Sarah Silverman Has a Hit on Comedy Central
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, Cable, Cable/Satellite, Ratings,
Way to go, Sarah Silverman. Her show, The Sarah Silverman Program was a ratings winner for Comedy Central. The show debuted last Thursday, bringing in about 1.8 million viewers and was the most watched primetime cable show for viewers ages 18-49. This marks the biggest debut for an original program on Comedy Central since Drawn Together debuted in 2004. I saw Silverman’s show and really enjoyed it. I’ve read some criticism of her online that says her schtick is getting old, but isn’t that what comedians do? I don’t find everything she says side-splittingly (is that a word?) funny, but I always like to see what crazy thing she’ll say next. In most cases, I can’t even believe the things coming out of her mouth—but that’s the point, I suppose. Her turn as a regular on Crank Yankers was always a highlight of the show. Check out The Sarah Silverman Program on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. It’s definitely worth a look.
Read More 
| Yahoo! News
Gallery: Sarah Silverman Has a Hit on Comedy Central
Advertisement
This one floored me. Is the Super Bowl so important an event that people need to rush out and buy a bigger TV? Does a larger TV enhance the action of the big game? Or is this just an excuse for people to upgrade their screen size?
According to a survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA), approximately 2.5 million consumers are planning on making an upgrade for Super Bowl Sunday. This number is an increase over the 1.7 million who planned to buy a new TV last year. To put it into perspective, over 100 million people are expected to watch the Super Bowl. Why buy a newer, bigger screen? Why, to have only the best Super Bowl party. Ever. To support the buying spree, retailers, such as Best Buy, are offering interest-free financing and delivery in time for the big game. So hurry on out folks and pick up a giant flat-panel for yourself.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Super Bowl Sunday—Time for a Bigger TV
Lucy Liu, Jerry O’Connell Join ‘Betty’ for February Sweeps
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Ratings,
Prepare for the guest appearances, as we head into February sweeps. Ugly Betty will be adding Lucy Liu and Jerry O’Connell to the roster for brief guest star appearances. Liu, who is no stranger to television after appearing on Ally McBeal, will be seen in two episodes beginning on February 15th. Her role should be fun (how could it not be, with this irresistible actress)—she’ll be playing a college classmate of Daniel Meade’s (Eric Mabius). He calls on her for help, but since he stood her up for a date back in college, this could be tricky. O’Connell is a regular on Crossing Jordan, but will be swinging by Betty for one episode on February 15th. And here you can expect cuteness, because he’ll meet up with Alexis Meade (played by Rebecca Romijn, who is engaged to O’Connell) at a bar.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Lucy Liu, Jerry O’Connell Join ‘Betty’ for February Sweeps
Armed & Famous Gets the Axe
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, CBS, FOX, American Idol, Announcements, Cancellations, Ratings,
Seems the writing was on the wall for Armed & Famous from the get-go. As far as reality series go, this premise was a doozy. B-list celebs helping to keep the peace as police officers in Muncie, Indiana—well, I suppose there are worse reality shows on, but this one seemed particularly ill-fated. When the highlight of the short-lived series is watching celebrities get tasered, you know it’s got nowhere to go but down. And down it goes. After just four episodes, CBS has canceled the series. The show featured La Toya Jackson, Jack Osbourne, Erik Estrada, Wee Man, and Trish Stratus. With stiff competition from American Idol how did the show even stand a chance? The debut episode drew 8.1 million viewers, but ratings quickly slid, and by the third week numbers were down to 5.8 million. If the cancellation has you feeling blue, fear not. VH1 will air the next episode this weekend; the remaining two episodes may make it to the music video network as well.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Armed & Famous Gets the Axe
ABC Moves ‘Knights of Prosperity’
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Music, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, FOX, American Idol, Ratings,
ABC must have some faith in the new comedy The Knights of Prosperity—they’ve decided to move the new show to a time frame that isn’t against American Idol. I’m not so sure the show is worth saving, but compared to In Case of Emergency, which Knights has been paired with, seems they are making the better choice about which to move. If you haven’t seen it, Knights features Donal Logue and a team of rag-tag thieves as they try to rob Mick Jagger. The first episode showed potential, but it seemed to take a slide in subsequent episodes. Ratings for the first two shows were at 6.2 million, but the last two episodes only drew in 4 million viewers. In Case of Emergency will stay on in the Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. slot, where I’m sure it will certainly face its eventual death. The Knights of Prosperity will now be seen at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, following George Lopez. According to Jim will take on American Idol at 9 p.m. Once American Idol cuts back to a one hour show in a few more weeks, Emergency may gain some steam, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: ABC Moves ‘Knights of Prosperity’
Rachael Ray’s Show Renewed Through 2010
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Food & Home, Talk Shows, Syndication, Ratings, Renewals,
