Will Smith 'All of Us' guest gig gives UPN a bump
ABC and NBC tied for No. 1 in the adult 18-49 demographic on Tuesday but UPN gets credit for parlaying a sweeps stunt into a big week-to-week ratings jump.
   With the help of a guest appearance by Will Smith on “All of Us,” a freshman UPN sitcom co-produced by Smith, the show’s rating went up 53 percent from last week, to a 2.3. While still modest compared to the major network’s ratings, UPN averaged a 2 rating for the night, which was up 54 percent. The network’s sitcoms featured a number of guest stars in addition to Smith.
   Still, ABC and NBC dominated Tuesday and averaged a 4.2 rating each, based on preliminary Nielsen data. Fox had a 3.6, CBS had a 3, UPN had a 2 and the WB had a 1.8.
   ABC was competitive throughout primetime and ranked No. 1 at 8 p.m. with “8 Simple Rules” and “I’m With Her” and ranked No. 1 at 9:30 p.m. with “Less than Perfect.”
  NBC was competitive at 9 p.m. with “Frasier” and at 10 p.m., when “Law & Order: SVU” had a 5.3, the night’s highest rating.
   Fox did well with repeats of “That 70s Show” and “The Simpsons” and an original “24,” which dipped two-tenths a point from last week.
  Meanwhile, CBS ranked No. 1 in households with an 8 rating and 13 share. NBC had a 7.4/12, ABC had a 6.5/10 and Fox had a 5.1/8. UPN and the WB tied with a 3.1/5.

 
CBS edges past ABC and NBC to win Monday
CBS squeaked by ABC and NBC to rank No. 1 in the adult 18-49 and household demographics on a competitive Monday in which each of the Big Three networks won at least one half-hour.
   CBS averaged a 5.6 adult 18-49 rating and a 10.6 household rating and 16 share, based on Nielsen overnights. ABC had a 5.2 and a 9.1/14 while NBC had a 5.1 and a 7.1/11. Fox had a 2.7 and a 4.1/6 but the WB was close behind and ranked No. 4 overall in households with a 2.4 and a 4.5/7. UPN had a 1.8 and a 3.1/5.
   Despite facing tough competition in football and a Britney Spears special on ABC and “Fear Factor” on NBC, CBS was the top network in 18-49s on the strength of “Everybody Loves Raymond” at 9 p.m. and “CSI: Miami” at 10 p.m.
   ABC was competitive throughout primetime but did best later in the night with football.
   Meanwhile, NBC ranked No. 1 at 8 p.m. with “Fear Factor.” The reality show averaged a 5.3 rating in the 18-49 demo and beat CBS comedies and ABC’s “Britney Spears: In the Zone” by more than 1 rating point each.
   Fox slumped with two episodes of “The Next Joe Millionaire” and was beaten by the WB’s “Seventh Heaven” at 8 p.m.

Martha Judge refuses to dismiss fraud charge
 Christmas apparently isn’t coming early for Martha Stewart. Stewart was repeatedly rebuffed by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Miriam Cederbaum yesterday as she pled to have the most serious charges against her – a securities fraud charge carrying a hefty 10-year jail term – thrown out of court. The domestic diva will now have to answer to all five counts of her indictment in January, including obstructing justice, making false statements and committing securities fraud in her attempt to sell off ImClone stock before it plummeted. In a surprise move, Cederbaum threw out Stewart’s invocation of her First Amendment rights and ruled that the case was strong enough to move to trial. Cederbaum issued an order to begin creation of a juror questionnaire and scheduled jury selection for Jan. 8. The trial itself will begin Jan. 22.

Maxim's Dennis dishes GQ & Esquire tonight
 Maxim publisher Felix Dennis isn’t known for sitting on his opinions, and that’s once again confirmed with the “60 Minutes II” interview airing tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS. During his talk with Bob Simon, Dennis, in addition to revealing plans to sell his publishing conglomerate to seed the largest forest in England, takes plenty of shots at his competitors. When Simon quotes late GQ editor Art Cooper on Maxim (“Maxim readers are men who not only move their lips but drool when they read”), Dennis calls it sour grapes and replies, “Yeah, GQ readers are men who like socks more than sex.” He accuses Esquire of sour grapes, too, claiming, “Maxim came out of nowhere; it just made all of the editors of American lifestyle magazines for men look like idiots.” Dennis estimates his worth at somewhere between $200 million to $700 million, a fortune he brags to Simon that, “I hose it away on a never-ending basis and I take enormous pleasure in doing it.”

Police search Jacko estate on eve of CBS special
CBS dumped "The Reagans" because it was too controversial. Now its safer replacement, a special on Michael Jackson, is looking pretty hot, too. Yesterday Court TV broke the story of a 13-year old boy’s allegations against the King of Pop, which resulted in a search of Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. NBC reports that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department has also issued an arrest warrant for Jackson as a result of the ongoing investigation. In a statement, Jackson said, "These characters always seem to surface with a dreadful allegation just as another project, an album, a video, is being released." Jackson has a new album of greatest hits due out on Tuesday and a network sweeps special scheduled to air on CBS next Wednesday. Jackson faced sexual molestation charges 10 years ago in a case that never resulted in criminal wrongdoing. He maintains his innocence but reportedly paid a multimillion dollar settlement in the case.

Yawns all around to third Victoria's Secret show
 What if Victoria's Secret threw a fashion show and no one protested? Tonight’s broadcast on CBS has received considerably less media attention than previous years’ shows, a factor that may be influenced by the program’s 10 p.m. timeslot. And while no CBS affiliate has threatened not to air the show as they did last year, the Parents Television Council still isn’t pleased. "Maybe people are becoming desensitized to it," Katie Wright, spokewoman for the PTC, told reporters. "It doesn’t mean that we at the PTC are not upset about it." The Federal Communications Commission has not ruled on a complaint by the PTC last year that the lingerie company’s fashion show violated decency standards. Tonight’s special will include supermodels Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks as well as music by Sting and Mary J. Blige.

Razor article cuts Church of Scientology too deep 
The Church of Scientology isn’t happy with Razor magazine. Lloyd Grove at the New York Daily News reports that officials are outraged at an article in the magazine’s latest issue criticizing the religion, which counts Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members. The article, entitled "The Curse of Scientology – Lawsuits, Death and Finance," includes a report on the mysterious death of church member Lisa McPherson. "Imagine a church so dangerous you must sign a release form before you can receive its spiritual assistance," states the article, written by David S. Touretzky and Peter Alexander. A spokeswoman from the church has asked the magazine to stop promoting the article on its web site until she has a chance to discuss the contents with either Razor’s editor-in-chief or publisher. So far, the two parties have yet to talk.

 

November 19, 2003© 2003 Media Life


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