Bad economy good news for low-rated TV shows

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Sarah Connor might have the struggling economy to thank for not being terminated.

Industry observers say the recent cluster of low-rated shows granted full-season orders might have something to do with network executives watching the plunging Dow rather than their shows' falling Nielsens.

No execs would talk on the record, but the economic crisis, combined with the cost of marketing a new series, the lack of new programing inventory because of the Hollywood writers strike and the anticipated difficulty of locking down new advertiser commitments, has networks inclined to play it safe.

"Most years there would be more cancellations then there have been to date," said John Rash, senior vp/director of media negotiations at ad agency Campbell Mithun. "But the dual dynamics of schedule stability keeping ad dollars in place is combining with delayed programing development from last season's writers strike."
NBC's "Knight Rider," ABC's "Private Practice" and Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" recently received orders for an additional nine episodes apiece. Such a move typically indicates a network's confidence in a show's performance and signals the inclination to keep a series on the air for the duration of the season.

But all three shows have posted modest ratings in recent weeks, with "Knight Rider" and "Terminator" having numbers that in previous years would have resulted in cancellation.
The most obvious reasons for the pickups are that many series this fall are doing poorly, and these shows are performing among the best of the worst. Networks are loath to exit the fall without at least one series to tout as a success. Plus, the writers strike, as Rash noted, has delayed quality midseason replacements. And with ratings declining overall because of increasing DVR penetration and audience erosion to cable networks and the Internet, the bar for success keeps being lowered.

But the added element of economic worries this fall makes picking up low-rated shows potentially more attractive, too.

An August survey by the Association of National Advertisers reported that the majority of marketers expect their advertising budgets to be reduced in the next six months.
Once a show is canceled or moved, advertisers have the option of getting their investment back. So even if a drama series is pulling a meager rating, why risk having to resell a time period?
"The way the economy is going, there might be cutbacks in regard to advertising," said Brad Adgate, vp research at Horizon Media. "And there's always frustration from advertisers when shows get pulled too quickly, but if advertisers exercise their options to get out, it would be because of the economy."

Also, the economy directly impacts networks as well as their advertisers. NBC Universal recently announced that the company would trim $500 million from its budget. Given the cost of producing and marketing a new scripted series, the company might have a greater temptation to give a show like "Knight Rider" more time to find an audience.

"From the networks' standpoint, they're loath to cancel since the cost of finding something to replace a show may not be worth it," said Shari Anne Brill, vp and director of programing at Carat. "And advertisers still prefer to be in a quality scripted series to an inexpensive reality show," she said, adding, "I'm in the camp that believes it's a mistake for an advertiser to disappear during a recession because you need the consumer awareness so sales won't grind to a halt."

So far, the networks' doubling down on the bubble shows has had mixed results. "Terminator" and "Knight Rider" hit season lows after their pickups. But last week, "Practice" showed some life, perking up 15%.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Laurence Fishburne is prime "CSI" suspect

Laurence Fishburne is in talks to replace William Petersen as the star of CBS' veteran crime drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

The search for a new lead has been shrouded in secrecy, but sources say Fishburne is being heavily courted to play the new character, described as a doctor/scientist outsider to the CSI unit who has the same genetic profile as a serial killer but hasn't previously acted on any homicidal impulses.

Fishburne, an Oscar nominee for "What's Love Got to Do With It," had been mentioned as one of the "CSI" producers' top choices for the role, along with John Malkovich and Kurt Russell.

DVDs.com, wonderful place for DVD fans

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Jonas Brothers, 'Gossip Girl' score teen awards

"Gossip Girl" has six more reasons to say OMG. And so do the Jonas Brothers.

Both the sudsy CW show about a group of tawdry prep-school students and the squeaky clean boy band swam away with multiple surfboard trophies at Sunday's 10th annual Teen Choice Awards. The awards, which were selected by over 30 million votes cast online by teenagers, honor celebrities in TV, film, music, sports and fashion.

"Gossip Girl" was lauded with six Teen Choice Awards: TV drama, breakout show, breakout male actor Chace Crawford, breakout female and TV drama actress Blake Lively and TV villain Ed Westwick, who plays the antagonistic Chuck Bass on the series.

"I feel like I'm still a teenager because I'm perpetually in high school," Crawford said backstage. "And I'm 23."

The awards show at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Studios Hollywood was hosted by 15-year-old teen queen Miley Cyrus, who picked up three awards. Cyrus kicked off the ceremony with a performance of her new single "7 Things." She later grooved with friend Mandy Jiroux and their dance team M&M Cru as part of a dance-off with Adam Sevani and Jon Chu's dance troupe ACDC. Fergie and the audience later crowned Cyrus' crew as winner.

Throughout the taped ceremony, the Jonas Brothers appeared on stage to field questions from teenagers on Web cameras. At one point, the trio were strapped to harnesses and hoisted over the audience. The "Camp Rock" stars received six awards: choice breakout group, love song, music single, song of the summer, male red carpet fashion icons and male hotties.

Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and "Gossip Girl" weren't the only attendees who sailed away with multiple awards. Will Smith stopped by to pick up three surfboard trophies — one for "Hancock" and two for "I Am Legend." Chris Brown accepted five music awards: choice music male artist, R&B artist, R&B track, rap/hip-hop track and music hook-up for his Jordin Sparks duet "No Air."

Other winners included "The Hills" star Lauren Conrad as choice TV female reality star, "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere as choice TV action-adventure actress and David Beckham as choice male athlete. The soccer player's youngest son, Cruz, stole his father's thunder by unleashing a spontaneous break dancing routine on stage following his pop's acceptance speech.

"He went on tour with the Spice Girls," Beckham later said. "He learned some moves from them."

The Teen Choice Awards is scheduled to air Monday at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox.

Christina Applegate treated for breast cancer

Christina Applegate is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, but the disease was caught early and the actress is expected to fully recover, her publicist said.

The Emmy winner's cancer was detected through an MRI ordered by a doctor and is not life-threatening, publicist Ame Van Iden said in a statement Saturday.

Applegate is scheduled to appear on a one-hour television special, "Stand Up To Cancer," to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.

The 36-year-old actress has been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the show "Samantha Who?", in which she plays a woman who wakes from a coma with no memory of who she is.

The show, which debuted last October, marked a return to series television for Applegate, who helped establish the Fox network in 1987 as ditzy teenager Kelly Bundy on "Married ... With Children." The raunchy comedy ran 11 seasons and has been airing in syndication since.

"I'm really grateful that acting is the job that was chosen for me," Applegate told The Associated Press in April. "I get really lost when I'm not working. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself. Thank God for dance class and the New York Times crossword puzzle and 'American Idol.' But acting is what I really have to do."

Applegate won an Emmy as outstanding guest actress in a comedy series in 2003 for her role as one of Jennifer Aniston's younger sisters in "Friends." She was nominated for a Tony in 2005 for the Broadway musical "Sweet Charity."

Applegate began acting in films and television as a child and has appeared in such shows as "Quincy," "Family Ties," "21 Jump Street," "Charles in Charge" and Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories."

Soon after "Married ... With Children," she starred in "Jesse," playing a single mother raising a young son. The show lasted two seasons.

Her films include "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead," "Wild Bill, "Wonderland" and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

'Grey's Anatomy' star Heigl skipping Emmy quest

Katherine Heigl won't be chewing her manicure at this year's Emmy ceremony: She says she didn't seek a nomination because "Grey's Anatomy" failed to deliver the goods for an award-worthy performance.

Heigl, who was honored as best supporting actress in a drama last year for the ABC series, declined to put her name in consideration for a bid, a spokeswoman for the actress said Wednesday.

"I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization" decided against competing, Heigl said in a written statement provided by her publicist, Melissa Kates, who was contacted by the AP.

"In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials," added Heigl. She plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy," which slipped in the ratings this past season but remained a top 10 show.

An after-hours message left with a publicist for "Grey's Anatomy" creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes was not immediately returned Wednesday night.

Heigl, who shot to box-office success last summer with the comedy "Knocked Up," has established herself as one of Hollywood's rare voices of candor.

In a Vanity Fair magazine interview published in January, she called the hit film "a little sexist" and said that it painted women as "shrews, as humorless and uptight," while the male characters were lovable and goofy.

Heigl also was outspoken when "Grey's" castmates Isaiah Washington and T.R. Knight clashed last year over Washington's alleged use of a homophobic slur.

"I'm going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period," Heigl said at one point of Washington, who ended up being booted from the medical drama.

Nominations for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced July 17. The ceremony is Sept. 21.

Top 20 shows in prime-time Nielsen ratings

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for June 2-8. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

1. (X) NBA Finals Game 2: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, ABC, 13.5 million viewers.
2. (X) NBA Finals Game 1: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, ABC, 13.38 million viewers.
3. (15) "Two And a Half Men," CBS, 9.81 million viewers.
4. (22) "60 Minutes," CBS, 9.81 million viewers.
5. (46) "Million Dollar Password," CBS, 9.62 million viewers.
6. (9) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 9.61 million viewers.
7. (53) "So You Think Can Dance" (Wednesday), Fox, 9.56 million viewers.
8. (13) "House," Fox, 9.44 million viewers.
9. (28) "Hell's Kitchen," Fox, 9.36 million viewers.
10. (53) "So You Think Can Dance" (Thursday), Fox, 9.25 million viewers.
11. (25) "CSI: NY," CBS, 9.11 million viewers.
12. (13) "NCIS," CBS, 8.93 million viewers.
13. (15) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 8.91 million viewers.
14. (67) "Swingtown," CBS, 8.57 million viewers.
15. (22) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 8.27 million viewers.
16. (X) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Thursday Special," CBS, 8.21 million viewers.
17. (32) "Rules Of Engagement," CBS, 8.12 million viewers.
18. (32) "Cold Case," CBS, 8.08 million viewers.
19. (79) "Dateline NBC-Sunday," NBC, 7.99 million viewers.
20. (94) "48 Hours Mystery Tuesday," CBS, 7.78 million viewers.