Rockets center Yao Ming's broken left foot could be a "career-threatening" injury.
Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao's injury "has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening."
Yahoo! Sports first reported the Rockets and Yao's representatives were concerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again. Yahoo! Sports quoted "multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors with knowledge of the diagnoses."
Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team said last week the injury hasn't healed and he was out indefinitely.
Yao played in 77 regular-season games in 2008-09, his most injury-free year since 2004-05, when he played in 80. Before last season, Yao missed chunks of previous three seasons with leg and foot injuries.
He missed 21 games in 2005-06 after surgery to heal an infection to his left big toe, then broke a bone in his left foot with four games left in the regular season.
In 2006-07, Yao missed 32 games after breaking his right leg and he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08, underwent surgery and sat out 26 games.
Yao hurried back from that foot injury to represent China in the Beijing Games. He made it through the Rockets' season and the first round of the playoffs before breaking his left foot late in the Rockets' 108-94 loss to the Lakers in Game 3 of the second round at the Toyota Center.
Two days later, Yao said he didn't believe the injury was as serious as any of his previous ones. The Rockets said he would miss only 8-12 weeks.
But last week, the team said Yao would undergo additional tests and consult with other doctors to map out a new course of treatment.
Yao is due to make over $16 million next season with a player option for 2010-11 that would pay him over $17 million. He was the top overall pick by the Rockets in the 2002 draft.
The Rockets already expect Tracy McGrady to miss at least the first half of next season after microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Houston acquired McGrady in a trade with Orlando in June 2004, hoping the All-Star duo would carry Houston back to the NBA's top tier. But one or the other has been injured for almost their entire time as teammates. The Rockets are 146-74 in the 220 games McGrady and Yao have played together, a low total across five seasons.
General manager Daryl Morey said last week Yao's uncertain status wouldn't affect any of his offseason plans for trades or free-agent signings. He has said the Rockets are interested in re-signing free agent Ron Artest.
Morey said after last week's draft he would not comment on Yao's health beyond the statement released by the team that was out indefinitely.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Dimension Films To Remake An American Werewolf In London?
According to Bloody Disgusting, the Weinstein Brothers have purchased the rights to remake An American Werewolf in London from original writer/director John Landis. Dimension Films already has a Hellraiser remake in the works (which can’t seem to keep a director on board) and has the second new Halloween film hitting theatres soon. The news that a cash-strapped Landis has sold rights to the Weinsteins (who have been reported to be equally cash-strapped, ironically) will probably cue the question that has cropped up a lot lately: is nothing sacred? The perpetual answer is: not in Hollywood, no. And that’s OK, because we’ll always have the original.
There’s little argument against An American Werewolf in London being one of the best werewolf films ever made; I don’t think I could argue that there is a better werewolf picture. The film stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as American backpackers who are attacked by a creature on the Yorkshire Moors. Dunne is killed, but his ghost appears to tell a recovering Laughton that they were savaged by a werewolf, and that Laughton will become a wolf at the next full moon. Laughton moves into his nurse’s London apartment, and the werewolf curse reveals itself, leading to a string of dead Londoners. Landis keeps the film moving with humor and energy, and the real star of the piece is Rick Baker, whose incredible effects transformed Laughton into a wolf in a way that has yet to be surpassed. The film instigated the creation of the Makeup category at the Oscars.
Despite creating a string of great movies in the early ’80s (The Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House, The Blues Brothers, American Werewolf and Trading Places) Landis struggled to maintain a viable directing career through the late ’90s, and his last features as a director hit in 1998: Susan’s Plan and Blues Brothers 2000. His recent work has been on television, including a couple episodes of the ambitiously titled Masters of Horror series on Showtime that aired in ‘05 and ‘06. Ironically, Landis has been in the news for other reasons over the last few days: he directed Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Black or White video clips.
Landis did not write or direct the lame, better forgotten sequel An American Werewolf in Paris, but that film goes to show that the original is bulletproof. If the Weinsteins do manage to mount a remake, we can hope that it attracts talent to make it good enough to take seriously. If not, it will be just as quickly and easily forgotten as the sequel, and we can happily continue to pretend that the Landis original is the only one.
There’s little argument against An American Werewolf in London being one of the best werewolf films ever made; I don’t think I could argue that there is a better werewolf picture. The film stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as American backpackers who are attacked by a creature on the Yorkshire Moors. Dunne is killed, but his ghost appears to tell a recovering Laughton that they were savaged by a werewolf, and that Laughton will become a wolf at the next full moon. Laughton moves into his nurse’s London apartment, and the werewolf curse reveals itself, leading to a string of dead Londoners. Landis keeps the film moving with humor and energy, and the real star of the piece is Rick Baker, whose incredible effects transformed Laughton into a wolf in a way that has yet to be surpassed. The film instigated the creation of the Makeup category at the Oscars.
