News Shorts

Strong 'Survivor' give CBS a Thursday win
CBS dominated viewing on an unusual Thursday, when President Bush’s press conference pushed primetime back one hour in the Eastern half of the country. The network ranked No. 1 in the adult 18-49 and household demographics, starting with a sizable lead at 8 p.m. that it held through 11 p.m. Ratings will probably change when final Nielsen data is released later today. CBS had its best ratings at 9 p.m. with “Survivor: The Amazon,” which averaged a 9.8 adult 18-49 rating. The reality show beat repeats of NBC’s “Friends” and “Will & Grace,” “Survivor’s” nearest competitors, by nearly 3 rating points.Meanwhile, ABC was in a distant third place for all of primetime. The network’s lineup was filled with unscripted shows, like “Profiles from the Front Line” and, in parts of the country, “The Family.” CBS had an 8.2 rating in the 18-49 demo, NBC had a 6.4, ABC had a 2.6 and Fox had a 2 rating. CBS ranked No. 1 in households with a 13 rating and 20 share. NBC had a 9.4/14, ABC had a 5.7/9 and Fox had a 3.5/5.

'I'm a Celeb' perks up for its final night, barely
The season finale of “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” gave ABC a ratings boost on Wednesday, although not enough of one for the network or the show to rank No. 1.“I’m a Celebrity” averaged a 4.8 adult 18-49 rating in its two-hour run. It ranked No. 1 for a single half-hour at 9:30 p.m., when Fox’s competing “Married by America” slumped 6 percent in its second half. “I’m a Celebrity” trailed NBC’s “Law & Order” by seven-tenths of a point at 10 p.m. Fox ranked No. 1 for the night on the strength of “American Idol,” which had an 8.6 rating in the 18-49 demo at 8 p.m. Fox averaged a 6.6 rating compared to ABC’s 4.4. NBC had a 3.9 and CBS had a 3.2 with “Star Search” and back-to-back newsmagazines. Fox also ranked No. 1 in households with an 8.3 rating and 13 share, based on Nielsen overnights. CBS had a 7.5/12, NBC had a 7.4/12 and ABC had a 6.7/11.

Italian-Americans have no love for 'The Family'
Minority groups can often be heard complaining that they're underrepresented on TV. Some Italian-American groups appear to feel the opposite, complaining that they're too often singled out for stereotyping and ridicule. The Washington-based Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) is organizing a protest campaign against ABC’s new reality show “The Family.” The program, which debuted last week, follows 10 relatives living in a Palm Beach mansion and competing for a $1 million trust. The 600,000-strong OSIA posted a list of "The Family's" sponsors on its web site and urged the public to contact them. OSIA sent a letter to ABC saying of "The Family's" family, “They are loud, ignorant and low-class, just like the Italian-American-as-buffoon traditionally portrayed on television and in the movies by the likes of John Travolta and Tony Danza.” In 2001 the American Italian Defense Association filed suit against HBO, saying "The Sopranos" gives the impression that most Italians are in the Mafia.

'Sopanos' star whacks show's creator with lawsuit
Speaking of "The Sopranos," James Gandolfini wants to be paid a lot more for his work on the hit drama. The actor, who plays mobster Tony Soprano, filed suit in California Superior Court Thursday asking to be let out of his contract for the fifth season. The claim alleges that show creator David Chase did not notify Gandolfini within 10 days of HBO’s decision to pay $20 million for another season. Gandolfini’s lawyers claim that his current contract also violates state labor laws. HBO, which had been set to renegotiate Gandolfini’s contract anyway, called the suit a ploy. The Emmy nominee is currently paid $400,000 per episode, about the same as Martin Sheen makes for NBC’s “The West Wing,” but well below the $1 million per episode for the “Friends” cast or $1.6 million per show for “Frasier’s” Kelsey Grammer. Gandolfini renegotiated in September 2000. Gandolfini reportedly wants $750,000 per episode. The fifth season is set to start shooting March 24 but probably won’t debut until 2004.

Thinking of going wild, girls? Breast be careful
This spring break, girls who go wild do so at their own risk. Police officials in Panama City, Fla., intend to arrest any women who remove their tops during a live pay-per-view broadcast put on by the producers of the "Girls Gone Wild" video series. The special, which will air Thursday, March 13, is being co-produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, and will feature revelers in Panama City, Texas’ South Padre Island and Jamaica. Panama City police Maj. David Humphries says that officers will also arrest anyone soliciting someone else to violate the law—in other words, members of "Girls Gone Wild" camera crews. Panama City is the country’s top spring break destination.

Victim's family sues VH1 over prison special
That VH1 “Music Behind Bars” special that sparked so much hand-wringing last year has finally resulted in a lawsuit. The family of West Virginian Michael Hart, whose killer appeared on the 2002 show, has sued VH1 parent company Viacom for emotional distress. Mother Linda Garrett and sister Misty Hart seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and a court order preventing future re-airings of “Music Behind Bars.” Before the show aired, Hart’s family, as well as those of several other victims, asked the network not to proceed. The governor of West Virginia even wrote a letter of protest to VH1. But the network went ahead and, the Hart family alleges, aired the program earlier than it had originally intended. The suit claims that VH1 paid convicted murderer Jason Henthorne, which the network denies. The show focused on bands in prisons across the country. VH1 says it did not intend to laud the criminals.

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