the two original main entrances to the carriage drives of Central Park, the other being Merchants Gate at the Grand Circle, now Columbus Circle.

On the south side of the Plaza (between 57th and 58th Streets) once stood the French Renaissance château of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, designed by George Browne Post; rising behind its gated front court, it was the grandest of the Fifth Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age. Bergdorf Goodman occupies its site.

History[link]

The Plaza is the second hotel of that name on the site. The French Renaissance château-style building was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh and opened to the public on October 1, 1907. At the time, it cost $12.5 million to construct. When the hotel opened, a room at the Plaza Hotel was only $2.50 per night (equivalent of $62 today). Today, the same room costs from $695 upwards.^[4]

The Plaza was accorded landmark status by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1969; it was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1986.^[2][5][6] The Waldorf-Astoria is the only other New York City hotel to be designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Long the site for famous performers and guests, it has also been the meeting place for important political meetings. The nationally known singers Eartha Kitt, Liza Minnelli, Kay Thompson, Andy Williams, and Peggy Lee played the Persian Room; unaccompanied ladies were not permitted in the Oak Room bar; and women favored the Palm Court for luncheons and teas. The Beatles stayed at the Plaza during their first visit to the United States in February 1964.^[4] On November 28, 1966, in honor of the publisher Katharine Graham, the writer Truman Capote hosted his acclaimed "Black & White Ball" in the Grand Ballroom.

In September 1985, ministers of developed countries met at the Plaza to consult on finance issues and affirmed their agreement by signing the Plaza Accord. It served as an agreement among the finance ministers of the United States, Japan, West Germany, France and Britain to bring down the price of the U.S. dollar against their currencies.

The hotel offers tours of its interior to the public.

Ownership changes and renovations[link]

The Plaza and its International Modern style neighbors, seen across The Pond in Central Park

The Plaza Hotel turned 100 years old in 2007, celebrating with ceremonies and fireworks.

Conrad Hilton bought the Plaza for US$7.4 million in 1943 (equivalent of $99.4 million today) and spent US$6.0 million (equivalent of $80.6 million today) refurbishing it. The Childs Company, a national restaurant chain which partnered in the development of the neighboring Savoy-Plaza Hotel,^[7] (now the site of the General Motors Building), purchased the Plaza Hotel in 1955 for 1,100,000 shares of Childs common stock, valued at approximately $6,325,000 (equivalent of $54.9 million today).^[8] Childs subsequently changed its name to Hotel Corporation of America, now known as Sonesta International Hotels Corporation.^[9] Donald Trump bought the Plaza for $407.5 million in 1988 (equivalent of $800 million today). Trump commented on his purchase in a full-page open letter he published in The New York Times: "I haven't purchased a building, I have purchased a masterpiece — the Mona Lisa. For the first time in my life, I have knowingly made a deal that was not economic — for I can never justify the price I paid, no matter how successful the Plaza becomes."

After Trump's divorce from wife Ivana Trump, the Plaza's president, Trump sold the hotel for $325 million in 1995 (equivalent of $496 million today) to Troy Richard Campbell, from New Hampshire. He sold it in 2004 for $675 million (equivalent of $831 million today) to a Manhattan developer, El Ad Properties. El Ad bought the hotel with plans of adding residential and commercial sections. Since The Plaza Hotel is a New York landmark, Tishman Construction Corporation, the construction management company hired to complete the renovations and conversions, had to comply with landmark regulations.^[10]

El Ad temporarily closed The Plaza on April 30, 2005, for extensive renovations.^[11] Beginning May 2005, the Plaza's contents were available to the public via hotel liquidation sale conducted by NCL/National Content Liquidators out of Springboro, Ohio. The Plaza reopened on March 1, 2008.^[12] Today the Plaza offers 282 hotel rooms and 152 private condo hotel units; it is managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Diamond retailer Lev Leviev put in the first bid for a Plaza apartment at $10 million. But lately, it is still possible to acquire ownership of the apartments at 50 sqm cost from $ 1.5 million ^[13] In May 2007, a new apartment in the Plaza was sold for a record $50 million,^[14] but prices dropped through 2009.^[15]

As of April 2012, it is rumored that the Sahara Group of India is in talks to purchase the property.^[16] It is still unclear on who will manage the property if the change in ownership takes place.

