Quick Takes: Sheen stays with ‘Men’

CBS can breathe a sigh of relief.

Charlie Sheen confirmed Monday that he has agreed to a new contract on the hit comedy “Two and a Half Men.” The deal will keep him on the show for two more seasons and will make him one of the highest-paid TV stars in the medium’s history. The controversial actor was already making close to $1 million an episode under his old deal.

Sheen had made noise about walking away from the show, which remains CBS’ highest-rated sitcom and is the 9 p.m. anchor of its successful Monday lineup.

However, there is a chance that the network may move the show to Wednesday nights to try to build another strong night of comedies.

Joe Flint

Polar Prize winners named

Italian composer Ennio Morricone and Icelandic singer Bjork were announced Monday as winners of the 2010 Polar Music Prize.

They will be invited to accept the award, which includes $130,000 each in prize money, at a ceremony in Stockholm this year.

The Polar Music Prize is Sweden’s biggest music award and is typically shared by a pop artist and a classical musician. It was founded by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group ABBA, in 1989.

Associated Press

New life for ‘Law & Order’?

The creator of “Law & Order” is seeking an appeal to save the 20-year-old police/legal drama, which has been canceled by NBC.

Dick Wolf released a humorously cryptic statement on Monday hinting that the series may gain new life, though he was not specific on whether he was shopping the series elsewhere.

“The patient is not dead,” said Wolf. “It is in a medically induced coma, and we are hoping for a cure.”

The veteran producer was not available to discuss what he had in mind to revive the patient.

Greg Braxton

A VH1 peek at Michaels’ life

Just weeks after being hospitalized with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, rocker Bret Michaels is popping up all over the place.

The former lead singer for Poison was on the cover of People magazine last week, survived another round on “The Celebrity Apprentice” Sunday night and plans to perform at the hard Rock Live in Biloxi, Miss., on May 28. And VH1 said Monday that it has been shooting a documentary-style series about him, “Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It,” in which viewers will see the entertainer’s “home life when he isn’t touring, shooting, partying and rocking out.”

But it apparently won’t include the current recovery process. “We have temporarily halted production on the series with Bret’s health as our primary concern,” said Jeff Olde, executive vice president of original programming and production.

The first-look half-hour of “Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It” will premiere 10 p.m. May 31 with the rest to follow in the fall.

Yvonne

Villarreal

NYPD to get special Tony

And the Tony Award goes to … the New York Police Department?

Two New York City police precincts, Midtown North and Midtown South, will be joining the casts of shows like “American Idiot” and “Lend Me a Tenor” at this year’s ceremonies saluting the best on Broadway.

The committee that administers the awards said Monday that the police units will be given the Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre in recognition of the precincts’ work in the city’s theater district.

Associated Press

$1.5 million for flood telethon

Country music singers Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum joined other entertainment stars in performing and answering phones to help raise more than $1.5 million for flood relief for Tennessee.

Paisley kicked off the Nashville telethon on GAC Sunday with an energized version of his song “Welcome to

the Future,” then donated $100,000 to the cause.

All money will go to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. At least 2,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in Nashville by the deadly flooding that struck Tennessee May 1-2. Damages have been estimated at $1.5 billion and climbing.

Associated Press