College pigskin sweep for ABC
The New Year began with the traditional lineup of college bowl games that gave ABC an easy ratings victory on Tuesday. ABC was No. 1 among adults 18-49 and households in virtually every half-hour for the night with the tail end of the "Tostitos Fiesta Bowl" and the "Nokia Sugar Bowl" match-up between Illinois and LSU. The network averaged a 5.0 adult 18-49 rating and 9.3 household rating and 15 share, based on preliminary Nielsen data. NBC came in second place in the younger demo with a 3.9 and a 5.9/9 in households. Its lineup included repeats of top-rated shows like "Frasier" and a rerun of its celebrity edition of "Fear Factor," the summer reality show that is coming back to NBC’s regular schedule. Fox had a 3.8 and a 4.5/7 on Tuesday with programs like "That '70s Show." CBS placed a distant last place in the 18-49 demo with a 3.0 rating for repeats of its regular lineup of "JAG," "The Guardian," and "Judging Amy." The network was No. 2, however, in households with a 7.5/12.

'24' and 'Alias' nominated for Golden Globes
This year's Golden Globe nominations are in, and there are some new shows challenging perennial favorites "The Sopranos" and "The West Wing" for top honors in the drama category. Two thrillers, Fox's "24" and ABC's "Alias," are among the best drama nominees, along with HBO's "Six Feet Under." "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," now in its second season on CBS, also earned a nod. The nominees for best musical or comedy series were more familiar: Fox's "Ally McBeal," HBO's "Sex and the City" and "Friends," "Frasier" and "Will & Grace," all of which air on NBC. HBO led all networks in nominations with 19, and its critically-lauded World War II epic "Band of Brothers" was nominated for best miniseries or motion picture made for television. Other nominees in that category were "Anne Frank," "Wit," "Conspiracy" and "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows."

NBC plans 25th anniversary 'Roots' special
A quarter of a century after ABC made television history by airing the epic miniseries "Roots," rival NBC is planning to honor the landmark with an anniversary special that will air Jan. 18. "Roots--Celebrating 25 Years" will feature appearances by celebrities including Larry King, Richard Roundtree, Ben Vereen and Ed Asner. LeVar Burton, who starred in the miniseries as Kunta Kinte, will host the special. "Roots" first aired over the course of eight nights in 1977, reaching more than 130 million viewers and winning nine Emmys. The saga will run on the Hallmark Channel beginning Jan. 20.

Hey, hey, hey, it's 'Fat Albert' again on UPN
And speaking of iconic late-'70s television, UPN is reportedly talking about bringing back a certain rotund junkyard denizen and his posse on a limited basis after "The Fat Albert Christmas Special" pulled some pretty impressive numbers on Christmas Eve. The special, which first aired in 1977, won its time slot in adults 18-34, women 18-34 and kids 2-11. Now, with a "Fat Albert" theatrical movie starring Forest Whitaker due out during the summer of 2003, UPN is said to be thinking about rebroadcasting old Easter and Halloween specials. "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," created by Bill Cosby, aired on Saturday mornings from 1972 until 1984, with the name changing to "The New Fat Albert Show" in 1979.

'Frasier's' Leeves reups for three more years
The new year has gotten off to a very good start for "Frasier" star Jane Leeves. The British-born actress, who plays physical therapist Daphne Moon, has reportedly signed a contract extension that will keep her on the NBC sitcom for three more years and net her about $30 million. That works out to around $365,000 per episode, about half the take of her co-star David Hyde Pierce, who plays Niles Crane. Headliner Kelsey Grammer signed a contract in June worth $1.6 million per episode, making him the best-paid actor in TV.

Judge stops EchoStar from dropping ABC Family
As time ran out on 2001, an order by the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles came down against satellite TV provider EchoStar, which had planned to stop carrying ABC Family Channel at the end of the year. The current No. 2 satellite company planned on using the "must-carry" rule as its grounds for dropping the Disney cable network. "Must-carry" rules set by the government require satellite companies to air broadcasts from all local stations if they want to carry shows by any of them, which the companies say taps their bandwidth. EchoStar has also contended that a clause in the original contract with Fox Family, bought by Disney in October, allows the company to unilaterally quash the agreement if the channel trades hands. But Judge Gary Feess issued a temporary restraining order against EchoStar, arguing that the company's considerable reach within the satellite realm would severely limit ABC Family's proliferation. A hearing has been scheduled to review the order, which expires at 6 p.m. PT on Jan. 10.

January 2, 2002 © 2002 Media Life

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