EURweb |
FILM/TV BITS: Record ratings for ‘Black. White.,’ ‘Runway’ and ‘Lil Kim’; ‘Failure’ drops ‘Madea’; ‘House’ renewed; Winfrey’s billion.
*The Ice Cube-produced FX reality series “Black. White.” and Bravo’s “Project Runway” finale last week earned record ratings for each network despite airing against each other in the same 10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot. “Black’s” 4 million viewers beat “Runway’s” 3.4 million, but the Heidi Klum-hosted series had enough viewers to become Bravo’s highest-rated program ever, knocking off previous title-holder "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Meanwhile, “Black. White.,” which involves an African American and white family trading races (thanks to makeup), tied MTV’s “The Osbournes” as the highest-rated unscripted series premiere ever on cable among folks aged 18-49. It also scored the highest-rated cable premiere for a new or returning series.
*Also setting a record was BET’s Thursday premiere of “Lil’ Kim: Countdown to Lockdown.” The broadcast drew 1.7 million viewers, giving the network its most-watched new series debut in its 25-year history. Produced by Edmonds Entertainment, the six-week series follows the Brooklyn rapper in her final days as a free woman before serving a 366-day prison sentence for perjury. The show airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. The success of the show is no surprise to Reginald Hudlin, BET' President of Entertainment: "When we showed the first episode of LIL' LIM to test audiences, we got the highest scores in the history of the company. So when it became the biggest series debut in the history of the network, I wasn't surprised."
*“Madea’s Family Reunion” fell from No. 1 to No. 5 at the box office on sales of $5,800,000 over the weekend. The film has grossed a total of $55,754,000 since opening at No. 1 three weeks ago. Matthew McConaughey’s “Failure to Launch” grabbed the top position, earning Paramount $24,600,000. “The Shaggy Dog,” “The Hills Have Eyes” and “16 Blocks” placed 2 through 4, respectively.
*The Fox medical series “House,” co-starring Omar Epps, has been renewed for a third season, the network announced. British actor Hugh Laurie stars as the cranky head physician of a team that deals with perplexing medical conditions. Airing behind “American Idol,” the series hit a high of 22.2 million viewers last month, and scored its highest ratings ever last week after returning from a two-week hiatus.
*Oprah Winfrey earned $1.4 billion last year, a full $100 million more than she made the previous year. But when compared to the world’s richest people on Forbes magazine’s annual list, the talk show queen ranks just 562nd. Bill Gates tops the tally again with a 2005 net worth of $50 billion – his all time high. Donald Trump’s $2.6 billion earned in 2005 places him at No. 278. Forbes ranked each individual based on their private and public holdings, including salary, stocks, investments, and real estate holdings minus any debts the individual owed as of Feb. 13.
.jpg)
