April 25, 2005 in Features

Nick, Jessica entertain troops on ABC special

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Their MTV series is done, but ABC is hoping that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson haven’t faded from the public consciousness yet.

On May 23, the network will unveil the celebrity couple’s third variety-show special, “Nick & Jessica’s Tour of Duty.” As the title implies, the focus will be on entertaining U.S. troops stationed overseas.

The two-hour special comes about two months after “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” ended its run on MTV. Lachey is working on another series for the cable network that will focus on his music career.

Both of the couple’s previous specials have done well in the ratings. “The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour” drew close to 11.5 million viewers in April 2004, and “Nick & Jessica’s Family Christmas” brought in an audience of 12.4 million in December.

“Tour of Duty” will feature appearances by Willie Nelson, country stars Big & Rich, Jimmy Kimmel, Brian McKnight and Lachey’s brother Drew. ABC also says Simpson and Lachey will deliver “emotional surprises from home” to some of the troops.

Donovan sails back to ‘O.C.’

Jimmy Cooper is headed back to “The O.C.”

Tate Donovan, who left the Fox show and his Cooper character midway through this season, is returning as a guest star in the season finale on May 19.

The network isn’t saying a whole lot about the circumstances under which Jimmy comes back from his self-imposed exile in Hawaii. The advance copy for the episode states that he’s “worried about Marissa and his family (and) rushes home to Newport Beach.”

Donovan’s last appearance on the show came in January, when Jimmy took off for Hawaii after his daughter Marissa (Mischa Barton) caught him in flagrante delicto with his ex-wife, Julie (Melinda Clarke). His decision to leave devastated Marissa, who’s been acting out ever since.

‘Martha’ movie shelved

CBS, which had planned to air two movies about blond women involved in famous recent criminal cases during May sweeps, has cut that number in half.

The network has pulled its Martha Stewart biopic, “Martha: Behind Bars,” from its previously announced berth on May 25. In its place will go the true-crime story “Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution,” about Scott Peterson’s former girlfriend and her involvement in his murder case.

The Stewart movie, which stars Cybill Shepherd as the recently sprung lifestyle guru (a role Shepherd played previously in a 2003 NBC movie), doesn’t yet have a new airdate.

“Witness for the Prosecution,” starring Janel Moloney (“The West Wing”), had been scheduled to air May 22 – opposite the season finales of ABC’s ratings monsters “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Now its first hour will air opposite the season finales of Fox’s “American Idol” and ABC’s “Lost.”

ABC plays ‘Trump’ card

ABC, meanwhile, is stepping in to fill the billionaire-biopic void.

“Trump Unauthorized” will air May 24 at 9 p.m. Justin Louis (“Hidden Hills,” “Missing”) will star as real-estate mogul-turned-reality TV star Donald Trump, with Katheryn Winnick (“The It Factor”) playing his first wife, Ivana.

That means “Blind Justice,” which occupies the 10 p.m. Tuesday spot for ABC, will have its season finale pushed into the summer. It’s scheduled to end on June 7.

NBC shuffles shows

If you’re hoping to catch the season finales of both “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Alias” next month, you’ll have to do some recording.

“Criminal Intent” is one of three NBC series whose final episodes will move out of their regular time periods. “The Contender” and “Will & Grace” also will move, although the latter will still air on its regular night, Thursday.

Had they not moved, “The Contender” and “Criminal Intent” would have ended their seasons May 22, opposite ABC’s powerhouse Sunday night lineup.

“The Contender” will still face some stiff competition for its two-hour finale on May 24 at 8 p.m. In those same two hours, Fox will air the final performance episode of “American Idol” and the season finale of “House,” while CBS has the finale of “NCIS,” a top-20 show.

“Criminal Intent” will end its season at 10 p.m. May 25, opposite the season finale of “Alias” on ABC and the second hour of CBS’ Amber Frey movie.

The “Will & Grace” finale, set for May 19, will move up a half-hour to 8 p.m. The normal occupant of that time slot, “Joey,” wraps up on May 12.

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