'10.5' high on the ratings scale for NBC Sunday
   The miniseries “10.5” was the big one NBC was hoping for. It was the most-watched program in adults 18-49 Sunday night, including an 8.6 rating in its last half hour. On the strength of “10.5” NBC finished first in 18-49s Sunday night with a 5.0 average rating and 13 share. ABC and Fox tied for second at 3.9/11, with CBS fourth at 3.0/8 and the WB fifth at 1.3/4.
   Fox led at 7 p.m. with back-to-back episodes of “King of the Hill” averaging a 3.8 rating in 18-49s. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” posted a 3.0 average rating and finished second that hour, with CBS’s “60 Minutes” finishing third with a 2.2 average rating. One of ABC’s stronger shows, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” finished first at 8 p.m. with a 5.3 average rating in 18-49s. Two episodes of “The Simpsons” on Fox finished second with a 4.5 average rating and “Cold Case” on CBS was third with a 3.5 average.
   At 9 p.m. NBC took over as the first hour of “10.5” averaged a 7.4 rating. ABC was second that hour with a 4.0 average for “Alias,” and Fox third with an hour of “Malcolm in the Middle” posting a 3.4 average rating.
   NBC extended its lead at 10 p.m. as “10.5” averaged an 8.5 rating in 18-49s. In second was “The Practice” on ABC, which averaged a 3.6 rating, and the second hour of the CBS movie “Book of Ruth” was third with a 3.2 average. “10.5” helped edge NBC to first among households as the network averaged an 8.4 rating and 14 share, just ahead of CBS’s 8.3 rating and 14 share. ABC was third at 5.9/10, Fox fourth at 5.2/9, and the WB fifth at 1.9/3.

Fox wins Saturday but 'Titans' strong for ABC
ABC aired the football/race relations movie “Remember the Titans” with Denzel Washington on Saturday night, and the last hour of it was the most watched show on TV that night among 18-49s. The 10 p.m. hour of “Titans” averaged a 3.2 rating.
   Fox was No. 1 Saturday night in adults 18-49, averaging a 2.7 rating and 10 share. ABC and NBC tied for second at 2.5/9, and CBS was fourth at 1.7/6. At 8 p.m. “Cops” on Fox averaged a 2.4 rating and finished first. The first hour of the movie “Twister” on NBC was second that hour with a 2.1 average rating in 18-49s. And the first hour of “Remember the Titans” on ABC tied with a million-dollar version of “Price is Right” on CBS for third with a 1.7 average rating.
   At 9 p.m. Fox remained on top with “America’s Most Wanted” averaging a 2.9 rating. The second hours of “Twister” and “Titans” tied for second with a 2.6 average rating, and “The District” on CBS was fourth with a 1.5 average.
   At 10 p.m. ABC took over with the last hour of “Titans” averaging a 3.2 rating. In households, CBS finished first for the night with a 5.8 average rating and 11 share. The rest of the field was tight with ABC in second at 4.5/9, NBC third at 4.5/8, and Fox fourth at 4.4/8.
   On a fairly uneventful Friday night, “Third Watch” on NBC was the most watched show, posting a 3.3 average rating in 18-49s. That helped NBC tie with ABC and its TGIF lineup for first for the night. Both networks averaged a 2.8 rating in 18-49s and a 10 share. There was a tie for third too as both CBS and Fox posted a 2.0 rating and 7 share. The WB was fifth at 1.3/5 and UPN was sixth at 0.7/2. 
   At 8 p.m. ABC was first with “George Lopez” and “The Big House” averaging a 2.4 rating. “Dateline” on NBC followed closely with a 2.3 average rating. At 9 p.m. ABC remained on top as two episodes of “Hope and Faith” averaged a 3.1 rating. “Dateline” on NBC was second again with a 2.8 average and the second hour of “Tomb Raider” on Fox was third, averaging a 2.1 in 18-49s.
   Among households, NBC finished on top with a 6.4 average rating and a 12 share. CBS was second at 6.0/11, ABC third at 5.2/10, Fox fourth at 3.5/7, the WB fifth at 2.1/4, and UPN sixth at 1.3/2.