Despite creating a string of great movies in the early ’80s (The Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House, The Blues Brothers, American Werewolf and Trading Places) Landis struggled to maintain a viable directing career through the late ’90s, and his last features as a director hit in 1998: Susan’s Plan and Blues Brothers 2000. His recent work has been on television, including a couple episodes of the ambitiously titled Masters of Horror series on Showtime that aired in ‘05 and ‘06. Ironically, Landis has been in the news for other reasons over the last few days: he directed Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Black or White video clips.
Landis did not write or direct the lame, better forgotten sequel An American Werewolf in Paris, but that film goes to show that the original is bulletproof. If the Weinsteins do manage to mount a remake, we can hope that it attracts talent to make it good enough to take seriously. If not, it will be just as quickly and easily forgotten as the sequel, and we can happily continue to pretend that the Landis original is the only one.
Michael Jackson Poised To Make Billboard Chart History, Again
Next week, Michael Jackson will once again make music history as many of his albums are poised to shake up the Billboard charts with incredible sales increases.
The impact of Jackson's passing was felt immediately in the marketplace. Industry sources report that the demand for Jackson's albums were so high, many brick and mortar retailers simply ran out of whatever Jackson stock they had on hand on Thursday (25) night.
The albums with the greatest sales increases -- at least on the physical side of things -- look to be his greatest hits packages "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson" along with the expanded reissue of "Thriller." The sets, released between 2003 and 2008, were the three Jackson albums that perhaps had the most stock available in stores.
In the digital realm, where the supply problem doesn't exist, Jackson's songs and albums swarmed the top of the constantly-updating best sellers lists in both the iTunes' and Amazon's online music stores. At one point on Friday in the iTunes Store, nine out of the top 10-selling albums and 40 of the top 100-selling songs were by Jackson.
The three aforementioned albums, along with Jackson's classic studio sets "Off the Wall," "Bad" and "Dangerous" all will likely zoom into the upper region of Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart next week. Initial reports of Jackson's album sales from Thursday alone indicate that one of his albums -- possibly "Number Ones" -- will easily fly to No. 1 on the chart next week. Last week, the set -- which also was his top-selling album of the week -- was at No. 20 on the Catalog chart with 4,000 sold.
To compare, last week's No. 1 on the Catalog chart was TobyMac's "Portable Sounds" with 9,000 copies sold. Sources say that at least one of Jackson's albums sold more than double that amount just on Thursday.
Nielsen SoundScan's tracking week ends at the close of business on Sunday (28). Billboard and SoundScan's new weekly charts will be released on Wednesday, July 1.
The impact of Jackson's passing was felt immediately in the marketplace. Industry sources report that the demand for Jackson's albums were so high, many brick and mortar retailers simply ran out of whatever Jackson stock they had on hand on Thursday (25) night.
The albums with the greatest sales increases -- at least on the physical side of things -- look to be his greatest hits packages "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson" along with the expanded reissue of "Thriller." The sets, released between 2003 and 2008, were the three Jackson albums that perhaps had the most stock available in stores.
In the digital realm, where the supply problem doesn't exist, Jackson's songs and albums swarmed the top of the constantly-updating best sellers lists in both the iTunes' and Amazon's online music stores. At one point on Friday in the iTunes Store, nine out of the top 10-selling albums and 40 of the top 100-selling songs were by Jackson.
The three aforementioned albums, along with Jackson's classic studio sets "Off the Wall," "Bad" and "Dangerous" all will likely zoom into the upper region of Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart next week. Initial reports of Jackson's album sales from Thursday alone indicate that one of his albums -- possibly "Number Ones" -- will easily fly to No. 1 on the chart next week. Last week, the set -- which also was his top-selling album of the week -- was at No. 20 on the Catalog chart with 4,000 sold.
To compare, last week's No. 1 on the Catalog chart was TobyMac's "Portable Sounds" with 9,000 copies sold. Sources say that at least one of Jackson's albums sold more than double that amount just on Thursday.
Nielsen SoundScan's tracking week ends at the close of business on Sunday (28). Billboard and SoundScan's new weekly charts will be released on Wednesday, July 1.
Mourning returns to Heat as president of player development
Alonzo Mourning is returning to the Miami Heat -- as an executive.
Mourning announced Friday that he will soon begin a new job as Miami's vice president of player development, with a wide range of responsibilities, many of them off the court and in community relations areas.
He'll also spend some time mentoring young players, a role he took on in the latter portions of his playing career.
"My on-court contributions are retiring, but I still feel like I can contribute to the game," Mourning said. "I'm very knowledgeable, a student of the game, and I think my experiences can help the team and the players."
After retiring earlier this year, it was clear that the Heat would find a place within the organization for Mourning. He was the franchise cornerstone and an all-time favorite of both Miami president Pat Riley -- his former coach -- and Heat owner Micky Arison.
While the exact terms of the deal are not complete, they apparently decided that a player development spot fit best.
"It's a no-brainer," Mourning said. "Obviously, I feel like my relationship with Pat and Micky has developed over the years and has enabled us to do some special things for the organization."
