EVERETT — Trudy Cady has seen enough of Charlie Sheen on television.
She won’t be shelling out as much as $575 for a special VIP backstage meet-and-greet when the notorious actor stops at Comcast Arena on May 3.
The Edmonds woman thought the “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option Show” was kind of strange.
Still, it’s America.
“He has the right to make money however he can do it,” Cady said.
In recent months Sheen, 45, has become a tabloid sensation. The star of CBS’s hit sitcom “Two and a Half Men” was fired on March 7 after Sheen let loose a tirade aimed at network executives.
The Hollywood star, who was the highest paid TV actor earning nearly $2 million an episode, has long battled problems with drugs, alcohol and domestic violence. His recent rants have included comments widely seen as anti-Semitic. He says he’s drinking “Tiger Blood” potion to stay sober.
Since losing his TV job, he’s been a near constant presence on entertainment programs and celebrity gossip websites including TMZ.com and E! Online. Sheen started using Twitter and now has nearly 3 million followers.
“This whole thing is fascinating,” said Marc Malkin, a blogger for E! Online who covers Sheen. “It’s a cultural phenomenon.”
Mystery is shrouding the tour. No one in the entertainment business is certain what Sheen will do, Malkin said.
Sheen isn’t a stand-up comedian and never before has done a one-man show.
“This is Charlie, he’s going to get to do what he wants,” Malkin said.
The show likely will include videos, skits and possibly local bands. Everett is the final (as of now) stop of the 20-city tour. It kicks off in Detroit on April 2. The first two shows sold out in record time.
Tickets for the Everett show go on sale this morning at 10 a.m. Prices begin at $49.50. For $250 people can grab a front row seat. Sheen is offering “Winners Only” packages for $575 that includes an opportunity to meet him backstage and have a photo taken.
Vicci Hilty, deputy director of Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, said Sheen has an opportunity to be a winner himself during his stage show. He could speak out against violence towards women.
Sheen was arrested in 2009 for felony menacing and other domestic violence-related charges involving his third wife. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and divorced late last year.
He now reportedly lives with two women, both porn stars. Sheen calls the women his “goddesses.”
“Real winning is about nonviolent behavior. It’s really about respect. It’s really about honor. It’s those issues that make people a winner,” Hilty said. “It’s absolutely disturbing that anyone would honor violent behavior coming from (Sheen) or the person next door or the person living in your home.”
Malkin agrees that fans need to take a skeptical look at Sheen.
“There is a big issue here,” Malkin said. “This is a man who’s been accused of some really nasty stuff.”
When Sheen pulls into Everett — if the tour makes it this far — he’s likely to attract a swarm of paparazzi. The tour’s final stop also could bring a scrum of entertainment reporters eager to see how Sheen might add an exclamation point to his act.
The scene harkens to December 2006 when similar controversy shrouded Axl Rose‘s Everett stop. Although it was widely speculated that Rose might not show, Rose took the stage just before midnight without incident.
Comcast Arena officials wouldn’t say how Sheen’s promoters selected Everett. Calls were referred to Sheen’s publicist, Larry Solters.
“At this time Charlie is not available for any interviews,” Solters said in an e-mail. “Thanks for your interest.”
Sheen has in the past gone long stretches avoiding controversy.
Whether or not he can keep up his energy and not implode before May 3 is anyone’s guess.
“Who knows what he’s going to do that’s going to lead up to that day?” Malkin said.
The other question is if he can attract about 5,500 people to fill all the seats at Comcast.
“I have zero interest in attending,” said Everett resident Beth Dickinson. She said she’d rather have people spend their money to support relief efforts in Haiti or Japan.
She wasn’t aware that Sheen has pledged $1 for each ticket sold to go to the Red Cross Japanese Earthquake Relief Fund.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Sheen in Everett
Charlie Sheen’s “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option Show”
8 p.m., May 3. Comcast Arena Everett, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett. Must be 18 or older. Tickets range from $49.50 to $575. Call 866-332-8499 or go to www.comcastarenaeverett.com.
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