NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) – Tracking celebrities in trouble used to be so easy. First, there was the problem, then a public apology followed by a trip to rehab and interview in People magazine or on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.

Now, there’s Charlie Sheen.

The actor’s eerie, self-made webcasts dubbed “Sheen’s Korner,” posted online this week to mock his former “Two and a Half Men” bosses and defend himself, mark celebrity behavior that has gone beyond the norm. And his Web rants may signal a future in which stars use the Internet to give fans unfettered access to their antics, for better or worse.

“Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced – or maybe the better word is abetted — the celebrity meltdown,” said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller. “This will be a future where we see celebrity screw-ups happen in real-time.”

Sheen’s expletive-filled webcasts show him agitated, smoking cigarettes through his nose, spewing energetic rants and repeating the same phrases over and over. Even celebrity website TMZ, which is known for publishing videos of outrageous celebrity antics, labeled Sheen’s videos “disturbing.”

His behavior contrasts to pop star Britney Spears’ when she suffered her career meltdown in 2007 and 2008. At that time, most of her antics were detailed the traditional way, by the paparazzi. She eventually found treatment, had her affairs taken over by her father and got her life back on track.

Sheen has done just the opposite, making decisions on everything that goes on around him and pouring out his unchecked views to fans via online videos and tweets.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Tracking celebrities in trouble used to be so easy. First, there was the problem, then a public apology followed by a trip to rehab and interview in People magazine or on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.

Now, there’s Charlie Sheen.

The actor’s eerie, self-made webcasts dubbed “Sheen’s Korner,” posted online this week to mock his former “Two and a Half Men” bosses and defend himself, mark celebrity behavior that has gone beyond the norm. And his Web rants may signal a future in which stars use the Internet to give fans unfettered access to their antics, for better or worse.

“Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced — or maybe the better word is abetted — the celebrity meltdown,” said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller. “This will be a future where we see celebrity screw-ups happen in real-time.”

Sheen’s expletive-filled webcasts show him agitated, smoking cigarettes through his nose, spewing energetic rants and repeating the same phrases over and over. Even celebrity website TMZ, which is known for publishing videos of outrageous celebrity antics, labeled Sheen’s videos “disturbing.”

His behavior contrasts to pop star Britney Spears’ when she suffered her career meltdown in 2007 and 2008. At that time, most of her antics were detailed the traditional way, by the paparazzi. She eventually found treatment, had her affairs taken over by her father and got her life back on track.

Sheen has done just the opposite, making decisions on everything that goes on around him and pouring out his unchecked views to fans via online videos and tweets.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Even with having a remarkable name and being the face of last year’s “Alice In Wonderland,” actress Mia Wasikowska may not be familiar to many movie fans.

But the 21-year-old’s star has risen rapidly in Hollywood, and she has caught the eye of directors and critics since her career-turning performance in the HBO series, “In Treatment,” only a few years ago.

That led her to smaller film roles in 2010′s award-winning movies, “Alice” and “The Kids Are All Right.” In fact, Wasikowska earned a surprising tie for second with “Alice” co-star Johnny Depp in a Forbes ranking of actors who produced the highest-grossing movie receipts in 2010.

Now she plays the perennial female heroine in another movie adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 novel, “Jane Eyre,” opposite Michael Fassbender and Judi Dench, released on Friday in the United States. The Australian actress talked to Reuters about her meteoric rise and how her paycheck doesn’t matter.

Q: You are noted for accents, from various American styles to now, northern England in “Jane Eyre”? Did you practice as a child growing up in Canberra?

A: “I even remember playing dolls in an American accent ’cause for us that was make believe…I think it would be almost scarier for me to do my own accent.”

Q: Not so long ago you were in a small soap opera, now, in “Jane Eyre,” you are acting alongside the likes of Judi Dench?

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Tribeca film festival on Monday unveiled 43 films in its narrative feature and documentary competitions that will vie for awards, audiences and distribution deals at this year’s festival.

Tribeca, one of the largest film festivals in the United States, held in New York from April 20 to May 1, will show 87 feature films this year, about the same number as in 2010.

Among the lineup announced for its narrative feature competition was offbeat comedy, “Jesus Henry Christ,” a film about a boy genius whose world gets turned upside down, starring Toni Collette and Michael Sheen and executive produced by Julia Roberts.

Director of programing David Kwok said several of the fiction films examine “aging and our place in life”, including drama “The Last Rites of Joe May,” starring actor Dennis Farina as a Chicago Hustler and western “Blackthorn” with Sam Shepard playing outlaw Butch Cassidy living under a hidden identity and setting out on one last adventure.

Two coming-of-age tales about female sexuality will be shown, including Sweden’s “She Monkeys” about teenage girls competing in equestrian acrobatics and Norway’s “Turn Me On, Goddammit” about a small town girl with an active imagination and libido.

Among the documentaries, “Semper Fi: Always Faithful” shows a war veteran’s discovery of water contamination sites in the United States after his daughter dies of Leukemia and “Give Up Tomorrow,” shows corruption in the case of Paco Larranaga, who was convicted of murdering two sisters in the Philippines.

“We are seeing this personal journey of people, where the everyday man is going up against the larger institution,” said Kwok on the common documentary themes.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Singer Reba McEntire, who has had a string of No. 1 hits for the past three decades, is among three country singers and musicians who will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Country Music Association said on Tuesday.

