What's the Difference Between Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan?

Pop-Ed: There's a problem with the way we accept Charlie Sheen and condemn Lindsay Lohan.

The actor was found naked and drunk in his Plaza Hotel room early Tuesday morning. After trashing his lavish room and accusing his call girl of theft, police removed the, "emotionally disturbed" actor before he was taken to the hospital.

Sheen was in town with ex-wife Denise Richards and their two daughters for a few days of family fun. After daughters Sam and Lola partied with Eloise at the Plaza, Sheen sought out some grown-up entertainment of his own.

His reps are claiming he had an, "adverse reaction to medication." Riiight. Give it a few days, and Sheen will admit he's still struggling with substance abuse and going to, "seek treatment." He'll thank the public for their prayers and continued support.

And we will continue to support him. We'll tune in Tuesday nights to see Sheen reprise has role as an endearing, heavy-drinking, hooker-loving playboy on, "Two and a Half Men." After he's done raking in 1.8 million an episode for that family-friendly series, Hollywood producers will hire him for another sitcom or maybe even as a leading man on the big screen.
Despite yet another public blunder, no one is questioning whether Sheen's reprehensible personal choices have destroyed his professional career. We're able to see him as an actor, whose on-camera abilities aren't affected by his problems with a certain powdery white substance.

Yet we'll continue to drone on about Lindsay, and how the once-promising starlet sabotaged her career. The troubled actress, like Sheen, has struggled with an addiction to cocaine and had some infamous encounters with the law. She's currently serving a court-mandated stint in rehab until January 2011, and critics are already saying her career might not be waiting for her when she gets out.

Not to be an angry feminist, but does anyone else see the ridiculous double standard here? Sheen is a 45-year old father of five. Lohan's a 24-year old single woman responsible solely for her own well being. Both are actors. Neither are role models. Yet why do we treat the two so differently?

Let's look at Sheen's second chances. Back in 1990, he accidentally shot then-fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm. It only required two stitches. Still, he was playing with a gun and it inadvertently went off? Yeah, we just let that one slide.

In 1995, he admitted frequenting one of Heidi Fleiss' brothels. "I love sex, and I can afford it," he said with typical male bravado. (Can you imagine the backlash if Lohan hired a male prostitute?)

Then in 1998, Sheen entered rehab for substance addiction after a cocaine overdose. No problem! He kept getting work. He split with wife Denise Richards in 2002 after threatening violence against her. And of course there was the incident in December 2009 when he was arrested on charges of domestic violence against his pregnant wife. He went to rehab, took an anger management class, and Poof! We forgave him for those indiscretions and he continued booking job after job.

With the exception of driving under the influence back in 2007, Lohan's reckless behavior hasn't been destructive to anyone other than herself. Her times in jail and court-mandated rehab aren't a result of violent threats to others or endangering the lives of anyone's unborn children. She has a drug problem, and she's getting help. Still, we continue to speculate whether this bad behavior will cost Lohan her career.

So why is Sheen's behavior just to be expected of a handsome playboy? I highly doubt his problems at the Plaza are going to cost him his lucrative contract with CBS. But Lohan's actions are vilified and make her unacceptable to work as an actress. What producer in their right mind would ever hire a woman who isn't pristine enough to be put up on a pedestal? A man with personal problems though? Sure, not a problem.

The discrepancy in how we react to Sheen and Lohan's screw-ups is a sad reminder of the ever-existent sexism still permeating our society. Sheen gets second, third, and fourth career chances. In a fair world, Lohan would be entitled to the exact same. Hear that, CBS? Write up a contract for the girl. It's your turn to promote gender equality!

Director Reveals Title of Third Batman Film (and Which Villain Won't Be Making an Appearance)

Christopher Nolan, writer and director of 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight,' has revealed the title of the third film in the Batman trilogy: 'The Dark Knight Rises.' And in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nolan also discussed which villains won't be getting any screen time in the upcoming film.

"It won't be the Riddler," Nolan said. He has also previously ruled out Mr. Freeze and the Penguin making any appearances. E!Online.com also reports that the director has been meeting with actresses in their 20s and 30s--maybe trying to cast Catwoman?

"We'll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we'll be introducing some new ones," he said. That might include 'Inception' actor Tom Hardy, who's reportedly in talks to play one of the leads opposite Christian Bale's Batman. No word on whether he'd be playing a good guy or bad guy.

In the interview, Nolan also talked about the fact his film wouldn't be shot in 3D but instead will use HD technology and IMAX cameras.
As for the plot, Nolan will only say that the audience will find the caped crusader on the run from the very people he's saved from evil. Interesting...

Randy and Evi Quaid Released From Custody

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have been released from a Canadian detention facility after she was declared a Canadian citizen, Canadian border officials said Wednesday.

The Quaids were arrested last Thursday in a shopping area of a posh Vancouver, British Columbia, neighborhood and were jailed on outstanding U.S. warrants related to vandalism charges. The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara, California, where they missed a court hearing Monday on felony vandalism charges.

The Canada Border Services Agency confirmed in a statement that Evi Quaid is a citizen of Canada.

The pair had appeared at an immigration hearing in which they requested refugee status based on their belief that they were being persecuted by "Hollywood star whackers," as they put it, and that their lives were in danger.

During the hearing, Evi Quaid repeatedly said her father was a Canadian FBI agent, a claim she explained later by saying her father was a Canadian who moved to the United States and began working for the FBI.

Catherine Sas, the Quaid's new lawyer, said Evi Quaid can live and work in Canada and border officials have withdrawn their proceedings.

As for Randy Quaid, the border services agency would only say that he is no longer in detention and his case will be proceeding through immigration channels.

The couple had been scheduled to appear at a refugee board hearing in Vancouver on Thursday. They were told last week they could be released from detention if they posted a $10,000 bond each, but the pair remained in custody.

Refugee claimants can be detained if officials suspect they won't appear for their hearings.

The Quaids have frequently missed court appearances in the past for a now-resolved U.S. case involving charges they defrauded an innkeeper.

The Quaids are due to appear in a Santa Barbara court next week on felony vandalism charges and their U.S. lawyer has said he expects them to show up.

After a court hearing in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, senior Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter made it clear that the U.S. warrants for the Quaids remain outstanding.

The couple's U.S. lawyer, Robert Sanger, told the court he had been in contact with the Quaids and expected them to be present for the hearing which is set for Nov. 2.

Quaid and his wife were charged after more than $5,000 in damage was found in a guest house of a Montecito, California, home they had previously owned.

Last week, Evi Quaid, 47, begged a Canadian immigration adjudicator to allow the couple to stay in Canada, saying she feared for her 60-year-old husband's life after some of their friends, like actors David Carradine and Heath Ledger, had been "murdered" under mysterious circumstances.

Ledger died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose. Carradine was found dead, hanging from a rope, in a suite at a luxury Bangkok hotel. Neither actor's death was ruled suspicious.

Randy Quaid is best-known for supporting roles in films such as "Independence Day" and "National Lampoon's Vacation."

He has said the couple came to Canada because he was being given an award by a film critics group. He added that they were considering moving to Vancouver, where he planned to jump-start his career.

2010 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.