'Longmire' hunts down a ratings record for A&E

There's a new sheriff in town — and he tracked down some high ratings for A&E Sunday night.

"Longmire," starring Australian actor Robert Taylor as a charismatic Wyoming lawman, delivered 4.1 million total viewers Sunday night, according to Nielsen. That makes it A&E's most-watched scripted series premiere ever as well as the top cable drama launch of 2012.

"Longmire's" lead-in, the Season 3 rollout of the detective drama "The Glades," gathered 3.1 million total viewers, up 19% compared with the Season 2 average. 

What did you think of the "Longmire" premiere?

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— Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Robert Taylor stars in A&E's new drama "Longmire." Credit: A&E.

'Game of Thrones' season finale hits new ratings high

A new record has come to Westeros with Sunday's ratings for "Game of Thrones."

The Season 2 finale of HBO's fantasy series revealed the show's growing popularity, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in to the 9 p.m. broadcast, according to Nielsen. That set a new high mark for the series and was up a strong 38% compared with last year's Season 1 finale.

HBO said an additional 910,000 viewers turned up for a repeat at 11:10 p.m.

Overall, "Game of Thrones" has averaged 10.4 million viewers this season including regular broadcasts, video-on-demand, the network's HBO Go online service and DVRs. 

Meanwhile, HBO's political comedy "Veep," with Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a harried, frequently disrespected vice president, delivered 1.2 million viewers at 10:10 p.m., for that show's second most-watched original episode so far.

Right after that, the critically acclaimed urban comedy "Girls" hit a series high with 1.1 million viewers.

What did you think of "Game of Thrones" and the rest of HBO's Sunday lineup?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Emilia Clarke plays Daenerys on HBO's "Game of Thrones." Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO

'Hatfields & McCoys': Just how hot were those record ratings?

“Hatfields & McCoys” fired off its last rounds with another ratings record. But it was nothin' compared with the old days of broadcast TV.

History’s three-part miniseries about the 19^th century clan feud starring Kevin Costner, Tom Berenger and Bill Paxton drew 14.3 million total viewers for its final episode Wednesday, making it the most-watched scripted entertainment program in the history of basic cable TV, according to Nielsen.

In fact, all three parts of the miniseries now occupy the Top 3 spots in the cable record books. Monday’s premiere drew 13.9 million, while Tuesday’s middle chapter gathered a clan of 13.1 million.

Cable networks such as HBO now dominate miniseries, which broadcasters have all but abandoned. But records aside, the numbers are much lower these days than in the format’s glory days. The 1977 finale of ABC’s historical epic “Roots,” for example, was seen by more than 36 million viewers.

What did you think of the "Hatfields" finale? Would you like to see it as a series?

— Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Tom Berenger in History's "Hatfields & McCoys." Credit: Chris Large / History.

'Hatfield & McCoys' ratings stay high as fans choose sides

History's smash-hit miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys" has fans choosing sides all over again -- this time with hashtags instead of buckshot. 

On Tuesday, the second installment of the miniseries about the 19th century family feud starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton drew 13.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. That's only a slight drop compared with the enormous 13.9 million for Chapter 1 on Monday, and "Hatfields" retained all of its viewers among adults ages 25 to 54.

Because very few programs match their premiere ratings -- first nights always include curiosity-seekers and the fickle -- the "Hatfields" score is impressive indeed. The miniseries ends Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, fans are already choosing sides in social media, with the Twitter hashtags #teamhatfield (for the family headed by Costner) and #teammccoy (Paxton's side) surging in popularity. In so doing, they've rearticulated an infamous clan war into something akin to a modern sporting contest.

Take, for example, @mickshaffer, who tweeted: "Devil Anse has shown he won't mess with the McCoys unless they mess with him. #TeamHatfield."

Countered @micks20: "I hate the Hatfields!!! #teamMcCoy."

Given that the real Hatfield-McCoy feud raged on for nearly 30 years, the possibility of a TV series arising from all this does give one pause.

