It’s appropriate for GOSSIP GIRL, of all shows, that news about it be conveyed via online buzz.  That buzz says that the series’ upcoming 6th season will be shortened and final–and really, it’s time.  Past time, in fact.  The show has reached that point where its characters are simply being moved around like chess […]

> Today’s announcement that CBS extended its rights to the Grammy Awards for another 10 years and NBC’s recent winning bid for the next four Olympic Games are evidence that broadcast networks are doing everything possible to keep first-class specials programming on their air.  Specials account for about 20% of a network’s yearly schedule (approximately […]

  Except where noted, comparisons are to 2 weeks ago rather than to Thanksgiving night. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the […]

  We’re live-blogging the Oscars tonight, for what may be a historic night for La La Land–or not  The red carpet arrivals were notable for their lack of political commentary, and we’ll see how long that lasts during the telecast as well.  Stay with us all evening.  All times are PT. 5:30:  The answer to […]

>Airing on a special night, The X Factor returned with a vengeance, averaging a 4.3 Adult 18-49 rating in the fast nationals.  Look for that to rise to a 4.4 or 4.5 in the official ratings later today.  With a number like that, FOX must be itching to get its regular schedule back on and […]

  We won’t have Friday’s cable numbers until Monday, but there’s a good chance that ESPN’s World Cup coverage outrated everything on the broadcast networks last night. NBC:  The dubious honor of the night’s highest rated show went to DATELINE, down 0.2 from its last airing (it was preempted last week by the Stanley Cup Finals) […]

>Transformers 3 is doing good but not great business (midway between the first and second in the series), but the overall weekend is looking like it is up only marginally from last year thanks to weak holds by Cars 2 and Bad Teacher. Transformers: Dark of the Moon opened well and looks like it will […]

  THE GUARD – Worth A Ticket:  The Art of Performance, Crispy and Well-Done   I don’t know that there’s an actor in movies today more fun to watch than Brendan Gleeson.  Gleeson is probably best known for playing Mad-Eye Moody in several of the Harry Potter movies, but he’s been giving sensational performances since […]