TV Ratings and Celebrity Gossip

From Jim Carnegie at TVBR (Mail to:tvbr1@tvbrepaper.com)...

Fox nailing down 18-49 demo
The continued strong performance of "American Idol" is solidifying Fox's hold on the 18-49 demo for the 2004-'05 season to date. Fox has now moved to a 4.1 rating and 11 share in the money demo, while still running fourth in household numbers. Chart

Justin Louis to play The Donald
Does he look like a young Donald Trump? Actor Justin Louis, best known for the Lifetime network drama "1-800-MISSING" has been cast to play the real estate mogul turned NBC reality TV star in an ABC made-for-TV movie based on the book "Donald Trump: Master Apprentice" by Gwenda Blair, with the working title "Ambition." The TV movie will focus on Trump's life from the 1970s, when he began to build his empire, to the turbulent time - - both in his business and personal life - - of the early '90s. Katheryn Winnick had already been cast to play his ex-wife, Ivana. The e! xecutive producers of "Ambition" are Barbara Lieberman, Dan Lux, Vin Di Bona, Jorg Westerkamp and Michael Hagemeyer. The director is John David Coles, and the teleplay is by Keith Curran. The made-for-TV-movie is produced by Barbara Lieberman Productions in association with D. Lux-Di Bona Productions and Apollo ProMovie.

NBC Wings it for year seven
Confirming several days of speculation, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly says "The West Wing" has been renewed for a 7th season. That will bring the plot twist of a new election as characters played by Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits seek the Oval Office that's been occupied by Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet since the show's debut in 1999. NBC has also given renewals to "Joey," "Crossing Jordan" and "Las Vegas," plus it's extended "ER" through the 2007-'08 season.

Arthel Neville joins "A Current Affair"
TV host and veteran broadcast journalist Arthel Neville has joined 20th Television's "A Current Affair" as West Coast correspondent, it was announced today by Peter Brennan, the program's creator and executive producer. The news magazine show hosted by Tim Green will premiere in first-run syndication 3/21. Neville joins "A Current Affair's" team of correspondents of Michel James Bryant, Harris Faulkner and Tina Malave, all of whom joined the program earlier this month. Most recently, Neville was co-host of the daily talk show "Good Day Live." A veteran journalist ! and television personality, Neville began her career with KVUE-TV in Austin during her junior year at The University of Texas. The first African American female reporter at the local ABC affiliate, her general assignment beat took her to the streets of Austin covering live breaking news, politics, education, health and human-interest stories. Also the first African American female to have her own show on CNN, Neville brought more than two decades of experience to "Talk Back Live with Arthel Neville," where she reported on and participated in live, in-depth discussions on issues making worldwide headlines. A New Orleans native, she also anchored "CNN Headline News" from its Atlanta and NYC bureaus.