Mourning was the second overall pick in the 1992 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for New Jersey but spent the majority of his career with the Heat, brought there by Riley in the mid-1990s and helping them win the NBA title in 2006.
He left the game twice because of kidney disease that necessitated a transplant, but says he feels healthy as ever. After announcing that he was done for good, Miami made Mourning's No. 33 the first jersey to be retired in franchise history.
"The best is yet to come," Mourning said.
Mourning is expected to start the job sometime this summer.
"We are in discussions with Alonzo and in stages of finalizing a long-term relationship," Riley said.
In 15 seasons, Mourning averaged 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. His total of 2,356 blocks ranks 10th in league history, and he retired as the Heat career leader in points, rebounds and games -- Dwyane Wade passed him for the scoring lead this past season.
"We were hoping and waiting for this day," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's going to ease into his role. Right now, it's going to be with player development and we welcome that. He is such a positive influence whenever he's around, especially for our young guys, but even for the veteran players. ... He'll show our young players what it means to be professional and to be a Miami Heat player."
The 39-year-old Mourning has already gotten started in his new job, at least in one respect.
He's developed a strong friendship with Wade over the years, especially lately. They've joined forces on some charitable events, including Mourning's popular Zo's Summer Groove weekend series.
Now, many of their talks revolve around Mourning trying to ensure Wade signs a long-term deal with Miami and doesn't leave after this coming season.
"Having D-Wade on the team is going to make my job a whole lot easier," Mourning said. "Make everybody's job a whole lot easier, to tell you the truth."
Mourning announced Friday that he will soon begin a new job as Miami's vice president of player development, with a wide range of responsibilities, many of them off the court and in community relations areas.
He'll also spend some time mentoring young players, a role he took on in the latter portions of his playing career.
"My on-court contributions are retiring, but I still feel like I can contribute to the game," Mourning said. "I'm very knowledgeable, a student of the game, and I think my experiences can help the team and the players."
After retiring earlier this year, it was clear that the Heat would find a place within the organization for Mourning. He was the franchise cornerstone and an all-time favorite of both Miami president Pat Riley -- his former coach -- and Heat owner Micky Arison.
While the exact terms of the deal are not complete, they apparently decided that a player development spot fit best.
"It's a no-brainer," Mourning said. "Obviously, I feel like my relationship with Pat and Micky has developed over the years and has enabled us to do some special things for the organization."
Mourning was the second overall pick in the 1992 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for New Jersey but spent the majority of his career with the Heat, brought there by Riley in the mid-1990s and helping them win the NBA title in 2006.
He left the game twice because of kidney disease that necessitated a transplant, but says he feels healthy as ever. After announcing that he was done for good, Miami made Mourning's No. 33 the first jersey to be retired in franchise history.
"The best is yet to come," Mourning said.
Mourning is expected to start the job sometime this summer.
"We are in discussions with Alonzo and in stages of finalizing a long-term relationship," Riley said.
In 15 seasons, Mourning averaged 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. His total of 2,356 blocks ranks 10th in league history, and he retired as the Heat career leader in points, rebounds and games -- Dwyane Wade passed him for the scoring lead this past season.
"We were hoping and waiting for this day," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's going to ease into his role. Right now, it's going to be with player development and we welcome that. He is such a positive influence whenever he's around, especially for our young guys, but even for the veteran players. ... He'll show our young players what it means to be professional and to be a Miami Heat player."
The 39-year-old Mourning has already gotten started in his new job, at least in one respect.
He's developed a strong friendship with Wade over the years, especially lately. They've joined forces on some charitable events, including Mourning's popular Zo's Summer Groove weekend series.
Now, many of their talks revolve around Mourning trying to ensure Wade signs a long-term deal with Miami and doesn't leave after this coming season.
"Having D-Wade on the team is going to make my job a whole lot easier," Mourning said. "Make everybody's job a whole lot easier, to tell you the truth."
Bay's Giant Robot Sequel Blows Up the Box Office!
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend.
Going into the weekend, there was no doubt Michael Bay's anticipated sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, would be huge, though few thought it could open as big as last summer's biggest blockbuster, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, at least not based on the awful reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. After grossing just over $60 million on Wednesday (a record for the weekday opening) and another $29 million on Thursday, the sequel brought in an estimated $112 million over the weekend for a total of $201.2 million in its first five days. Besides setting a record for a June opening, surpassing 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bay's latest grossed the second-largest amount over a five-day period after The Dark Knight's $203.8 million. The IMAX Corporation reports that the movie had the best five-day gross, grossing $14.4 million in its first five days on 169 IMAX screens, nearly double what the 5th "Harry Potter" movie did two years ago. "Revenge of the Fallen" became the third-largest worldwide opening weekend grosser, earning $274 million and beating out last summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film has become Paramount's biggest international opener of all time, again besting "Indy 4" for the top honor, and ranking as the industry's fourth-biggest opening of all time abroad. The sequel has taken in $387 million worldwide to date.
