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Nothing could match the ratings draw of game seven of the World Series on Fox last night, not the Emmy Awards on CBS or part one of the miniseries “Uprising” on NBC. Without adjusting for time zone differences, the baseball game averaged a preliminary 20.7/29 household rating and share and a 12.7 adult 18-49 rating from 8-10 p.m. The twice-delayed Emmy Awards averaged a preliminary 11.4/17 and 6.2 from 8-11 p.m., and “Uprising” managed a 8.5/13 and 4.7 against its tough competition from 9-11 p.m.. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Sunday night were: Fox 17.8/26 and 11.1, CBS 11.4/17and 6.1, NBC 7.1/10 and 3.5, and ABC 6.9/10 and 4.4. Over the weekend, Fox dominated Saturday night with Game 6 of the World Series, while NBC dominated Friday with “Providence,” “Dateline” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” Both networks swept households and adults 18-49 on their respective nights. Without adjusting for time zone differences, the World Series game averaged a preliminary 13.5/23 household rating and share and 7.3, adult 18-49, rating from 8-10 p.m. on Saturday, giving Fox the win by eight household shares. Only slightly less impressive was NBC’s seven-share win on Friday. Also on Friday, the premiere of ABC’s new newsmagazine, “America ’01,” performed moderately well in households but fell flat among adults 18-49. “America ‘01” edged CBS’s sitcoms and Fox’s “Dark Angel” to finish second for the hour in households, but placed fourth among adults 18-49, with a rating 20 percent below what “The Mole 2” last earned in the time period. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Friday night were: NBC 8.9/16 and 3.9, CBS 5.0/9 and 2.5, ABC 4.8/9 and 2.4, and Fox 3.5/6 and 2.3. For Saturday night: Fox 13.5/23 and 7.3, CBS 6.4/11 and 2.4, ABC 5.0/9 and 2.9 and NBC 3.2/5 and 2.3.
Say good-bye to ABC's 'Bob Patterson.' Axe falls.
Another "Seinfeld" alum has bit the dust, with ABC canning the Jason Alexander vehicle "Bob Patterson." The show has been plagued by doubts from early on--not least because of the colossal flop that was last season's "Michael Richards Show"--and they only grew with every beating "Patterson" took at the hands of NBC's "Frasier" in the 9 p.m. Tuesday slot. A move to Wednesday at 9:30 following "The Drew Carey Show" improved the comedy's numbers, but it still lost 21 percent of "Carey's" household rating and 30 percent of its 18-49 rating. Not even the presence of Jerry Seinfeld himself in ads for the failed sitcom that aired last week kept audiences watching. Up to bat in January is Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is in the midst of putting together the tentatively titled "23:12." NBC has ordered 12 episodes of the show, but, in what may be a sign of creative turmoil, took over production of the show from pilot producer Carsey-Werner-Mandabach last week.
This must be sweeps: Brad Pitt doing 'Friends'
The show with all the beautiful people will get a visit from the guy who tops the list. Brad Pitt, husband of Jennifer Aniston and something of a celebrity in his own right, will guest star on the Nov. 22 episode of "Friends" as an old high-school chum of Monica (Courtney Cox), who has shed considerable weight. He is invited to celebrate Thanksgiving, where his past enmity towards Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) comes to a head. Pitt reportedly donned a fat suit for a flashback sequence in the episode, titled "The One with the Rumor." Actor and director Sean Penn will also appear in several episodes starting this month as a boyfriend to Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) twin sister Ursula. Pitt and Penn join a long line of A-list stars who have lent their mugs to "Friends," including Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck, Winona Ryder, Bruce Willis, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Ben Stiller, Billy Crystal and Reese Witherspoon.
Bush flack barks: Prez not rooting against Yanks
Who was President Bush rooting for in last night’s climactic seventh World Series game? If you believe the New York Daily News, it was the winning Arizona Diamondbacks—but saying so could get you into trouble. Bill Hutchinson, who does rewrites for the Daily News, says he got an irate call at his home from White House press secretary Ari Fleischer after cobbling together a 158-word piece suggesting that Bush, onetime owner of the Texas Rangers, was rooting against his former team’s American League rivals. "As I stood there in my pajamas, I thought this had to be a joke," wrote Hutchinson in a subsequent column. "Here we are in the middle of a war, there's anthrax from Boca to Brokaw, the World Trade Center is still smoking, and Ari Fleischer of the White House is calling me about whether the commander-in-chief will or will not cheer for the Yankees." To exonerate himself, Hutchinson faxed Fleischer an article that ran in the Financial Times in which the spokesman was quoted as saying, "[W]hen it comes to the Yankees, President Bush says he doesn't love New York."
Hollywood sign up for red, white & blue makeover
Looks like it’s makeover time for the entertainment industry’s most visible symbol. A city councilman in Los Angeles has introduced a plan to paint a stars-and-stripes pattern on the famous Hollywood sign. The red, white and blue paint job would be completed in time for Veterans' Day, and the plan calls for the sign to be repainted its original white before Thanksgiving. Some homeowners and local history buffs are opposing the proposal, but Mayor James K. Hahn has endorsed it. The letters have been altered by pranksters numerous times in the past, and advertisers have attempted to incorporate them in campaigns, including those for the animated films "Cool World" and "101 Dalmatians." During the Gulf War, a yellow ribbon was tied around the letters as a show of support for troops abroad.
November 5, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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