The game hasn’t started, but the bar is already set high for commercials!

NBC aired this during the pre-game show:

It’s been quite a year for Charlie Sheen from a public relations standpoint.

From rehab to drug busts to porn stars locked in hotels to domestic issues to having his kids taken out of his home, nothing has seemed to go right for the actor.

CBS has even halted production on his hit show, Two and a Half Men.  (Confession – I’ve never watched an episode of it.)

And over the past several days, Sheen has given a series of interviews to ABC, NBC, CNN and more.  His statements have turned heads a bit in their content and confidence.  It is clear that he believes in himself 100%.

Honestly, it’s refreshing to see someone so brashly saying, “This is who I am!  I’m proud of it and I will never change it!”  He’s been nothing if not consistent in that sentiment.  And the fact that he has publicly demanded CBS pay the crew for the episodes of the show that were scheduled to be filmed is admirable – to some degree.

But some of the things Sheen is saying and situations he’s found himself in range from bizarre to offensive.  What sort of began last year with the sad dissolution of his marriage has led to him turning into almost a cartoon character.

**This stuff is too bizarre to be real and too strange to be fiction.**

If I was Charlie Sheen’s publicist, this is what I would do:

Step 1 – Shush Yourself!

While I said I enjoyed his confidence, it is obviously coming across more odd than helpful.  Nothing he can say or do right now will do anything but feed that machine.  He took [and passed] a drug test on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday.  Which says everything and nothing all at once.  Strangely.

At this point, the best thing he can do for himself is stop talking to the media.

Step 2 – Get Out of Dodge

I would get Charlie on a plane to some remote location, surrounded by a small group of friends and family where nobody will cover his every waking move and it would be virtually impossible to get in trouble.

Step 3 – Stay Away

When he gets to that remote location, he should stay there for at least three weeks.  Tan, surf, read, unwind and let the domestic heat cool down a bit.

Step 4 – Homecoming

After nearly a month away to refocus, Sheen should host a non-alcoholic party for the entire cast and crew of “Two and a Half Men.”  Yes, I know he feels jilted by their apparent lack of support during his “time of need.”  But this would also be a gesture that would not go unnoticed by Hollywood.

His situation led to the show being halted – whether he agreed with it or not – so he should take this major step to restarting it.

Having it alcohol-free is not a statement of sobriety; it’s a statement that it’s not an issue. Host friends and celebrities in the daylight, outside with no booze and that is one heck of an image.

Step 5 – Re-channel Energies

We all know by now that Charlie Sheen loves living life to it’s fullest.  He wears it like a badge of honor.

However, living a “full” life doesn’t necessarily need to mean coke and hookers.

I would work with him to create a Dream List of 50 things he wants to do – things like sky-diving, marathons, writing a script, etc.  Focus that “high life” energy into more productive adventures and projects to keep him in the public eye for all the RIGHT reasons.

Then, after that list was over…make another one.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

What would you do if you were Charlie Sheen’s publicist?

Facebook founder and head honcho Mark Zuckerberg appeared on “Saturday Night Live” on January 29, alongside Jesse Eisenberg, who portrayed him in “The Social Network” and Andy Samberg who has parodied him on the show before.  (Yes, there were a ton of “Bergs” in this segment.)

It was an important public appearance for the reserved Zuckerberg.

Showing a sense of humor – including the ability to laugh at himself – on a national stage will be good for his image.

Also, by appearing on the show alongside Eisenberg, he gave somewhat of a blessing to the movie that (allegedly) tells the story of Facebook’s creation.  Headed into “Oscars Season,” that good prove to be a tremendous boost to the film’s already-fantastic chances at winning the award for Best Picture.

(And, can you say DVD Extra???)

If you missed the appearance, here it is:

The year 2010 brought us some fantastic moments in the social media universe.  Like…really, epic-level fantastic.

I’m not talking about a developer discovering a new way to code something.  I’m talking about the front-end, user-engagement area of the industry.

I’ve decided to honor 2010 by presenting (in some particular order), 10 Great 2010 Social Media Moments!

9 – Shit My Dad Says

From a hilarious Twitter feed to a disappointingly unfunny CBS TV series, you would think this “brand” took a giant spill this year.  But you’d be quite wrong.

One small step for the brand, one giant leap for Social Media!

Think about it.  There was a Twitter feed that was so funny that a broadcast TV network green-lit (that’s insider lingo for “approved”) a prime-time comedy based on it!  Seriously, that is a tremendous accomplishment for the online world.

And, hey, millions of people seem to like it, or at least forget to change the channel when it comes on after “The Big Bang Theory.”  Good on ya.

8 – The Bed Intruder

Only in a Social Media Universe can an attempted rape become transformed into an auto-tuned music sensation (available on iTunes, of course!)

7 – Dead Cats and Horrible Marketing

A Chipotle employee apparently ran over a cat, killing it dead.  DEAD!!!!!

Normally, that wouldn’t make much of an impact on our lives, would it?

But in 2010, this became a wild online phenomenon, involving a major corporation and a cover-up that would make Richard Nixon blush.

John Eick explains the sordid, amazing details at So Good Blog.

6 – Future Day FAIL!

Of all the great 1980s movies, Back to the Future ranks ridiculously high on the list.  And even better, in my opinion, was the sequel, Back to the Future II!