The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal (Disney/Touchstone) dropped to second place, off 45% from its opening weekend with $18.5 million and a ten-day total of $69 million. Todd Phillips' hit comedy The Hangover (Warner Bros.) dropped to third place with $17.2 million and a total gross of $183 million, making it the third-highest grossing R-rated comedy. It has the breakout R-rated comedy Wedding Crashers in its sights and will pass it sometime in the next few weeks.
With roughly $13 million grossed over the weekend, Disney•Pixar's animated-adventure Up became the top grossing movie of 2009, surpassing J.J. Abrams' Star Trek with a total gross of $250 million after five weeks. It's currently the fourth-highest grossing movie for Pixar Animation, although it should move into second place behind Finding Nemo sometime next month.
Offered as counter-programming to Bay's latest explosion-filled epic was Nick (The Notebook) Cassavetes' adaptation of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper (New Line/WB) starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin, which opened with an estimated $12 million in 2,606 theaters, averaging $4,616 per location.
The Sony comedy Year One, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, tanked in its second weekend, dropping 70% to sixth place with $5.8 million and a ten-day total of $32.2 million. Sony's other summer offering, Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, took seventh place with $5.4 million and a total of $53.4 million, compared to its reported production budget of $100 million.
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (Paramount) took eighth place with $3.6 million, bringing its total to $246 million, while Ben Stiller's comedy sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (20th Century Fox) dropped to ninth place with $3.5 million and a total gross of $163 million.
Sam Mendes' road comedy Away We Go, starring Jon Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, expanded into 495 theaters, allowing it to break into the Top 10 with $1.7 million and a four-week total of $4 million.
The Top 10 grossed almost $193 million, making it the top grossing three-day weekend for 2009, up 9% from this weekend last year when Pixar's WALL•E and Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted dominated with $113 million between them.
Opening in limited release was Stephen Frears' period comedy Chéri, reteaming him with Michelle Pfeiffer for the first time since Dangerous Liaisons, and it grossed $408 thousand in 76 theaters, averaging roughly $5 thousand per venue. Kathryn Bigelow's bomb-squad thriller The Hurt Locker (Summit) opened in four theaters in New York and L.A. where it grossed $144 thousand, or $36k per site.
Going into the weekend, there was no doubt Michael Bay's anticipated sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, would be huge, though few thought it could open as big as last summer's biggest blockbuster, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, at least not based on the awful reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. After grossing just over $60 million on Wednesday (a record for the weekday opening) and another $29 million on Thursday, the sequel brought in an estimated $112 million over the weekend for a total of $201.2 million in its first five days. Besides setting a record for a June opening, surpassing 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bay's latest grossed the second-largest amount over a five-day period after The Dark Knight's $203.8 million. The IMAX Corporation reports that the movie had the best five-day gross, grossing $14.4 million in its first five days on 169 IMAX screens, nearly double what the 5th "Harry Potter" movie did two years ago. "Revenge of the Fallen" became the third-largest worldwide opening weekend grosser, earning $274 million and beating out last summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film has become Paramount's biggest international opener of all time, again besting "Indy 4" for the top honor, and ranking as the industry's fourth-biggest opening of all time abroad. The sequel has taken in $387 million worldwide to date.
The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal (Disney/Touchstone) dropped to second place, off 45% from its opening weekend with $18.5 million and a ten-day total of $69 million. Todd Phillips' hit comedy The Hangover (Warner Bros.) dropped to third place with $17.2 million and a total gross of $183 million, making it the third-highest grossing R-rated comedy. It has the breakout R-rated comedy Wedding Crashers in its sights and will pass it sometime in the next few weeks.
With roughly $13 million grossed over the weekend, Disney•Pixar's animated-adventure Up became the top grossing movie of 2009, surpassing J.J. Abrams' Star Trek with a total gross of $250 million after five weeks. It's currently the fourth-highest grossing movie for Pixar Animation, although it should move into second place behind Finding Nemo sometime next month.
Offered as counter-programming to Bay's latest explosion-filled epic was Nick (The Notebook) Cassavetes' adaptation of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper (New Line/WB) starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin, which opened with an estimated $12 million in 2,606 theaters, averaging $4,616 per location.
The Sony comedy Year One, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, tanked in its second weekend, dropping 70% to sixth place with $5.8 million and a ten-day total of $32.2 million. Sony's other summer offering, Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, took seventh place with $5.4 million and a total of $53.4 million, compared to its reported production budget of $100 million.
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (Paramount) took eighth place with $3.6 million, bringing its total to $246 million, while Ben Stiller's comedy sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (20th Century Fox) dropped to ninth place with $3.5 million and a total gross of $163 million.
Sam Mendes' road comedy Away We Go, starring Jon Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, expanded into 495 theaters, allowing it to break into the Top 10 with $1.7 million and a four-week total of $4 million.
The Top 10 grossed almost $193 million, making it the top grossing three-day weekend for 2009, up 9% from this weekend last year when Pixar's WALL•E and Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted dominated with $113 million between them.
