Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Sweeps TV

Aired April 25, 2003 - 09:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Celebrity guests, unexpected plot twisting, reunions and final farewells. It's another ratings-mad month better known as May sweeps. Last night, Fox kicked off its mega-programming period with a special showing the Michael Jackson nobody knows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: A good friend of mine who owns this mall, he has some clothes, a whole shopping mall, and he had people in there that I knew pretending that they were shopping, so I felt like it was a real environment to see in my way kind of what...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: OK, what else can we expect to see in the weeks ahead, hopefully this not the highlight, before the fun wraps up on May 21st? Laura Majewski, entertainment director of "US" weekly is here to fill us in.

All right, let's talk about this. This is going to be a huge month. Is it all hype, or are we really going to see some good stuff?

LORI MAJEWSKI, "US WEEKLY": You know, for viewers, this is a really fun time. The sweeps is a time when the networks pull out all of the stops. They want to get their viewership up, so that they can charge the most to advertisers that they possibly can. So you're going to be seeing so much fun things this month.

COLLINS: And there was something last night to start it off right away, "Will and Grace," Madonna guest starring?

MAJEWSKI: I don't know if you watched that. It was really funny, and I think not only a great move for "Will and Grace" to get such a big star like Madonna on the show, but I think it was great for Madonna. We've seen her so earnest lately, and she was actually really, really hilarious on this.

COLLINS: Really, all right, I did miss that. All right, we've got to get to all of this reality TV stuff. We just can't get enough. I got to tell you, I'm hooked on "American Idol." But we're going to see big finales coming up. Isn't their show going to be like eight hours long or something?

MAJEWSKI: It seems like that, and we would watch and love every single second of it. The thing about "American Idol," especially this season, is the people who are left over, they're not what you would consider to be your classic pop stars. So down the wire, it going to be Clay? Is it going to be Ruben? I know I'm going to be watching every second.

COLLINS: Who is your favorite?

MAJEWSKI: For me? Carmen, and she was voted off. She was just so much fun.

COLLINS: OK. We've got "Bachelor" and "Mr. Personality," with Monica Lewinsky.

MAJEWSKI: "Mr. Personality" started off kind of slow, but I really think that it's going to heat up. Here's something you might not know, those are actors, wannabe actors, who they've tried to get behind those masks. So they're going to be throwing some curveballs, who is going to be taking off the mask. I think that's really going to heat up.

COLLINS: Interesting. What about the cliffhangers, and reunions and final farewells, all of the emotions may be coming out?

MAJEWSKI: Every year, we wonder what is going to happen at the end of "Friends." And it always involves Ross and Rachel. But this year, I'm think we're going at Phoebe, too. Her ex is coming back. Are they going to be engaged? Is she going to get married? I think that's something.

And then there's also "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek," which hasn't been exciting the last couple of seasons, but for those of us who started watching it all those years ago, we want to see how it ends, we definitely want to see how it ends.

COLLINS: Yes, we do. All right, very good, Lori Majewski, entertainment director for "US Weekly," thanks so much for your insights.

MAJEWSKI: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 25, 2003 - 09:47   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Celebrity guests, unexpected plot twisting, reunions and final farewells. It's another ratings-mad month better known as May sweeps. Last night, Fox kicked off its mega-programming period with a special showing the Michael Jackson nobody knows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: A good friend of mine who owns this mall, he has some clothes, a whole shopping mall, and he had people in there that I knew pretending that they were shopping, so I felt like it was a real environment to see in my way kind of what...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: OK, what else can we expect to see in the weeks ahead, hopefully this not the highlight, before the fun wraps up on May 21st? Laura Majewski, entertainment director of "US" weekly is here to fill us in.

All right, let's talk about this. This is going to be a huge month. Is it all hype, or are we really going to see some good stuff?

LORI MAJEWSKI, "US WEEKLY": You know, for viewers, this is a really fun time. The sweeps is a time when the networks pull out all of the stops. They want to get their viewership up, so that they can charge the most to advertisers that they possibly can. So you're going to be seeing so much fun things this month.

COLLINS: And there was something last night to start it off right away, "Will and Grace," Madonna guest starring?

MAJEWSKI: I don't know if you watched that. It was really funny, and I think not only a great move for "Will and Grace" to get such a big star like Madonna on the show, but I think it was great for Madonna. We've seen her so earnest lately, and she was actually really, really hilarious on this.

COLLINS: Really, all right, I did miss that. All right, we've got to get to all of this reality TV stuff. We just can't get enough. I got to tell you, I'm hooked on "American Idol." But we're going to see big finales coming up. Isn't their show going to be like eight hours long or something?

MAJEWSKI: It seems like that, and we would watch and love every single second of it. The thing about "American Idol," especially this season, is the people who are left over, they're not what you would consider to be your classic pop stars. So down the wire, it going to be Clay? Is it going to be Ruben? I know I'm going to be watching every second.

COLLINS: Who is your favorite?

MAJEWSKI: For me? Carmen, and she was voted off. She was just so much fun.

COLLINS: OK. We've got "Bachelor" and "Mr. Personality," with Monica Lewinsky.

MAJEWSKI: "Mr. Personality" started off kind of slow, but I really think that it's going to heat up. Here's something you might not know, those are actors, wannabe actors, who they've tried to get behind those masks. So they're going to be throwing some curveballs, who is going to be taking off the mask. I think that's really going to heat up.

COLLINS: Interesting. What about the cliffhangers, and reunions and final farewells, all of the emotions may be coming out?

MAJEWSKI: Every year, we wonder what is going to happen at the end of "Friends." And it always involves Ross and Rachel. But this year, I'm think we're going at Phoebe, too. Her ex is coming back. Are they going to be engaged? Is she going to get married? I think that's something.

And then there's also "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek," which hasn't been exciting the last couple of seasons, but for those of us who started watching it all those years ago, we want to see how it ends, we definitely want to see how it ends.

COLLINS: Yes, we do. All right, very good, Lori Majewski, entertainment director for "US Weekly," thanks so much for your insights.

MAJEWSKI: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com