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The NBA won again for NBC last night, even with the type of anti-climactic game that most feared would dominate the series, a 100-86 drubbing of the Sixers by the Lakers. Without adjusting for time zone differences, the game averaged a 10.6/18 household rating and share and a 7.4 adult 18-49 rating. On ABC, the new summer drama “The Beast” premiered at 10 p.m. to mediocre numbers. The show finished third in its time period, behind CBS’s showing of the Barbara Streisand film “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” and its 4.5/8 household rating and share was the same as ABC earned earlier in the evening with sitcom repeats. The preliminary household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Wednesday night were: NBC 9.9/17 and 6.6, CBS 5.9/10 and 2.1, ABC 4.6/8 and 3.0, and Fox 3.7/7 and 2.3. Meanwhile, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” continues to win for ABC despite its age and passé status. On Tuesday, the program gave ABC its only two time slot wins, at 8 and 8:30 p.m., but that was enough for ABC to edge CBS in the nightly averages. CBS’s “AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Thrills” won every half-hour from 9-11 p.m., but failed to overcome the lead that “Millionaire” gave to ABC. NBC placed third for the evening, as its summer sitcom “Kristin” dropped only 2 percent in the household ratings. On the netlets, the WB’s showing of the 1986 comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” beat UPN’s repeats of “Seven Days” by two household shares. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share for Tuesday night were: ABC 7.2/12, CBS 7.1/11, NBC 5.6/9, Fox 4.4/7, WB 3.1/5 and UPN 2.0/3.
Daily News makes nice-nice with grocers
Understatement has never been a skill of New York City's tabloid newspapers. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that when it came time for the New York Daily News to try to win back the favor of the city's grocery store owners, the newspaper dispensed with subtlety altogether, publishing a four-page advertorial that practically screamed "Baby, we can work this out." In the special section, supermarkets were praised for their cleanliness, dependability and generosity towards the homeless and the elderly. The advertorial, the first of three, appears to be an apology for "Dirty Shame," a three-part investigative series on substandard health conditions at New York grocery stores, published last month in the Daily News. After that series, most of the city's biggest grocery store chains, including Associated, Gristede's and C-Town, pulled their advertising from the paper. The unofficial boycott is reportedly costing the Daily News upwards of $50,000 a week.
Britney: I may sue over DJs' death hoax
Sorry, Christina, Jessica, Mandy, but it was a hoax. Teen queen Britney Spears is reportedly considering filing a lawsuit against a Texas radio station after two DJs claimed on-air Tuesday night that Spears had been killed in a car crash while driving with her boyfriend, *NSync's Justin Timberlake. The "tragic" story was re-reported by news outlets across the globe, and representatives for Spears fielded an avalanche of inquiries about the fictitious incident. Timberlake was said to have been injured in the accident. The two pranksters behind the phony report, which aired first on Dallas radio station KEGL, go by the names Kramer and Twitch.
'Survivor's' Amber trash-talks her show mates
She seemed so sweet and harmless in the outback, but Amber Brkich may not be welcomed at the next "Survivor" reunion after getting more than a little catty in an interview with Stuff magazine. Brkich, who appears in a bikini on the cover of the July issue, spoke frankly about her fellow contestants, especially winner Tina Wesson, who, she says, wasn't shy about shilling for Doritos, one of the show's sponsors. "The most annoying thing was that all she talked about the entire time was how she loved Doritos," said Brkich. Wesson, whom Brkich calls "the most conniving one out there," looks like she may have spent some of her winnings on a bit of plastic surgery, according to Brkich. "It's ridiculous how bad she looked on the show. But the first time I saw her afterward, I didn't know who she was." Brkich also serves up the dish on Jerri Manthey, her ally on the show. "All she talked about was Colby. She wanted Colby so bad." But the object of Jerri's affections, Colby Donaldson, had other things on his mind, says Brkich. "He amazed himself at how long he had gone without masturbating. He'd just keep saying, 'I can't believe I haven't done it yet. I can't believe I haven't done it yet.'"
ESPN enters reality with two fall shows
ESPN is officially joining the reality TV craze this fall with two series that will aim to document drama from behind the scenes. The newly-greenlit "Sidelines" will follow a college football team through its entire season for 13 half-hour episodes. The featured team has not yet been decided on. ESPN will also broadcast "The Season," which will take a behind-the-scenes focus on various athletes in the form of a monthly documentary special. The first episode, which airs June 26, will feature Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open. The network says the new programming tactic is designed to attract new viewers to the sports hub, especially women and younger viewers.
More 'Survivor' doings: Skupin gets the pepper
Of all the cash-ins planned by "Survivor" veterans, Michael Skupin's may be the most ambitious: the software publisher says he's mulling a run for the U.S. Senate. But if Skupin decides to go for it, it looks like he'll have to go it without the backing of the animal rights movement. Appearing at a workplace safety seminar in Columbia, Mo., Skupin was pepper-sprayed in the face repeatedly by an animal rights activist, apparently in retribution for his bloody, "Lord of the Flies"-style wild pig hunt. That little episode drew the ire of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had already blasted "Survivor" for challenging contestants to eat rats and other critters. Apart from his exploits as a pig-killer, Skupin will be remembered as the unfortunate fellow who was taken off the show after he fell into a fire and had to be rushed to the hospital with second-degree burns on his hands.
Ex agent Mulder: My end wasn't pretty
His role as Agent Fox Mulder on "The X-Files" made him a Hollywood star as well as a cult hero, but David Duchovny isn't exactly overwhelmed by gratitude--at least not judging from remarks the actor made in a recent interview with TV Guide Online. Duchovny, whose eight-year run on the show ended with last month's season finale, complained about the way in which Mulder was written out of the series. "We were doing the last two episodes and I felt like, 'This isn't a resolution for my character,'" he told the site. "I felt like it was a lost opportunity." The "Evolution" star also criticized the "X-Files" producers' mania for secrecy, which drove them to withhold scripts for the finale until immediately prior to the shoot. "It pisses me off because I'm an actor, and I like to have the scenes more than two hours before I play it." Despite his grousing, however, Duchovny says he would still consider appearing in another "X-Files" movie if it had a good enough script.
June 14, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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