Saturday Ratings: Michael Phelps Had the Country Watching
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Specials, Sports, NBC, Ratings
USA’s Olympic golden boy helped the Peacock network earn ratings gold this weekend.
Viewers, eager to see MIchael Phelps win his 8th gold medal turned, gave NBC its largest Saturday audience since 1990.
That evening’s coverage drew an average of 31.1 million for the entirety of the sports coverage. Meanwhile, Phelps’ actual event - the 4x100m medley relay - drew approximately 40 million sets of eyeballs at the 11 p.m. hour.
Interested to know which program had couch potatoes watching on that Saturday 18 years ago? You can find out the surprising answer after the jump.
Click to continue reading Saturday Ratings: Michael Phelps Had the Country Watching
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| Futon Critic
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Friday Ratings: Olympics Ceremony Brings the Gold to NBC
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Specials, Sports, NBC, Ratings
Let’s face it. Viewers probably weren’t watching Swingtown last night. So let’s just focus on the one event the world was glued to: the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Although a lot of controversy has surrounded this year’s games, the ratings - at least for the tape-delayed opening ceremony - surpassed expectations:
- Beijing’s opening day was the most-watched summer ceremony held outside the United States.
- The 2004 Athens games scored a 18.0 rating/30 share; Friday’s event earned a 21.5 rating/37 share.
- In comparison, the 1996 Atlanta games pulled in a 23.6/45 on its opening day.
NBC is planning up to 3600 hours of coverage through August 24.
Read More | Variety
The Rehab Reunion: Where Are They Now?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Reality, Cable, Editorial
From the first moment I saw Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, I was hooked. While celebrities struggled with the demons of their own addictions, I developed a new one of my own. Ever the cynic, I’m the first one to cry false when it comes to reality TV…but I can’t do that with this show. Infinitely touching, sad, happy, provocative, evocative, it’s probably the best show I’ve ever seen. So where was I Thursday night when the celebrities joined together six months after their televised project to talk about their recoveries? Naturally, I was glued to the TV. And if you missed it, I suggest you put everything else on hold until you catch up.
The absence of two - former American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra and famous brother Daniel Baldwin - was immediately apparent, though not addressed until the show was almost over. Statistically, only one in ten of them will successfully cease their addictions even after the intensive rehabilitation they all faced. Of the cast, only four suffered no serious relapses with their addictions.
Click to continue reading The Rehab Reunion: Where Are They Now?
Survivor China Finale: “A Slippery Little Sucker”
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Survivor
With Peih-gee out, we were now left with four members of the original Fei Long tribe: Courtney, Denise, Todd and Amanda. While it could be argued that three of them fought hard to remain in the game, Courtney admittedly “slipped through the cracks to get to the top.”
On Day 37, the starving survivors got their next piece of tree mail; it alluded to a food prize at the end of their next Reward Challenge. Since energy was now more important than ever, they were all desperate to snag this important win.
For a feast consisting of pizza, brownies, beer and soda, the competitors had to work with a miniaturized Great Wall of China. Starting on top of the wall, the challengers had to first race down a ladder and run across a bridge. At a second bridge, they had to place planks down an unfinished walkway before going over it. Once they had reached the end of the course, they then had to load puzzle blocks into a traditional Chinese yoke and bring them back to the start. After retrieving all their blocks, the opponents then had to figure out how the puzzle pieces fit into their section of the wall.
Click to continue reading Survivor China Finale: “A Slippery Little Sucker”
Survivor: China: “Hello, I’m Still a Person!”
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Survivor
With Erik now voted out of the game, Peih-gee was feeling like the most unpopular person at the Hae Da Fung camp. Being the last Zhan Hu tribal member left really bothered her; she didn’t like being the outsider. Meanwhile, Denise struggled with the decision she made at the last Tribal Council. She knew voting Erik off could have cost her a place in the Top Three. That move may have been the biggest mistake she had made in the whole competition.
At the next Reward Challenge, the survivors went old school with their game of darts. Using a replica of an ancient Chinese repeating crossbow, the competitors had to hit a wall made up of their names. Each time an arrow hit their name, they would earn a point. The twist? Each player had to secretly distribute the five bows they were given to the other players.
Click to continue reading Survivor: China: “Hello, I’m Still a Person!”
ANTM Cycle 9: “The Girl Who Becomes America’s Next Top Model”
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, The CW, America's Next Top Model, Features
This week we were down to the Final Three: Saleisha (the bubbly chick), Chantal (the girl-next-door) and Jenah (the sarcastic one). Since there were two eliminations to be made in this episode, things got off to a very quick start.
