Griffiths gives the ‘Under’ over on ‘Sopranos’
Outspoken actress Rachel Griffiths (left), who plays funky Brenda on “Six Feet Under,” takes a shot at fellow HBO stablemate “The Sopranos” in the March issue of W magazine (on newsstands tomorrow).
“I’ll stay as long as [creator] Alan [Ball] is there, because without the depth of his imagination, it wouldn’t be as exciting.
“But I hope we ride it out at a strong point,” she says. “These shows have a natural arc, and I think even ‘The Sopranos’ should have ended after the fourth year.” “Six Feet Under” returns Sunday, March 2 on HBO.
That’s Conrad B-A-I-N!
No one ever called former “Diff’rent Strokes” star Conrad Bain outspoken – but he was forced to SPEAK LOUDLY this week while shopping at Snyder-Diamond, a high-end bath and kitchen store in Santa Monica, Calif. Bain was at the register, trying to buy some stuff, and he had to spell out his last name, letter by letter – loudly – to a cashier who couldn’t quite hear him (and who had no idea who he was).
Bain, by the way, was wearing two different athletic shoes, according to someone who witnessed the surreal scene.
Jacko: It’s ABC vs. ITV for viewers
If ratings for the Michael Jackson documentary that aired Monday in England are any indication, ABC is in for a big night tonight when “PrimeTime” delivers its report on Jackson’s plastic surgery (see Linda Stasi’s review, page 79).
“Living with Michael Jackson” snared 14.1 million viewers on ITV – which is saying something, since it notched more eyeballs than England’s World Cup soccer matchups last summer (and we know how popular football is across the pond).
In “Living,” ITV reporter Martin Bashir followed Jacko around for several months, getting exclusive access to the usually reclusive star.
In other ratings news, “Blind Date” averaged a robust 2.4 (175,000 hhs) on Ch. 9 (midnight) last Thursday and Friday; “Judge Judy” (4 p.m./Ch. 4) hit a season-high 5.9 million hhs nationally for the week of Jan. 20 (beating “Oprah”); and Tuesday’s “Crossing Over with John Edward” (2-3 p.m./Ch. 5) notched the station’s highest 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ratings (153,000 hhs).
This just in . . .
Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim All-Star Extravaganza” will air after the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 9 (11 p.m. on TNT).
Cris Judd, J.Lo’s most recent husband, is joining the cast of ABC’s “I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!”
Among the attendees Feb. 24 to see Robert Wright receive his Golden Mike Award (Broadcasters Foundation) at The Plaza: Lilly Tartikoff, Conan O’Brien, Jane Hanson, Liz Claman.
At Metro Fish restaurant: “As the World Turns” star Terri Colombo celebrating her birthday and hubby Arthur Colombino’s new movie, “Long Story Short,” bowing soon.
In light of the Columbia Shuttle tragedy, Fox has pulled to morrow’s “John Doe” episode – in which an astronaut falls from the sky – and replaced it with “Fastlane” (9 p.m.).
We neglected to point out, in our story on black TV viewership, that UPN had four of the top 10 shows in black households (“One on One,” “Girlfriends,” “Half and Half” and “The Parkers”).