THE people of Haiti, slowly rebuilding after a devastating earthquake, face yet another alarming and unpredictable challenge: Charlie Sheen has announced he is coming to help out.
"If I can bring the attention of the world down there, then clearly this tsunami keeps cresting," said Sheen, slightly mixing his disaster metaphors. "I'm excited as hell."
Whether Haitians are quite so excited at the prospect of being assisted by the sitcom star and self-styled "Violent Torpedo of Truth" is more doubtful.
Celebrities have often felt impelled to come to the aid of the world's needy and oppressed. Sometimes a famous person with a big heart, chequebook and fan base can be a boon and a blessing to impoverished or war-torn regions. Occasionally, such interventions do more harm than good or raise impossibly high expectations in their chosen patch. Almost always, the well-meaning star comes trailing controversy and cameramen.
Celebrity involvement helps to focus the world's attention, but not always in a happy way. Oprah Winfrey's school for girls in South Africa, for example, attracted worldwide attention after a member of staff was accused of sexually abusing boarders, and later cleared of all charges.
Winfrey fired the headmistress, who went on to sue her for defamation. The suit was settled out of court.
For some Hollywood celebrities, a good cause in a poor country is practically part of the job description. The website Look to the Stars lists 2300 celebrities and the 1600 charities they support.
In January, George Clooney could be found in Southern Sudan during the region's independence referendum, "trying to keep this on the front burner of news".
"Bono sort of led the way," said Clooney, a winner of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. "Brad and Angie do it well, Matt Damon, I have a lot of friends who do it pretty well and really get involved. I see Ben Affleck doing it in the Congo now more and more."
Celebrities tend to take it badly when their efforts are disparaged. Sean Penn, who has played a prominent role in Haitian relief work, offered a typically nuanced comment on those who decry such efforts: "Do I hope that those people die screaming of rectal cancer? Yeah, you know, but I'm not going to spend a lot of energy on it."
Penn thinks a stint in Haiti might be good for his "old friend" Sheen, who is said to be planning a live show in the country as part of his Violent Torpedo of Truth/Death is Not an Option tour.
"I think his energies, intelligence and passion could be both of service and servicing to him, as it is to all who are touched by the struggle of the Haitian people," Penn said.
This is a fascinating new concept in international aid: celebrity therapy through doing good.
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