Brace yourselves… we’ve got two more seasons of Rachael Ray-isms to endure. Her daytime gabfest has been extended through the 2009-2010 season. Don’t get me wrong, I love her recipes and can sorta stomach her 30 Minute Meals program on the Food Network. An hour of her talk show Rachael Ray is just way too much to endure though. Her personality seems over the top—maybe it is genuine, but there is just too much hyper energy behind it for me to stick through an entire hour of her show. Folks love her though—she really appeals to the masses and she’s the polar opposite of stuffy Martha Stewart. Her show is the top new syndicated show of the season, so she certainly has a following. Roger King, CEO at CBS Television Distribution, said of the renewal, “It’s clear that Rachael’s devoted fans are happy to welcome her into their living rooms every day and the positive response from our affiliate stations has been tremendous. We look forward to many more years of fantastic shows from Rachael and the show’s talented creative team.” Can she keep the energy up for a couple more seasons? My money says yes, and then some.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Rachael Ray’s Show Renewed Through 2010
‘Today’ Show Adding A Fourth Hour
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, NBC, News, Ratings,
I literally had to do a double take when I read that the Today show was going to extend to a fourth hour. Huh? Really? I know America loves a morning news program, and no one does it better than Today, but that seems a wee bit excessive. What will hour four look like and why are they doing it? Well, the expansion, which is set to begin in September, takes the top-rated show the extra mile. More time on the air, more money, blah, blah, blah. NBC News president Steve Capus said of the extension, “The success of the Today show has been remarkable throughout its history, and the program has never been in a better position than it is right now. This is a tribute to all the dedicated hard work of Matt [Lauer], Meredith [Vieira], Al [Roker], Ann [Curry] and the entire behind the scenes team. You can’t do this with a program that isn’t a powerhouse—and that is exactly what we have at Today.” No word yet on who will take over anchor duties for the fourth hour. Vieira is under contract as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, so she bails after 9 a.m. More details about anchor duties will come as the extended show gets closer.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: ‘Today’ Show Adding A Fourth Hour
American Idol Rules the Ratings
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Internet, Ratings,
Despite my grumblings yesterday where I explained that I can’t watch the auditions of American Idol, the little talent show seemed to do just fine in the ratings. The premiere of the sixth season kicked off with 37.3 million viewers tuning in—a five percent jump from last year’s season premiere. Not bad, right? Well, seems some folks are becoming as disenchanted as I am, according to an article on Reuters. While the show garnered the highest viewership in American Idol‘s history, it still left some dissatisfied. Last night’s show included auditions from Minneapolis, with most of the wannabes not quite making the grade. One fan posted on Americanidol.com’s message board: “I think that we need to see more of the good with the bad. Not only did we get bad but it seemed to be longer segments of individuals… I’m not going to waste my time tonight.” So my critique yesterday was not too far off the mark—another fan on Yahoo’s message boards said, “Too much of a bad thing is not so entertaining… The bad ones are just mostly ridiculous, by this point.” Amen.
(You can find all the American Idol 6 posts here.)
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: American Idol Rules the Ratings
Aniston and Cox Arquette Together Again
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, Cable, FX, Ratings, Rumors,
We reported last week that there was a rumor that Jennifer Aniston might appear on Courtney Cox Arquette’s series, Dirt. The rumor has now been confirmed, with more details about which episode and the character Aniston will play. This appearance will mark Aniston’s first return to television since wrapping Friends in 2004. This time around, she will play rival magazine editor Tina Harrod. The exchange between her and Lucy Spiller should be fun—and good to see Aniston return to her roots. Aniston will appear in the season finale of Dirt, airing on March 27th on FX. Hmmm, sounds like there will be a bump in ratings with these two sharing the small screen again.
Read More | AOL
Gallery: Aniston and Cox Arquette Together Again
American Idol Starts Tonight—Will You be Watching?
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, FOX, American Idol, Ratings,
So, the big event is here. I speak, of course, about the sixth season premiere of American Idol. And what better way to make it an event than by spreading it over two nights, at two hours a pop? The question is, will you be watching? I have a real love/hate relationship with American Idol—mostly because it’s like a train wreck that I can’t look away from. The last couple of years, however, I have passed on the initial audition episodes and instead watched from the Hollywood sessions onward. Last year, I just waited until they had whittled it down to the finalists. Why? Well, I’ve come to dislike the audition shows immensely because they have so many horrible wannabes. It makes for interesting television, right? To me, it just seems cruel to pass people through to the final audition to be judged if they aren’t any good to begin with. And viewers wonder why these people are so angry? Wouldn’t you be bummed if you made it that far only to get ripped apart? I guess it wouldn’t be as interesting if they only showed the quality people, but I really do feel for those talentless souls who are given a glimmer of hope when they stand before Simon, Randy, and Paula. I mean, really, how would you feel?
(You can find all the American Idol 6 posts here.)
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: American Idol Starts Tonight—Will You be Watching?
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.