Opening in limited release was Stephen Frears' period comedy Chéri, reteaming him with Michelle Pfeiffer for the first time since Dangerous Liaisons, and it grossed $408 thousand in 76 theaters, averaging roughly $5 thousand per venue. Kathryn Bigelow's bomb-squad thriller The Hurt Locker (Summit) opened in four theaters in New York and L.A. where it grossed $144 thousand, or $36k per site.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Weekly Ratings: 6/21 – 6/27
Ratings: Jon & Kate's Split Is a Record-Breaking Hit, and More
Some recent ratings highlights:
• Jon & Kate plus their big announcement on Monday drew a whopping audience of 10.6 million total viewers — setting a new all-time high for not only the hiatus-bound series but for TLC as a whole. Week-to-week, the series enjoyed a 365 percent gain.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! delivered its smallest Monday audience to date, just 4.3 mil. It all ends Wednesday!
• The Season 2 launch of The Secret Life of the American Teenager spoke to 4.7 million viewers, making it the ABC Family series' most-watched episode to date. Make It or Break It held onto 2.5 mil of that audience. Next time, use more chalk powder?
• On Sunday, HBO's True Blood bit into 3.4 million viewers, a drop of just 300K from the season premiere.
• On Saturday, NBC's Kings courted 1.94 mil (up 22 percent), CBS' Harper's Island gained 600K to hit 3.78 mil, and ABC's Eli Stone returned to an audience of 2.5 mil.
Ratings: America's Got Great Numbers, Dave Tops Conan
Some recent ratings highlights:
• America's Got Talent on Tuesday tallied an audience of 11.3 million total viewers — a drop of 12 percent from its previous premiere, but still the night's most watched program. Its second outing dipped 8 percent, to 10.39 mil.
• ABC's The Superstars opened to a not-entirely-super 4.34 mil on Tuesday. In turn, the (thankfully) already-renewed Better Off Ted only managed 1.87 mil.
• On Wednesday, ABC's Wipeout scored 7.7 mil, topping So You Think You Can Dance in the 8 o'clock hour. All told, Fox's Dance averaged 7.5 mil over its two-hour run, down 880K week-to-week.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! at long last signed off, before a crowd of 4.4 mil. That's a 31 percent plunge from its season premiere.
• NBC's The Philanthropist premiered to 7.4 mil, besting both a CSI: NY repeat and ABC's special on President Obama's health care plan (4.7 mil).
• Late Show with David Letterman last week topped The Tonight Show in viewers (averaging 3.46 mil vs. 3.32 mil). That's the first time that has happened for a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005.
Ratings: America Remembers Farrah and Michael
Viewers were drawn to their televisions on Thursday night as multiple networks fast-tracked special programming paying tribute to Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, both of whom passed away earlier in the day.
ABC's special 20/20 broadcast dedicated to Fawcett — and featuring an exclusive sit-down with the love of the actress' life, Ryan O'Neal — drew 8.23 million total viewers at 10 pm, making it the evening's second-most watched program (edged out only by a CSI repeat).
Also at 10, Dateline NBC's own remembrance of Fawcett drew 5.8 mil.
Of the Jackson tributes, CBS' 10 pm special delivered 7.6 mil, while ABC's and NBC's 9 o'clock profiles did 5.7 mil and 5.2 mil, respectively.
Elsewhere on Thursday, So You Think You Can Dance — which made note of all three tragic losses this week, Ed McMahon's included, and showed a "Thriller" clip - drew 6.9 mil.
Some recent ratings highlights:
• Jon & Kate plus their big announcement on Monday drew a whopping audience of 10.6 million total viewers — setting a new all-time high for not only the hiatus-bound series but for TLC as a whole. Week-to-week, the series enjoyed a 365 percent gain.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! delivered its smallest Monday audience to date, just 4.3 mil. It all ends Wednesday!
• The Season 2 launch of The Secret Life of the American Teenager spoke to 4.7 million viewers, making it the ABC Family series' most-watched episode to date. Make It or Break It held onto 2.5 mil of that audience. Next time, use more chalk powder?
• On Sunday, HBO's True Blood bit into 3.4 million viewers, a drop of just 300K from the season premiere.
• On Saturday, NBC's Kings courted 1.94 mil (up 22 percent), CBS' Harper's Island gained 600K to hit 3.78 mil, and ABC's Eli Stone returned to an audience of 2.5 mil.
Ratings: America's Got Great Numbers, Dave Tops Conan
Some recent ratings highlights:
• America's Got Talent on Tuesday tallied an audience of 11.3 million total viewers — a drop of 12 percent from its previous premiere, but still the night's most watched program. Its second outing dipped 8 percent, to 10.39 mil.
• ABC's The Superstars opened to a not-entirely-super 4.34 mil on Tuesday. In turn, the (thankfully) already-renewed Better Off Ted only managed 1.87 mil.
• On Wednesday, ABC's Wipeout scored 7.7 mil, topping So You Think You Can Dance in the 8 o'clock hour. All told, Fox's Dance averaged 7.5 mil over its two-hour run, down 880K week-to-week.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! at long last signed off, before a crowd of 4.4 mil. That's a 31 percent plunge from its season premiere.
• NBC's The Philanthropist premiered to 7.4 mil, besting both a CSI: NY repeat and ABC's special on President Obama's health care plan (4.7 mil).
• Late Show with David Letterman last week topped The Tonight Show in viewers (averaging 3.46 mil vs. 3.32 mil). That's the first time that has happened for a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005.
Ratings: America Remembers Farrah and Michael
Viewers were drawn to their televisions on Thursday night as multiple networks fast-tracked special programming paying tribute to Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, both of whom passed away earlier in the day.
ABC's special 20/20 broadcast dedicated to Fawcett — and featuring an exclusive sit-down with the love of the actress' life, Ryan O'Neal — drew 8.23 million total viewers at 10 pm, making it the evening's second-most watched program (edged out only by a CSI repeat).
Also at 10, Dateline NBC's own remembrance of Fawcett drew 5.8 mil.
Of the Jackson tributes, CBS' 10 pm special delivered 7.6 mil, while ABC's and NBC's 9 o'clock profiles did 5.7 mil and 5.2 mil, respectively.
Elsewhere on Thursday, So You Think You Can Dance — which made note of all three tragic losses this week, Ed McMahon's included, and showed a "Thriller" clip - drew 6.9 mil.
NBC Announces Fall Series Premiere Dates
NBC has announced its fall series premiere dates:
NBC kicks off the Fall 2009 season on Monday, September 14 with the highly anticipated primetime debut of "The Jay Leno Show" (10-11 p.m. ET/9-10 p.m. CT), followed by the premiere of the network's marquee night of comedy on Thursday, September 17, as "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" and new series "Community" join "Parks and Recreation" and Emmy winner "The Office."
NBC's dramas will premiere with a two-hour "Heroes" on Monday, September 21 (8-10 p.m. ET), the compelling family drama "Parenthood" premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET) leading into "Law & Order: SVU" (9-10 p.m. ET). The new high-octane "Trauma" will premiere the following Monday, September 28 (9-10 p.m. ET).
Emmy winner "30 Rock" returns to the Thursday comedy line-up on October 15 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).
In addition, "Saturday Night Live" returns for its 35th season on September 26 (11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m.).
The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
"NBC is proud to present more hours of comedy programming this fall than any other network with the 'The Jay Leno Show' each night at 10 p.m. and 'Community' joining the award-winning Thursday line-up," said Silverman. "We're also excited about adding two new dramas to our strong slate of quality returning shows."
"The Jay Leno Show," the first-ever entertainment program to be stripped across primetime on broadcast network television, launches on Monday, September 14 (10-11 p.m. ET) and will showcase many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years.
On Tuesday, September 15 (8-10 p.m.), "The Biggest Loser" returns with all new two-hour episodes, featuring more inspiration and real-life drama as this season's contestants challenge themselves to reach their weight-loss goals.
Thursday is comedy night on NBC with the only live comedy show between 8-10 p.m. on any network, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday," kicking off the night (8-8:30 p.m. ET) beginning September 17, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET), "The Office" (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and new comedy "Community" (9:30-10 p.m. ET) from Emmy winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"). "Community" focuses on a band of community college misfits, led by a fast-talking lawyer (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), who form a study group and end up learning more about themselves than their coursework.
On October 8, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" will exit the 8 p.m. slot and "Community" will shift to the earlier time period, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET). A one-hour episode of "The Office" will air from 9-10 p.m. ET.
On October 15, Emmy winner "30 Rock" will launch its fourth season in the show's regular slot on Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
NBC's dramas return with a two-hour episode of viewer favorite "Heroes" (8-10 p.m. ET) on Monday, September 21. The following Monday, September 28, "Heroes" will continue in its 8 p.m. time period followed by "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET), the new adrenalin-rush action drama from executive producer Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") that tracks a team of first-responder paramedics from San Francisco General as they face extreme conditions to save the lives of strangers and give meaning to their own in the process.
"Parenthood," from Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and writer/executive producer Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights"), premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET). The series, which features an all-star cast including Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter and Erika Christensen, tells the story of four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and unexpected joys of being a parent. Following "Parenthood" on Wednesdays is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9-10 p.m. ET), beginning its eleventh season on September 23.
Fridays, beginning September 25, the venerable "Law & Order" (8-9 p.m. ET) returns for a record 20th season, followed by the acclaimed drama "Southland" (9-10 p.m. ET).
Beginning September 26, Saturdays in primetime will be a showcase for "Dateline NBC" (8-9 p.m. ET) and encore presentations of "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m. ET).
"Football Night in America" (7-8:15 p.m. ET) and "NBC Sunday Night Football" (8:15-11 p.m.) - the number one show of the fall - will return on Sundays, beginning September 13 with a classic match-up: the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers.
