Less than spectacular debut for Fox's 'Banzai' 
The series premiere of Fox’s controversial “Banzai” got off to a good, though unspectacular start on Sunday. The show, which pokes fun at Japanese game shows, had a 3 rating in the adult 18-49 demographic at 8:30 p.m. “Banzai” ranked No. 1 in its time slot and held onto 91 percent of “The Simpsons’” lead-in rating. Fox ranked No. 1 for about half its primetime run, but NBC’s two-hour “Dateline,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and the “Crime & Punishment” reality show pushed that network to the top. NBC had a 2.8 adult 18-49 rating and beat Fox by one-tenth of a rating point. Fox had a 2.7, CBS had a 2.1 and ABC had a 1.7 rating. NBC tied CBS for No. 1 in households with a 5.7 rating and 11 share, based on Nielsen overnights. ABC had a 3.6/7 and Fox had a 3.4/6. NBC did best in the 18-49 demo with a “Criminal Intent” repeat, which had a 3.3 rating at 9 p.m. The show tied the first of two “Simpsons” episodes as the night’s highest rated show. Meanwhile, CBS slumped most of the night with “60 Minutes,” “Becker” and the early part of the movie “The Mask of Zorro,” which improved until it tied NBC’s “Crime & Punishment” for No. 1 at 10:30 p.m.

Claim: Anti-gay Savage is a Jew-hater, too 
Is talk radio's most famous homophobe an anti-Semite as well? That's the charge being leveled against right-wing ranter Michael Savage by the media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). In an article in the liberal group's July/August publication, author Steve Rendall accuses Savage of "targeting progressive Jews with ugly ethnic slurs and stereotypes." Rendall goes on to say that Savage, whose parents were Jewish immigrants, once referred on the air to talk show host Jerry Springer's "hooked nose" and called for putting crosses on U.S. war memorials "because 99.9 percent of those who died are Christians." Savage is better known for his attacks on immigrants, feminists and, especially, gays. He was recently fired by MSNBC for blasting a crank caller as a "sodomite" and telling him to "get AIDS and die."

Jerry Springer gets a jump on Ohio Senate race
And speaking of Jerry Springer, the controversial host has filed papers entering himself in the race for one of Ohio's two U.S. Senate seats. Springer, whose daytime talk show is seen by many as the epitome of trash TV, has not officially declared his candidacy but is expected to before the end of the month. Yesterday's filing was necessary to keep Springer on the right side of Ohio's campaign finance laws. A 30-minute infomercial aimed at furnishing Springer's image in the minds of voters and potential donors is already airing in parts of the country. If he chooses to seek the Democratic nomination, Springer will go up against State Senator Eric Fingerhut, who has already declared his intention to run.

SUV owners: Don't tell us what Jesus would drive
Owners of sport utility vehicles, assailed for driving cars that guzzle gas and pollute the environment, are firing back with an ad campaign of their own. Some editions of USA Today carried an ad promoting membership in the Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America, a four-year-old group that defends the right to drive SUVs. The ad depicts a middle-aged man named Jesús Rivera leaning against his SUV, under text reading "What Does Jesús (Rivera) Drive?" It is meant as a riposte to last year’s campaign by anti-SUV religious leaders, who asked the faithful to consider "What Would Jesus Drive?" The owners association’s web site also includes a petition asking activist Arianna Huffington to end her campaign against SUVs, which was behind last year’s ads suggesting that driving fuel inefficient cars is tantamount to supporting terrorism. Membership in the association, which says it is not supported by automobile makers, costs $5 a year.

'Fish On' creators angling for $10M from ESPN
The creators of the short-lived fishing show "Fish On" have hit ESPN with a $10 million lawsuit, claiming that the network canceled their program after one season only to introduce a suspiciously similar one shortly afterward. Scott Gurney, Deirdre Delaney and Flying Mallard Productions are alleging breach of contract and copyright infringement in the suit, filed Friday in a Los Angeles federal court. They claim that ESPN went back on its agreement to credit them as producers in creators of "Fish On." After dropping the series, which aired on ESPN2, the network launched a new fishing program called "Totally Hooked." The new show incorporated several elements intended to make viewers see it as a continuation of "Fish On," according to the suit. The complaint also includes allegations of unfair competition, unfair business practices and interference with contractual relations.

July 15, 2003© 2003 Media Life

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