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The Academy Awards on ABC, as expected, trounced the competition last night, consistently outdrawing the combined audience of the rival networks. ABC posted a solid 13.8 adult 18-49 rating, Fox had a 5.0, CBS a 3.2 and NBC a 2.3, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. The tail-end of NCAA basketball coverage and the rest of "60 Minutes" on CBS came the closest to ABC's Oscar coverage all night, as the "Barbara Walters Special" topped CBS by over three ratings points. After the half-hour warm-up "One the Red Carpet: Oscars 2002," the actual Academy Awards averaged a strong 16.5 adult 18-49 rating, though that number will change, since overnight numbers are based on time period averages only and cannot reflect the true performance of live events. Fox proved most successful in counter-programming with the action flick "Independence Day," which did markedly better than the 2.8 in adults 18-49 the Kurt Russell thriller "Executive Decision" and two "Fear Factor" repeats pulled in on CBS and NBC, respectively. The average household rating and share for Sunday night were: ABC 22.5/35, CBS 6.8/11, Fox 6.7/10 and NBC 3.4/5. Over the weekend, an hour of college basketball action on CBS wasn't enough as Fox pulled away for the win in adults 18-49 on Saturday night. Fox posted a 3.5 in the demo, CBS had a 3.1, NBC a 2.1 and ABC a 1.8, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. At 8 p.m. March Madness on CBS topped an hour of "Cops" on Fox, but a rerun of "The Agency" came in behind "America's Most Wanted" the next hour. ABC failed to draw audiences with "The World Figure Skating Championships," while NBC did only slightly better with two episodes of "UC Undercover" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." The average household rating and share for Saturday night were: CBS 6.0/11, Fox 5.8/11, ABC 5.4/10 and NBC 4.3/8. On Friday night, as Kansas rolled by Illinois so did CBS over the other networks with a sold win among adults 18-49. CBS averaged a 4.4 in the demo, NBC had a 3.8, ABC a 3.0 and Fox a 2.8, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. College basketball on CBS took command of the first two hours of the night until NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" won the 10 p.m. hour by just two-tenths of a rating point. ABC performed surprisingly well with a double-shot of "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "20/20." Fox came in last with reruns of "That '70s Show" and "The Simpsons" and a new "Dark Angel." The average household rating and share for Friday night were: NBC 8.6/15, CBS 7.4/13, ABC 6.2/11 and Fox 3.6/6.
A Beautiful night for 'Mind' and black actors
A new, smaller venue didn't do much to contain the Academy Awards last night, as the telecast stretched out over four hours and 17 minutes, even without the aid of the usual tedious dance numbers. The broadcast, the longest in Oscar history, contained few major surprises, with the heavily favored "A Beautiful Mind" winning Best Picture and Best Director despite an apparent whispering campaign instigated by rival studios during the balloting period. The evening's chief drama came in the Best Leading Actor and Actress races, with Denzel Washington winning for "Training Day" and Halle Berry winning for "Monster's Ball." Berry became the first African-American actress ever to win the award, while Washington became the first black actor to win since Sidney Poitier in 1963. Initiative Media, which based its Oscar picks, reported last week in Media Life, on the results of an online poll, guessed right on "A Beautiful Mind" for Best Film and Best Director but blew it in three of the four acting categories, picking Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Ian McKellan. Only on Jennifer Connelly, who won Best Supporting Actress for her turn in "Mind," did Initiative choose right.
The curse strikes again? NBC benches 'Ellie'
NBC has shelved "Watching Ellie," the rookie sitcom starring "Seinfeld" alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The show will air twice on April 2, at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., before going on indefinite hiatus. "Three Sisters" will take Ellie's Tuesday slot during the May sweep, and "Will & Grace" repeats will fill in until then. "Ellie" earned a promising 7.1/17 in adults 18-49 in its heavily promoted debut, which followed by several days the conclusion of the Winter Olympics. In the weeks that followed, however, the show's ratings slid, with "Ellie" pulling only a 3.7/10 in the demo last week. Unless NBC decides to bring it back next season or over the summer, "Ellie" will have been the third sitcom by a "Seinfeld" veteran to tank--fourth if you count Patrick Warburton's "The Tick." Unlike "The Michael Richards Show" and "Bob Patterson," however, "Ellie" was well received by critics. In his review, Media Life's Ethan Alter praise the show's writing and casting but warned, "With a comedy like this…patience almost matters more than publicity. The majority of viewers probably won’t warm to 'Ellie' right away."
FCC won't rap ABC over Victoria's Secret special
In a promising development for shameless ratings grabs of all stripes, the Federal Communications Commission has declined to slap ABC for its Victoria's Secret "fashion show." The November sweeps special, which featured the lingerie maker's stable of supermodels strutting up and down a catwalk in their underwear, resulted in the agency receiving hundreds of angry e-mails and about 20 formal complaints. The FCC says the special was not "so graphic or explicit as to be patently offensive," although commissioner Michael Copps admonished the network to practice "self restraint" if it wishes to avoid similar flaps in the future. Programming executives at Fox no doubt took careful note of the decision. Fox's new special, "Girl Next Door: The Search for Playboy Centerfold," is expected to air in May.
Tom Green collects his Razzies in person
It's no secret Tom Green has no shame, but it was still a surprise when he became the first actor to ever show up to receive an award at the Golden Raspberry Awards on Saturday. The annual spoof of the Academy Awards, held a day before the Oscars at a magic shop in Los Angeles, gives out awards to the worst movies and performers of the year. The man who made a name for himself on MTV by sucking on cow udders and eating human hair won five awards at the Razzies, as they're known, including worst picture, actor, director and screenplay. The latter was for the screenplay for the film "Freddy Got Fingered," which Green co-wrote with Derek Harvie. Green also won worst screen couple, with the award going to "Tom Green and any animal he abuses." Green put his best foot forward for the event by arriving in a vintage luxury car and walking on a cheap red carpet he unrolled for himself.
March 25, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
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