Another Precinct Heard From: Rosie Weighs In on 'American Idol'

"American Idol" clocked another 37 million viewers in its second night back on the air -- the singing competition's biggest-ever Wednesday audience, which is something considering that the finales air on Wednesdays. Nights one and two of the sixth season of "Idol" have now delivered the show's two biggest audiences ever.
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Understandably, Rosie O'Donnell of ABC's "The View" wanted a little of that ratings action. So she made Wednesday night's episode of "Idol," in which the judges pilloried lousy auditioners, the subject of her Thursday morning "View" sermon.

First, they showed a clip of one Kenneth Briggs, age 23, whose performance was among the worst. Briggs looked like Peter Lorre, or, as "Idol" judge Simon Cowell noted, a bush baby.

Simon: "You look a little odd. Your dancing is terrible. The singing was horrendous and you look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes. What are they called -- bush baby?"
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Paula: "Simon, you are sick."

Randy: "Simon, you're crazy."

(Rosie forgot to include the clip in which Paula told Briggs:"I think you're awesome. Not right for this competition, but I think you're awesome." But that's life.)

"That's compassion for you," Rosie scowled after the clip aired. "Isn't that what America thinks is entertainment, to make fun of someone's physical appearance and then, when they leave the room, laugh hysterically at them? Three millionaires. One probably intoxicated."
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Rosie called it "so sad."

"Who, Simon?" asked "View" colleague Joy Behar. "The whole thing, it's terribly sad to me," she said, as visions of double-digit ratings increases danced in her head.

"If you keep serving people crap and telling them it's a meal, they're eventually going to think that it's a meal," Rosie continued. She assailed the humiliation of "people who are obviously not capable to make a decision on whether or not they're strong enough to handle national humiliation."
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The "American Idol" process, Rosie proclaimed, " is to ridicule people who are mentally unstable."

We're not sure where Rosie got the inside track on Briggs's mental health. She did not elaborate.

Former "Idol" contestant Kellie Pickler, who was on "The View" that morning, explained contestants are "very aware of exactly what you're getting into. I mean, you've watched the show before. This year is not going to be any different than next year. You know what you're doing when you get into it."
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Fox declined to respond to Rosie's sermon.

* * *

Lucky CBS got to make its pitch to the press at Winter TV Press Tour 2007 the day "Idol's" second-day numbers came in, leading one reporter to ask CBS suits on stage, "Other than sending in a plucky band of rebels, what can you do" about "the death star" that is "American Idol"?

"We're kind of lucky in a way that our shows -- they're not 'Idol'-proof, but maybe kind of 'Idol'-resistant," CBS scheduling guru Kelly Kahl said, pointing to the fact that "NCIS" held on to 95 percent of its normal ratings against the first night of "Idol's" sixth season this week.

" 'Criminal Minds' did very well last night. So our shows hang in there okay. The other guys kind of get . . . vaporized."
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"There's always the hope that the next iteration of 'American Idol' will show some weakness," said Nancy Tellem, head of the whole CBS entertainment ball of wax, adding wistfully, "Clearly it hasn't happened."

CBS has this year's Super Bowl broadcast and recently announced it would air an episode of its perv-tastic crime drama "Criminal Minds" in the best time slot of the year for a scripted series -- immediately following the game.

"Criminal Minds" stars Mandy Patinkin as the head of an elite team of profilers who try to catch serial killers before they strike again. In its sophomore season, its ratings are the fastest growing of any series on TV.
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Critics wanted to know how "grim" the episode will be or whether it would be "lighter than usual" because CBS did not want to bring people down on what's a celebratory night.

CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler started to tap-dance, while seated:

"I think the interesting thing about 'Criminal Minds' [is] people are drawn into this show because I think they like the suspense. They really like being scared and they also like knowing at the end, the bad guy is going to get caught and the heroes ride away on the white horses."

Later, during a "Criminal Minds" Q&A session, executive producer Ed Bernero said James Van Der Beek will play a killer in the postgame episode. "He's posting videos of the killings on the Internet. And people's response to it is 'Wow, that's really cool.' "
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Even Bernero confessed that he finds some of the material on the Internet troublesome: "This Saddam Hussein hanging went around viral like it was a comedy show or something."

Speaking of CBS and the Super Bowl, one critic reminded the CBS suits that Justin Timberlake "embarrassed the network, probably cost you a fortune in money, even if you never have to pay the fines."

He was of course referring to Timberlake's bodice-ripping performance with Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl halftime show the last time CBS aired the game. The FCC has slapped CBS stations with record fines, which the network is contesting.
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"The repercussions of his irresponsibilities hurt the entire industry," said the critic, yet CBS gave him a platform on "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show." "You're giving him a bigger one on the Grammys. What's the message here?"

Here, in its entirety, is Tassler's response:

"What is the message? Well, look, as far as Justin Timberlake is concerned -- and obviously as we're looking ahead to the Grammys, we also have to look at his popularity as well. Certainly he's prominent in the Grammys. You know, when we look back at what happened a few years ago, yeah, it did have repercussions. And as far as behaving punitively towards Justin Timberlake, I think that he also had to kind of respond to a lot of criticism in connection with that event. But we move forward."
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