By Andrew Dalton, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --In a week dominated by competition shows, “America’s Got Talent” dominated the competition.
NBC’s variety showcase brought in 9.7 million viewers last week according to the Nielsen company’s ratings. The show chose the singers, comedians, dancers and beatboxers that will be on its season-ending live episodes.
That was well clear of second-place “60 Minutes” on CBS, which brought in 6.8 million viewers.
“Celebrity Family Feud” on ABC was a distant third with 4.8 million as game show revivals, reality shows, news shows and talent contests squeezed dramas and comedies almost entirely out of the top of the rankings as they have for most of the summer.
“Beverly Hills 90210” made a splash in its revival on Fox, finishing 12th with 3.84 million viewers as it brought back most of its original cast, scoring a rare high finish for a “new” show this summer.
“Blue Bloods” and “Instinct,” both on CBS, were the only other scripted shows in the Nielsen Top 20.
NBC rode “America’s Got Talent” to win the week among broadcast networks with an average of 3.3 million viewers. CBS had 3 million, ABC had 2.9 million, Fox had 1.7 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, Telemundo had 1 million, Univision had 940,000 and the CW had 690,000.
Fox News was first among cable networks with an average of 2.4 million viewers. MSNBC was a distant second with 1.5 million. HGTV had 1.2 million, TLC had 1.1 million and Hallmark Channel had 1 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8 million viewers. The “NBC Nightly News” had 5.7 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 3.9 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Aug. 5-11. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 9.66 million.
2. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.76 million.
3. “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 4.78 million.
4. “The $100,000 Pyramid,” ABC, 4.67 million.
5. “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 4.63 million.
6. “Big Brother” (Sunday), CBS, 4.58 million.
7. “Bachelor in Paradise” (Monday), ABC, 4.38 million.
8. “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.33 million.
9. “Bring the Funny,” NBC, 4.21 million.
10. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 3.99 million.
11. “Big Brother” (Thursday), CBS, 3.9 million.
12. “Beverly Hills 90210,” Fox, 3.84 million.
13. “To Tell the Truth,” ABC, 3.81 million.
14. “Bachelor in Paradise” (Tuesday), ABC, 3.58 million.
15. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 3.42 million.
16. “Dateline NBC” (Monday), NBC, 4.04 million.
17. “Press Your Luck,” ABC, 3.57 million.
18. “Instinct,” CBS, 3.5 million.
19. “Instinct” (10 p.m. special), CBS, 3.39 million.
20. “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Fox News, 3.36 million.
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.; CBS is a division of CBS Corp.; Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox; NBC is owned by NBC Universal.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More