News Shorts

Disappointing debut for 'Imagine That'
NBC has long had trouble with its Tuesday 8 p.m. time slot and that trend looks to continue. The debut of the Hank Azaria comedy "Imagine That" tanked on Tuesday night, coming in last with a 2.8, adult 18-49 rating, behind the ailing ABC's "Dharma & Greg," which limped along with a 3.1. Fox won the night with its regular lineup of "That '70s Show," "Undeclared" and "24," racking up a 4.5, adult 18-49 rating for the night, followed by NBC at 4.3, CBS at 3.9 and ABC at 3.8, based on preliminary Nielsen data. While its ratings have not exploded as the early buzz had predicted, "24" came in a shade below ABC's "NYPD Blue," with a 4.4 to "Blue's" 4.5. The news isn't as good for "Undeclared," which dropped 25 percent from its lead-in of "That '70s Show." The household rating and share for Tuesday night were: CBS 10.1/16, NBC 7.0/11, ABC 6.5/10, and Fox 6.5/10.

Hearst and Nike create Michael Jordan magazine
Last fall, Michael Jordan returned to the basketball court to see if he could still hold his own against Young Turks like Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. This spring, he will find out how he measures up against the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart when the first issue of his new magazine, Jordan, goes on sale next month. Jordan, produced by Nike in partnership with Hearst Custom Publishing, will get its first airing when the NBA's All-Star weekend kicks off Feb. 8 in Philadelphia. Another issue will be published in July, with the plan calling for four issues in 2003. Sparing no verbiage, Hearst describes Jordan in a release as "a lifestyle publication that weaves together the diverse interests of trend setting young males who are culturally diverse, socially aware and who have high expectations of themselves and the products they use." Michael Jordan will write a letter for every issue of Jordan, which aims at a readership of males age 16 to 21.

CNN/SI gets bulldozed for new AOL Sports
As a deal between the National Basketball Association and Turner Broadcasting to create a new cable sports network draws near, CNN/SI employees have learned that many of them won't be around to see it. The five-year-old sports news channel, which reaches about 19 million homes and employs 190 people, will be folded into the new network, which is tentatively being called AOL Sports. Those workers who don't find jobs at the new channel or at CNN will be laid off. With a lineup consisting of sports news rather than actual sports, CNN/SI was never able to compete with ESPN, which is in about 80 million homes. AOL Sports, in contrast, will start out by offering several NBA games a week and will concentrate on airing live sporting events. The league is wrapping up negotiations for a new TV rights package. ABC will most likely air the NBA in broadcast, while ESPN will share cable rights with AOL Sports.

'Jordan,' 'Scrubs,' 'L&O: CI' make the cut
NBC has renewed its freshmen series "Crossing Jordan," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and "Scrubs" for next season. The latest installment of "L&O" has chugged along like the rest and "Scrubs" has become a bona fide hit after "Frasier," though it too stumbled when placed after "Friends." "Crossing Jordan" may be the weakest of the bunch, but it will have the chance to gain viewers now that "Monday Night Football" has wrapped up for the year. Third-year soap "Passions" will return, and dramas "Providence" and "Ed" look like they'll make it. The peacock network also outlined some of its post-Olympics plans, including inserting the comedy "Leap of Faith," created by "Sex and the City" writer Jenny Bicks, into the cushy but demanding post-"Friends" spot on Thursdays beginning Feb. 28. "Seinfeld" alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus will try to get back into the sitcom business on Tuesday, Feb. 26, when her "Watching Ellie" debuts at 8:30 p.m., presumably after "Imagine That," if it lasts that long. "New York Live with Colin Quinn," from "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels, will air sometime after the Olympics and will feature a monologue, sketch comedy and guest stars live from the set of "SNL" in New York.

Fox burns off 'The Tick,' keeps 'Pasadena'
Meanwhile, over at Fox, another former "Seinfeld"-er's bid for continued sitcomic success, has tanked. Despite excellent reviews, "The Tick," starring Patrick Warburton, never really caught on with viewers, and now Fox says it will drop the show after it finishes its initial eight-episode run on Jan. 24. The much-anticipated "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," starring the former Conan O'Brien sidekick, is expected to join the network as a midseason replacement in the Tuesday 8:30 p.m. slot, while "Greg the Bunny" will do the same in the Wednesday 9:30 p.m. berth. Fox is also expected to renew the new drama "Pasadena," which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.

Oprah to Howard Stern: Don't use my clips
First it was David Letterman with his "It ain't Oprah till it's Oprah" jokes. Now Winfrey is feuding with Howard Stern. The self-proclaimed King of All Media says he got a letter from the cosmically-anointed Queen of All Media threatening him with the lawsuit unless he stops using clips from her show in his broadcasts. Stern has been using the clips to ridicule Phil McGraw, the pop psychiatrist who is a regular on Winfrey's program and who will begin hosting his own syndicated talk show in the fall. He has characterized "Dr. Phil," as he's known, as a "whack job" and a "car salesman," among other things. "Dr. Phil doesn't like the fact that we actually expose him for being a wacko," said Stern on his show yesterday morning. "Anybody who's seen real therapy done, you don't just quick-fix yell at somebody and then they cry--it's a long process... I don't know why Oprah's pushing this garbage."

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