News Shorts

Repeating Fox gives younger viewers to ABC
Fox was hurt by repeats again last night, as a rerun of "Dark Angel" cost the network the win among adults 18-49. Instead, ABC averaged the highest adult 18-49 ratings of the night with "NYPD Blue’s" win in that demographic at 10 p.m. The rest of ABC’s schedule performed only moderately well. At 8 p.m., "The Mole" garnered nearly the exact same rating as last week (8.1/13), good enough for second place. At 9 p.m., "Dharma and Greg" and "The Geena Davis" show also managed second place, despite NBC’s "Frasier" and "Three Sisters" handily winning the hour. "Three Sisters" also retained 97 percent of its adult 18-49 lead-in audience, nearly guaranteeing that NBC will soon proclaim this midseason replacement as the next big thing. CBS won the night in households, with time slot household wins by "JAG" and "Judging Amy." The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Tuesday night were: CBS 10.2/16 and 3.7, ABC 8.0/13 and 5.4, NBC 8.0/12 and 4.7, and Fox 6.1/9 and 5.1. On Monday, Fox’s winning streak among adults 18-49 took a tumble when the network ran repeats of "Boston Public" and "Ally McBeal." The shows’ ratings were more than 30 percent lower than the previous week’s, when both "Boston" and "Ally" were new. CBS easily took the night in households and adults 18-49 with new and Super Bowl promoted episodes of its "King of Queens" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" comedy block. The repeat of "Boston Public" also helped NBC’s "Mysterious Ways" at 8 p.m. The midseason replacement show scored ratings 27 percent higher than last week. But at 10 p.m., ABC’s "Gideon’s Crossing" continued to slide, as its ratings dropped 12 percent from last week. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Monday night were: CBS 10.6/16 and 5.9, NBC 7.2/11 and 3.5, ABC 7.1/11 and 4.8, and Fox 5.3/8 and 3.9.

Ravens' Lewis is out in the cold, ad-wise
Even though Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis was named MVP of this year’s Super Bowl, sponsors are betting he won’t be valuable for their ad campaigns. Lewis, who was linked to a double murder outside an Atlanta nightclub last year, wasn’t invited to participate in Disney World’s or General Mills’ Wheaties’ annual ad campaigns surrounding the Super Bowl festivities. Disney World opted for Raven’s quarterback Trent Dilfer to deliver the famous words "I'm going to Disney World!" following the big game, an honor usually reserved for the MVP. Disney World won’t comment on why it didn’t want Lewis as a spokesperson, but did say Dilfer typified the Disney spirit. General Mills isn’t putting Lewis on the box of Wheaties usually reserved for popular players on the winning team. Instead, five of his teammates will grace the box. Lewis, who ended up getting the murder rap against him dropped, could have used the endorsement money. After pleading guilty to obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor, and admitting to lying to the police about the murder case, Lewis was fined $250,000 by the NFL.

O'Dair to be tagged Teen People editor?
Fresh reports are circulating that Teen People has found its new editor. Time Inc. is expected to announce that Barbara O’Dair, a veteran of Details and Harper’s Bazaar, has scored the job at the upstart teen title. O’Dair will replace founding managing editor Christina Ferrari, who resigned unexpectedly at the beginning of January and said she was moving to Europe. There, she is expected to join boyfriend Henry Muller, formerly Time Inc.’s No. 2 editorial executive, in Geneva, Switzerland. Teen People learned it would be losing another top editor a week later when executive editor Amy Paulsen announced she will leave in June to sail around the world with her family.

Judge: More time for Downey defense team
It looks like "Ally McBeal" star Robert Downey Jr. may have postponed judgment day. Downey was in court on Monday regarding drug possession charges stemming from his Thanksgiving weekend arrest. The judge in the case agreed to a request from the defense to postpone proceedings until Feb. 21, to give Downey’s team more time to review the evidence. The judge also strongly encouraged attorneys to try to settle the case before the hearing scheduled for next month. Downey, who is rumored to have recently signed on to appear in more "Ally McBeal" episodes, is charged with possession of cocaine and tranquilizers and faces more than four years in prison if convicted. Downey was set free in August after spending a year in jail.

'GMA': We've got some reality for ya, a real birth
With "Survivor 2" and "Temptation Island" underway, ABC's "Good Morning America" is gearing up for February sweeps with a little reality surprise of its own. The morning talk show, hosted by Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, will broadcast a live childbirth next week, the first ever on network television. The show’s producers have made arrangements with obstetricians at hospitals in Boston, Dallas and Houston, to televise any of several births, with permission of the expectant mothers of course, on Tuesday, Feb. 6. It could prove difficult to capture a birth on camera in only a 2-hour window of time, but producers say they are confident the sweeps stunt will go on without a hitch. If all of this sounds a little familiar, it is. A segment in which seven women gave birth was scheduled to air on "Good Morning America" during November sweeps, but was bumped by election coverage.

Lalli: George was a lame horse but a good ride
With his gig as editor of George magazine over, Frank Lalli took an opportunity to share some hard-won wisdom with his colleagues over a lunch sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors recently. Lalli said even a 25 percent increase in circulation during his tenure couldn’t save George, which was closed by parent Hachette Filipacchi Magazines this month after months of dwindling ad support. ''We were killing more trees and licking more stamps, but it wasn't bringing in any more money,'' he said. Lalli also said he understood Hachette CEO Jack Kliger’s decision to kill the magazine. ''If I were in Jack Kliger's shoes, I would have made the same decision,'' Lalli told the audience, according to Inside. Finally, Lalli made clear he enjoyed his George experience and hinted that he wouldn't mind another crack at running a magazine. ''An editor without a magazine is like a jockey without a horse. When you see a jockey standing there without being up on a horse, they seem little and not very impressive. I was riding a lame horse, but I still enjoyed it.'' Lalli, who committed to speaking at the ASME lunch months ago, stuck around after his address to field questions from the audience, quipping, ''I've got time, I don't know about you.''

NY's Rudy plots his second 15 minutes of fame
You've just finished a stint as a lightning rod mayor of the grandest metropolis in America. What do you do? Go on TV like everyone else. New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has hired a Hollywood dealmaker to negotiate possible showbiz opportunities. Brillstein-Grey Entertainment chairman and CEO Brad Grey, who manages such stars as Adam Sandler and Brad Pitt, is reportedly close to closing a mid- to high-seven figure book deal for the Big Apple boss. If that's the case, the bounty will approach the $8 million deal Simon & Schuster made with newly-elected Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. The book will focus on his controversial time as mayor, as well as his days as a mob-busting federal prosecutor. Grey says he's just getting started, though. "We are looking at the book and at opportunities in broadcasting and television for the end of his term. We are talking to networks now," Grey told Reuters.

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