Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Do you think that Charlie Sheen's condition as he rants against Warner Bros. TV and producer Chuck Lorre over radio, TV and Internet makes the $100 million wrongful termination lawsuits his attorneys a lost cause? Think again.

Leading entertainment litigator Mitchell Langberg notes that there is more to Sheen's case than may be apparent at first blush.

"In my experience, the studios in these employment things are at least mostly wrong. You have artists who are artists, and studios that are businesses. When something happens to make it personal on the business side, then it devolves into all kinds of issues," he says.

Langberg's firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, has represented stars and companies through the years, so he's well versed in both sides of cases involving high-profile entertainment firings. The company represented Aaron Spelling back when Farrah Fawcett quit "Charlie's Angels" — as well as Valerie Harper, back when she was fired from her own series.

"In this case, you have a studio that knew about it," he says, referring to Sheen's drug-fueled carousing. "They even renegotiated with him after it was happening. They can point to their morals clause or their felony clause, but it would appear that as long as the ratings were high and the money was rolling in, his behavior was acceptable to them.

"Now, it could be that it got so out of control, it got to be a danger and was starting to effect the show," continues Langberg. "I've read the 11-page termination letter, where they talk about his missing his marks and leaning against things and such. It could be that, or it could be that it got real personal. The timing of when he was first suspended from the show was two days after Charlie made his first public comments against Chuck Lorre," notes the attorney, referring to the "Two and a Half Men" creator/producer that Sheen termed "a clown" and "Chaim Levine."

Langberg points out that reports of Sheen's wild behavior are nothing new. He's "been on Howard Stern's show and other shows making comments about prostitutes and drugs before now. Did they weigh their morals clauses then? What changed? That is what the case is going to turn on — whether or not they can prove that something different was affecting his performance, or the safety of his performance happening."

What happens if Sheen gets 5150'ed? "If the family gets him committed, even temporarily, it will confirm what seems readily apparent to anybody who watches the Internet or television.

And maybe it will make it more persuasive for the studio," Langberg observes.

"I remember sometime in the late '90s, when Charlie first publicly had these problems. Martin made it obvious he would do whatever it took to save his son," adds Langberg, referring to comments the elder Sheen made to reporters as Charlie recovered from a 1998 drug overdose — "whatever he's able to do."

STEPPING UP: With 10 days to go before the premiere of "Dancing With the Stars," ballroom champ Chelsie Hightower says she's excited about the progress her new partner, Romeo, is making.

"He's definitely in it to go a long way, taking it very seriously and working his butt off. He's picking it up so quickly, and it's obvious his athletic background is so helpful with that," she says of the rapper once known as kid star Lil' Romeo.

In terms of his body, "There's not a lot we have to do — he's in great shape already." Plus, "He's really easy to be around. We laugh and play all day." They also hug goodbye, as chronicled by paparazzi and numerous websites.

Asked which celebrity among the competition she has her eye on, Hightower noted that Disney Channel dream girl Chelsea Kane "is actually looking good. I've seen a few sets she's done, and she'll definitely be a competitor. She's cute and sweet and lots of fun."

Hightower took a critical hammering for some of her choreography with Michael Bolton last season — particularly having the pop star make his entrance form a doghouse for a "Hound Dog" number. But she's clear that she has no intention of letting naysayers cause her to pull back, creatively.

"You know what, if you don't take risks, you're not interesting. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. And at the end of the day, it's a TV show," shrugs the beautiful blonde, whose partners have also included rodeo star Ty Murray and extreme snowboarding champ Louie Vito. "Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. You just have to move on and keep looking forward to the next week."

COMING BACK TO THE REAL: It'll be interesting to see what MTV comes up with for their latest, yet to be titled, family project, a reality show that begins in the summer. They've been looking to cast "the ultimate family," one that resembles a TV sitcom, is as modern as "Modern Family" and as crazy as the Kardashians, according to casting sources. The producers want clans that are "loud, complicated, easy to love, absolutely hilarious and have their fair share of drama."

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM