Good morning. It’s Monday, March 1, 2004, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

The Ellen Degeneres Show has been renewed in 85% of the country for this fall, including the WB 100+ Station Group who picked up the series for its second season. WB 100+ will begin airing Ellen one week from today at 5pm.  In addition to new clearances such Richmond, VA, mkt (WWBT for daytime) and in Springfield, MO on KSPR in early fringe, Ellen has received numerous upgrades.  Upgrades mkts include in Orlando, Atlanta, Tampa, St. Louis, Baltimore, Portland OR, Cincinnati, Salt Lake, West Palm and New Orleans among many others too numerous to list.

Premiering tonight:  Forever Eden at 9p on Fox
Ending Tonight:  Average Joe: Hawaii on NBC at 10p

ABC will bring back Super Millionaire in May.  No word yet on dates or number of eps.  In contrast to the time period average thus far this season, Super Millionaire improved the hour by 34% among A18-49 (4.7/11 vs. 3.5/9) and by 54% among A18-34 (4.0/11 vs. 2.6/7).

NBC Enterprises has signed fashion designer / television personality Isaac Mizrahi to a development deal.  If you’re not familiar with Mizrahi’s runway fashions for Target Stores, you may be familiar with his The Isaac Mizrahi Show currently airing on Oxygen Network or from his own off-Broadway show that ran in 2000 called Les MIZrahi.  NBCE is currently developing a  potential series for national syndication with Mizrahi.

Dennis Miller is taking a pre-planned two week break from his show at CNBC for a little re-tooling of his evening program, according to the NY Post.  Stephen Friedman has been brought in to work on the show, which by the by, has increased the time period audience over third quarter by 131% in total viewers. The biggest change will be a studio audience, there to respond (hopefully by laughing) to Miller’s jokes.  The show returns on March 9.  A second pre-planned break is scheduled for April 19.

Weekend Box Office Estimates – Feb 27-29, 2004
Passion of the Christ (Newmarket)            $76.2 million – opening weekend
50 First Dates (Sony)                                 $12.6 million – 3 wk total $88.7m
Twisted (Paramount)                                  $ 9.1 million – opening weekend
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (Disney) $6.1 million – 2 wk total $16.7m
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (Lions)         $5.9 million – opening weekend
Miracle (Disney)                                          $4.4 million – 4 wk total $56.2m
Eurotrip (Dreamworks)                               $4.1 million – 2 wk total $12.8m
Welcome to Mooseport (Fox)                     $3.4 million – 2 wk total $11.6m
Barbershop 2 (MGM)                                  $3.1 million – 4 wk total $57.6m
Club Dread (Fox Spotlight)                         $3.0 million – opening weekend
Source: Box Office Mojo

And the winners are – Lord of the Rings, which for the first time in weeks and weeks (perhaps since its original release 11 weeks ago) was not among the top ten highest grossing movies for the weekend, and has taken in $364 million in the domestic box office to date.  LOTR took home 10 other Oscars last night, including Best Director for Peter Jackson. Mystic River’s Sean Penn takes home the Best Actor trophy (Mystic River has earned $82 million at the box office so far); Charlize Theron for Monster gets Best Actress ($26.8m at the box office); Tim Robbins from Mystic River wins Best Supporting Actor and Renee Zellwegger top prize for Best Supporting Actress in Cold Mountain ($92.7 million).  Billy Crystal did not disappoint (loved Old Man River ~ Mystic River and “salute” to Eastwood), Blake Edwards had the best entrance of the evening for his special Oscar presented by Jim Carey, Erroll Morris has the most exuberant thank you speech for his doc The Fog of War, Johnny Depp and Renee may have been the two best dressed of the evening, and while someone has to own the worst dressed title, there were no swan dresses this year. And yet, all in all, it was a very long night, filled with loads of the ‘smaller’ awards, and speeches that carried on forever.  Crystal said it best – there’s no one left in New Zealand to thank!

