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With “American Idol” continuing to give ground, Fox is seeing its weekly ratings advantages diminish.
In the penultimate full week of the season, Fox did win for an 18th straight time among young adults, but both CBS and ABC were within striking distance. The Eye tied Fox for the lead in adults 25-54 and won in total viewers for a third straight frame, while the Alphabet ran second in 18-49 with its best average (excluding Oscar week) since late November.
Fox will win the season easily in all categories, though it’s worth noting that CBS would likely have prevailed in total viewers had it not been for the writers strike. The Eye has drawn the most overall viewers since the beginning of April.
Overall for the May 5-11 frame, Nielsen estimates that Fox led among adults 18-49 with a 3.3 rating/10 share, with ABC (3.0/9) and CBS (2.9/8) not far behind. NBC ran a distant fourth (1.9/5), closer to fifth-place Univision (1.6/4) or sixth-place TNT (1.2/3) than to any of its Big Four rivals.
In total viewers, CBS (10.6 million) was well ahead of ABC (9.5 million) and Fox (8.9 million).
As for “American Idol,” it remains comfortably television’s top-rated program, with Tuesday’s performance episode (8.4/23 in 18-49, 21.76m) and Wednesday’s results show (8.2/21, 22.87m). Still, the skein’s two hours were down a combined 18% in 18-49 rating vs. the same week a year ago (8.3/22 vs. 10.1/28).
Also pitching in for Fox were Monday’s “House” (a slot-leading 5.1/13 in 18-49, 13.48m) and Tuesday’s “Hell’s Kitchen” (5.2/13, 11.00m), which retained a best-yet 62% of its “Idol” 18-49 lead-in.
And NASCAR’s Darlington 500 race on Saturday (2.7/10 in 18-49, 7.81m) won the night for Fox, easily topping ABC’s coverage of the Cleveland-Boston NBA playoff game (1.7/6, 4.70m).

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What a wacky TV week it has been, from Paula Abdul’s latest live-TV debacle to the usual array of sweeps stunt castings. Here in roughly chronological order is another top-20 list of watercooler moments that had me buzzing: sometimes happily, sometimes not.
1. Josef turning Mick back into a vampire after his brief fling with mortality on Moonlight. That was one hot scene of desperate sacrifice, mutual feeding and otherworldly brotherhood. Also liked Beth’s final word on the situation: “You may have forever, but I don’t.” Mick can fix that, but will he?
2. In a challenging and disturbing episode of Battlestar Galactica that spent a lot of time at the intersection of pain and pleasure, Colonel Tigh sees the face of his dead wife Ellen when he looks upon the imprisoned Caprica Six, all an attempt to understand his inner toaster. “I want the pain. It’s how I learn,” she says. Six goes on to beat Tigh bloody, then kiss him. Oh those tormented Cylons. (Seriously, this is one of those episodes that will reward further viewing and study—when things slow down.) And how about Adama saying of the classic book he’s reading to Roslyn: “I’ve never read the ending. I like it so much I don’t want it to be over, so I’m saving it.” Yes, Bill, we’re having separation anxiety over the show ending, too.
3. Gaby showing her selfish side to Carlos’s adorable seeing-eye dog on Desperate Housewives was just about the last straw. When Edie Britt of all people has to tell you that your bratty-bitch behavior is no longer cute, something’s amiss, missy. (But love Gary Cole as Katherine’s sinister ex, making time with daughter Dylan on the sly.)
4. The “de-Walkering” of Rebecca on Brothers & Sisters, already dealt with at length in an earlier Dispatch and in the most recent Ask Matt. Hate the storyline, love the acting. Emily VanCamp can do no wrong. But did the show really have to go there?

