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In the news
Compiled from Times wires Aerosmith, Kid Rock coming to Ice PalaceAerosmith and Kid Rock will appear at Tampa's Ice Palace on Oct. 17. Tickets ($44.75-$80.75) go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at the box office (813) 223-1000 or Ticketmaster (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100. Fox: Viewers will choose 'American Idol' winner NEW YORK -- Barring a catastrophic failure of Fox's phone-in voting system, TV viewers, not show producers, will still decide the winner of American Idol, the network said Tuesday. Fox responded to newspaper reports that contestants on the show that promises to deliver the next big pop star had to sign a contract agreeing that producers could ultimately decide the winner or change the rules in midstream. The contract's standard legal language protects producers of the hit summer reality series if something unforeseen happens, network spokesman Joe Earley said. American Idol has grown in popularity as it approaches its climax. The editions last week were among the four most-watched prime-time shows of the week, according to Nielsen Media Research. A record 14.5-million phone calls were made last week to decide which contestant would be voted out of the contest. Four contestants are left -- Kelly Clarkson, Tamyra Gray, Justin Guarini and Nikki McKibbin -- and one will be ejected tonight after their performances Tuesday night. Voters will decide the winner after the final two contestants perform Sept. 3; Fox will announce the victor Sept. 4. 'Mole' returning to ABCThe Mole is sneaking back onto the ABC schedule, and preproduction is under way on both a celebrity edition and a third regular-people edition of the whodunit reality show, according to Variety. The six-week celebrity edition would likely air in January or March of next year; the regular version would air over nine weeks next summer. Despite airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. opposite Fox's smash American Idol, Mole 2 still managed to rate well with younger viewers. Among viewers 18-34, it was ABC's top-rated series of the summer. Pilot sues movie studio, Discovery ChannelA downed U.S. pilot who emerged as a hero after escaping from Bosnia has sued 20th Century Fox and the Discovery Channel, claiming they made unauthorized productions of his ordeal. Scott O'Grady alleges the commercial value of his name and identity have been damaged irreparably by the 2001 movie Behind Enemy Lines, which starred Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, and a related TV drama. The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Texarkana, Texas. Flo Grace, a spokeswoman for 20th Century Fox, said the studio was taken aback by the lawsuit. "At the time of release, Mr. Grady's public comment acknowledged that the movie was not his story," Grace said. Telephone messages left with the Discovery Channel weren't immediately returned Tuesday. A Discovery Channel TV show, Behind Enemy Lines: The Scott O'Grady Story, aired several times from 1998 to 2001. Priestly recovering, out of intensive careActor Jason Priestley was moved out of intensive care Tuesday and his condition was upgraded to stable as he recovers from a crash during an Aug. 11 car race. "He continues to make a solid, speedy recovery," Methodist Hospital spokesman Jon Mills said. The 32-year-old former Beverly Hills 90210 star was hurt when his car spun out of control at 180 mph and hit the wall at the Kentucky Speedway during practice for the Infiniti Pro Series, a developmental circuit for the Indy Racing League.
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From the wire |