In the second installment, Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel from the present day of 1985 into the far-off future of 2015, complete with hoverboards, auto-sizing jackets and an almanac of every sporting game ever!

British website TotalFilm sent out a Tweet in early July claiming that July 6, 2010 was the day featured in the futuristic movie, and even coined the #FutureDay hashtag.

Countless people Tweeted and ReTweeted about how awesome it was to compare what they saw around them with what was predicted in the movie.

Of course, it was five years off.

Ooops.

5 – Betty White on SNL

Somewhere along the way, Betty White has become the coolest woman in America.

It was somewhere between the original airings of Golden Girls and the time Lifetime started showing the reruns.

Well into her late-80s, she has become even more beloved than ever before and a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl begat a Facebook campaign aimed to convince NBC to let her host Saturday Night Live.

She rode a wave of popular support and within a few months, was saying “we’ve got a great show…stick around, we’ll be right back!”

So how did she do?

Well, if this doesn’t make you laugh, you may be considered dead in 47 states.

4 – Sue Sylvester Gets Vogue!

Hit TV shows don’t NEED social media to survive.

Sure, LOST became an iconic piece of pop culture, in no small part to online communities and recaps and discussions.  Sports events enjoy the real-time conversation and stored clips that social media can provide, too.

But glee took full advantage of the buzz social media can provide when they previewed Sue Sylvester’s Fauxdonna performance of “Vogue” before the Madonna tribute episode aired.  The conversations went from living room to laptop, as people searched for the video and turned the upcoming episode into a mega hit.

Unfortunately, FOX has removed the video from just about everywhere legal, so I can’t post it here.

But after seeing a 15 second clip, millions of people went searching for the full version.

Big win.

3 – “The Social Network”

Earlier in our list, we discussed a prime time TV show stemming from Social Media.

But 2010 also gave us a major Hollywood feature film from the industry: “The Social Network.”

The movie tells the Facebook origin story.  Now, I’m sure there were some facts and events that may have been presented with a  traditional Hollywood twist.

But, in all honesty, the fact that people came to learn more about the network’s roots is incredible.  Worldwide, the film has grossed nearly $190 million, turning a tremendous profit on it’s $50 million budget.

It wasn’t the greatest movie I’ve ever seen, but it shows once again how important Social Media became in our lives this year.

2 – The GAP Logo Debacle

One of the hidden talents of social media is the communal panic attack for nothing all that big.

Exhibit A: A clothing retailer changes their logo and Twitter explodes, bloggers go apeshit and relative sanity flies completely out the window.

The volume of disdain was so loud, the company restored the original logo (with a few subtle cosmetic changes), as I discussed here.

So was this a case study in crowdsourcing?  Was it a rouse from the start?

Honestly, I don’t really care.  It’s a logo featured on the tag of shirts.  Big whoop.

But Social Media was the winner here – the people made their voice heard and made a difference in this company’s business decisions.

1 – Smell Like A Man!

This TV commercial started it all:

What followed will go down in history as the most memorable social media campaign of 2010.

Old Spice had the star of the commercials spend two days responding to Tweets, e-mails and blog posts with VIDEOS!  Yes, a customized video response to your question.

He made videos for celebrities, average folks – and even a guy trying to propose to his girlfriend!

Here is an excerpt from my July 13 post on why this campaign was so awesome:

1) Character: The star is Isaiah Mustafa, who is also the pitchman in the current TV campaign Old Spice is running.  Having him record these spots shows that this initiative is important to the company.

2) Instant: Each video has the same talent, costume (as it were) and set, with limited props.  They are all also less than :60 each, so incredibly quick to film and turnaround.  Shot with a single camera and no special effects, the only reason they would need multiple takes is if Mustafa busts out laughing on set, which I’m sure happened more than a few times.  With the quick production time, the video can be relevant and timely.

3) Funny: The writing is incredible.  Pitch-perfect for the character…full of wit, double entendres, and complete over-the-top arrogance.

4) Viral: Every video is housed on YouTube and can be instantly shared across multiple platforms.  Users can embed it in blogs (see above!), so the YouTube video gets the views while people share it around the world.  And because they have the TV star in a short, funny manner, people WANT to share it!

Those are 9 Social Media Moments from 2010 – what others left an impression on you?

Every four years, the Winter Olympics rule the pop culture landscape, featuring a mix of events that are athletic, daring and sometimes insane.  Don’t believe me?  Take a look at Shaun White.  To do what he does, he must have healthy doses of all three of those traits.

Most of the American audience, I can assume, can better relate to the Summer Olympics as a display of sport.  Who can run faster?  Jump higher?  Swim like a fish?

The Winter Games do have some of those elements, but there is one competition that seems to be the tipping point of sport for many people: Figure Skating.

[Noting my bias - I took ice skating lessons for several years as a kid.  I fell.  A lot.  I also majored in Sports Information and Communication at Ithaca College, where we debated the definition of "sport' on a daily basis.]

Is getting dolled up in spandex, skating backwards and doing some triple axels sport?  Does it deserve a gold medal?  [Translation - Usain Bolt got a gold medal for running faster than any human in recorded history; Is figure skating on-par with that?]

Instead of me trying to answer that question, I’d like to turn the floor over to you.  What do you think?