Following is NBC's Fall 2009-10 premiere schedule (all times ET):
*New programs in UPPER CASE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
7-8:15 p.m. - "Football Night in America"
8:15-11 p.m. - "NBC Sunday Night Football"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW" (Series Premiere)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
8-10 p.m. - "The Biggest Loser"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
8-8:30 p.m. - "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday"
8:30-9 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation"
9-9:30 p.m. - "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. - "COMMUNITY" (series premiere - moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. on October 8; "30 Rock" returns October 15, 9:30-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
8-10 p.m. - "Heroes" (two hour premiere, then TRAUMA premieres 9-10 p.m. Monday, September 28)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
8-9 p.m. - "PARENTHOOD" (Series Premiere)
9-10 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
8-9 p.m. - "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. - "Southland"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8-9 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - "Saturday Night Live"
NBC kicks off the Fall 2009 season on Monday, September 14 with the highly anticipated primetime debut of "The Jay Leno Show" (10-11 p.m. ET/9-10 p.m. CT), followed by the premiere of the network's marquee night of comedy on Thursday, September 17, as "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" and new series "Community" join "Parks and Recreation" and Emmy winner "The Office."
NBC's dramas will premiere with a two-hour "Heroes" on Monday, September 21 (8-10 p.m. ET), the compelling family drama "Parenthood" premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET) leading into "Law & Order: SVU" (9-10 p.m. ET). The new high-octane "Trauma" will premiere the following Monday, September 28 (9-10 p.m. ET).
Emmy winner "30 Rock" returns to the Thursday comedy line-up on October 15 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).
In addition, "Saturday Night Live" returns for its 35th season on September 26 (11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m.).
The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
"NBC is proud to present more hours of comedy programming this fall than any other network with the 'The Jay Leno Show' each night at 10 p.m. and 'Community' joining the award-winning Thursday line-up," said Silverman. "We're also excited about adding two new dramas to our strong slate of quality returning shows."
"The Jay Leno Show," the first-ever entertainment program to be stripped across primetime on broadcast network television, launches on Monday, September 14 (10-11 p.m. ET) and will showcase many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years.
On Tuesday, September 15 (8-10 p.m.), "The Biggest Loser" returns with all new two-hour episodes, featuring more inspiration and real-life drama as this season's contestants challenge themselves to reach their weight-loss goals.
Thursday is comedy night on NBC with the only live comedy show between 8-10 p.m. on any network, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday," kicking off the night (8-8:30 p.m. ET) beginning September 17, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET), "The Office" (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and new comedy "Community" (9:30-10 p.m. ET) from Emmy winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"). "Community" focuses on a band of community college misfits, led by a fast-talking lawyer (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), who form a study group and end up learning more about themselves than their coursework.
On October 8, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" will exit the 8 p.m. slot and "Community" will shift to the earlier time period, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET). A one-hour episode of "The Office" will air from 9-10 p.m. ET.
On October 15, Emmy winner "30 Rock" will launch its fourth season in the show's regular slot on Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
NBC's dramas return with a two-hour episode of viewer favorite "Heroes" (8-10 p.m. ET) on Monday, September 21. The following Monday, September 28, "Heroes" will continue in its 8 p.m. time period followed by "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET), the new adrenalin-rush action drama from executive producer Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") that tracks a team of first-responder paramedics from San Francisco General as they face extreme conditions to save the lives of strangers and give meaning to their own in the process.
"Parenthood," from Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and writer/executive producer Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights"), premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET). The series, which features an all-star cast including Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter and Erika Christensen, tells the story of four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and unexpected joys of being a parent. Following "Parenthood" on Wednesdays is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9-10 p.m. ET), beginning its eleventh season on September 23.
Fridays, beginning September 25, the venerable "Law & Order" (8-9 p.m. ET) returns for a record 20th season, followed by the acclaimed drama "Southland" (9-10 p.m. ET).
Beginning September 26, Saturdays in primetime will be a showcase for "Dateline NBC" (8-9 p.m. ET) and encore presentations of "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m. ET).
"Football Night in America" (7-8:15 p.m. ET) and "NBC Sunday Night Football" (8:15-11 p.m.) - the number one show of the fall - will return on Sundays, beginning September 13 with a classic match-up: the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers.
Following is NBC's Fall 2009-10 premiere schedule (all times ET):
*New programs in UPPER CASE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
7-8:15 p.m. - "Football Night in America"
8:15-11 p.m. - "NBC Sunday Night Football"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW" (Series Premiere)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
8-10 p.m. - "The Biggest Loser"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
8-8:30 p.m. - "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday"
8:30-9 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation"
9-9:30 p.m. - "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. - "COMMUNITY" (series premiere - moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. on October 8; "30 Rock" returns October 15, 9:30-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
8-10 p.m. - "Heroes" (two hour premiere, then TRAUMA premieres 9-10 p.m. Monday, September 28)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
8-9 p.m. - "PARENTHOOD" (Series Premiere)
9-10 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
8-9 p.m. - "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. - "Southland"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8-9 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - "Saturday Night Live"
Transformers Earns $36.7 Million on Friday
Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned yet another $36.7 million on Friday to bring its three-day domestic total to $125.9 million.
