Entertainment Industry News

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Sept. 29-Oct. 5. 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.

NEW YORK - CBS is looking good so far this TV season, easily winning last week in the prime-time ratings and perhaps minting a new hit in "The Mentalist."

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - A controversy is brewing over a change to Oscar's feature documentary rules.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Here's a refreshingly sunny statistic for broadcasters: It's barely October, and 22% of new scripted series already have been picked up for full seasons.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Screen Actors Guild leaders said on Monday they are confident union members will support authorizing a strike against major Hollywood studios if the issue is put to a vote, despite a faltering U.S. economy.

(Reuters) - A jury ruled on Monday that the owners of New York's Plaza Hotel could use the Plaza name on a proposed $5 billion resort-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, despite the existence nearby of another Plaza Hotel and Casino, the New York Times said in a report on its Web site.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Marvel Studios is keeping its movies in California.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Forget the fanboys and their comic-book movies, it's time to hail a long-neglected fan base -- the mature women who kept "Mamma Mia!" on top in the international market for the fifth week in a row. One woman in Germany is reported to have seen the ABBA-inspired musical romance more than 70 times.

-Disappointing: The Ex List (CBS), Supernanny (ABC), Don't Forget the Lyrics (Fox)

Veteran Saturday Night Live remains a rare growing force on NBC, with the October 4th telecast (with host Anne Hathaway) at a hefty 7.4 rating/18 share in the metered markets. Comparably, that was an increase of 42 percent over the fourth original telecast of last season (7.4/18 to 5.2/12). And it was its second highest-rated overnight performance since Dec. 14, 2002. Through the first four weeks of this season, SNL is up by 49 percent in the metered markets from one year earlier (6.7/16 vs. 4.5/11).

NBC reality/competition America's Toughest Jobs will be tackling its hardest assignment to-date: Saturday. Effective on Oct. 18, the recently introduced non-scripted hour will anchor the Saturday 8 p.m. time period. Deal or No Deal will move into the Friday 8 p.m. anchor spot on Oct. 24 replacing America's Toughest Jobs, and leading into Crusoe (which debuts with a two-hour telecast on Oct. 17).

LOS ANGELES - Drew Barrymore's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" pawed its way to the top spot at the weekend box office, debuting with $29.3 million.

-Yesterday's Winners: Bones (Fox), Criminal Minds (CBS), America's Got Talent (NBC), CSI: NY (CBS)

PARIS - Paris Fashion Week ended on Sunday, capping a season which saw designers play it safe to coax customers into stores despite the global financial crisis.

-Yesterday's Winners: NCIS (CBS), House (Fox), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS), Without a Trace (CBS)

PARIS - Italian fashion house Valentino said on Saturday it had named its in-house accessories designers as joint creative directors of the brand. Outgoing designer Alessandra Facchinetti said she learned about her dismissal from press reports.

Led by five hours of Dancing With the Stars, and the top-rated season-premieres of Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, ABC won this first week of the 2008-09 season, finishing first in households, total viewers and the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34 (tied with NBC). Compared to premiere week in 2007 (and keeping in mind that DVR penetration has increased from 20 to 28 percent), ABC was close to year-ago levels. ...

NEW YORK - Who's running for president, anyway?

-Yesterday’s Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), CS: NY (CBS)

FRANKFURT, Germany - Bertelsmann AG said Thursday that it had completed the sale to Sony Corp. of its 50 percent stake in music venture Sony BMG in a $900 million deal.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The principals behind DreamWorks SKG and Paramount Pictures sealed their parting of ways on Sunday, allowing the DreamWorks studio to tie up with Reliance ADA Group of India to start a new film company.

-Yesterday's Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS), CSI: Miami (CBS)

LOS ANGELES - The Screen Actors Guild's negotiating committee voted Wednesday to support a strike authorization vote, a tactic meant to break stalled contract talks with Hollywood studios.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The politics-fueled ratings train of "Saturday Night Live" keeps rolling along this election season with Tina Fey's impersonations of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin luring viewers.

AMC's Mad Men and NBC's 30 Rock, as predicted, were named Outstanding Drama and Comedy Series at the 60th Annual Prime-time Emmy Awards last night. Hosted by fellow reality nominees Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest, rushing through the key categories at the end of the telecast (Bryan Cranston as Lead Actor in a Drama Series, in particular) would not have been necessary without the mindless (and painfully awkward) opening. Rule of thumb for next year and beyond: stick to one host.

HARTFORD, Conn. - Paul Newman broached the subject of his philanthropic legacy several years ago while fishing with friends Robert Forrester and David Horvitz off the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

LONDON (Reuters) - American singer Pink has toppled Kings of Leon from the peak of the British pop charts with her single "So What," the Official UK Charts Company said on Sunday.

-Countdown to the Start of the New Season: 4 days (less than 100 hours!)

LOS ANGELES - The reality fashion show "Project Runway" will not be able to strut its stuff on the Lifetime TV channel, a judge ruled Friday.