February 05, 2003 |
FOX TROTS TO TOP
Whatever Fox is paying American Idol meanie Simon Cowell, it's not enough. Fueled by two highly-rated editions of Idol (not to mention a little show called Joe Millionaire), Fox was the most-watched network last week — the first time it has scored such a feat on the strength of its entertainment programming alone. And all signs suggest that the network will make it two in a row. Monday's Joe Millionaire hit a new series high among total viewers (20.6 million), and last night's Idol — in which the first eight semifinalists duked it out (go Trenyce!) — easily won its timeslot with a preliminary 14.7 rating/21 share. Speaking of Idol, I have a question for Ryan Seacrest: If I vote via text messaging, do I need to insert a space between "Idols" and the contestant's number? You weren't very clear about that last night. |
PURR-FECT CASTING
Need further proof that Nicole Kidman is the cat's meow in Hollywood? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the in-demand Hours star has been offered the title role in Warner Bros. Pictures' upcoming Catwoman flick. Wisely, the actress — who played Dr. Chase Meridian in 1995's Batman Forever — is waiting on the latest draft of the script before making any decisions. The role was originally slated for Ashley Judd, but saner minds apparently prevailed. Nothing against Judd, but she's no Kidman. |
LIES, ALL LIES!
Madonna insists she is not — repeat, not — pregnant! The Material mother-of-two plans to file a formal complaint in Britain over a story in Heat magazine that said she is pregnant with her third child. "She dyed her hair brown instead of blond; that does not confirm somebody's pregnant," her rep told Reuters. "And she's been wearing baggy clothes for 20 years, so what else is new?" Um, I just got a new microwave oven, does that count? |
WELCOME BACK, MURPHY!
Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen is returning to CBS as the star of the TV movie Footsteps. In the thriller, Bergen will play a best-selling suspense novelist who finds herself caught up in a real-life crime story. |
FREE LOVE
Courtney Love, arrested Tuesday at London's Heathrow airport for allegedly being "verbally abusive" to the cabin crew aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight, spent nine hours in custody before being released with a warning. "I cussed at a lady named Mary," Love told reporters. "She wasn't letting my friend into first class so I said, 'Why are you being a bitch about it?'" A better question would be: Why did you let your so-called "friend" fly coach? |
WHO'S THAT GIRL?
The woman that rock producer Phil Spector is accused of murdering is a B-movie actress who starred in such films as Amazon Women on the Moon and The Barbarian Queen. Police believe Spector met Lana Clarkson, 40, Sunday night at the House of Blues in Hollywood, where she had been working as a hostess. Spector, who is currently free on bail, allegedly killed Clarkson after they returned to his Los Angeles-area estate. |
MORE SEX, BUT SAFER
Sex is getting more common on television, but shows are more likely to include some references to making it safe, according to a study released Tuesday from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The report found that 26 percent of shows with sex references also included messages of abstinence or protection. That is nearly double the rate that the foundation found in 1997-98, the first year of its ongoing study. |
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