How out of control has the Charlie Sheen media circus - and the man himself - become?

"I'm checking TMZ, as I do every day, to know if I have to go to work at all," Jon Cryer, Sheen's co-star on TBS' 'Two and a Half Men' told Conan last week. He wasn't kidding.

Sheen emerged in public on Thursday afternoon after a 36-hour sex and drugs epic left him in hospital.

The 45-year-old stepped out at about 2 PM in the afternoon still wearing a bathrobe. He looked like he'd been attacked by monkeys. Monkeys who specialize in make-unders.

Sheen's management, gritting their teeth, told the press this week that the actor is undergoing rehab at his luxury home.

Word is that Sheen hopes to return to TV's top-rated comedy by the end of February.

We'll see. Sheen's show is a cash cow that means millions to investors. It's sad to think it may be money rather than principle that's behind his rehabilitation.