seattlepi.nwsource.com

• Abducted ‘07. Sarah Wynter. The wife of a prison warden learns about the ulterior motives of her kidnapper. (NR) (2:00) LIFE: Sat. 3 P.M. (CC)
• Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite ‘68. The silent films of French director Abel Gance include the epic “Napoleon.” (NR) (1:00) TCM: Sun. 7 P.M.
‘06. Justin Long. After trying and failing to get into college, a high-school senior and his friends fool parents and peers by creating their own university. (PG-13) (1:45) HBO: Thu. 9:15 A.M., 7:15 P.M. (CC)
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
‘99. Voices of Kevin Clash. After a game of tug-of-war causes him to lose his favorite blanket, Elmo must venture into Grouchland to get it back. (G) (1:15) HBO: Mon. 6 A.M. (CC)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
‘38. Tommy Kelly. Mark Twain’s boy hero watches his own funeral with Huck Finn and enters a cave with Becky, chased by Injun Joe. (NR) (2:00) TCM: Wed. 6 A.M. (CC)
‘05. Charlize Theron. In the last city on Earth, underground rebels dispatch their top assassin to kill a government leader. (PG-13) (1:45) TMC: Tue. 1 A.M. (CC)
• After the Sunset
‘04. Pierce Brosnan. An FBI agent thinks a master thief and his girlfriend will try to steal a valuable diamond from a cruise ship. (PG-13) (2:00) TBS: Sat. 8:10 A.M. (CC)
• Airplane II: The Sequel
‘82. Robert Hays. The first commercial space shuttle has loony Ted and his former girlfriend bound for the moon. (PG) (1:30) MAX: Mon. 7:30 A.M. (CC)
• Akeelah and the Bee
‘06. Laurence Fishburne. Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a talent for spelling, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. (PG) (2:00) SHO: Wed. 6 A.M., 3:30 P.M., TMC: Sat. 10:45 A.M., 7 P.M. (CC)

post-gazette.com

The South Coast Earth Day Festival 2008 is 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 20, at the County Courthouse Sunken Gardens, Santa Barbara, featuring a “Reduce your Eco-Footprint” project, Green Car Show, live music, free bicycle check-ups and a children's activities. Free. Info: 963-0583, Ext. 100 or www.SBEarthDay.org.
The 7th annual Earth Day Street Fair is at the Natural History Museum, 412 S. McClelland, noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20. There will be music, food, education and fun, plus a visit from Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Cal). Free. Info and booth rental: 458-1907.
A Family Planet Earth Night is 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 25, at First Presbyterian Church of Grover Beach, 1830 Farroll Road, holds a Family Planet Earth Night, 5 to 7 p.m., with a presentation on “Seasonal Forests” by Piper Hunter and her owl. An episode of the award-winning documentary Planet Earth will also be shown and fun Earth trivia games played for prizes. Free. Info: Info: 473-2766.
Come to the Santa Ynez Valley Earth Day Celebration, noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in Solvang Park, 1745 Mission Drive. Make a re-usable cloth napkin at the children's craft corner, check out a book from the traveling library cart or recycle a paperback with the Solvang Library's Read and Recycle paperback exchange box. Free. Info: Karen Palmer at 452-2218.
TIMES TO MEET
The Central Coast Mobile Home Owners Alliance: noon for an optional lunch, meeting at 1 p.m. Monday, April 21, IHOP, 501 Nickerson St., Santa Maria. All mobile home owners are invited. Info: Hank Hoysak at 934-0720.
American Association of University Women, Five Cities-Pismo Beach Branch: 7:15 p.m. Monday, April 21, Women's Club, Arroyo Grande, for a business meeting and presentation of Tech Trek scholarship winners. Info: Sharon Lowell at 489-7282.
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Santa Barbara: 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 23, for a breakfast meeting at The University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara. Guy Gabriele, Creative Director at Idea Engineering, will discuss how to “Marketing Your Business.” Cost (includes breakfast buffet): $40, members $30, $10 extra at the door. Info and to RSVP with a credit card: www.NAWBO-SB.org/events.html or mail a check to NAWBO-SB, 3463 State St. Suite 231, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

santamariatimes.com

It was a genuine, tender moment that all but made up for the somewhat silly “Stop the nerve gas!” antics that preceded it. Lost’s Juliet, haunted by Ben’s obsession, shared a rain-soaked lip-lock with Jack. Luckily for “Jacket” fans, more of the same seems to be on the horizon. Elizabeth Mitchell shares with us what’s ahead, names the episode she deems “perfect” and talks about returning to work after the strike. (Lost airs Thursdays at 9 pm/ET on ABC.)
TVGuide.com: What was with that bait-and-switch you did for the TV Guide cover shoot? I saw you and Naveen [Andrews] and thought, “Oh, Sayid is going to pop up in Juliet’s flashback or flash-forward” and… no such thing.
Elizabeth Mitchell: You know, it was more wishful thinking, wasn’t it? I called it “a little fantasy episode.”
TVGuide.com: It was a hot photo shoot, though.
Mitchell: It really was! Naveen and I have known each other for a long time, so we’re comfortable together and we were able to play. It was very film noir-ish, and we both enjoyed that tremendously.
TVGuide.com: Let me pull out this quote you gave me a year and a half ago: “I don’t know what kind of past Juliet and Ben have, but it definitely is complicated and intricate.”
Mitchell: Yeah! [Laughs] I guess so!
TVGuide.com: And you were probably just pulling that out of your bum!
Mitchell: Well, I knew it was something really, really bad. But I didn’t anticipate standing over the body of my dead lover with a stake sticking out of his heart, and having Ben claim responsibility. That wasn’t in my imagination. I thought it was an interesting twist.
TVGuide.com: Can we talk about the ill-advised decision to engage in an extramarital affair on a small, isolated island? I mean, people are going to talk.