So what are you, #teamhatfield or #teammccoy?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Bill Paxton leads the McCoy clan in "Hatfields & McCoys." Credit: Chris Large / History

 

Kim Kardashian in culinary uproar after dissing Indian food

Kim Kardashian has just landed in some extra-spicy vindaloo by dissing Indian cuisine on this week's "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

On the hit cable show, the polarizing princess of the ubiquitous Kardashian clan -- now dating rapper Kanye West -- declared that she finds Indian food "disgusting."

Some took offense at the food criticism served up by Kardashian, who's already under attack for her speedy marriage and divorce from basketball player Kris Humphries as well as her relentless self-promotion and lavish lifestyle. Over the weekend, she told her nearly 1.5 million Twitter followers about shopping at the upscale department store Harrods during a jaunt to London.

"I think its good Kim Kardashian doesn't like Indian food because that means she won't ever visit India and that in itself is a blessing," tweeted @krishna_shah.

Added @jenannelias: "Kim Kardashian & Kendall Jenner called Indian food 'so disgusting.' SERIOUSLY? You don't have to like it, don't be rude. #gianteyeroll."

The storm rose enough that by Tuesday, Kardashian felt compelled to respond with a message on her website.

Headlined "Just Want to Clear Something Up," she wrote: "So on this week’s episode of 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' I said that I thought Indian food was disgusting. In NO way was this intended as an insult to the Indian people or their culture. This is just my own personal taste.

"There are a lot of foods I don’t like… I hate cilantro and peppers, and there are definitely some Armenian foods that I personally find disgusting, but that doesn’t reflect my opinions on other Armenian people or my culture," she added. "My comment wasn’t intended to offend anybody. We all have our own opinions and tastes and I was simply expressing mine." The post quickly drew more than 100 comments, many of whom believed the quasi-apology was unnecessary.

What do you think of the latest Kardashian controversy?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Kim Kardashian,  here with Kanye West, made a remark about Indian food that offended some viewers. Credit: Harry How/Getty Images.

Donald Trump rages in CNN meltdown over Obama 'birther' issue

 

Donald Trump is seething over the President Obama "birther" issue — and the latest target of his wrath is CNN.

In an interview Tuesday, the real estate magnate and "Celebrity Apprentice" overseer got into a war of words with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, castigating the network for what he dubbed "inaccurate" reporting and ridiculing its low ratings.

At one point, Blitzer said that Trump was beginning to sound ridiculous. "I think you sound ridiculous," Trump shot back via telephone.

Trump has been a leading proponent of the theory that Obama either was not or may not have been born in the U.S. This view is a focal point of attacks on the administration from some critics, although the state of Hawaii has offered documents that say Obama was indeed born there. Most leading GOP politicians have shied away from the issue, but it persists, particularly at a grass-roots level. Trump is keeping the issue alive even as he brandishes his support for the presumed Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. 

"A lot of people do not believe that birth certificate," Trump told Blitzer.

The mogul also trashed CNN's reported summary that led in to the interview, calling it "highly inappropriate." Trump said that if CNN would report the issue accurately, the network would draw "better ratings than you're getting, which are pretty small." Last week, CNN sank to its lowest prime-time audience levels in more than 20 years.

It's been quite the ride for Trump the past few days, with sharp attacks from both the right and the left. On Sunday's "This Week" on ABC, conservative columnist George Will called the mogul "a bloviating ignoramus."

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— Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

'Hatfields & McCoys' shoots up record ratings for History

If "Hatfields & McCoys" is any indication, viewers just can't get enough of old-fashioned feudin'.

History's three-part miniseries about the 19th century Appalachian clan war broke all records with its first installment Monday night with a gigantic 13.9 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. "Hatfields & McCoys" stars Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton as patriarchs whose grudge match spans generations. Among adults aged 18 to 49, 4.8 million tuned in.

That made it the No. 1 non-sports telecast ever on an ad-supported cable telecast, as well as a pretty powerful validation of History's decision to leap into scripted dramatic programming.

