Regrets, I've Had A Few

My mother-in-law sent me a link to a story on BBC News: "Two and a Half Men 'filth', says show star Angus Jones." I had been aware of the story for some time before this, since it was exactly the kind of scandalous screed that I tend to seek out as I look over the morning's news. For those of you unfamiliar with "Two And A Half Men," the long answer is that it is a CBS sit-com that tells the story of a man who gets divorced and goes along with his young son to live with his swinging single brother. Angus Jones plays the half man in that equation. Initially, one of the full men was played by Charlie Sheen, which may be the short answer you were looking for. 
Angus started appearing on the show when he was ten years old. He is now nineteen. What was once a career-making opportunity is now filth. In the big book of Hollywood stories, that's nothing new. Angus has recently sought spiritual guidance, as many young stars have. The one that springs to my mind is Dolores Hart, who walked away from making movies with Elvis and into a nunnery. Mother Dolores is still a voting member of the Academy. My guess is that Angus won't be showing up on the red carpet to present an Emmy anytime soon. It's not just his show he's done with: "Do some research on the effects of television and your brain and I promise you you'll have a decision to make when it comes to the television and especially with what you watch on television. It's bad news. It's bad news."
And that's probably why my mother-in-law wanted me to read this article. She and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye when it comes to TV viewing habits. Or the habits of my son. In a perfect world, he wouldn't need to stare at a screen to be entertained. He would be out in the world, creating new ideas and experiencing people and things in reality. Not staring at a screen. 
Of course, I did have to click on the link that my mother-in-law sent me and read the story about TV on a screen. Perhaps I need some more spiritual guidance.