Winfrey Stays On Top Of Daytime TV Talk
Oprah Winfrey was again the goddess of talk during the recently completed May sweeps, although the real daytime battle appears to be shaping up for the No. 2 position.
According to preliminary figures, “Sally Jessy Raphael” was the runner-up during May, though the program’s ratings are nearly half of what Winfrey averaged.
The May sweeps is a quarterly ratings period used by local stations to set future advertising rates.
Within striking distance of “Raphael”: “Maury Povich” in third and then, tied for fourth, “Montel Williams” and “Jenny Jones.”
The rest of the pack, in order: “Jerry Springer” and “Ricki Lake” (tied), (Phil) “Donahue,” “Geraldo” (Rivera) and “Rolonda” (Watts).
Seattle rock scene update
Copies of the new Foo Fighters record have been circulating among Seattle hipsters for months now. Soon the music will become available to the rest of us.
Ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl’s new band will release its debut CD July 4 on Capitol Records.
But if you can’t wait that long to hear a new Grohl record, he and former bandmate Krist Novoselic appear on a disc called “A Tiny Smelly Bit of … the Stinky Puffs” (Elemental), which recently hit stores. The four songs, featuring the Nirvanans and a 10-year-old singer named Simon Fair Timony, were recorded in summer last year in Olympia.
Pearl Jam fans might want to mark Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 on their calendars. The band is apparently eyeing those dates for shows at Seattle Center’s Memorial Stadium.
Stones making live album
The Rolling Stones recorded two shows at Amsterdam’s famed Paradiso club May 25 and 26 for a live album due out in October. The gigs were also recorded for broadcast by MTV at a later date. The Stones played to an audience of 700 fans, and the second show was relayed to screens in a square outside, where it was watched by a crowd estimated at 80,000.
Loren in ‘Grumpy Old Men 2’
Sophia Loren joins the returning cast of Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon and Ann-Margret in “Grumpy Old Men 2.” The sequel to the 1993 hit starts shooting in Minnesota in July.
Director Howard Deutch (“The Great Outdoors,” “Pretty in Pink”) will take the helm of the Warner Bros.’ triangular romantic romp, slated for a Christmas release.
About the updated plot, producer John Davis would say only “this one is funnier and better, and this time Walter (Matthau) gets the girl.” The original “Grumpy Old Men,” about two feuding neighbors (Lemmon and Matthau) whose relationship is transformed when a younger woman (Ann-Margret) enters their lives, was one of the highest-grossing comedies of the past three years.
Oprah making movies
Under a new “Oprah Winfrey Presents” banner, Harpo Films will produce six made-for-television movies over the next three years for the ABC Television Network, ABC and Harpo Entertainment Group executives announced this week.
“Oprah is committed to using film to bring quality and positive images to society,” said Jeffrey Jacobs, Harpo’s president.
Sci-Fi buys ‘Star Trek’
The original “Star Trek” series will boldly go where it has never gone before - cable. The Sci-Fi Channel has purchased the 80 original episodes of the series that has been a staple of syndicated TV since it went off NBC in 1969.