And the winners are – Gigli, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, all taking top honors at the Razzies last night.  And that’s not all, the film also took top honors for its director and won in the worst screen couple category.  Worst supporting actor and actress awards went to Sylvester Stallone for Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, and Demi Moore in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (which also won worst sequel).

New in Development and Casting:

• NBC has put a hold on its fall pickup of the Jimmy Smits drama series, City of Dreams *Bruckheimer Films/Warner Bros. TV) from Jerry Bruckheimer, according to Variety.  It was one of the first to get the greenlight for fall, and will now be pushed back to midseason 2005 while the script gets a little adjustment. NBC has added Mercedes Ruehl to the cast of Everyday Life (Universal), the show produced an directed by Rob Reiner, who by the way will also take an acting role as the husband to Ruehl.  Already cast are Mary Gallagher and Josh Radnor, and Christen Nelson. NBC has cast Ana Gasteyer in comedy The Friendlys (NBC Studios) about a family who inherits a candy factory.  Greg Germann has joined the cast of Foster Hall (NBC Studios/Conaco Prods) along with Busy Phillipps, which also stars McCaulay Culkin, about re-uniting siblings.
• ABC has added Marcia Cross to the cast of Desperate Wives (Touchstone) joining the growing cast of Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Terri Hatcher and Ricardo Chavira. Chi McBride will join the cast of Countdown (Fremantle Media/Vertikal/Touchstone) as the SWAT team leader. McBride’s fellow cast members include Jason O’Mara, Louis Mandylor, Salli Richardson, and Adam Beach.  This show was previous known as 43 Minutes.
• CBS had added Yancey Arias to its drama pilot Wanted (25c Prods/Warner Bros. TV/CBS Prods) set in the fugitive dept of the LAPD. Melinda McGraw joins the cast of the John Goodman fronted CBS comedy Center of the Universe (Tannenbaum Co/Warner Bros. TV/CBS Prods).
• WB will add Ben Feldman to its comedy pilot Robbing the Cradle (Wannabe/Regency) about a young 24-year old man (Feldman) who moves back home with his mom and her 24-year old boyfriend. Jamie Kennedy is exec producing along with John Etting, David Garrett and Jason Ward.
• Fox’s comedy pilot Lucky Us (Original/20th Television) adds Jill Ritchie to the cast which already include Chyler Leigh in the female lead, along with Randall Park. The story begins with a blind date, which ultimately leads to a pregnancy, forever linking the couple.
• Sources: BaselineFT.com, Hollywood Reporter, Variety

The Discovery Times Channel has scheduled Power and the Press to air tomorrow night at 8p.  The program takes an up close and personal on the allegations by the BBC against British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government.  At the center of the special is the documentary that aired on BBC back in January (titled Panorama: A Fight to the Death). The doc includes the re-examination of the allegations as well as the resulting shake up within the BBC.  The New York Times journalist Jane Bornemeier will introduce the BBC doc, and follow up afterward with Warren Hoge, NYT U.N. correspondent.

Note to Self:  Who knew Gary Lico could sing? Find out if he sings Karaoke often, and if Mack the Knife is his signature song.

The Thursday night fight for demos between NBC and CBS was won this past week by NBC with an overall 9.9/24 A18-49 rating according to Nielsen media Research.  CBS delivered an 8.0/20 for the night.  Not really in the game at all on Thursdays are ABC 2.9/7, Fox 2.4/6, UPN 1.9/5; WB 0.9/2.  At 8pm Friends beat out the first half hour of Survivor 10.6/27 vs. 7.8/20.  Wit that said, CBS came back to win the 830-9pm half hour over Will & Grace 9.4/23 vs. 8.6/21.  Survivor averaged an 8.6/22 for the hour, while NBC won the hour with a 9.6/24.  At 9pm the two nets were in a virtual dead tie: CBS 9.9/23, NBC 9.8/23. CBS owned teens, M18-49, Total Viewers, A25-54 and the 50+ crowd.  NBC’s Apprentice owned A18-34 and W18-49.  At 10p NBC was on top with ER’s 10.4/26 over CBS’ Without A Trace 5.7/14; ABC’s Super Millionaire averaged a 3.5/9 (it’s strongest demos coming from W18-49 4.2/10, and W25-54 4.8/10).

