News Shorts

'Joe Millionaire' hits the numbers again
“Joe Millionaire” managed to push Fox to No. 1 in the adult 18-49 demographic for the second straight Monday, even with ratings that were off some from the reality show’s premiere. “Joe” had the highest rating for the night with an average 9.4 rating in the demo, with a 10 rating in its second half-hour. While the show’s overnight rating was down more than a point from last week, it also had tough competition. ABC aired the “American Music Awards,” hosted by the Osbournes, for three hours. The special was strong enough to push ABC to No. 2 in the 18-49 demographic but ranked No. 1 in only one half-hour. NBC won three half-hours including the 8 p.m. hour with “Fear Factor” and the second half of “Crossing Jordan” beat a repeat of CBS’s “CSI: Miami” at 10:30 p.m. CBS trailed most of the night with a full lineup of reruns. Fox averaged a 6.5 adult 18-49 rating, ABC had a 5.6, NBC had a 5.3 and CBS had a 4.2, based on Nielsen data. The networks had a more competitive night among households. CBS ranked No. 1 with an 8.4 rating and 13 share to ABC’s 8.4/12, Fox’s 8.3/12 and NBC’s 8.2/12.

CBS takes Sunday night with grid overtime
CBS dominated Sunday viewing with a big thanks to a football overrun and, to a lesser degree, the “People’s Choice Awards,” a special most notable for getting a jump on the flashier awards shows to come. CBS ranked No. 1 in adults 18-49 with a 7.5 rating, based on Nielsen overnights, and a 13.4 household rating and 20 share. The last hour of the AFC divisional playoff game, which ran through 8 p.m. in some of the country, averaged a 12.8 rating, nearly twice the combined rating of ABC, NBC and Fox in that hour. The “People’s Choice Awards” didn’t fare as well, but ranked No. 1 for most of its two-hour run. The special averaged a 5.6 adult 18-49 rating. Fox ranked No. 2 in that demographic with a 4.1 rating. The network’s highest rating was for “The Simpsons” at 8 p.m. Fox had a 5.1/8 among households. NBC had a 3.9 and briefly ranked No. 1 at 9:30 p.m. with the second half of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” The network ranked No. 2 in households with a 7.8/12. ABC had a 3.2 and a 5.2/8 with weak ratings for “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” “Alias” and “The Practice.”

Judge: 'I'm a Celebrity' is original enough
Copycatting may be wrong, but as far as TV programming goes a certain amount of it is to be expected. So said U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in ruling Monday that ABC’s “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!” is different enough from the CBS “Survivor” franchise that the network can move forward with it. The judge characterized network programming as “a continual evolutionary process involving borrowing frequently from what has gone before” and said “[b]oth shows combine well-known and frequently used elements of earlier works. Each series also includes well-known elements not in the other.” Among other differences, "I'm a Celebrity," she said, takes a more light-hearted approach. “Survivor” helped revive then-fourth-place CBS in the ratings three years ago, so the network is understandably touchy about the show. CBS sued Fox for another celebrity reality program, “Celebrity Boot Camp,” in 2001. A spokesperson said that CBS accepts the ruling and will consider its other options. ABC plans to debut its show during the February sweeps, another factor that figured into Preska’s ruling. ABC had argued that it was too late to tinker with its lineup. In other programming news, CBS has decided to send "Touched by an Angel" to heaven -- literally. The show has been canceled after nine seasons, but will wrap with a trip to heaven, the first in the show's history.

Fox gets a Hilton sister for 'Green Acres' remake
Fox has selected a soft city slicker-type to star in its reality show remake of "Green Acres," and the lucky gal appears to be none other than hotel chain heiress and ubiquitous socialite Paris Hilton. Appearing on "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" last week, Hilton, a fixture of the New York gossip columns, told her host, "Starting in March, I'm going to be living on a farm . . . kind of like the 'Green Acres,' but it will just be me and my own show." In a similar programming move, CBS plans to remake "The Beverly Hillbillies" as a reality series, taking a poor rural family and installing them in a Los Angeles mansion. The idea drew fire from Kentucky's Center for Rural Strategies, whose director, Dee Davis, recently complained to reporters, "They could not care less about the poor of America."

Battle of the sexes on 'Survivor: Amazon'
Responding to the complaints of viewers who say that "Survivor" has gotten too formulaic, producers have inserted a new twist into the show's tribal warfare. When the new season begins Feb. 13, the tribes will be segregated by sex for the first time. Past seasons have counted on sexual tension between teammates as a selling point, so the new strategy is a calculated risk. But “Survivor” has made small changes in its format since its 2000 debut and still earns strong ratings. Last month’s “Survivor: Thailand” finale drew 24 million viewers. Who has the early edge? Well, the men have a rocket scientist and a triathlon coach. But the women have a secret weapon: a swimsuit model who could provide distraction. For the first time, the cast also will include a member with a physical disability, a deaf female guidance counselor. This edition takes place in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest at a site located near the Rio Negro river. In other CBS programming news, "Touched by an Angel" is finally going to heaven. The network has canceled the show, now in its ninth season, but "Angel" finally will go to heaven in its final episode.

Much-maligned Voter News Service shuts down
After two years of attempted reform, the Voter News Service (VNS) was disbanded Monday, leaving the major television networks and the Associated Press without a method for election polling. Multiple successors to VNS have been suggested. CNN is working to develop its own exit poll system and has offered to combine resources with other news organizations. CBS has suggested the creation of a VNS-like body that would be headquartered at CBS. An Associated Press proposal has been rejected as too expensive. VNS, operated by a consortium of the AP, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC, has existed since 1993, when the various news organizations decided to combine their efforts to count votes and conduct exit polls. VNS made embarrassing mistakes in the two previous national elections. In 2000, VNS prematurely announced that George W. Bush had won Florida. In 2002, a new computer system failed completely, leaving members without any exit poll information.

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