Why Was Charlie Sheen MIA From Two and a Half Men Today? (Hint: No Porn Stars Involved)

TV's highest paid actor calls out sick from work, a day after making headlines partying it up with porn stars in Sin City

When in doubt, get a doctor's note.

A day after Hollywood was laying odds on whether  Charlie Sheen would show up to work on time after a porn-happy weekend in Las Vegas (he did), the tube star missed his call time this morning on the set of Two and a Half Men.

But don't go rushing to judgment...

Despite his headline-grabbing struggles with alcohol addiction that has prompted all the microscopic attention recently, Sheen's rep chalked up today's absence to something far less salacious.

"Charlie woke up this morning with an ear infection, and he will go see his ear doctor first, and then go to the set," Sheen''s publicist, Stan Rosenfield, tells E! News.

So that's that.  An earache. Nothing that shouldn't keep the 46-year-old actor from the Burbank lot, where the Warner Bros. Studios show is taped, for an afternoon rehearsal.

There has been no comment from CBS and Warners execs to reports at Deadline.com, TheWrap.com and TMZ claiming the powers that be have been contemplating shutting down Two and a Half Men's production midseason to give Sheen a chance to check into rehab and get clean.

Sources told E! News that Sheen was spotted downing shots with porn star Bree Olson at The Palms Hotel and Casino during his weekend sojourn in Vegas.

Rosenfield issued a snarky statement ("Memo to Chicken Little: The sky remains in place") when Sheen flew back to L.A. early Monday morning and showed up for work as scheduled.

Wonder what Mr. Little has to say about Charlie's ear woes.