'American Idol's' Davids battle, Fox wins

Nautilus Entertainment
May 24,2008

The finale was the third-most-watched in show history. The network, meanwhile, hits No. 1.

The battle of the Davids propelled Wednesday's "American Idol" finale to one of the show's best numbers ever, with 31.7 million viewers tuning in.

Rocker David Cook's upset victory over the runner-up, teen crooner David Archuleta, capped a historic season for Fox, which amid the disruptions of the three-month writers strike became America's most-watched network for the first time. It also notched its fourth straight season as No. 1 in adult viewers ages 18 to 49, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

The 2007-08 TV season officially ended Wednesday.

The high viewership for "Idol's" Season 7 finale came as something of a surprise because the show had seen lower-than-expected ratings this season. As recently as earlier this month, "Idol" retreated to some of its softest numbers in years.

But the matchup between Cook and Archuleta evidently proved irresistible. In fact, the two-hour episode was the third-most-watched "Idol" finale, after the 2006 showdown between Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee (36.4 million) and the 2003 face-off between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken (38.1 million).

Last year's contest, between Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis, drew 30.7 million.

In Los Angeles, the "Idol" finale overlapped for about 45 minutes with a Western Conference playoff game between the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs on TNT. Yet both programs performed strongly, with "Idol" capturing 1.3 million area viewers versus the Lakers' 1.2 million.

The "Idol" finale was a welcome dash of good news for the broadcast TV industry, which has been brought low by the writers strike and ongoing viewer defections to cable.

Every network except Fox saw significant ratings declines this season, including CBS, which shed 16% of its average total viewers compared with last season. As a result, Fox snatched the crown for most-watched network away from the usual victor, CBS, with 11.1 million versus 10.5 million (these data do not include Wednesday's results).

Among the ad-friendly demographic of viewers ages 18 to 49, Fox led the season while ABC and CBS, both of which logged double-digit declines, tied for second.

Results for the May "sweeps" period, which local stations use to help set ad rates and which also ended Wednesday, were worse. Every network posted losses. NBC shed nearly one-fifth of its audience compared with a year ago.

Against that backdrop, the "Idol" numbers assume even more importance, proving that broadcast TV can still deliver huge audiences with the right program.

Uma Thurman Sues Cosmetics Giant Lancome

Nautilus Entertainment
May 11,2008

ACTRESS Uma Thurman has sued Lancome, seeking $US15 million (A$15.9 million) from the French cosmetics company, accusing it of using her name and face in advertisements after her contract expired.

The actress claims the cosmetics company, owned by L'Oreal, breached an agreement signed in 2000, using her name and face in ads for years after her contract expired in September 2004 in Europe and December 2004 in the rest of the world.

The company gave the "false impression" Thurman, the star of films including Pulp Fiction and Dangerous Liaisons, was still linked to Lancome, the lawsuit said.

"Celebrities will now be careful about doing deals with Lancome," Thurman's lawyer Bert Fields said. "They continued to use her photographs long after the contract was over."

L'Oreal spokeswoman Jennifer James said: "The use of Ms Thurman's image after her contract expired, however minor, was neither deliberate nor intentional."

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court on Friday, followed a suit filed on Wednesday in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan by Lancome, saying it did not violate its contract.

Thurman made headlines last week in a separate case when a former mental patient was convicted of stalking her.

Ashlee Simpson Will Get Married Next Week

Nautilus Entertainment
May 11, 2008

It appears Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are rushing to the aisle and will tie the knot next week in California, according to Internet reports. The pair reportedly sent out invites to friends and family, urging them all to be ready for a big day on Saturday, May 17.

According to the website Hollyscoop.com, Wentz and Simpson are refusing to give too much away, keeping the site of the wedding a secret. An unnamed source told the website, “The location will not be revealed until the day of the wedding but guests are told it will be an hour drive from Los Angeles.”

The couple announced their engagement in early April through a post on their website, ending months of speculation that started on New Year Eve, when Ashlee was spotted wearing a diamond ring.

Simpson wrote a statement posted on FriendorEnemies.com, saying, “We know there has been a lot of speculation recently about Pete and I, and we wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best. Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes — it means the world to us. We consider this to be a very private matter, and we wanted to be the first to tell you and hear it straight from us.”

Simpson, 23, and Wentz, 28, have been together since late 2006. However, they did not go public within a few months into their relationship. Joe Simpson, Ashlee’s father, declared that the Fallout Boy band member Pete is “a good kid.”

Kelly Taylor Can't Quit West Bev.

Nautilus Entertainment
May,11 2008

It's official; Jennie Garth is heading back to "90210", according to Us. Rumors have been heating up since Jennie pulled out of a CBS pilot and CW reps confirmed that the former brat is returning to West Beverly High as the school guidance counselor. Kelly Taylor certainly has enough life experience and drama to be successful in that job.

Allegedly, none of Jennie's former "90210" cast members have been asked back to the show yet. Jason Priestley told momlogic.com that no one has contacted him about making a comeback to Beverly Hills, but said he would be open to reprising his role. Jason only had praise for the teen drama that allowed him to do a lot of different jobs and said he would return to the show "if it's the right thing, I'm certainly open to it. I loved working on that show. I loved everything I did on that show."