News Shorts

'West Wing' debut buries 'Big Bro' and 'Bachelor'
The fourth season premiere of NBC’s “West Wing” had no problem beating the finale of CBS’s “Big Brother 3” or the premiere of ABC’s “The Bachelor” on Wednesday and led NBC to a win in the adult 18-49 and household demographics. “West Wing” started out in first place at 9 p.m. and remained there, building its 18-49 rating 15 percent by the time the show wrapped up two hours later. Even though the third season premiere of “Ed” slumped into third place at 8 p.m., NBC ended the night at No. 1 with a 5.5 adult 18-49 rating and a 10.3 household rating and 17 share, based on preliminary Nielsen data. ABC had a 4.4 and a 6.9/11, Fox had a 4 and a 5.1/8, and CBS had a 3.7 and a 7.2/12. ABC had at least one encouraging result. Two new episodes of “My Wife & Kids” easily beat Fox’s combination of “Bernie Mac” and “Cedric the Entertainer Presents” at 8 p.m. ABC averaged a 6 adult 18-49 rating for the hour, while Fox ranked No. 2 with an average 3.8 rating. ABC’s “The Bachelor” at 9 p.m., however, lost 36 percent of its lead-in rating and came in last place. “MDs” fell further at 10 p.m., but edged past CBS’s “Presidio Med.” Meanwhile, CBS’s “Big Brother 3” finished its run with a 5.5 adult 18-49 rating. That was good enough to rank No. 2 at 9 p.m. and was CBS’s highest rated show for the night.

'Frasier' delivers NBC a Tuesday win
NBC won the second night of the new season on Tuesday in the adult 18-49 demographic with a lineup of premieres, including “Frasier,” the night’s highest-rated show. “Frasier’s” 8.5 rating was 60 percent higher than the rating for any show on competing networks and gave a significant boost to the series premiere of “Hidden Hills,” which followed at 9:30 p.m. The new sitcom lost about 15 percent of its lead-in rating, but had the night’s second highest rating. NBC averaged a 5.3 adult 18-49 rating. ABC had a 4.3, CBS had a 3.9 and Fox had a 3.5. While NBC ultimately ranked No. 1, ABC dominated the beginning and the end of primetime. The second week’s performance of “8 Simple Rules” suggests ABC may have a hit on its hands. Although the show’s rating was down 20 percent from its premiere, it still ranked No. 1 in its time slot against Fox’s “That 70s Show,” which ranked No. 2, and the season premiere of “JAG” on CBS and the series premiere of “In-Laws” on NBC. ABC’s “Life with Bonnie” stumbled a bit, though. It lost 10 percent of its lead-in rating. ABC’s “NYPD Blue” premiere did well at 10 p.m. The show averaged a 5.2 adult 18-49 rating that was a full point ahead of its nearest competitor, “Dateline NBC.” Meanwhile, CBS ranked No. 1 in household ratings with its premieres of “JAG,” “The Guardian,” and the new “Presidio Med,” which ranked No. 3 in adults 18-49 but tied for No. 1 in households at 10 p.m. CBS had a 9.8 household rating and 16 share, based on Nielsen overnight data. NBC had an 8.8/14, ABC had a 7.4/12 and Fox had a 4.5/7.

Rosie's claim: I'm the same gal I always was
There are those who say she "snapped" in the weeks leading up to her abrupt rupture with Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing last week, but Rosie O'Donnell says otherwise. "I have not had a personality change," says O'Donnell in an article in next week's issue of People, on newsstands tomorrow. "I don't think that anything I've done recently is inconsistent with what I have done my whole life." Some disagree, speculating that O'Donnell's retirement from TV and admission that she is gay earlier this year opened a valve in her, releasing a torrent of obnoxious and bellicose behavior. O'Donnell admits screaming at Susan Toepfer just three days after Toepfer had been hired to edit Rosie, and telling staffers "I’m already a fucking millionaire" after threatening to walk out on the magazine. But she says the decision to end her partnership with Gruner + Jahr was a result of the way the company treated her and not her mood swings. "If I'm going to have my name and my brand on the corner of a magazine, it has to be my vision. They tried to say it no longer could be."

Erstwhile lefty Hitchens parts with The Nation
Christopher Hitchens finally confirmed what everyone else has long known: He no longer fits in at The Nation. Hitchens, a British political commentator and Vanity Fair columnist whose brash and contrarian views have earned him quasi-celebrity status, has penned his last column for the liberal weekly, to which he has contributed for some 20 years. In a farewell column, Hitchens explained his decision by saying the magazine has abandoned its function as a forum for debate among those on the left. "I have come to realize that the magazine... is becoming the voice and the echo chamber of those who truly believe that John Ashcroft is a greater menace than Osama bin Laden." Others say it is Hitchens, and not the magazine, that has changed, noting his unexpected support for the Bush administration's actions on terrorism and Iraq, and his shrill attacks on former President Bill Clinton.

'Idol' earns her title with chart-topping climb
In these times of economic and political uncertainty, it's reassuring to see that huge media conglomerates can still manufacture top-selling pop stars when they need to. A single by former cocktail waitress and "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson has recorded the biggest-ever jump in the Nielsen SoundScan Hot 100 singles chart, says RCA Records. "A Moment Like This," which Clarkson performed on the "Idol" finale, has shot from No. 52 upon its release last week to No. 1. The song sold 236,000 copies in its first week, enough to wrest the top spot from Nelly’s “Dilemma.” Nelly had spent seven weeks at No. 1. RCA also claimed that Clarkson’s single was the first to sell more than 200,000 copies since 1999. Singles chart rankings are based on a combination of radio airtime and retail sales. Clarkson, runner-up Justin Guarini and the eight other “Idol” finalists embark on a 27-city tour Oct. 8.

Miss NJ bridles at judge's 'Sopranos' question
Yo, just because she's Miss New Joisey don't mean you can ask her about "The Sopranos," capiche? Alicia Renee Luciano said she was offended that a judge asked for her take on the HBO mob drama while representing her home state in the Miss America pageant Saturday night. "It was a question that I don't think they would ask of anyone, other than someone with my background," Luciano, an Italian-American, told a New Jersey paper earlier this week. "Everyone else was getting questions about how they felt about performance dance and the arts." The judge may have been expecting Luciano to weigh in on controversy surrounding the show. An Italian-American group, saying "The Sopranos" portrays Italian-Americans as thugs and criminals, has fought an unsuccessful battle in Illinois courts to get a jury to declare the show offensive.

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