The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 134

Prime-Time TV Rankings Michael J. Fox Farewell Spins ABC to Victory Raymond" closed in similar fashion by easily surpassing time-period rival "Ally McBeal." By contrast, Fox's special "Opening the Tomb of the Golden Mummies" didn't unearth an inordinate amount of interest from a Nielsen standpoint. NBC inaugurated its prime-time NBA playoff coverage Friday, with viewing up 8 compared to the corresponding game a year ago but still down markedly versus 1998, when Michael Jordan was still presiding over the courts. A flurry of reruns followed the conclusion of sweeps, with CBS most effectively programming over the holiday weekend by running the films "The Pelican Brief and "Sleepless in Seatde." BRIAN LOWRY The major networks simultaneously ended the May sweeps and official TV season with a bang May 24, as Michael J. Fox's "Spin City" farewell episode climbed to that program's highest rating ever and paced ABC to its 22nd straight weekly victory, based on viewing estimates issued Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research.

The same night also saw "Law Order" and "2020" deliver season-high ratings, the latter capitalizing on "Spin's" lead-in to attract the biggest audience for any newsmagazine during the just-completed season. "NYPD Blue" finished its seventh year on an upbeat note as well, with the cop drama's highest tune-in since January, while "Everybody Loves National Nielsen Vlewershlp LizSmiih Talented Mr. Dunne Does It Again NEW YORK Well, the dynamite writer Domlnlck Dunne has latched on to yet another fabulous true-life crime tale: the story of a Canadian named Wayne Lonergan who married brewery heiress Patricia Burton back in the early 1940s. These two handsome climbers decorated the Stork Club and El Morocco, living the high life. Then Lonergan murdered his young wife, leaving her nude body in their apartment.

His trial dominated the front pages in 1943-44, and he wound up serving 22 years in jail. Dunne's article, "The Talented Mr. Lonergan," will appear in the July issue of Vanity Fair. It's a natural for TV or movie screens. Dunne reveals that the good-looking protagonist, who is shown in one of the most revealing male bathing suit shots ever, had been the lover of the wife's father before he took her down the aisle! Today would have been Marilyn Monroe's 74th birthday.

And here's the news: Next June 1, the American Movie Classics network will present a two-hour special on Monroe. The kicker for fans and cinemaphiles will be the last 28 minutes of the show a scrupulously edited version of Monroe's "Something's Got to Give" footage, the best of what she did arranged as it would have appeared on the big screen. I was always interested in this incomplete movie, from which the star was fired. We'll have to wait a year, but this is worth waiting for. Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (May 22-28) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research.

They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates that there are 260 million potential U.S. viewers age 2 and older. Viewership is listed here in millions. Program Nat- View-Program work an 90.

Hie Parkers (Tue.) UPN 2,70 91. Steve Harvey Show (9 p.m.) WB 2.65 92. Your Love WB 2.57 93. The Steve Harvey Show WB 2.45 94. "Killers In the Water UPN 2.35 95.

Popular WB 2.16 96. 7th Heaven Beginnings WB 2.12 97. The Jamie Fo Show WB 2.09 98. Secret Agent Man UPN 2.05 99. I Dare You UPN 2.03 100.

Angel WB 2.00 101. Movie Stars WB 1.82 102. Zoe WB 1.53 103. Jacks Jill WB 1.47 Bustamante Enterprises Pasadena's Largest Finest ANTIQUE SHOW SALE ft AVVA i6. ff Network Averages Here Is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

Barry Bostwick, left, and Michael J. Fox Pasadena Center Exhibition fk Conference Bldgi. 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA Enter Green or Corner of Green Euclid Hours: Friday, Saturday 12-8 pm, Sun. 12 235 Quality Dealers tare treasures furniture, art and accessories Net- View-Program work era 1. Spin City 32.76 2.

Millionaire (Thur.) ABC 26.21 3. Millionaire (Wed.) ABC 23.57 4. Millionaire (Tue.) ABC 22.56 5. Law Order NBC 19.48 6. 2020 ABC 19.16 7.

Every. Loves Raymond CBS 18.52 8. Millionaire (Sun.) ABC 18.17 9. NYPD Blue ABC 16.69 10. Becker CBS 16.05 11.

Wilis Grace NBC 15.51 12. law Order (9 p.m.) NBC 15.12 13. Judging Amy CBS 14.99 14. 2020 Downtown ABC 14.17 15. "Con Air ABC 13.24 JAG CBS 13.24 17.

Every. Loves Raymond (8:30) CBS 13.20 18. "Sleepless In Seattle" CBS 12.57 19. 48 Hours CBS 12.32 20. ER NBC 11.80 21.

