Home
TUBE TALK With ABC having failed to lure the CBS comedian, it's reportedly still trying to land a comic who'll draw coveted younger viewers to its late-night programming. The Los Angeles Times reports that the network is courting Jimmy Kimmel, co-host of Comedy Central's ''The Man Show,'' for a program that would replace Bill Maher's ''Politically Incorrect'' at 12:05 a.m. Maher's show also originated on Comedy Central, and while it's not exactly a serious discussion of issues, Kimmel's work makes ''PI'' look like, well, ''Nightline.'' A decision is likely soon, since ABC is scheduled to unveil its fall lineup to advertisers next Tuesday. Neither Kimmel nor ABC would comment on any talks between the two parties, but Maher's manager, Mark Gurvitz, who feels ABC has done little to support ''PI,'' had some choice words for the network. ''They have no clue how to nurture a late-night franchise, and I wish Jimmy Kimmel the best of luck -- he's going to need it,'' Gurvitz told the Times. In any cast, Kimmel's usual fare -- beer-drinking guys, voluptuous women jumping up and down -- shouldn't be too big a stretch for the network that brought you ''The Drew Carey Show'' and ''The Bachelor.''...
A three-hour TV movie in the works about former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani has found a home at NBC, which wants to ready it for next February's sweeps period. It's based on the book ''Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City,'' by TV reporter Andrew Kirtzman of the city's NY1 cable news channel. It's also in a race with a similar developing project on USA, an adaptation of the less flattering ''Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani,'' by Village Voice reporter Wayne Barrett. Both movies have courted James Woods to star; other names NBC is reportedly looking at: John Turturro and Robert Duvall, who has 13 years on Giuliani. A third Rudy movie, HBO's documentary ''In Memoriam 9/11/01,'' which followed his actions in the days after Sept. 11, is to air on May 26....
As part of his current return to stand-up comedy, Robin Williams has signed to do his first solo TV special in 15 years. ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway'' will show the ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' star performing at the former longtime home of ''Miss Saigon,'' New York's Broadway Theatre. The show will air live on July 14 on HBO. ...
NBC, boosted by stars both new (the casts ''ER'' and ''Friends'') and old (the superannuated folks who showed for its self-congratulatory nostalgia special on Sunday), won the Nielsen ratings race this week, averaging 15 million viewers. Still, second-place CBS (12.1 million) boasted the week's top program. ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' was the most-watched show of the week (26.2 million viewers) for the eighth time this season. ABC wasn't nearly as successful with its own attempt at NBC nostalgia, its biopic, ''It's Always Something: The Gilda Radner Story.'' The film drew 9 million viewers, a million less than the pre-film clip show of Radner sketches. Overall, the network came in third with an average 8.3 million viewers. Fox was fourth with 7.5 million, followed by the WB (4.2 million) and UPN (3.7 million).
BABY TALK Lucy Lawless gave birth to a warrior princeling on Tuesday at her home in Auckland, New Zealand. Judah Miro Tapert (weight: 8 pounds, 8 ounces) is the second child for Lawless and her husband, producer Rob Tapert; they have another boy, Julius, 2. The artist formerly known as Xena also has a 13-year-old daughter, Daisy, from a previous marriage.
