CBS Mobile is launching this week a cell-phone game based on CSI: Miami. I imagine it's like Donkey Kong, but instead of barrels you jump little flipping sunglasses.... Producer Mark Gordon (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Army Wives) has inked a new deal to stay put at ABC Studios through 2011.... Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are among the performers lined up thus far for the CMA Awards, airing Nov. 7 on ABC.... Brokeback Mountain writer Annie Proulx has greenlit an opera about those two frisky cowpokes.... The ratings people have begun beta-testing "Hey! Nielsen," an online forum in which TV enthusiasts can express their views.
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CNN is planning to cancel the low-rated Paula Zahn Now, says Variety, perhaps filling the 8 pm time slot with a news program anchored by NBC's Campbell Brown, if a deal can be worked out.... The 41st Annual Country Music Association Awards will air Nov. 7 on ABC.... DVD release dates have been set for Taxi Driver: Limited Collector's Edition (Aug. 14) and Dane Cook: The Lost Pilots (featuring two never-aired comedy pilots starring you-know-who, Aug. 21).
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Responding to claims that she had an adverse (if not outright rude) reaction to Carrie Underwood being named female vocalist of the year at Monday night's CMA Awards — the people's Exhibit A, which can be found at YouTube, clearly shows Hill exclaiming, "What?!" — Faith Hill asserts that she did not undermine Underwood. "The idea that I would act disrespectful towards a fellow musician is unimaginable to me," Hill says in a statement to the AP. "For this to become a focus of attention given the talent gathered is utterly ridiculous. Carrie is a talented and deserving [winner]." In light of Hill's "I was just pretending" stance, NATAS has proactively nominated her for an Emmy. Gonna be tough to beat.
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Monday's ratings stories of note:— ABC's presentation of the Country Music Awards averaged 15.9 million total viewers for the night, besting all comers 'cept the 10 o'clock hour's CSI: Miami (16.5 mil).— How I Met Your Mother (8.43 million) dipped a full 1.3 mil from its last fresh outing (which, to be fair, was its second best of the season), while lead-out The Class (7.7 mil) had another 400K absentees.— Fox's Prison Break (8.62 mil) was down 300,000, and lead-out Justice (5.81 mil) slipped 700K.— After two weeks of record highs, Heroes came back to earth with 14.33 million viewers, down 400-thou from last week.— Welcomed back by an audience of 7.78 mil, Studio 60 was up a tick from its last outing, but shy of the 8.29 mil Friday Night Lights tackled as an Oct. 30 fill-in.
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