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CBS won both households and adults 18-49 last night, as “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Becker” topped ABC’s “Monday Night Football” at 9 p.m. Without adjusting for time zone differences, the game won only the 10 p.m. hour among adults 18-49 and the 10 p.m. half-hour in households. CBS’s sitcoms, on the other hand, won every half-hour among adults 18-49 from 8 to 10 p.m., and all but the “Yes, Dear” half-hour in households. At 10 p.m., NBC’s new drama “Crossing Jordan” again beat CBS’s veteran “Family Law,” despite dropping 8 percent in household rating and 10 percent in adult 18-49 rating from its debut episode last week. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Monday night were: CBS 10.3/16 and 5.6, ABC 10.0/15 and 5.2, NBC 8.2/13 and 4.1, and Fox 3.9/6 and 3.2. On Sunday, three new shows premiered, and ABC’s “Alias” was the viewers’ top pick of the three. “Alias” won both households and adults 18-49 for the 9 p.m. hour, defeating the debut of NBC’s “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” in head-to-head competition. At 10 p.m., NBC’s “UC: Undercover” dropped 17 percent of “Criminal Intent’s” lead-in household rating and barely edged CBS’s “Sunday Movie” in households, but “UC” maintained its audience among adults 18-49 to finish second in the time period in the demographic. At 8 p.m., CBS’s “The Education of Max Bickford” won its hour in households but declined 10 percent in ratings from its debut episode last week. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Sunday were: CBS 9.3/15 and 3.4, ABC 8.6/14 and 5.5, NBC 7.4/12 and 3.9, and Fox 5.2/8 and 4.0.
Oprah and Martha among Fortune's power women
It may still be a man’s world out there, but in the media business women are more than holding their own. Fortune magazine published its list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business this week, and as usual, the women of the media and entertainment world are well represented. Oprah Winfrey, star of screen and ‘zine and chairman of the Harpo Entertainment Group, comes in at No. 3 this year, just behind the CEOs of Hewlett-Packard and eBay. The ultra-successful launch of O: The Oprah Magazine helped boost her from her 15th-place ranking last year. Fellow she-mogul Martha Stewart slipped four spots to end up at No. 13, two notches below Ogilvy & Mather chairman Shelly Lazarus. MTV Group Chairman Judy McGrath (No. 15), Time Inc. Executive Vice President Anne Moore (No. 21) and Hearst Magazines President Cathleen Black (No. 29) are among others on the list.
'Judging Amy' star sues to leave the show
There have always been plenty of actors trying to break into primetime TV. Now there's one trying to break out. Richard T. Jones has filed suit against Twentieth Century Fox Television to get out of his job playing Bruce Van Exel on "Judging Amy." In the suit, Jones alleges that the studio had promised upon hiring him to write him out of the CBS drama if he ever became unhappy with his role on the show or if he wanted to take time off to act in a movie. He says he is unhappy with the way his character has developed and with the 16 to 17 hour workdays that typically run through the lunch hour. Jones is asking Fox to pay his legal fees but no damages.
'Schwartz' actress faces manslaughter charge
Actress Rebecca Gayheart, who turned up recently on the premiere of "Inside Schwartz," may soon find herself inside something else: the slammer. The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has opted to press charges against Gayheart for the accidental death of a child whom she hit while driving. Earlier, authorities declined to press felony charges following the incident, but the misdemeanor manslaughter charge Gayheart now faces could earn her up to a year in jail, plus a $1,000 fine and a one-year suspension of her driver's license. The parents of Jorge Cruz Jr. say that Gayheart was talking distractedly on a cell phone when she passed a line of cars in her Jeep Grand Cherokee and fatally struck their son last June. Gayheart, who paid for the boy's hospital expenses and funeral, has appeared on "Beverly Hills 90210" and the short-lived "Wasteland."
Fox News poaches CNN's Afghanistan man
The grudge match between CNN and Fox News has entered another chapter. CNN's No. 1 correspondent in Afghanistan, Steve Harrigan, has been snatched up by Fox News, lured by a new contract and a fat raise. He had been without a new deal since May and the 90-day window that would have allowed CNN to match Fox News' offer had just run out. The two sides quickly began spin control. While Fox News chief Roger Ailes characterized CNN as "asleep at the switch," CNN officials maintained they still dwarfed Fox in overall resources, with over 75 people in the area. CNN quickly sent Matthew Chance to join Christopher Burns, who had been working with Harrigan in northern Afghanistan. CNN also has Pakistani journalist Kamal Hyder sending in audio reports from the Taliban-controlled part of Afghanistan. The last round between the two went to CNN, which hired former Fox News anchor Paula Zahn just last month before her contract was up. ''At the moment, I'd rather have a man in Afghanistan than a $2 million anchor in New York," Fox's Ailes told Reuters.
'Survivor 3': Hungrier and smellier than ever
Reality TV not real enough for ya? Don't tell that to the contestants on CBS 's third installment of "Survivor" in Africa, who have reportedly been dealt the harshest circumstances yet. Told by CBS officials that they would only consume 200-500 calories a day during the ordeal, many fattened up before heading to Kenya. According to next week's TV Guide, two are in fact "tubby guys," namely 46-year-old pig farmer Tom Buchanan and 46-year-old dentist Carl Bilancione. Worse, animals are off limits in the reserve, so there will be no "Lord of the Flies"-style pig hunts. Last spring's "Survivor" in Australia featured a graphic pig kill that inflamed animal rights groups. The players won't just be hungry, they'll be dirty too. The only river available for bathing is packed with crocs; the nearest spring sports an abundance of parasites. The other 14 contestants range in age from 22 to 57 and include two bartenders, one gay and one straight, a deputy sheriff, a pro soccer player and a behavioral research analyst.
October 2, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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