While "Revenge of the Fallen" is heading for a five-day worldwide box office record, it is estimated that its domestic haul over the same frame could be more than $190 million.
The Dark Knight holds the five-day opening domestic record with $203.8 million. "Revenge of the Fallen" could earn $115 million this weekend for a five-day total of $205 million.
The DreamWorks/Paramount release is currently playing at 4,234 theaters, 169 of which are IMAX.
While "Revenge of the Fallen" is heading for a five-day worldwide box office record, it is estimated that its domestic haul over the same frame could be more than $190 million.
The Dark Knight holds the five-day opening domestic record with $203.8 million. "Revenge of the Fallen" could earn $115 million this weekend for a five-day total of $205 million.
The DreamWorks/Paramount release is currently playing at 4,234 theaters, 169 of which are IMAX.
Lost's Final Season Grows
ABC grants a little extra time to wrap up the mysteries.
If you love Lost and are lamenting the series coming to an end next year, then I've got good news for you – we're going to get one extra hour for Season 6.
Previously, ABC and Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had said Season 6 would be comprised of 17 hours total, but now EW's Michael Ausiello reports, via Twitter, "ABC confirms that Lost's sixth and final season will total 18 hours, including two-hour premiere and two-hour finale." Season 6 was actually going to originally be made up of 16 hours, until the writers' strike shortened Season 4, so this is the second time another hour of the show has been added to the final year.
No exact date has been announced for Lost to return, but presumably it will be in January once again.
If you love Lost and are lamenting the series coming to an end next year, then I've got good news for you – we're going to get one extra hour for Season 6.
Previously, ABC and Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had said Season 6 would be comprised of 17 hours total, but now EW's Michael Ausiello reports, via Twitter, "ABC confirms that Lost's sixth and final season will total 18 hours, including two-hour premiere and two-hour finale." Season 6 was actually going to originally be made up of 16 hours, until the writers' strike shortened Season 4, so this is the second time another hour of the show has been added to the final year.
No exact date has been announced for Lost to return, but presumably it will be in January once again.
Kyle Ward To Write Sony’s Uncharted Game Adaptation and Hitman 2
For quite some time, Sony has quietly been working to develop a film based on the PlayStation 3 game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Now with the game’s sequel getting great press in the wake of E3 (and thanks in part to a fun multiplayer beta) Sony has dropped word that the movie is actually happening. Kyle Ward has been hired to pen the script, which makes his second video game-related announcement in two days (He’s also scripting Hitman 2).
Development of Uncharted isn’t a surprise, as it was explicitly designed in the first place to have the quality of a summer adventure film. The story features Nate Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. Nate is being shadowed by journalist Elena Fisher as he searches for the coffin of his forefather. When found, the object contains a diary that seems to point to El Dorado, and Nate and Elena are soon involved in a run and gun tale featuring pirates, lost gold and mutant humans. THR’s coverage suggests the film will simply be called Drake’s Fortune.
Ward is also on board Fox’s Hitman 2, about which there is less detail available. Variety says that the film begins at the nadir of Agent 47’s career, after which “he must build himself back up psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as the world’s most feared assassin.” Eidos has a new Hitman game scheduled for next year, the fifth numbered title in the series, and this script will be based in part on elements of that game.
Right now, it’s easy to peg Ward as the new game-to-script guy in town. He already had Kane and Lynch set up at Lionsgate, with Bruce Willis still attached to star, and now these two new projects put him squarely in the video game corner. And while Hitman 2 likely won’t be much bigger than the first film, expect Drake’s Fortune to be heavily promoted as a tentpole, assuming things work out well.
Development of Uncharted isn’t a surprise, as it was explicitly designed in the first place to have the quality of a summer adventure film. The story features Nate Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. Nate is being shadowed by journalist Elena Fisher as he searches for the coffin of his forefather. When found, the object contains a diary that seems to point to El Dorado, and Nate and Elena are soon involved in a run and gun tale featuring pirates, lost gold and mutant humans. THR’s coverage suggests the film will simply be called Drake’s Fortune.
Ward is also on board Fox’s Hitman 2, about which there is less detail available. Variety says that the film begins at the nadir of Agent 47’s career, after which “he must build himself back up psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as the world’s most feared assassin.” Eidos has a new Hitman game scheduled for next year, the fifth numbered title in the series, and this script will be based in part on elements of that game.
Right now, it’s easy to peg Ward as the new game-to-script guy in town. He already had Kane and Lynch set up at Lionsgate, with Bruce Willis still attached to star, and now these two new projects put him squarely in the video game corner. And while Hitman 2 likely won’t be much bigger than the first film, expect Drake’s Fortune to be heavily promoted as a tentpole, assuming things work out well.
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