seattlepi.nwsource.com

‘97. Simon Bossell. A nature field researcher must stop rapidly evolving lizards from causing death and destruction. (R) (2:00) SCI-FI: Sun. 3 A.M. (CC)
• Above the Law
‘88. Steven Seagal. A Chicago policewoman helps her cynical partner rid his working-class neighborhood of cocaine dealers. (R) (2:00) TNT: Sat. 2 P.M. (CC)
‘88. Kelly McGillis. A lawyer crusades for her client, the victim of a barroom gang rape. (R) (2:00) WE: Sat. 12:30 A.M.
• Action in the North Atlantic
‘43. Humphrey Bogart. The captain, mates and crew of a Liberty Ship dodge U-boats, dive bombers and foul weather to reach port. (NR) (2:15) TCM: Thu. 11:15 A.M. (CC)
‘05. Charlize Theron. In the last city on Earth, underground rebels dispatch their top assassin to kill a government leader. (PG-13) (1:45) TMC: Sun. 7:45 A.M., 8:30 P.M., Thu. 8 A.M., 5 P.M., 5 A.M. (CC)
• An Affair to Remember
‘57. Cary Grant. Engaged to others, two cruise-ship passengers plan to reunite six months later atop the Empire State Building. (NR) (2:30) AMC: Fri. 8:15 A.M. (CC)
‘97. Michael Jeter. Abandoned by a disagreeable clown, a golden retriever with a knack for basketball befriends a lonely boy. (PG) (2:00) WGN: Thu. 8 P.M. (CC)

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MARIAH CAREY CHOOSES ALBUM NAME: Island/Def Jam effort due on Tax Day.
*Mariah Carey has jacked Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and is using it as the title of her new album, “E=MC²,” due April 15 via Island/Def Jam.
According to Billboard.com, the disc features producers Jermaine Dupri and will.i.am, plus DJ Toomp, Stargate, Bryan Michael Cox, Nate “Danjahandz” Hills and James Poyser. Other collaborators include T-Pain and Damian Marley.
“It’s kind of strange but I heard a lot of her records and it sounds like the album is better than the last album,” Dupri recently told Billboard.
The set’s first single, “Touch My Body,” was shipped yesterday (Feb. 12) to radio outlets in the U.S. Other tracks expected to appear on the album include “Migrate,” “Love Story,” “Lovin’ You Long Time” and “OOC.”
ARETHA OFFENDED BY BEYONCE’S TINA TURNER INTRO: Franklin upset over use of the word ‘Queen.’
*Aretha Franklin says she didn’t appreciate Beyonce referring to Tina Turner as “the queen” before the duo’s fiery performance at the Grammy’s Sunday night.
Known the world over as the “Queen of Soul,” Franklin says she was taken aback upon hearing Beyonce describe Turner using that particular noun.
“I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé, however I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy,” Franklin said in a statement posted at People.com.

