Sheen a little shaky in Las Vegas, actor says

In mid-January, Charlie Sheen joined the cast of "Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza" at the MGM for a few minutes, while he was in the midst of a weeks-long bender.

Finally telling what happened that night is the great comedian and improv actor Greg Proops, who co-starred in the show.

"There was a hilarious item in The Enquirer that Drew insisted that Charlie go to rehab, and that Drew and Charlie are best friends," Proops says.

"But since it's The Enquirer, they neglected to do any research. Ryan (Stiles) is the one who's friends with Charlie because Ryan is on 'Two and a Half Men.' Drew had never met Charlie until he came and did our show.

"But it's funner to lie than tell the truth" in The Enquirer, Proops jokes.

Sheen wandered on stage.

"And then we had a drink with him, and he was as nice as could be -- although, obviously, not in great shape.

"He's a nice person. He just has to pull it together. I don't like judging people when they're on an insane avalanche," Proops says. "His internal organs are made of Teflon."

SMART, FUNNY, IN VEGAS

I actually didn't track down Proops to talk about Sheen, but to catch up. He's performing stand-up Thursday-Saturday at the Palms. You can look for him tonight on "Chelsea Lately."

With David Cross, Proops is one of the funniest, alcohol-swilling, pop-culture intellectuals in comedy.

On the side, for years, Proops has been recording a regular "chat show" in an L.A. bar. Last year, he started recording that chat show and releasing it as a podcast.

He recently did a whole bit about favorite Winston Churchill quotes, including: "I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me." How many comics do Winston Churchill jokes, other than those with Churchill genes?

Carey told me he once took a date to see Proops' chat show. Afterward, Carey asked the date, "How did you like it?"

"She said, 'I didn't understand half the words he was saying. Too many big words!' " Carey recalled and laughed.

Proops laughs at that story and jokes about Carey: "He's dated some girls that were at cat level of intelligence."

VEGAS' VIDEO GAME BONANZA

The annual D.I.C.E. Summit is in town, bringing "The Indie Game Challenge," where aspiring game developers can "showcase their skills, pitch their games to top publishers and win some serious cash." Interesting.

Thursday at Red Rock, Jay Mohr hosts the video game awards of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

Game of the Year nominees: "Angry Birds HD"; "Call of Duty: Black Ops" (which has grossed $1 billion-plus); "God of War III"; "Mass Effect 2"; and "Red Dead Redemption."

My Game Dork brain says: "Red Dead Redemption" is huge, but it's an overrated sort of "Grand Theft Horse." "Black Ops" is all about online play (very addictive). "Angry Birds" is ... cute, but if little "Angry Birds" beats mega "God of War III" or mammoth "Mass Effect 2," the video game police might have to dismantle these awards, bird by bird.

SIGHTINGS

Audrina Patridge filmed reality show scenes everywhere, eating at Social House and meeting Tiesto backstage at the Hard Rock on Saturday; Rob Kardashian was in the Tiesto crowd. ... Ronnie from "Jersey Shore" partied at club Vanity. ... Holly Madison, with pompoms, took her crew to Lavo for Super Bowl Sunday. Also there: New York Jets' Darrelle Revis, plus Angie Everhart. ... Randy Couture saw Franky Perez's show at the Palms on Sunday. ... And Playmates Sara Underwood, Heather Rae Young and Jessica Hall sucked on lollipops at Sugar Factory while watching the game.

Doug Elfman's column appears Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. E-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.