If Two and a Half Men’s Ashton Kutcher experiment doesn’t work out so well, at least all parties involved have hedged their bets accordingly. The Wall Street Journal reports that Kutcher has only signed a yearlong contract with the show, which may be a reasonably conservative move, since CBS hasn’t yet licensed more than another year of Men. (When American Idol overhauled its judging panel, Jennifer Lopez also came aboard with a one-season contract, though Steven Tyler has said that he signed for more.) On the other hand, it may leave CBS and Warner Bros. at a negotiations disadvantage if Kutcher proves to be a blockbuster success on Men, though even if his already-lucrative contract is upped, it’s still likely he’d be less expensive than Charlie Sheen, who commanded an enormous $1.25 million fee per episode. [Speakeasy/WSJ]