Hef's search narrows for Kaminsky replacement
Who will succeed James Kaminsky as the next editor of Playboy? Perhaps someone a little less laddie and a little more Hef. Founding editor in chief Hugh Hefner, who apparently clashed with Kaminsky over the direction of the magazine, leading to his boot upstairs to Playboy Enterprises vice president of special projects last month, is using three editors to run things until one emerges as Kaminsky’s successor. Executive editor Stephen Randall, assistant managing editor Leopold Froehlich and features editor Christopher Napolitano are handling the next issue. Napolitano, who works in New York, is seen as the frontrunner with a decade of experience with the company. Hefner will more than likely stick within the magazine for the heir to Kaminsky, who came from Maxim and lasted less than two years while modernizing the book.

Mmm, cash! Raise ends 'Simpsons' cast dispute.
“Simpsons” actors are low on dough no more. The core of “The Simpsons” voice actors reached a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Television that will resume production after more than a month hiatus. Fox officials said they were optimistic all 22 planned episodes would be finished for the 2004-2005 season, the 16th for the primetime staple. The six actors accounted for more than a dozen characters, including: Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Krusty the Clown and others), Julie Kavner (Marge and others), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe, Chief Wiggum, Apu and others) and Harry Shearer (Montgomery Burns, Ned Flanders and others). Terms of the deal were not revealed, but each cast member was seeking an increase from $125,000 an episode to $360,000, or $8 million for the season. The actors' previous deal, which covered seasons 13, 14 and 15, ended in November. Five of the six actors had a similar dispute in 1998 when they were making $30,000 an episode. Fox took steps to replace most of them before both sides came into agreement and resumed production.

Now it's NBC pondering real-life 'Hillbillies'
Call it the complete opposite of Fox’s “The Simple Life,” or call it an idea that has already caused CBS huge headaches. NBC reportedly has ordered a pilot for an unscripted reality show that chronicles a week in the life of a coal mining family transplanted to Beverly Hills in a show that shadows elements of the 1960s sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies.” The family will live in a mansion for five days and discover what it’s like to live the high life – which, incidentally, is the name of the show. Producers insist the “The High Life,” from 10 by 10 Entertainment, will not poke fun at the rural family but rather will show them to be strong-willed people not afraid to stand up to their snobby neighbors. Of course, almost the exact same idea landed CBS in trouble two years ago, when rural groups protested so loudly the idea of a real-life “Hillbillies” that the show was never made. In other programming news, Fox has renewed its poorly reviewed but commercially successful plastic surgery series “The Swan.” The network placed an order for 11 additional episodes to air this fall. The show, which debuted April 7 and will wrap up its first season May 24, has garnered decent viewership for Fox, averaging 9.2 million viewers weekly.

Coming soon, a 24-hour gaming network
Sports junkies with a gambling addiction will soon have a 24-hour fix. Gaming network EdgeTV will launch in early 2005, aimed at producing and operating from a Las Vegas casino. The network will air international tournaments that will center around watching top competitions, playing through online games and on-air show tutorials and tips. The programs will be more than two-thirds original with the rest acquired. The network already inked coverage of the U.S. Chess Federation and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. The Creative Artists Agency is aiding EdgeTV with content acquisition and business development, and HotHouse Media will oversee and develop distribution agreements. The network plans to also offer video on demand and other interactive services.

Clear Channel: Stern too dirty, but FCUK-FM okay
Clear Channel may have believed Howard Stern was too vulgar to remain on its radio stations, but it apparently sees nothing wrong with posting semi-obscene billboards in highly populated areas. One billboard, located on Interstate 95 in downtown Miami, reads “FCUK FM” – actually a reference to a new British-based radio station owned by apparel company French Connection United Kingdom, but head-turning on a billboard. It belongs to Clear Channel Outdoor, a division of Clear Channel Communications, which earlier this month booted shock jock Stern from six South Florida stations. But “FCUK FM” isn’t the only pseudo-naughty advertisement glimpsed by thousands of South Florida eyes daily. Other Clear Channel billboards around South Florida declare “Schnitt Happens,” promoting WIOD-AM talk-show host Todd Schnitt. The signs are generating much buzz around Miami, with several drivers already having complained to the mayor and city manager. Clear Channel has not yet addressed the complaints but is being threatened with a lawsuit from a Coral Gables attorney if it does not to remove the billboards within 10 days.