News Shorts

Whuppin' for NBC's 'Fighting Fitzgeralds'
NBC’s new sitcom “The Fighting Fitzgeralds” got beat up pretty bad last night when its regularly scheduled competition, CBS’s “JAG” and Fox’s “Titus,” returned with new episodes. “Fitzgeralds” dropped 36 percent in household rating and 50 percent in adult 18-49 rating from its premiere last week, when neither “JAG” nor “Titus” were new. The new “Titus,” a new “Dark Angel” and a repeat of “That '70s Show” helped Fox to an easy win for the night among adults 18-49. ABC won households for the night, but no thanks to “The Geena Davis Show.” “Geena” was the lowest rated show in households at 9:30 p.m., dropping over 20 percent of its lead-in rating from “Dharma and Greg.” The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Tuesday night were: ABC 9.7/16 and 4.7, CBS 8.2/13 and 3.0, NBC 7.4/12 and 4.5, and Fox 6.3/10 and 5.1. Meanwhile, things went from bad to worse on Monday for NBC. Part two of the feature “The Lost Empire” barely registered on the Nielsen scale Monday, dropping nearly 20 percent from Sunday’s already dismal rating. The two-parter also dragged down a repeat of “Third Watch,” causing NBC to finish in last place in both households and adults 18-49 in every half hour on Monday night. ABC won the night in households because of repeat competition on Fox and CBS. But ABC’s “Columbo: Murder With Too Many Notes” failed to attract younger viewers, so CBS and Fox placed first and second, respectively, for the night in the demographic. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Monday night were: ABC 9.2/15 and 3.8, CBS 8.7/14 and 4.9, Fox 6.1/9 and 4.4, and NBC 4.0/6 and 2.3.

Fools beware: Mr. T is back on the tube
No need to pity Mr. T, this fool is making a comeback. After years out of the limelight (perhaps still embarrassed after the drubbing he took from Rocky), the former "A-Team" star, Army officer, bodyguard and professional wrestler is back at work. Mr. T, whose mother named him Lawrence Tureaud, has been appearing in advertisements for 1-800-COLLECT, Nick at Nite and Lipton foods. T has had to scale back his work schedule since he was diagnosed in 1995 with T-cell lymphoma. The be-mohawked muscleman kept quiet about his illness at first, but now he’s gone public. "I said to myself, ‘T, you used to kick ass in the 'hood. You joined the Army so you could kick butt. And you scared of this?’ I decided to bring cancer out of the closet. Now I wear my cancer like I wear my blackness—I’m proud," he told Time magazine in a recent interview. So T is back—and don’t let him catch you calling him Lawrence.

New Oscar award: Shortest acceptance speech
Tiresome, all-inclusive thank-you speeches are as much a part of Oscar tradition as cleavage, Bruce Vilanch jokes at the Vanity Fair after-party. But this year the show’s producers have a plan to keep the long-windedness to a minimum—and the show to its scheduled running time. At a lunch for the Oscar nominees this week, producer Gil Cates announced the creation of a new award category: Shortest Acceptance Speech. The prize won’t be a statuette but a brand-new high-definition TV set. And if it’s in a category with more than one person accepting the award, everybody called on stage will get a TV, said Cates. "If you have people that you feel you must thank, make a list," he said, according to TV Guide Online. "After you’ve won, we’ll take that list and put it right up on our web site, Oscars.com, so everybody can read it. Just don’t read it on the air."

Tabloid Globe settles libel lawsuit brought by Ramseys
The parents of slain child model JonBenet Ramsey have reached a settlement with supermarket tabloid the Globe over articles that pointed to son Burke, now 13, as the killer. John and Patsy Ramsey sued Globe International last April for $35 million, citing November 1998 headlines and stories that they say brought public hatred, contempt, ridicule and permanent damage to Burke Ramsey's reputation. The exact amount of compensation is sealed under a confidentiality agreement. Daughter JonBenet, 6, was found beaten and strangled in her family's home on Dec. 26, 1996. Her parents and brother were home the night she was killed. The family claims an intruder is responsible for the death. More legal action is reportedly on its way against former Boulder Police Detective Steve Thomas for comments he made in a book on the investigation and on a subsequent media tour. The Ramseys also filed lawsuits against The New York Post, Time Warner's Time.com and Texas publisher Windsor House Publishing Group last April.

More cutbacks for struggling Salon
In its bid to reach profitability this year, Salon.com has been forced to take painful measures. Plans for a new radio show were put on ice this week, and many employees at the web site have been told that they are getting a 15 percent pay cut. "We're doing everything we need to do to become profitable in what's become a very lousy ad market," Salon.com spokeswoman Dayna Macy recently told CNET News.com. "These are tough times." Salon also has cut at least three people, several of whom were new hires, from its yet-to-be-launched radio show. In January, the web site announced plans to launch a new weekly radio program in March that would be picked up on more than 100 Public Radio International-affiliate stations. Macy says the plans have been put on hold for now because the company was unhappy with the pilot.

Rumor: 'Today's' Couric to replace Rosie?
Will Katie Couric be the next daytime talk star? The perky co-host of NBC's "Today Show" is reportedly interested in having her own daytime talk show, a goal that may be within her grasp. Couric's "Today" contract with NBC ends in the fall of 2002, at the same time that Rosie O'Donnell's ends with Warner Brothers. According to a report in USA Today, Couric has recently met with executives at Warner Bros., who have said they would love to sign Couric. O’Donnell, in reaction to the report, recently told Access Hollywood she thinks Couric would do a wonderful job hosting the daytime variety talk show. "She's one of those people who I think is multi-talented," O'Donnell said. "She's good at comedy, she's versatile and smart." Meanwhile, Couric has also reportedly talked with executives at Paramount and NBC about hosting a syndicated talk show.

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