In the news

Mottola leaves Sony to start label

Sony Music chairman and chief executive Tommy Mottola, who was responsible for building the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and other superstars, announced Thursday he was leaving the company to start his own music label.

The departure ends Mottola's 14-year tenure at Sony, though the new label is being created in partnership with Sony. Mottola joined the company when it was CBS Records in 1987. Sony is letting him out of his contract two years early.

"I have been thinking about taking up this new challenge for about a year, and really made the decision to go forward only recently," Mottola, 52, said.

There is no name yet for Mottola's new company. He is not expected to bring any Sony artists to his new venture.

A replacement for Mottola is expected to be named within the next few days, Sony said in a statement.

Viewers still dig reality TV

For those wondering why network TV keeps cranking out reality shows, Wednesday's debut of The Bachelorette on ABC provided the explanation, snaring 17.4-million viewers nationwide to become the second most-watched show of the night.

While NBC's Law & Order won the night with 19.6-million viewers, The Bachelorette vanquished its direct rival, The West Wing, which drew only 14-million viewers at 9 p.m. The two other reality shows that debuted Wednesday also did well, with CBS's Star Search drawing 13.8-million viewers at 8 p.m. and ABC's Celebrity Mole Hawaii attracting 10.7-million people at 10 p.m.

Locally, the youth-oriented reality shows didn't do nearly as well, with The Bachelorette drawing just 10 percent of the area's available audience, compared with West Wing's 16 percent. (Star Search won 16 percent of homes watching TV; Celebrity Mole drew about 8 percent.)

Law & Order was the most-watched show in primetime Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area, attracting 26 percent of the available audience at 10 p.m. on WFLA.

Among the younger viewers advertisers covet, Bachelorette beat Law & Order and The West Wing nationally, drawing 20 percent of the available audience aged 18 to 49 -- a rating higher than the debuts of the first two editions of The Bachelor last year.

Genderwise, 27 percent of The Bachelorette's audience age 18 and higher was male, more than previous Bachelor installments. (Fox's Joe Millionaire debut Monday drew an even higher percentage; 35 percent of its viewers age 18 and older were male.)

Dixie Chicks to sing national anthem at Super Bowl

Country superstars the Dixie Chicks will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl Jan. 26 in San Diego. The trio was this week nominated for four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and is one of pop music's most successful acts.

Home, the Dixie Chicks' bluegrass-tinged third album, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and sold more than 1.3-million copies in its first week.

Still, it's The Star-Spangled Banner.

"Anyone who tells you there's no pressure to sing the national anthem "live' to one of the biggest television audiences on the planet is not telling the truth," said band member Emily Robison in a statement. "Sure, I'm a little nervous, but we're really excited and honored for the privilege."

Fire damages 'West Wing' set

A faulty overhead light ignited a fire on the Burbank, Calif., set of NBC's Emmy-winning White House drama The West Wing Thursday, prompting an evacuation of the Warner Bros. soundstage.

Sprinklers doused the flames as about 100 people fled the building, Burbank Fire Marshal David Starr said. There were no reports of injuries.

Shortly after 8 a.m., a halogen light burst, sprinkling flaming material onto a layer of muslin that diffuses the illumination, Starr said. Sprinklers contained the flames until firefighters arrived to extinguish them.

-- Staff and wire reports

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright