NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Football dominates the TV ratings, helping Sean Penn

NEW YORK

Football dominated the past week in the television ratings – and Sean Penn was among the beneficiaries.

The Nielsen company said Sunday’s edition of CBS’ “60 Minutes” was seen by 20.6 million viewers, its largest audience since a post-election interview with President-elect Barack Obama in 2008. The show opened with a Lesley Stahl report on Chinese corporate espionage, and featured Charlie Rose’s interview with Sean Penn about his conversation with Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The news show was handed a strong lead-in audience, with more than 30 million people watching the NFL playoff game between Pittsburgh and Denver.

Arizona’s thrilling overtime victory over Green Bay on Saturday night was the week’s most-popular prime-time program with 33.7 million viewers, Nielsen said.

CBS won the week in prime time, averaging 10.6 million viewers. NBC had 9.6 million, Fox had 4.2 million, ABC had 3.9 million, Univision had 2.2 million, Telemundo had 1.6 million, ION Television had 1.3 million and the CW had 1.2 million.

Prosecutor: Cosby wants special treatment

NORRISTOWN, Pa.

Prosecutors pursuing sex-assault charges against Bill Cosby say he wants special treatment in trying to have the case thrown out even before the first evidence hearing.

In a response to Cosby’s motion to dismiss the case, suburban Philadelphia prosecutors alleged that Cosby may have been “committing similar crimes for decades and getting away with it, all over the country, using his celebrity and fortune to avoid the consequences.”

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele also said Wednesday that there was no valid agreement to never prosecute the comedian, as a former prosecutor claimed. Former District Attorney Bruce Castor is expected to testify next month for the defense that he made the deal to persuade Cosby to testify in the accuser’s 2005 civil lawsuit.

Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill has scheduled a Feb. 2 hearing on the defense motion to dismiss the criminal case. Cosby has not yet entered a plea, and his lawyer did not immediately return a call to comment Wednesday. In his deposition, Cosby called his feelings toward the accuser “romantic” and their encounter that night in January 2004 consensual.

Associated Press