In November 2008 the Plaza Hotel unveiled its retail collection, an underground mall featuring luxury brands such as Vertu and Demel Bakery, an Austrian-owned business. In 2010 the Plaza Food Court, an eating establishment run by Chef Todd English, opened in the underground mall.

In popular culture[link]

Literature and publications[link]

• It was the setting for Kay Thompson's series of Eloise children's books published in the 1950s, about a young girl who lived at the hotel.
• The novel Anonymous Rex has the main character, Vincent Rubio, checking into the hotel at great expense after threatening the front desk clerk.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), features the characters Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker having a conversation in the tea garden at the Plaza Hotel.
• Also it was one of the main settings in the series, by Meg Cabot The Princess Diaries, It was where Mia's Grandmother or Grandmere lived in the book.
• It was a base camp used by the demigods in The Last Olympian in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. The Pomona statue appears.

Films and television[link]

The hotel has been featured in numerous motion picture productions set in New York. See Movie backdrop and Television backdrop, below.

Movie backdrop[link]

• The Plaza was featured notably in the original 1956 TV movie Eloise, starring Evelyn Rudie as Eloise, the child who lived "on the top floor", with cameo appearances by Conrad Hilton and Eloise author Kay Thompson.
• Although the hotel had appeared briefly in earlier films, it made its major movie debut in the 1959 film North by Northwest.

It was also a setting for:

• Barefoot in the Park (1967)
• Funny Girl (1968)
• Plaza Suite (1971)
• The Way We Were (1973)
• Love at First Bite (1979)
• Arthur (1981)
• They All Laughed (1981)
• Cotton Club (1984)
• Brewster's Millions (1985)
• Crocodile Dundee (1986)
• Big Business (1988)
• Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
• King of New York (1990)
• Scent of a Woman (1991)
• In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), then-Plaza owner Donald Trump appears, directing the main character Kevin to the lobby. In one of the film's more memorable scenes, Kevin eluded the hotel staff after they accused him of credit card fraud by sliding through the Plaza's lobby into a waiting elevator. To make the scene logistically possible, the film crew had to remove the wall-to-wall carpeting, exposing the original tiles. When then-owner Donald Trump saw the beautiful mosaics, he instantly fell in love with the look and insisted it remain that way after filming, which it did until renovations in 2005 began.
• Flodder in America! (1992)
• Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
• It Could Happen to You (1994)
• The Associate (1996)
• Almost Famous (2000)
• Inside the Osmonds (2001)
• Hollywood Ending (2002), a Woody Allen film.
• Eloise at Christmastime (2003), a live-action film adapated from the eponymous 1958 children's book written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight
• Eloise at the Plaza (2003), a live-action film based on the Eloise series of children's books drawn and written by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight
• The Plaza Hotel is seen in the intro of the film Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York (2006)
• In Bride Wars (2008) with Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway's character was shot in the Grand ballroom, the Terrace room, and in corridors and the Palm Court. The film also shows the lobby and exterior.

Television backdrop[link]

The Plaza is mentioned and shown in numerous television shows, including:

• In the Family Guy episode "A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Bucks", the Griffin family stays in this hotel.
• Friends
• The Suite Life of Zach and Cody
• Gossip Girl^{[citation needed]}
• Sex and the City^{[citation needed]}
• The Sopranos:
  • The pilot and "Eloise" episodes refer to Carmela and Meadow Soprano's tradition of lunching under Eloise's portrait at the Plaza Hotel on Meadow's birthday.
  • Several episodes, most notably "The Test Dream" (Season 5, Episode 11), feature scenes occurring in a suite at the Plaza.
• What I Like About You
• "Ugly Betty" Character Wilhelmina Slater owns an apartment facing Central Park at the Plaza.

Plaza Hotel facilities, guest services and public spaces[link]

The Plaza Hotel offers its guests and residences many services including a butler on every floor, baby-sitting and concierges, a shopping mall, the Palm Court under the restored stained glass ceiling, the Champagne Bar located in the hotel lobby with views of Grand Army Plaza, the Edwardian Room, the Terrace Room, the Oak Room Restaurant and Bar (which eventually closed and was re-opened by Chef Eric Hara), the Rose Club, the Grand Ball Room, The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English, as well as meeting rooms and conference rooms. The Grand Ballroom, Terrace Room and meeting spaces are currently managed by CPS Events, a joint venture between Delaware North Companies and the high end caterer Great Performances.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• amNew York Interactive report on The Plaza
• The WPA Guide to New York City, 1939 (reprinted 1982) (ISBN 0-394-71215-3)
• Ward Morehouse III, Life on the Top

External links[link]

New York City portal

• The Plaza Residences Official Website for Residences
• The Plaza Official Hotel Website
• The Plaza Hotel, from the website of a former New York Post architecture critic
• The Plaza: How it was Sold, a December 2004 article from a NYC real estate website
• The Plaza Says It'll Be History After April 30, a March 2005 New York Times article (registration required)
• The Plaza Lives! - an oral history of the Plaza Hotel that appeared in New York magazine in May 2005.
• The Plaza: 768 Fifth Avenue - Detailed building information, building ratings, pros and cons
• Fairmont to manage New York City's Plaza Hotel - CBC News report.
• The Plaza Hotel - New York Architecture Images
• [1] Hotel Website for Travelers
• Ward Morehouse III, author of Life at the Top and Inside The Plaza: An Intimate Portrait of the Ultimate Hotel

Coordinates: 40°45′53″N 73°58′28″W / 40.764712°N 73.974574°W / 40.764712; -73.974574

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Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger in 2010
Born	Thomas Jacob Hilfiger (1951-03-24) March 24, 1951 (age 61) Elmira, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Fashion designer
Spouse	Dee Ocleppo (2008-present) Susie Hilfiger (1980-2000)
Children	Alexandria ("Ally") Richard Elizabeth Kathleen Sebastian Thomas
Labels	Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger (Thomas Jacob Hilfiger, born March 24, 1951) ^[1] is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.

Early life[link]

Hilfiger was born in Elmira, New York. The second of nine children of a jeweler and an Irish-American nurse, he grew up in an German-Swiss/Irish-American family.^[2] Hilfiger also claims direct descendence from the Scottish poet Robert Burns.^[3] His parents originally intended for him to be an engineer.

He attended the Elmira Free Academy for high school. He also attended GST BOCES Bush Campus ^[4] in Elmira, New York for Fashion Design.

Career[link]

Rather than furthering his education, he started to work in retail at the age of 18. Hilfiger would go to New York City to buy jeans and bell-bottom pants, which he customized and resold at Brown's, a local downtown Elmira store.

He later opened his own store, named The People's Place, around the block in downtown Elmira. Over the years, a number of stores closed in downtown Elmira as shopping traffic shifted to the new Arnot Mall in Horseheads, New York.^{[citation needed]} After seven years, The People's Place went bankrupt, when Hilfiger was 25. The site of the original store has since been demolished to make room for First Arena, home of the Elmira Jackals Hockey team.^{[citation needed]}

After turning to the design of clothing by designing for the rest of his stores in upstate New York, Hilfiger moved to New York City with his wife Susie. Although he was offered design assistant positions with designers Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, and was broke, he turned down the offers.

In 1984, he founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, (NYSE:TOM), with support from The Murjani Group, which went public in 1992, introducing his signature menswear collection. By 2004 the company had 5,400 employees and revenues in excess of $1.8 billion. Hilfiger was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995.^[5]

In 1998, Hilfiger gave singer Aaliyah her endorsement deal, in which he honored her in his Summer 1998 fashion show in Jamaica.

In 2005, a CBS TV reality show called The Cut tracked the progress of sixteen contestants as they competed for a design job with Hilfiger in similar fashion to Donald Trump's The Apprentice. In the end Hilfiger chose Chris Cortez.

Largely due to declining sales, in 2006, Tommy Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion, or $16.80 a share, to Apax Partners, a private investment company.^[6][7][8]

In March 2010, Phillips-Van Heusen, owner of Calvin Klein, bought the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation for $3 billion.^[9]

In March 2012, Hilfiger was announced as the fashion consultant on American Idol.

Personal life[link]

Hilfiger has four children with his ex-wife, Susie: Alexandria ("Ally"), Richard, Elizabeth, and Kathleen. His daughter Ally was featured in the 2003 MTV reality show Rich Girls and his son, Rich, was signed to hip hop super producer Swizz Beatz' label Full Surface.

Hilfiger put his Greenwich, Connecticut, mansion on the market in the summer of 2008 for an asking price of $27 million.

On December 12, 2008, he married his second wife Dee Ocleppo (Deniz Carolina Erbuğ), former wife of Gianni Ocleppo, famous Italian tennis player of the 1980s. On February 25, 2009, the New York Post reported that Ocleppo was three months pregnant, and Hilfiger would welcome a fifth child later in 2009.^[10] On May 4, 2009, Hilfiger and Ocleppo announced they were expecting a boy,^[11] who was born on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, and named Sebastian Thomas Hilfiger.

Criticisms[link]

Hilfiger has been criticized for having manufactured clothes in sweatshop conditions in the United States territory of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. As a U.S. Commonwealth, clothes made there can be labeled "Made in the USA", but federal labor laws including the minimum wage do not apply. In March 2000, the company, along with other defendants, settled a class action suit brought by Saipanese garment workers, which had alleged mistreatment by over 20 large U.S. clothing manufacturers.^[12]

Product lines[link]

• Hilfiger Denim, a premium-upscale denim collection for men and women. Designs are inspired by American classics and finished with a modern edge.^[13]
• True Star Gold, fragrance created by Hilfiger and spokeswoman Beyoncé Knowles
• True Star, another fragrance created by Hilfiger and with spokesperson Beyoncé Knowles & True Star Men, a fragrance created by Hilfiger and with spokesperson Enrique Iglesias
• Tommy Girl, fragrance for women
• Red Label, a line of denim-themed products including jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts
• H by Tommy Hilfiger, an upscale line which was ended after Tommy Hilfger sold his company, the same sort of style is now carried on under the Tommy Hilfiger label in their specialty stores
• Tommy Hilfiger, the company line of clothes sold in department stores, company stores, and specialty stores
• Tommy Sport, a defunct line that came out in the 1990s and capitalized on Hilfiger's popularity in urban areas.
• Tommy Hilfiger for the Home, a line of bedding and bath products
• Tommy Sailing, was due to be released in January or February 2007.
• Tommy, a brightly colored casual line.
• Tommy Jeans, a denim inspired clothing collection and corresponding fragrance
• Hilfiger Athletics, a sport inspired clothing line and fragrance

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tommy Hilfiger

• Official website
• Urban Legends that allege false claims against Hilfiger
• Anti-Defamation League; Letter to Tommy Hilfiger

Charlie Sheen
Sheen on March 11, 2009
Born	Carlos Irwin Estevez (1965-09-03) September 3, 1965 (age 46)[1] New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Donna Peele (1995–1996) Denise Richards (2002–2006) Brooke Mueller (2008–2011)[2]
Children	5
Parents	Martin Sheen (father) Janet Templeton (mother)
Relatives	Emilio Estevez (brother) Ramon Estevez (brother) Renée Estevez (sister)
Website
www.charliesheen.com

Carlos Irwin Estevez (born September 3, 1965), better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen.