King of Queens C8S 11.71 22. 60 Minutes CBS 11.46 23. Dateline NBC (tue.) NBC 11.35 24. Ally McBeal FOX 11.17 25. "The Pelican Brier CBS 11.14 26.

60 Minutes II CBS 10.90 27. Friends NBC 10.77 28. Third Watch NBC 10.63 29. lakers-Blazers (Fn.) NBC 10.57 Touched by an Angel CBS 10.57 31. Frasier NBC 10.49 32.

The Practice ABC 9.96 33. "Men in Black" NBC 9.92 34. 2020 (Fri.) ABC 9.79 35. Whose Uriels It? (8:30 p.m.) ABC 9 54 36. Jesse NBC 9.40 37.

Walker, Texas Ranger CBS 939 38. Diagnosis Murder CBS 9.36 39. Jesse (9:30 p.m.) NBC 9.27 40. Dateline NBC (Sun.) NBC 8.90 41. Friends (Wed.) NBC 8.85 42.

"Tomb Golden Mummies" FOX 8.70 43. 3rd Rock From me Sun NBC 8.29 44. That 70s Show FOX 8.09 45. The Simpsons FOX 800 46. Whose Uriels It Anyway? ABC 7.95 47.

Titus FOX 7.83 48. Malcolm in He Midole FOX 7.62 49. 48 Hours CBS 7.56 50. WWFSmacwn! UPN 7.51 51. Dateline (Fn.) NBC 7.46 52.

"Happy Gilmore" FOX 7.45 53. 7th Heaven WB 7.43 54. Early Edition CBS 7.21 55. NBATiporT(Fn.) NBC 7.13 weak todata ABC 13.67 million 14.20 CBS 10.24 12.38 NBC 9.50 12.26 FOX 6.71 8.92 UPN 3.99 3.93 WB 3.24 3.62 SAVE $1. ON EACH GENERAL ADMISSION -General Admission: $5., with this ad $4.

each Children Under 12 Free. Senior Citizens (62 years) $3. Free Return Privileges Bustamante Enterprises, Inc Box 637. Atwater, CA 95301 209-358-3134 Show Office 626-795- 4567 www.Busfamante-Shows.com 'THE SHOWS WORTH WAITING FOR- lit Southland Viewing Here are Nielsen's Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week. The rankings are based on the number of households watching.

Sta- Houa- 56. Martial Law CBS 7.10 57. Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 6.87 58. Diagnosis Murder (9 p.m.) CBS 6.74 59. "Assassins" ABC 6.64 60.

Most Amazing Videos NBC 6.48 61. Guinness World Records FOX 6.39 62. "A Kid in King Arthurs Court" ABC 6.32 63. The X-Files FOX 604 64. Making tne Band ABC 5.95 "Inherit tne Wind" NBC 5.95 Cops FOX 5.95 67.

"25 Hottest Stars Under 25" ABC 5.92 68. Greed FOX 5.87 69. Twenty One NBC 5.85 70. "The Wednesday Woman" CBS 5.76 71. King ol the Hill FOX 5.43 72.

"When Seconds Count" CBS 5.23 73. "BestTVYou'veNeverSeen" ABC 5.13 74. Dawson's Creek WB 4.83 75. "Timecop" NBC 4.77 76. Star Tret Voyager UPN 468 77.

The Parkers UPN 4.62 78. Moesna UPN 4.58 79. Angel WB 4.52 80. Buffy. the Vampire Slayer WB 4.50 81.

"Beyond Belief' FOX 4.47 82. Futurama FOX 3.98 83. "2000 Essence Awards" FOX 3.78 84. Felicity WB 3.36 85. Grownups UPN 3.35 86.

Maksim I Eddie UPN 3.16 87. Charmed WB 3.14 88. Moesharjue.) UPN 3.08 89. 7 Days UPN 3.03 SpinCity Millionaire (Thur.) Millionaire (wed.) law 4 Order (9 p.m.) Millionaire Willi Grace 2020 (Wed.) NYPD Blue Law Order Millionaire Friends KABC KABC KABC KNBC KABC KNBC KABC KABC KNBC KABC KNBC 1.224.920 926.542 868.960 858.491 816.613 764,266 696.215 696,215 675,276 633.399 633,399 Summed tfehMUafy Special Deluxe Room $69 PER ROOM FOR 1 0R 2 PERSONS SI 0 Casino Voucher 50 off Spa Experience (S25 value) lauding natural miTcralrtjtcivciiLjfiplu'yaihjLiaon. WiK-sitcmtiaiidmiitii more For resmulions call We've Got It AU! So rate per room suhjixt to SunOjt InurwJ; KxkU-s eluded iVh irvauWc to trou; or mil) othn JftuMilv Offer September 7 Los Angeles Times Archives.

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