"With all the success we have had at History, we felt strongly for some time that we should own historical drama," History president and general manager Nancy Dubuc said in a statement.

And here's maybe the most ominous sign for broadcast networks: History actually faced some competition for the night. And "Hatfields" shot holes in its rivals. The latest episode of NBC's "America's Got Talent" drew 10 million viewers, while ABC's "The Bachelorette" averaged just 5.8 million.

What did you think of "Hatfields"? Did the ratings surprise you?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Kevin Costner, center, starred in History's high-rated "Hatfields & McCoys." Credit: Chris Large/History.

'Hatfields and McCoys' brings out Kevin Costner haters

Kevin Costner rode again in "The Hatfields and the McCoys" on Sunday night, with his haters in hot pursuit.

Taking its first shot at scripted drama, History begin airing its three-part epic miniseries about the notorious late 19th century feud between warring Appalachian clans, with the former "Dances With Wolves" star-director as patriarch Anse Hatfield and Bill Paxton as his rival, Randall McCoy.

Reviews were mixed, but Costner's detractors -- whose dislike of the actor is so intense they have actually discussed it in detail on a straightdope.com message board -- were out in full force Sunday.

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"I cannot remember if I hate Kevin Costner because he is a Hatfield or McCoy or if it's just because he is Kevin Costner," tweeted @markjanese.

"This reality show on The History Channel is great. I didn't realize that Bill Paxton and Kevin Costner hated each other," @stevenamiri added wryly.

Ratings won't be available until later, but it already looks like Costner might have the last laugh. "Hatfields" was near the top of Google search rankings most of Monday and zoomed to the No. 1 spot around airtime. Meanwhile, another historical drama, HBO's heavily promoted "Hemingway & Gellhorn" with Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman as the title characters, seemed virtually ignored, at least online.

As @julianspivey44 summed up: "Part 1 of "Hatfields & McCoys" was pretty good ... seems like Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton will be locks for Emmy nominations."

Did you watch "Hatfields"? What do you think of Costner and Paxton?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Kevin Costner, right, and Matt Barr in History's "The Hatfields and the McCoys." Credit: Chris Large/History.

UFC 146: Junior Dos Santos-Frank Mir fight fuels pay-per-view

They billed it as the first all-heavyweight main card in UFC history. And it looks like UFC 146 in Las Vegas may have weighed in with some heavy numbers from die-hard fans who coughed up coin for  Saturday's coverage on pay-per-view.

The night's main event was Brazilian champ Junior Dos Santos' defense of his UFC heavyweight title against American contender Frank Mir. Dos Santos ended up knocking out Mir in Round 2.

That was enough to bring out the hard-core mixed-martial arts fans, including -- somewhat unexpectedly? -- "The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco, who tweeted to her more than 750,000 followers: "Big night! Dos Santos vs Mir..... #UFC Can't wait for this show down!" Twitter messages and Google searches on the topic remained high throughout Saturday night.

Still unknown is what the heavyweight event will tell us about UFC's popularity, which, Cuoco notwithstanding, is still strongest among young men. Last month UFC 145 delivered an estimated 700,000 pay-per-view buys, according to MMAMania.com (UFC itself does not release pay-per-view figures). But that was nothing compared with the estimated 1.5 million buys back in 2009 for UFC 100.

For all its popularity, mixed-martial arts still lags in some respects behind the old-school sport of boxing; Oscar de la Hoya's 2007 bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. delivered more than 2.1 million pay-per-view buys.

UFC 146 was sold on most cable and satellite providers for about $45.

If you're a mixed-martial arts fan, what did you think of UFC 146?

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-Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Junior Dos Santos, left, on his way to a knockout win over Frank Mir in Saturday's UFC 146 in Las Vegas. Credit: Julie Jacobson/Associated Press.

 

 

 

 

Track star Lolo Jones bashes critics after HBO virginity interview

 

Lolo Jones may be able to fly over hurdles, but those obstacles are nothing compared with the blowback from her HBO interview.