His character roles in films have included Chris Taylor in the 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon, Jake Kesey in the 1986 film The Wraith, and Bud Fox in the 1987 film Wall Street. His career has also included more comedic films such as Major League, the Hot Shots! films, and Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4. On television, Sheen is known for his roles on two sitcoms: as Charlie Crawford on Spin City and as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men. In 2010, Sheen was the highest paid actor on television, earning US$1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men.^[3]

Sheen's personal life has also made headlines, including reports about alcohol and drug abuse and marital problems as well as allegations of domestic violence. He was fired from his role on Two and a Half Men by CBS and Warner Bros. on March 7, 2011. Sheen subsequently announced a nationwide tour.^[4]

Early life[link]

Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estevez in New York City, the youngest son and third of four children of actor Martin Sheen and artist Janet Templeton.^[5] His paternal grandparents were immigrants from Galicia (northwestern Spain) and Ireland.^[6] Sheen has two older brothers, Emilio Estevez and Ramon Estevez, and a younger sister, Renée Estevez, all actors. His parents moved to Malibu, California, after Martin's Broadway turn in The Subject Was Roses. Sheen's first movie appearance was at age nine in his father’s 1974 film The Execution of Private Slovik. Sheen attended Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California, where he was a star pitcher and shortstop for the baseball team.^[5][7]

At Santa Monica High School, he showed an early interest in acting, making amateur Super 8 films with his brother Emilio and school friends Rob Lowe and Sean Penn under his birth name. A few weeks before graduation, Sheen was expelled from school for poor grades and attendance. Deciding to become an actor, he took the stage name Charlie Sheen. His father had adopted it in honor of the Catholic archbishop and theologian Fulton J. Sheen.^[8][9]

Acting career[link]

Film[link]

Sheen's film career began in 1984 with a role in the Cold War teen drama Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. Sheen and Grey reunited in a small scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). He also appeared in an episode of the anthology series Amazing Stories. Sheen had his first major role in the Vietnam War drama Platoon (1986). In 1987, he starred with his father in Wall Street. Both Wall Street and Platoon were directed by Oliver Stone. In 1988, Stone asked Sheen to star in his new film Born on the Fourth of July (1989), but later cast Tom Cruise instead. Sheen was never notified by Stone, and only found out when he heard the news from his brother Emilio. Sheen did not take a lead role in Stone's subsequent films,^[10] although he did have a cameo role in Money Never Sleeps.

In 1987, Sheen was cast to portray Ron in the unreleased Grizzly II: The Predator, the sequel to the 1976 low budget horror movie Grizzly. In 1988, he starred in the baseball film Eight Men Out as outfielder Happy Felsch. Also in 1988, he appeared opposite his brother Emilio in Young Guns and again in 1990 in Men at Work. In 1989, Sheen, John Fusco, Christopher Cain, Lou Diamond Phillips, Emilio Estévez and Kiefer Sutherland were honored with a Bronze Wrangler for their work on the film Young Guns.^[11]

In 1990, he starred alongside his father in Cadence as a rebellious inmate in a military stockade and with Clint Eastwood in the buddy cop action film The Rookie.^[5] The films were directed by Martin Sheen and Eastwood, respectively. In 1992, he starred in Beyond the Law with Linda Fiorentino and Michael Madsen. In 1994, Sheen was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[11] In 1997, Sheen wrote his first movie, Discovery Mars, a direct-to-video documentary revolving around the question, "Is There Life on Mars?". The next year, Sheen wrote, produced and starred in the action movie No Code of Conduct.^[12]

Sheen appeared in several comedy roles, including the Major League films, Money Talks, and the spoof Hot Shots! films. In 1999, Sheen appeared in a pilot for A&E Network, called Sugar Hill, which was not picked up. In 1999, Sheen played himself in Being John Malkovich. He also appeared in the spoof series Scary Movie 3 and follow up Scary Movie 4.

Sheen appears as Dex Dogtective in the unreleased Lionsgate animated comedy Foodfight.^[12]

Sheen has been cast to star alongside Jason Schwartzman in Roman Coppola's upcoming film A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Swan III.^[13]

Television[link]

In 2000, Sheen debuted on the small screen when he replaced Michael J. Fox for the last two seasons of the sitcom Spin City. For his work on Spin City, Sheen was nominated for two ALMA Awards and won his first Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.^[14][15] The series ended in 2002.