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If there’s a level above and beyond boffo and whammo, Fox achieved it last week.
The most-watched Super Bowl on record combined with two hours each of TV’s No. 1 show and No. 1 drama for the biggest week ever for Fox — as well as the highest-rated week in primetime for any net in more than 11 years.
Fox was already well on its way to another lopsided victory for the sesh courtesy of midweek powers “American Idol,” “House” and new reality show “Moment of Truth,” but the Super Bowl helped it win by some ridiculous margins.
Nielsen estimates that Fox averaged a 12.9 rating/32 share in adults 18-49, more than double the combined averages of ABC (2.3/6), NBC (2.1/5) and CBS (1.7/4). It similarly dominated demos such as adults 25-54 (13.5/31) and people 12-34 (11.1/31), while the net’s total audience average in primetime (33.55 million) was more than five times that of any other broadcaster.
By winning in the 18-49 demo by the largest margin for any net since July 1996 — when NBC crushed the competish with the Summer Olympics from Atlanta — Fox has opened up considerable distance on its rivals for the season crown. Its nine-tenths advantage over runners-up ABC and NBC (4.1 to 3.2) reps the biggest lead for a net at this point in the season since NBC ruled in 1998.
Leading the way for Fox, of course, was Super Bowl XLII, as the thrilling game between the New York Giants and previously undefeated New England Patriots averaged a massive 37.5 rating/73 share in adults 18-49 and 97.45 million viewers overall. Fox so dominated Sunday that no program did better than a 2 share opposite the game from 6:30 to 10 p.m. ET.
The game comfortably superseded the 94.08 million viewers for Dallas-Pittsburgh on NBC in 1996 and the 93.18 million for Indianapolis-Chicago last year on CBS.
In the adults 18-49 demo rating (a category that doesn’t benefit from population increases), the Giants’ 17-14 victory over the Patriots garnered the best rating in eight years (since St. Louis-Tennessee on ABC in 2000), while its women 18-49 score (33.5/68) was the best for any Super Bowl in 12 years.
Fox, which racked up a record $2.7 million per 30-second spot during the Super Bowl, followed the big game with a huge 26-minute postgame show (26.6/54 in 18-49, 63.93m) and a special airing of “House” (12.9/31, 29.05m). The “House” episode, guest starring Mira Sorvino, set series records and drew the best ratings for any scripted show since the post-Super Bowl airing of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” two years ago.
Earlier in the week, “American Idol” continued to outperform the other broadcast nets combined on both Tuesday (11.0/28 in 18-49, 28.22m) and Wednesday (10.1/26, 25.57m), though the show remains down by double-digit percentages vs. last year.
And in the hours behind “Idol,” Fox scored Tuesday with a firstrun “House” (8.7/20 in 18-49, 22.56m) and Wednesday with “Moment of Truth” (7.8/19, 17.64m). Latter dropped by more than 20% week to week but still retained a strong 77% of its 18-49 lead-in from “Idol.”
Fox also led Saturday with “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted,” and it was second on Thursday behind the nonscripted “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” (3.1/8 in 18-49, 10.56m) and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” (3.3/8, 10.07m).
Among the few highlights on the other nets last week was the return of “Lost” to ABC. In its new night Thursday, the drama averaged a 6.7/17 in 18-49 and 16.14 million viewers overall — outrating all 16 of its episodes from 2007 (Daily Variety, Feb. 4).
The Alphabet also won the 10 o’clock hour on Thursday with the series premiere of drama “Eli Stone” (4.0/11, 11.14m), though it lost 2 shares in its second half-hour.
NBC was led by “American Gladiators” on Monday (3.7/10, 8.60m), which has cooled after a hot start, as well as other nonscripted fare such as “The Biggest Loser” on Tuesday (3.3/8, 8.33m) and “The Celebrity Apprentice” on Thursday (3.2/8, 7.82m). “Loser” and Wednesday’s “Deal or No Deal” (2.3/6, 9.68m for a repeat) were the best performers opposite Fox’s “Idol.”
CBS had one of its lowest-rated in-season weeks ever, with top scores coming from repeats “Two and a Half Men” (3.4/9, 9.60m), “CSI” (2.7/7, 11.69m) and “How I Met Your Mother” (2.7/7, 7.33m). Net welcomes back “Survivor” this week, while the thrice-weekly “Big Brother” joins the sked next week for its first in-season edition.
CW, led by “Friday Night Smackdown” (1.4/4, 4.67m) and “One Tree Hill” (1.3/3, 2.79m), was pleased that about 1 million first-time viewers sampled “Gossip Girl” on its new night Monday. Net’s Thursday lineup of “Smallville” (1.6/4, 3.81m) and “Supernatural” (1.3/3, 2.95m) also looked good in their return.
MyNetworkTV had its second strongest week to date among adults 18-49 (0.5/1) and total viewers (1.33m). Monday’s “Harlem Globetrotters: A New Generation” (0.9/2. 2.40m) delivered the third-largest aud — and some of the best male demos — for any of its programs.
The most-watched program on cable for the week, meanwhile, was CNN’s coverage of the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday, which averaged 8.32 million viewers. That helped CNN move up to No. 3 among all cable nets in primetime for the week (2.30 million), finshing ahead of Fox News Channel (1.93 million).
USA was the top cable net in both 18-49 and total viewers, led in the demo by “WWE Raw” (2.2/6 in 18-49, 5.73m from 9 to 11) and dramas “Psych” (1.4/4, 4.34m) and “Monk” (1.3/4, 5.45m).
Disney Channel saw a good start Friday for its “Phineas and Ferb,” whose 3.99 million viewers made it the No. 2 animated-series preem in its history (behind “The Replacements” bow in 2006). Net notes that no animated series premiere on cable has ever drawn as many tweens 9-14 (1.6 million).
Learn more about this year’s Academy Award nominees. View photos, read reviews and watch videos.
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