SPEAKING OF NIELSEN...

Thanks to a visit from Dr. Phil and injured snowboarder Tara Dakides, David Letterman's Late Show scored a rare victory over The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday. Leno is still expected to win the week, which just baffles me. Meanwhile, more than 14 million people helped Oprah Winfrey celebrate her 50th birthday on Jan. 29, making it the most-watched Oprah episode in more than a decade. By the way, if you missed Saturday Night Live's spoof of "Oprah's Favorite Things — the Birthday Edition" this weekend, find someone who has it on tape. I laughed so hard that Diet Raspberry Snapple shot out, well... you know the drill.

TV GuideNews Feb. 11, 2004 at 12:00 a.m. PT