A relatively quiet Friday night where the highest A18-49 rating for the night was a 3.6/11 in the demo, found ABC and NBC tied for the night with a 2.9/9 A18-49 rating according to Nielsen Media Research.  CBS was third with a 2.6/8, followed by Fox 2.1/7; WB 1.4/4; UPN 0.9/3.  At 8pm NBC led with a 2.5/9 for the first hour of Dateline NBC, outpacing ABC and CBS tied with a 2.4/8. Fox’s Spelling Bee first hour delivered a 2.2/7.  At 9p NBC’s 3.0/9 for the second hour of Dateline won the hour, with ABC hot on its heels with a 2.7/8, followed by CBS’ 2.4/7.  At 10p ABC’s Super Millionaire delivered a 3.6/11 (highest number in this demo for the night across all nets), with NBC’s Third Watch ranking #2 with a 3.2/10 and CBS a 2.9/9 for a repeat of CSI Miami.

ABC knocked Fox out of its perennial Saturday night top-o-heap spot with an evening of Forrest Gump averaging a 3.4/11 A18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research.  Fox was #2 with a 3.0/10, followed by NBC 2.0/7 and CBS 1.7/6.  At 8pm Fox had the early lead with a 3.0/10 for back to back Cops, while ABC was second with a 2.5/9, followed by CBS 1.8/6 and NBC 1.5/5.  At 9p ABC took the lead and held it for the rest of the evening.  At 9p ABC averaged a 3.7/12, and at 10p a 4.1/13. Run Forrest Run!  Fox was #2 at 9p with America’s Most Wanted (3.0/10), while CBS fell back to a 1.6/5 for Hack, and NBC a 1.8/6 for Law & Order.  At 10p NBC was second to ABC with a 2.8/9 for Law & Order: SVU, and CBS’ The District pulled a 1.8/6.

Cynopsis will be contributing to The New York Times’ special pull out section Television Upfront which is included in the May 11, 2004 edition.  Among other topics, one of them will be a look at the best of the best for the 2004-05 television season, be it broadcast or cable network or from the syndication side.  If you have a show you would like to be considered, drop me a note at
and I’ll be happy to provide you with my mailing address so you can send along a description and/or tape.  All information provided for this NYT piece will be embargoed (even from Cynopsis) until the 5/11 publication of the Times.

Thursday, February 26, 2004. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat

CBS     13.7/21 Survivor: All-Stars 12.9/19, CSI 17.1/25, Without a Trace 11.1/18

NBC     13.4/20 Friends 14.7/22, Will & Grace 12.1/18, The Apprentice 12.6/18, E.R. 14.3/23

ABC     6.1/9   The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose (OTO) 5.1/8, Extreme Makeover 5.3/8, Super Millionaire 7.8/12

FOX     3.7/6   My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance [r] 3.1/5, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance [r-finale] 4.4/6

UPN     3.4/5   WWE Smackdown! 3.4/5

WB      1.7/3   Steve Harvey’s Big Time 2.4/4, All About the Andersons [r] 1.9/3, The Surreal Life [r] 1.4/2

A18-49  NBC 9.9/24, CBS 8.0/20; ABC 2.9/7, Fox 2.4/6, UPN 1.9/5; WB 0.9/2

Friday, February 27, 2004. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat

CBS     7.0/12  Joan of Arcadia 7.1/13, JAG 7.5/13, CSI: Miami (OTO) 6.5/12

NBC     6.5/11  Dateline NBC 6.8/12, Third Watch 6.0/11

ABC     6.0/11  George Lopez 5.0/9, Married to the Kellys 4.2/7, Hope & Faith 5.2/9, Life with Bonnie 4.9/8, Super Millionaire 8.4/15

FOX     3.3/6   Fox Special: “The Great American Celebrity Spelling Bee” [part 3]  3.3/6