In 2003, Sheen was cast as Charlie Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, which followed the popular Monday night time slot of Everybody Loves Raymond. Sheen's role on Two and a Half Men was loosely based on Sheen's bad boy image.^[16] The role garnered him an ALMA Award and he gained three Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe award nominations.^[14] During his eighth and final season on the show, Sheen earned a record $1.8 million per episode.^[3]

Warner Bros. dismissal[link]

In January 2011, production of Two and a Half Men went on hiatus while Sheen underwent a substance rehabilitation program in his home, his third attempt at rehab in twelve months.^[17][18][19] The following month, however, CBS canceled the season's four remaining episodes after Sheen publicly made derogatory comments about the series' creator, Chuck Lorre,^[20] and Warner Bros. officially banned Sheen from entering its production lot.^[21] Sheen, already the highest-paid actor on television,^[3] responded by publicly demanding a 50 percent raise,^[22] claiming that in comparison to the amount that the series was making, he was "underpaid."^[22]

CBS and Warner Bros. fired Sheen from Two and a Half Men on March 7, 2011.^[23] He was replaced by Ashton Kutcher.^[24][25] In the aftermath of his dismissal, Sheen remained vocally critical of Chuck Lorre,^[26] and filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Lorre and Warner Bros., which was settled the following September 26.^[27] That same month, Sheen, while presenting an award at the Primetime Emmy Awards, addressed "everybody here from Two and a Half Men" and stated, "From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season. We spent eight wonderful years together and I know you will continue to make great television."^[28]

Meltdown[link]

This section requires expansion.

In the wake of the dismissal, Sheen had a highly publicized "meltdown" which was broadcast on television and the internet. He made bizarre statements in television interviews, suggesting that he was a "warlock" with "tiger blood" and "Adonis DNA".^[29] He also posted videos to YouTube showing himself smoking cigarettes through his nose, and cursing out his former employers. ^[30] He told one TV interviewer, "‘I’m tired of pretending I’m not special. I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total bitchin’ rock star from Mars."^[31]

Other[link]

On September 19, 2011, Sheen was roasted on Comedy Central. It was watched by 6.4 million people, making it the highest rated roast on Comedy Central to date.^[32]

Other ventures[link]

In 2006, Sheen launched a clothing line for kids, called Sheen Kidz.^[33]

In 2011, Sheen set a new Guinness World Record for Twitter as the "Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers" (adding an average of 129,000 new followers per day^[34]) as well as the Guinness record for "Highest Paid TV Actor Per Episode – Current" at $1.25 million while he was a part of the cast of Two and a Half Men sitcom.^[35] On March 3, 2011, Charlie Sheen signed with Ad.ly marketing agency specializing in Twitter and Facebook promotions.^[36][37]

Sheen's "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option" tour on the marquee of Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

On March 10, 2011, Sheen announced a nationwide tour, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option", which began in Detroit on April 2.^[38] The tour sold out in 18 minutes, a Ticketmaster record.^[39] However, on April 1, 2011 the Detroit Free Press featured an article that stated as of March 30 that there were over 1000 tickets available from a third-party reseller, some at 15% less than the cheapest seats sold at the Fox Theater.^[40] The Huffington Post reported that it was expected Sheen would earn $1 million in 2011 from Twitter endorsements and $7 million from the North American tour.^[41] Many of those attending the April 2 performance in Detroit found it disappointing;^[42] the subsequent performance in Chicago, which featured some adjustments, received a more positive reception.^[43]

Sheen has taken up a new business venture as a partner in a line of electronic cigarettes. The "NicoSheen" product will feature the actor's signature smirk on packages of disposable E-cigarettes and related products.^[44]

On August 13, 2011, Sheen appeared as a host at the 12th annual Gathering of the Juggalos. He received a mixed reaction from the audience. Some cheered him, and some booed and threw things at him.^[45]

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

Sheen has been married three times and has five children. His first daughter, Cassandra Jade Estevez, was born on December 12, 1984, to his former high school girlfriend, Paula Profit.^[46][47]

In January 1990, Sheen accidentally shot his fiancee, Kelly Preston, in the arm.^[48] She broke off the engagement soon after.^[49][50][51]

In the 1990s, Sheen dated a number of adult film actresses, including Ginger Lynn^[48][52][53] and Heather Hunter.^[48]