To prep for his March 2 takeover of NBC's Late Night, Jimmy Fallon is turning to the only people who truly understand the challenge ahead: other talk show hosts.
"I just recently ran into Rosie O'Donnell at a Paul Simon concert and she said, 'Who's doing your test shows?' … She said, 'I'll do one.' I thought that was so nice of her. So she's gonna come on next Thursday and do a show."
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Christmas has come early. Just days after her Rosie Live! turned up DOA in the Nielsens (as well as in countless critics and viewers' notebooks), Rosie O'Donnell has written off her NBC variety show as a one-trick pony.
Ro wrote in her blog, "there will b no more," responding to one fan's inquiry as to the possibility of follow-up variety shows in 2009. Alluding to "no ratings" and "bad reviews" ...
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Herewith is the ratings recap for Wednesday. (In a nutshell: Lotsa people were busy cooking.)
8 pm/ET
Bones topped the hour with 9.76 million total viewers (down nine percent week-to-week). Placing second, Old Christine (7.6 mil) and Gary Unmarried (7.72 mil) each dipped about 500 thousand.
Rosie O'Donnell's variety special — which by several accounts was disappointing/excruciating — drummed up just 5.04 mil, effectively giving Ro's arch rival, Barbara Walters, bragging rights for the night (see: 10 pm). It also goes to prove that little good ever came from trumpeting, "Ladies and gentleman, Gloria Estefan... and Rachael Ray!" Pushing Daisies dropped another eight percent, to hit 4.45 mil.
9 pm
Criminal Minds (14 million viewers) and Private Practice (6.22 mil, and yes, Grant Show will be back) each fell 13 percent.
10 pm
CSI: NY (12.16 mil) edged out Barbara Walters' non-dirty, non-sexy sit-down with the Obamas (11.65 mil). Law & Order was a distant third, with 6.26 mil.
There will be no ratings report for Thursday night. Many apologies to those who woke up this morning anxious to know if Click beat this week's second broadcast of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
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If the TV variety format weren't already dead, the ghastly ego trip of NBC's Thanksgiving-eve turkey Rosie Live would surely have killed it. Like the pie Alec Baldwin predictably pushed into Conan O'Brien's face that fell to the floor without sticking, the entire hour landed with a sickening, sad, ill-conceived thud. It felt like an off night at America's Got Talent, bookended by wobbly appearances from Liza Minnelli and Gloria Estefan, each forced to perform with the caterwauling host, Rosie O'Donnell.
The low point? There were so many ...
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Rosie O'Donnell says not to expect any politics or arguing on her upcoming variety show, Rosie Live. O'Donnell says she talked about contentious issues on The View because it was part of her job. But on her variety show, set to air on NBC at 8 pm/ET on the night before Thanksgiving, her only job is "to give people an hour to forget about their troubles," she says.
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