Charlie Sheen - the most brilliant PR stunt of all time?

Anyone who doesn't know what Charlie Sheen has been up to over the past couple of weeks has probably been living in a box or possibly even a padded cell. The ex-Two and a Half Men star has been all over the international and local press, with people from all over the world following his every move with bated breath.

For those of you who need a quick refresher on the life and times of the highest paid sitcom actor in the world, here goes.

Despite having accidently shot one of his three wives in the arm in 1990, Sheen has more recently been in trouble for an alleged cocaine and prostitute bender which apparently saw him ransacking his Plaza hotel room - naked.

"Living the dream"

Following this, CBS and Warner Bros fired Sheen from his show and he has been undergoing a substance rehabilitation programme in the comfort of his own home. After a series of public outbursts and appearing on various talk shows, including Piers Morgan's CNN show, Sheen has announced that he is, and I quote, "living the dream" with two goddesses - pornographic actress Bree Olsen and his ex-nanny, Natalie Kenly.

His catchphrase "winning" and the ludicrous claim that he has tiger blood coursing through his veins has led him to being the most-talked-about celeb on the Hollywood glitz and glamour circuit.

So could this be the PR campaign of the decade as it builds the image of a man who is in grave danger of becoming a Hollywood causality? Or is all the hype around Sheen genuine and uncoordinated?

Building a social media presence

If you had searched for Charlie Sheen a few weeks ago on Twitter, you would have been sorely disappointed as he didn't exist in the Twitterverse. Now the man (@CharlieSheen) holds the Guinness Book of Records for gathering the most followers over a 24-hour period -over one million.

Now with 2.45 million followers (I being one of them) eagerly lapping up Sheen's quirky and sometimes just odd tweets, he has certainly claimed his space in social media. In his tweets he hashtags his catchphrases "winning" and "tiger blood" and is using Twitter quite effectively to further push his own image. On Twitter you get a sense of the Charlie Sheen that you love on screen and can almost forgive his waywardness and tragic antics and, possibly?, even admire his rock star life.

Recently, he has also posted an advertisement online for a "tigerblood" intern to join his team. This prompted over 74 000 wannabes to apply for the job, which entails promoting and developing the celeb's social media presence. With 2.45 million followers, I guess any successful applicant is going to have his or her hands full - in more ways than one!

All over YouTube

YouTube has him all over it, with his interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" having amassed over six million views.

But - as you all know - you can't control social media, even if you drink tiger blood. On YouTube, the most viewed clip the other day (now with over five million views) is a hilarious, mocking parody of his "winning" mantra, all in the form of a cleverly mixed song. You can't help but be caught up by the catchy tune and viewer comments such as "off you go you boring little man" show that not everyone is a fan of this man.

Creating and crafting the wave and then... riding it

Scooping up followers on Twitter and entering in the social media space hasn't been the only thing that Sheen has been up to.

During this sudden burst of publicity, according to the Mail Online, he has hosted his own spoof cooking show on the www.FunnyorDie.com website. Decked out in a tiger patterned chef's hat, and a branded "winning" ways apron, the actor - with his "goddesses" waiting in the wings - was, according to the website, easy to work with and full of ideas.

Everything he does seems orchestrated towards gaining publicity and promoting his rock-star-slightly-bizarre image.

For an interview with a Californian radio station. he ran on a treadmill while being questioned; he publically called his co-star, John Cryer, a troll; warlocks have eerily predicted his future on YouTube; he has been pictured in most of the tabloids slugging back a drink labelled "tiger blood" and has had the word "winning" tattooed on his left wrist (one of 11 tattoos apparently adorning his not-so-hot body).

Deal to marketing "winning" memorabilia

He has also recently signed a deal to market "winning" memorabilia including t-shirts. According to E! Online, the contract is with concert promoters, Live Nation, and it may also include a live tour!

There is no doubt that Charlie Sheen has got some very clever PR people in the so-called "sheenteam" toiling away behind the scenes, cleverly crafting and packaging the message and his image. The question is: how long will his fans and the public put up with it? What happens when his insistence on blurring the line between crazy and rock-star becomes tired and, horror upon horrors, boring?