In a segment earlier this week on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," the comely 29-year-old track star -- a 2008 Olympic contender who looked bound for a gold medal until she got tripped up near the finish line -- said she's never been able to get a man to commit to her because she's a virgin and won't have sex until marriage.

This touched off a media firestorm that culminated with a TMZ TV segment, complete with ribald puns, ribbing Jones as a goody-two-shoes and even as possibly dishonest about her sex life. 

When a fan on Twitter suggested that TMZ had tried to make Jones look like a "lying, lonely virgin dork," Jones on Friday icily replied: "I've seen Celebs get teased less for releasing a sex tapes #ironic."

She didn't stop there. When another Twitter user suggested that Jones' cheesecake magazine shots are not in keeping with her Christian faith, she shot back: "Go to a museum & look at naked pictures/statues of ppl & its considered art but what I did is not? u see no parts exposed." 

And to those who joked that with her values and sports prowess, she should be dating the religiously devout NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, the biracial Jones replied cryptically: "Ask Tebow if he wants a glass of milk. If he says yes, ask him if he prefers chocolate. if he says no, then no more Tebow date suggestions."

Jones is currently hoping to nab a medal at the London Olympics that start in late July. Looks like there'll be more fiery tweets between now and then.

What do you think of Jones and her "Real Sports" interview on HBO?

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-- Scott Collins
twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Lolo Jones has hit back at critics after an HBO interview in which she said she's still a virgin. Credit: Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press

'Duets' ratings may be meh, but judge Robin Thicke is a TV star

The crowd was kind of thin for Thursday's launch of ABC's "Duets." But interest was Thicke for one judge: pompadoured singer Robin Thicke.

The latest TV singing contest drew a paltry 6.7 million total viewers, not even enough to beat a block of comedy repeats on CBS, according to Nielsen. And among adults age 18 to 49, "Duets" got drowned out by Fox's rollout of "So You Think You Can Dance."

But fan reaction to Thicke -- the falsetto-singing offspring of TV star Alan Thicke -- was another story. As soon as the show aired, his name rocketed up to near the top of Google searches, a fate that somehow failed to smile upon his fellow judges: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles.

What's behind his instant stardom? Well, Thicke was not previously as well-known as Clarkson, who won the first season of Fox's "American Idol" and has gone on to a platinum-selling recording career. But it also might have something to do with the fact that Thicke is a good-looking guy who specializes in a certain kind of R&B-flavored pop that tends to make the ladies melt.

What did you think of "Duets" and Robin Thicke?

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-- Scott Collins

twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Robin Thicke has raised his profile on ABC's "Duets." Credit: Rick Rowell/ABC

'Revenge' cliffhanger finale: Is Madeleine Stowe's character dead?

Forget who won "American Idol." The TV show that has set the web abuzz is Wednesday's wacky season 1 finale for ABC's trashy soap "Revenge."

In a closer that boggled fans' brains, the producers built up more cliffhangers than a world-class alpinist might see in a lifetime. Chief among them: Did ABC really just kill off the show's prime antagonist, Victoria, the treacherous Hamptons heiress played by Madeleine Stowe?

Squelching a major character is a risky move for any TV series, but if the writers actually did decommission Victoria, they did it in grand fashion: The devious billionaire was presumed to be a passenger on a plane that just happened to blow up real good, thanks to a bomb planted by the mysterious White-Haired Man. 

Of course, this is television, so the whole plane explosion could be a dream. Or maybe Victoria broke a heel on the tarmac and had to race back to the terminal. 

In any case, the producers gave AMC's "The Killing" a lesson in how to end the first season of a promising-but-not-quite-mainstream series.

As the entertainment site Wetpaint wrote enthusiastically: "Cliffhangers? The 'Revenge' season finale just redefined the word."

If you watched the "Revenge" finale, what did you think? And if you haven't been following the show, would you be more willing to do so now?

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-Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Madeleine Stowe stars - or starred? - in ABC's nighttime soap "Revenge." Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times.