News Shorts

Ho-hum Wednesday debut for 'All American Girl'
ABC’s “All American Girl” joined the ranks of other recent reality shows that have fallen short of expectations in its first outing with weak ratings and waning viewer interest. The show debuted with a two hour special on Wednesday with an average 3 adult 18-49 rating. More troubling, its rating dipped 9 percent in its second half-hour and another 7 percent in its third half-hour before rebounding some for its conclusion. “All American Girl” was in last place throughout its run, despite facing repeats of NBC’s dramas “West Wing” at 9 p.m. and “Law & Order” at 10 p.m. The reality show also trailed Fox’s sitcoms “Bernie Mac” and “Cedric the Entertainer,” as well as CBS newsmagazines featuring coverage of the return of kidnapped Elizabeth Smart. Fox ranked No. 1 for the night with an average 6.1 adult 18-49 rating, due mostly to “American Idol,” which with an 8.5 was the highest rated show on any network. NBC had a 4.4, CBS had a 3.8 and ABC had a 3.3, based on Nielsen overnights.

Fox's 'Idol' sashays, in an easy Tuesday win
Fox had an easy time beating the other Big Four networks on Tuesday with a two-hour “American Idol” that competed mostly with repeats. The network ranked No. 1 in the adult 18-49 demographic with an average 10.2 rating. ABC had a 3.1, NBC had a 2.8 and CBS had a 2.5, based on preliminary Nielsen data. Fox won each half-hour from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and improved its rating 47 percent from beginning to end. The final hour of “Idol,” in fact, averaged an 11.7 rating that was about 4 points ahead of the Big Three networks’ combined rating. ABC and NBC competed with dueling reality shows at 10 p.m., after Fox wrapped its primetime lineup, with NBC’s “Meet My Folks” winning with a paltry 3.4 rating. A repeat of CBS’s “Judging Amy” ranked No. 2 in the time slot with a 3.1, while ABC’s “The Family” trailed with a 2.8 rating.

'All My Children' leads in Daytime Emmy noms
It’s awards show season in Hollywood, and everyone is talking about who will win the entertainment industry’s most coveted honor. That’s right: a Daytime Emmy. Nominations were announced yesterday, a full two months before the May 16 ceremony. ABC led the networks with 59 nominations, with its long-running soap opera "All My Children" accounting for 17 of those. CBS’s "Guiding Light" got 14 nominations and "Sesame Street" received 13. Two newcomers, Dr. Phil McGraw and Wayne Brady, were among nominees in the "best talk show host" category, along with the ladies of "The View," who announced the nominations live on their ABC show. In other daytime TV news, "All My Children" will make soap opera history during May sweeps with the first-ever lesbian love scene in afternoon television. No wonder it’s up for so many awards.

'Rich Guy, Poor Guy,' 'Joe Millionaire' redux
Has anyone else noticed that reality shows are starting to become just the teensiest bit, um, derivative? For its newest series, ABC appears to have taken inspiration – to use the term loosely – from Fox’s "Joe Millionaire" as well as its own "Bachelor." The show, imaginatively titled "Rich Guy, Poor Guy," will feature, well, a rich guy and a poor guy seeking mates from among a pool of available women. The catch, of course, is that none of the ladies will know which fellow is loaded and which is penniless. Neither will the audience, for that matter. Seven episodes are being shot in expectation of a summer run. Money also figures big in the next installment of "The Bachelor," which will feature Andrew Firestone, heir to the Firestone tires fortune.

Station says 'I don't' to 'Married by America'
A North Carolina TV station has refused to air Fox's "Married by America," declaring the show an affront to the institution of marriage. Fox affiliate WRAZ-TV has a policy against airing reality programming that demeans marriage. On Monday the station said that it would no longer air “Married” episodes after showing the March 3 premiere. Instead Raleigh-Durham’s WRAZ aired repeats of “Cheers” last Monday at 9 p.m. The policy was instituted in 2000 in response to Fox’s “Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire” special. WRAZ pulled “Temptation Island” after one of the couples was found to have a child. It didn’t air “Temptation Island 2.” “Married by America” matches five singles with strangers through the help of friends and family. The public then votes on the potential unions. WRAZ already had decided to pre-empt the show when Fox revealed that one of the contestants actually was married.

Iraq invasion puts ? over college hoops tourney
Get ready for “March Madness Smackdown.” CBS is scrambling to come up with a backup plan for the men’s NCAA basketball tournament in the event that the United States attacks Iraq. The network would likely shift to all-news mode then, sending the basketball tournament to another Viacom-owned property. The frontrunner seems to be UPN, the low-rated network home of the WWE and “Star Trek Enterprise,” but cable stations also are being considered. CBS has mentioned TNN, another WWE broadcaster, and TV Land as potential fill-ins. ESPN, which is owned by Disney/ABC, would seem a logical fit, but the network already carries the women’s tournament at the same time. CBS must find an acceptable contingency plan for advertising makegoods, too, with 95 percent of its tourney advertising sold.

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