News Shorts

'Millionaire' and 'Link' bring home the bacon
ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" proved it still had its stuff last night, driving the network to a win in households for the night. Of course, NBC's "The Weakest Link," proved its stuff as well, winning both of its half-hours in adults 18-49 and helping NBC win the demographic for the night. In a surprise win, CBS's "60 Minutes II" took the 9 p.m. hour in households, topping a first-run episode of "Frasier" and the first half-hour of “The Weakest Link” on NBC. The newsmagazine also topped a new episode of ABC's "What About Joan," which built upon its lead-in ratings from a repeat episode of "Dharma and Greg." The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Tuesday night were: ABC 9.4/15 and 4.7, CBS 8.0/13 and 3.1, NBC 7.5/12 and 4.8, and Fox 5.8/9 and 4.4. On Monday, NBC's "The Weakest Link" had a strong debut, winning its hour in both households and adults 18-49. The new quiz show topped its first-run competition at 8 p.m. on both of Monday's usual winners, CBS and Fox. Overall, CBS still won households, and Fox still won adults 18-49, however, as "Dateline" dropped nearly 30 percent of "Weakest Link's" lead-in audience. But almost everything beat ABC's "When Billie Beat Bobby." The TV movie finished last in every time slot in both households and adults 18-49. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Monday night were: CBS 8.8/14 and 4.5, NBC 8.0/13 and 4.8, Fox 7.2/11 and 5.0, and ABC 4.5/7 and 2.6.

'Survivor' castaways jump ship to 'Link'
In an unlikely bit of cross-promotion, contestants from the original "Survivor" series have agreed to appear on the newest vote-off extravaganza, NBC's "The Weakest Link." Next month during sweeps, the boys and girls of last summer--Susan Hawk, Sean Keniff, Ramona Gray, Gretchen Cordy, Joel Klug and Richard Hatch--will grapple mentally for another $1 million prize. Loath as CBS must be to use the power of its "Survivor" franchise to help out a rival network during sweeps, there's nothing they can do. All "Survivor" contestants were barred from appearing on other networks only through the end of last year. On the episode, which has already been shot, "Survivor" winner Hatch reportedly gets his long-overdue comeuppance, becoming the first to get voted off the show.

Barbra: World needs a liberal cable news network
Barbra Streisand is contemplating buying a cable television news network in order to voice her liberal political views, according to a report in U.S. News and World Report. Streisand pitched the idea to several affluent Democrats, including actors Warren Beatty and wife Annette Bening, producer Norman Lear and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, at a party she threw at her home earlier this month. The songstress reportedly told guests she wanted to create a network whose programming would be without "Republican talking heads." At the get-together, Streisand also read aloud a three-page letter she recently sent to Democrats on Capitol Hill. Not surprisingly, in the memo the diva slammed President Bush and called on Democrats to stick to party lines.

Jews for Jesus: Networks are shutting us out
The nonprofit organization Jews for Jesus says it has been denied by the major broadcast networks and several cable networks from running an ad during this week's Holocaust observance. The TV networks involved all claim that their guidelines exempt them from carrying spots discussing religious doctrine. But the group maintains that the networks in fact found the message too controversial. Officials for Jews for Jesus also claim that the standards and practices units of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, A&E, Discovery Channel and Lifetime rejected the ad only after appraising storyboards last year. One network source disagrees, saying the ads were passed on outright without the storyboards ever having been submitted, according to Broadcasting & Cable. The print version of the ad currently carried in many national magazines features a photo of Marion Parkhurst, an alleged survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, under a headline that reads, "Before you dismiss my belief, you should hear my story." Readers are then encouraged to send for the video of Parkhurst explaining her story.

'GMA' ratings plummet with Diane on leave
ABC News may not let "Good Morning America" host Diane Sawyer take another vacation for quite a while. According to Nielsen Media Research numbers for the week ending April 6, while Sawyer was on vacation, "GMA" posted a 3.1 rating/13 household share with an average audience of 3.6 million viewers, marking a 20 percent decrease in total viewers compared to the same week last year. "GMA" posted its lowest household ratings that week since July 4, 2000, when both Sawyer and co-host Charlie Gibson were on vacation. But there could be another explanation for "GMA’s" poor numbers that week: Morning shows’ ratings historically dip the week following the switch to daylight saving time. Meanwhile, CBS’s "Early Show" posted a 2.2/9 with an average of 2.5 million viewers, a 15 percent increase in total viewers compared with the same week last year. NBC’s morning show leader, "Today," posted a 4.8/20 with an average of 5.7 million viewers, down 3 percent in total viewers from last year.

'Weakest Link's' Anne is, like, really mean
When she’s at work taping an episode of "The Weakest Link," host Anne Robinson is merciless, using her formidable intellect and quick wit to humiliate losing contestants. But in real life, Robinson is…well, much the same, according to a report in the New York Post’s Page Six. Those who have worked with her on the British version of the quiz show say Robinson can be just as harsh and contemptuous when the cameras aren’t rolling, especially to crew members whose work she finds inadequate. "She has made plenty of people cry," one former assistant producer told the Post. Among those reduced to tears, or nearly so, were two fellow producers who were late handing her the list of questions. "She told them they were a waste of space. They were humiliated." Robinson is also not above flaunting her status as the show’s star asset and prime earner, say some. "We hear about how much she is earning all the time," says another producer. "It is like a mantra with her to try and say, 'I am worth $1 million' as many times a day as possible." Even those who know her from her personal life pre-stardom say Robinson’s hauteur is no act. Says one childhood friend, "I've seen her dismiss friends just the way she dumps contestants."

Other 'Survivor' news: Gervase attacked by cabbie
Gervase Peterson, a castaway from the first season of CBS’s hit reality series "Survivor," was attacked by a New York City limo driver recently while on his way to tape an episode of the soap "As the World Turns." According to KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, Peterson got into an argument with the driver, who then physically attacked him. No charges were filed from the fight. In other "Survivor" news, host Jeff Probst recently put to rest a slew of "Survivor" rumors during an interview with Los Angeles television station KTLA. First off, Probst denies gossip that he is having an affair with "Survivor: The Australian Outback" castaway Jerri Manthey. "I haven't thought about it. I don't anticipate doing it anytime soon," he said. Probst also said there was no sex among the contestants in Australia, but he still wonders if Greg and Colleen were intimate last season. "I could never tell if they were playing us or if we were playing them. They definitely were cuddling, but I don't know if it ever got into sex." Finally, Probst told the TV station he doesn’t know the identity of the winner this season. The host says he’ll discover who’s taking home a million dollars when the rest of America does during the season finale post-show. "I think it really started just as a secrecy thing, but it has become this great dramatic ending. And the final last few minutes are going to be pretty cool."

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