newsmakers

newsmakers

Football, other fancy footwork rule ratings

NEW YORK

Whether on the gridiron or the dance floor, fancy footwork ruled in the ratings last week.

NBC’s Thanksgiving Day NFL clash between Pittsburgh and Baltimore seized the top spot in prime time with 21 million viewers, while other football games and related sportscasts took four more of the Top 10 slots.

ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” ranked fifth and sixth for the week, according to figures released by the Nielsen company.

And the zombies of “The Walking Dead” claimed 10th place, scaring up 12 million viewers for AMC.

For the week of Nov. 25-Dec. 1, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: NFL Football Thanksgiving Special: Pittsburgh at Baltimore, NBC, 21.07 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 18.09 million; NFL Football: NY Giants at Washington, NBC, 17.75 million; NFL Thursday Post-Game, Oakland at Dallas, CBS, 17.47 million; “Dancing With the Stars Special” (Tuesday), ABC, 14.75 million; “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 14.61 million; NFL Football: San Francisco at Washington, ESPN, 13.16 million; NFL Thanksgiving Pre-Kick, NBC, 12.67 million; “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 12.32 million; “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 12.05 million.

Bashir leaves MSNBC over graphic remarks

NEW YORK

MSNBC host Martin Bashir resigned from the network Wednesday, nearly three weeks after making graphic remarks on his show about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

“I deeply regret” the comments, Bashir said in a statement. “It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.”

His resignation, effective immediately, was accepted by MSNBC president Phil Griffin, who in a statement thanked him “for three great years” with the network.

The uproar began last month with a remark the former vice presidential candidate made comparing the United States’ indebtedness to China with slavery.

Bashir criticized Palin and her “long-diseased mind” after playing video of her speech about China. He told the story of Thomas Thistlewood, a former overseer at a plantation who described in diaries how he dealt with wayward slaves by, in one case, having another slave defecate in the mouth of the miscreant. In another case, someone urinated in the face of a slave being punished.

“When Mrs. Palin invokes slavery,” Bashir said, “she doesn’t just prove her rank ignorance, she confirms [that] if anyone truly qualifies for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, then she would be the outstanding candidate.”

Bashir apologized days later. But the controversy continued to rage.

Associated Press