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The “Backstreet Boys: Larger than Life” special bombed for CBS Wednesday night, placing third in households and fourth among adults 18-49 during the 8 p.m. hour. Instead, a repeat of NBC’s “West Wing” won households, and repeats of ABC’s “Two Guys and a Girl,” and Fox’s “The Simpsons” won adults 18-49. CBS recovered with a repeat of the feature film “Now and Then,” which won every half-hour in households from 9 to 11 p.m. But NBC won the night in both households and adults 18-49, thanks to its coverage of the NBA Playoff game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Wednesday night were: NBC 6.5/11 and 4.2, CBS 6.3/11 and 3.8, ABC 6.1/11 and 3.0, and Fox 4.1/7 and 2.6.
'GMA' yanks nude fashion segment
"Good Morning America" viewers just missed catching a nude fashion show with their morning coffee on Wednesday. At the last minute, "Good Morning America" producers yanked a live segment that was to feature a pair of naked models adorned in nothing but painted-on bikinis. The faux bathing suits were the work of body-paint artist Filippo Ioco, who had been flown in from Puerto Rico the night before and set to work painting his models at 1:00 a.m. Ioco told the Washington Post that he was informed his live segment would be cut just a half-hour before he was to go on. "Good Morning America" still ran a short taped segment about Ioco. Producers expressed concerns during a morning meeting that it was clear that the models were in fact wearing paint, not clothing, and the decision was made to skip the live bit. Ioco is reported as saying that he was told "Good Morning America" cut the segment because "some senator did something in Washington" that demanded the show’s attention.
WB adding two midseason shows
With the cancellation of a number of comedies like "Popular" and "Gross Pointe" along with the losses of "Buffy" and "Roswell" to the UPN, the WB has taken action. The network added "Cedric the Coach" and "The (Mis)Adventures of Fiona Plum" to its midseason schedule. Cedric the Entertainer, one of the co-stars of "The Steve Harvey Show," plays a divorced dad and coach of the worst team in the NBA in "Cedric." Seven episodes have already been ordered. "Fiona Plum" continues with the witch theme of the network by following a bratty witch who becomes a nanny of sorts for a human family. On the fall season front, new sitcom "Maybe I'm Adopted" will be given a new name after many complained to the WB that the current title puts a negative spin on adoption. Online forums and other areas are being used by the WB to discover a new title.
Get-out-of-jail deal in works for Robert Downey Jr.
Lawyers for drug-ingesting actor Robert Downey Jr. appear to have negotiated their client's way out of jail. A tentative deal has been struck with prosecutors that would have Downey plead no contest to one felony count of possessing cocaine and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Downey for his part would then serve up to a year in a live-in rehabilitation center. Riverside County officials have acknowledged the tentative deal but haven't commented officially on it yet. The arrangement was apparently made possible by California's new Proposition 36, which makes prison a punishment only for people charged with drug violations three or more times or those who refuse to cooperate with treatment programs. Downey was arrested this past Thanksgiving in Palm Springs when authorities found drugs in his hotel room. He was arrested again in April in Culver City and found to be under the influence of cocaine. That was the episode that caused Fox to remove the actor from his place on "Ally McBeal." Downey has a long history of drug-related problems, dating back to an arrest in 1996 when he was pulled over for speeding, at which point cocaine, heroin and a pistol were found in his car.
Schroder: I'm bugging out of 'NYPD Blue'
Confirming speculation, Rick Schroder has announced that he is leaving the cast of "NYPD Blue" after two-and-a-half years. The 31-year-old former child star says he wants to spend more time with his family, particularly since he and his wife are expecting their fourth child in August. The popular cop show, which just finished its eighth season on ABC, ended the year with an episode in which Detective Danny Sorenson, Schroder's character, was missing while a stripper he was involved with was found dead in his apartment. Steven Bochco Productions has not indicated who will replace Schroder in his role as the partner of Dennis Franz's Andy Sipowicz. Sipowicz has had a hard time holding onto partners over the years, as Schroder himself had replaced Jimmy Smits, who had replaced David Caruso. Other cast members Kim Delaney, James Daniels and Andrea Thompson have also recently exited the cast, leaving Franz as the only remaining original star. One incoming cast member for next year will be Mark-Paul Gosselaar--a child star himself in "Saved by the Bell"--but it is not clear yet whether his character will become Sipowicz's new partner.
June 1, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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