WB      2.6/5   Reba [r] 3.0/5, Reba [r] 3.0/5, Grounded for Life 2.2/4

UPN     1.7/3   Movie:  Mercury Rising  1.7/3

A18-49  ABC and NBC 2.9/9; CBS 2.6/8; Fox 2.1/7; WB 1.4/4; UPN 0.9/3

Saturday, February 28, 2004. Fast Affiliate Ratings for all Networks. Fast affiliate numbers which reflect time period data, not program data, and can change slightly once the finals come in, particularly for LIVE programming (i.e. Football). Source Nielsen Media Research. Time Period Averages Only. [p] = Premiere; [o] = Original; [r] = Repeat

 ABC    6.0/11  ABC Movie: Forrest Gump 6.0/11

CBS     5.6/10  Star Search 4.8/9, Hack 5.7/10, The District 6.5/12

FOX     4.8/.9  Cops 4.6/9, Cops 5.0/9, AMW 4.8/9

NBC     3.9/7   Tracy Morgan Show 2l6/5, Whoopi [r] 2.5/5, Law & Order [r] 3.6/6, Law & Order: SVU [r] 5.5/10

A18-49  ABC 3.4/11, Fox 3.0/10, NBC 2.0/7, CBS 1.7/6

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Source: NTI Explorer, 2/22/04 or as noted.  Sunday 8-9p.  US Rating.  Ranks based on HH.  Excludes sports and specials.

The History Channel presents This Day in History: 
1954 – The US produces the biggest man-made explosion the world has yet known when it detonates a hydrogen bomb in the Bikini archipelago in the Marshall Islands. Six hundred times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the explosion sent up a mushroom cloud 100 miles wide; 265 people were accidentally exposed to radiation fallout.

Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question:  This character has been in literature for decades, and on television no less than three time in three separate series.  What is most interesting though, is the character’s name changes with each rendition, tho his bizarre characteristic remains the same.  I’ll give you the characters name in all three renditions – you give me the name of his show:  Peter Brady (1958), Dr. Daniel Westin (1975) and Darian Fawkes (2000).  THE INVISIBLE MAN.  Kudos to:  Mike DeAngelis-Universal Television Sales/NY; Mark Zomick-Ariel/NY; Sue Funke-About.com/NY; Ashlee Amoroso-MSNBC-CNBC/NY; Brian Nugent-KPIF/Pocatello; Jennifer Walker-Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford/Mobile; Jennifer Bentley-RPA/Irving; Michael Kondrat-FSS/Chicago; Chris Smith-NBC Enterprises/LA; Angela Rigor-William Morris Agency/LA; Nick Monroe-KGTV/San Diego; Lucy Anderson-TechTV/San Francisco; and Caroline Godin-Ellis Ent/Toronto.

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Today’s Trivia Question:  What group had a laundry list of rules to live by, including: Rule #111: Treat people in debt like family – exploit them; Rule #52: Never ask when you can take; Rule #162: Even in the worst of times, some one  turns a profit; Rule #266: When in doubt, lie; and Rule #34: War is good for business.  Who are these folks? (
to respond to the trivia question and please be sure to include with your answer your name, company, city and time zone. Only the second four correct responses from each time zone will be listed in tomorrow’s kudo list.)

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Later — Cyn

Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis
03/01/04  5:22am
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2004

COURT TV:       The I-Zone, Forensic Files, The Investigators
ABC             ABC Premiere Event: The Mystery of Natalie Wood
CBS             Yes, Dear, Still Standing, Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami
FOX             Fox Special: American Idol: Uncut, Uncensored & Untalented, Forever Eden [p]
NBC             Fear Factor: All Female, Las Vegas, Average Joe: Hawaii [finale]
PAX             AFV, Early Edition, Diagnosis Murder
UPN             The Parkers, Eve, Girlfriends, Half & Half
WB              7th Heaven, 7th Heaven [r]
TELE            Amor Descardo, El Alma Herida, Mujeres Apasionadas
UNIV            Velo de Novia, Bajo la Misma Piel, Casos de la Vida Real

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