McEntire, who has 35 No. 1 country music singles and has sold 55 million albums worldwide, is recognized in the “Modern Era Artist” category. She will be honored along with songwriter and producer Bobby Braddock and honky tonk singer-songwriter Jean Shepard.

The 55-year-old McEntire could not attend the Country Music Association announcement in Nashville on Tuesday because her father recently suffered a stroke. But she said in a statement that she was happy to have been able to tell him about being inducted, before he slipped into a coma.

“I am so appreciative,” she said. “This is a wonderful honor during a very emotional time in my life.”

McEntire began her career performing with her siblings in rodeos and dance halls as “The Singing McEntires” before establishing her own career which took off in the 1980s with the No. 1 hits, “Can’t Even Get The Blues” and “How Blue” before moving to a more pop-orientated style.

She formed her own company and signed artists including Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton as well as acting in Hollywood and starring in her own TV sitcom, “Reba.” Other hit singles include “He Gets That From Me” and “Somebody.”

The three new nominees increase the membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame from 112 to 115 inductees. Ceremonies for Braddock, Reba, and Shepard will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville later this year.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Charlie Sheen escalated his war of words with his former “Two and A Half Men” employers on Monday, demanding a pay rise as his lawyer threatened legal action over canceled episodes of the top-rated comedy.

Sheen, whose erratic behavior has put the future of his show in jeopardy, boasted on Monday morning chat shows about his partying lifestyle and said he was tired of pretending he is not “a total frigging rock star from Mars.”

Hours later, his long time Los Angeles publicist quit, saying he could no longer do his job.

“I have worked with Charlie Sheen for a long time and I care about him very much. However, at this time, I’m unable to work effectively as his publicist and have respectfully resigned,” Stan Rosenfield said in a statement.

Sheen, the highest paid actor on U.S. TV, launched several expletive-filled rants last week against “Two and A Half Men” creator, Chuck Lorre, causing the CBS network and series producer Warner Bros. Television to cancel production for the rest of the season.

Sheen’s attorney on Monday sent letters to CBS and Warner Bros. demanding that the actor be paid for the eight episodes that will now no longer be made, the companies said.

According to celebrity website TMZ.com, the letter claims that Sheen was ready and able to go back to work, and is owed payment of roughly $16 million because of the shutdown.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Charlie Sheen escalated his war of words with his former “Two and A Half Men” employers on Monday, demanding a pay rise as his lawyer threatened legal action over cancelled episodes of the top-rated comedy.

Sheen, whose erratic behaviour has put the future of his show in jeopardy, boasted on Monday morning chat shows about his partying lifestyle and said he was tired of pretending he is not “a total frigging rock star from Mars.”

Hours later, his long time Los Angeles publicist quit, saying he could no longer do his job.

“I have worked with Charlie Sheen for a long time and I care about him very much. However, at this time, I’m unable to work effectively as his publicist and have respectfully resigned,” Stan Rosenfield said in a statement.

Sheen, the highest paid actor on U.S. TV, launched several expletive-filled rants last week against “Two and A Half Men” creator, Chuck Lorre, causing the CBS network and series producer Warner Bros. Television to cancel production for the rest of the season.

Sheen’s attorney on Monday sent letters to CBS and Warner Bros. demanding that the actor be paid for the eight episodes that will now no longer be made, the companies said.

According to celebrity website TMZ.com, the letter claims that Sheen was ready and able to go back to work, and is owed payment of roughly $16 million (9 million pounds) because of the shutdown.

NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Actor Charlie Sheen demanded a pay rise to return to his halted TV show “Two and A Half Men” and threatened to sue network CBS in two rambling and self-aggrandizing interviews aired on Monday.

The troubled star, whose erratic behavior has put the future of his top-rated comedy in jeopardy, spoke about problems with his TV show, boasted about his lifestyle, and said he was tired of pretending he is not “a total frigging rock star from Mars.”

CBS canceled production of “Two and A Half Men” for the rest of the season last week after Sheen made expletive-filled attacks on the show’s producer and co-creator.

Sheen told ABC news in an interview aired on “Good Morning America” on Monday that he would defend himself through “violent hatred” and he felt let down the show was stopped.

“I was actually disappointed,” Sheen said. “People misinterpret my passion for anger.”

Asked if he would sue, he said: “Wouldn’t you? I don’t have a job. I have a whole family to support and love … I am here to collect and they are going to lose.”

He said his attack on producer Chuck Lorre, which some suggested had anti-Semitic overtones, had been misinterpreted.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Charlie Sheen demanded a pay rise to return to his halted TV show “Two and a Half Men” and said he was not angry but passionate in two rambling and self-aggrandizing television interviews aired on Monday.

The troubled star, whose erratic behavior and insults has put the future of his top-rated comedy in jeopardy, ranted about everything from his problems with the top-rated comedy show to denying he has a drug problem, to his thoughts on being misunderstood.

Sheen, responding to CBS’s decision last Thursday to stop production of “Two and A Half Men” for the rest of the season, unleashed an expletive-filled attack on the show’s producer.

He told ABC news in an interview with excerpts aired on “Good Morning America” that he felt let down the show was stopped.

“I was actually disappointed because I thought, I think the mistake, the mistakes, I made is that people misinterpret my passion for anger,” Sheen said.

Asked if he would sue, he said: “Wouldn’t you? I don’t have a job. I have a whole family to support and love … I am here to collect and they are going to lose.”

He said last week’s attack on the show’s producer and co-creator Chuck Lorre, which some suggested was anti-Semitic, had been misinterpreted.