For their last shoot of the competition, the ladies met with Jay Manuel and the rep from CoverGirl. It was time for the girls to do their requisite print ad/commercial for the cosmetics company. The eventual winner of the competition would have her still photo used in the national advertising campaign for CG’s new Wet Slicks Fruit Spritzers.
Before things got underway, the semi-finalists got a surprise visitor: Jaslene. The Cycle 8 champion was there to provide a few inspirational words…and to prove that anyone, regardless of their nasally accent, could become a spokesmodel. Why haven’t her speaking skills improved over the past year?
Click to continue reading ANTM Cycle 9: “The Girl Who Becomes America’s Next Top Model”
Survivor: China: “Going for the Oscar”
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Survivor
After returning from one of the most shocking Tribal Councils yet, the six remaining survivors were in a celebratory mood; they had just successfully blindsided James, the holder of the two hidden immunity idols. Todd was relieved that his biggest threat was now out of the picture. Meanwhile, Peih-gee was ecstatic to see that the former Fei Long members had started to turn on each other.
Before beginning their next Reward Challenge, the contestants got a nice surprise: visitors from home. The family members/friends were there to give their smelly loved ones reluctant hugs….and to help them with their competition. One by one, the weepy survivors welcomed their guests: Erik’s mother, Peih-gee’s father, Todd’s sister, Denise’s husband, Amanda’s sister and Courtney’s father. (Am I the only one who found it strange that Denise was the only one with a significant other?)
Click to continue reading Survivor: China: “Going for the Oscar”
America’s Next Top Model: Cycle 9: ‘The Girls Go to the Great Wall’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, The CW, America's Next Top Model
With Heather finally out of the competition, the girls were feeling slightly more relaxed. Now they only had themselves to blame. Woo hoo! Although their guilt (briefly) kicked in when they read the nice note their former roommate left behind, they didn’t mourn for long. As Bianca noted, Heather was always in her ‘own world’; they didn’t really notice that her presence was now missing.
Having made it to the Final Four, the remaining ladies (Bianca, Chantal, Saleisha and Jenah) were now moving on from their stay in Shanghai. After arriving at their new destination, Beijing, they travelled to a beautiful spot where they were greeted by Miss J and Twiggy. Dancers representing the ‘Four Beauties’ of Chinese culture then took the ladies on a visual trip through Chinese history. After the presentation, the models were sent to their new home where they found four red boxes waiting for them. Inside each box was a replica of a dress worn by one of the performers earlier that day.
Click to continue reading America’s Next Top Model: Cycle 9: ‘The Girls Go to the Great Wall’
Survivor: China: “Ready to Bite the Apple”
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Survivor
After Frosti’s elimination at the last Tribal Council, Jeff made a surprise announcement to the seven remaining survivors: they still had other business to attend to. Before heading back to camp, they had to participate in a reward challenge right then and there. The prize for this event would be one like no other. The winner (and two friends) would travel by private jet to the Shaolin Temple. The monastery – around since the 5th century – is most famous for being the home of kung-fu. It’s a place where very few outsiders have been invited to stay, and for some reason, 3 stinky contestants from America would get a chance now.
For the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the players had to answer a series of questions based on Chinese culture. The first one to reach 5 points would get the prize. After a very close battle between James, Peih-gee and Todd, Peih-gee came out victorious; this was now her 2nd challenge win a row. She opted to take her Zhan Hu buddy (Erik) and the possible swing vote (Denise) with her.
Click to continue reading Survivor: China: “Ready to Bite the Apple”
Survivor: China: “Just Don’t Eat The Apple”
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Survivor
It was Day 25 at Hae Da Fung and James was feeling slightly burned by the previous night’s elimination. It didn’t make him feel good to see his name written down three times. From this point on, he was going to make sure he always had his immunity idols with him at Tribal Council. But would he actually know when to use them?
Courtney started off the morning by celebrating. With Jean-Robert gone, it was like Christmas in China to the skinny waitress. Unfortunately, Denise’s evil daggers interrupted Courtney and Amanda’s joyous moods. Unaware that her former Fei Long ‘friends’ had changed their elimination target, she went with the original plan and voted for Peih-gee. Now the school lunch lady was feeling just as blindsided as Jean-Robert. Did she make a mistake not aligning with the former Zhan Hu members? Hoping to secure her loyalty, James lied to Denise about the voting changes. He claimed it was always their intention to tell her; someone just simply forgot to relay the message. Although she was unsure whether James should be believed, she knew it would be smart to stick with the man who possessed all the idols.
Click to continue reading Survivor: China: “Just Don’t Eat The Apple”
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