Special 'Idol' tops Tuesday

Fox's ''American Idol'' easily led its two hours in young adults with Tuesday's special episode. Most competing shows lost demo ground but the CBS ''NCIS'' shows performed well, and the night's final hour saw NBC's ''Parenthood'' wrap its season with an upswing. According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, ''American Idol'' averaged a 5.0 rating/13 share in adults 18-49 and 15.8 million viewers overall, on par with its two-hour Wednesday of last week. Tuesday's special episode, in which the 12 male finalists performed, did about 80% better than the net's regular lineup of last week. From 8 to 10 p.m., ''American Idol'' beat runner-up CBS by 56% in adults 18-49 (5.0 to 3.2) and by 37% in adults 25-54 (6.3 to 4.6). At CBS, ''NCIS'' (3.4/9 in 18-49, 18.0 million viewers overall) was dinged a bit by ''Idol'' but pulled to within 3 shares of it in adults 25-54 while beating the music competition in total viewers , something it never did when the shows faced each other on Tuesday for several years. ''NCIS: Los Angeles'' followed with a strong performance (3.1/8 in 18-49, 15.7 million viewers overall), bouncing back by 15% from last week's season low to place second across the board in the 9 o'clock hour; the two ''NCIS'' shows combined to beat ''Idol'' head-to-head in total viewers for the two-hour block. And at 10, ''Unforgettable'' (1.9/5 in 18-49, 9.9 million viewers overall) was down a tad week to week, tying for the hour's 18-49 lead. Opposite tough reality competition, NBC's ''The Biggest Loser'' dropped to season lows (2.0/5 in 18-49, 5.7 million viewers overall), but ''Parenthood'' (1.9/5 in 18-49, 5.1 million viewers overall) had its best demo score since Nov. 29 with its 18th and final episode of the season. The family drama, a strong performer among upscale viewers and a sizable gainer in DVR playback, figures to return for a fourth season in the fall. Fourth-place ABC saw ''Last Man Standing'' (2.1/6 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall), ''Cougar Town'' (1.5/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall) and ''The River'' (1.5/4 in 18-49, 4.1 million viewers overall) all edge down to season lows, and ''Body of Proof'' closed out the night with a below-average delivery (1.3/4 in 18-49 CW aired a special repeat of ''Hart of Dixie'' (0.3/1 in 18-49, 0.9 million viewers overall) and original ''Ringer'' (0.4/1 in 18-49, 1.1 million viewers overall). Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 5.0/13; CBS, 2.8/7; NBC, 2.0/5; ABC, 1.6/4; NBC, 1.5/4; CW, 0.4/1. In total viewers: Fox, 15.8 million; CBS, 14.5 million; ABC, 5.6 million; NBC, 5.5 million; Univision, 3.7 million; CW, 1.0 million. Contact Rick Kissell at rick.kissell@variety.com

Mad Men's Season 5 Poster: Simply What Does It Reveal?

Billy Very And so they thought Hathaway As Catwoman and James Franco brings in audiences.Sunday's 84th Academy awards, situated by Oscar stalwart Billy Very for your ninth time, loved just a little bump over last year's much-maligned festivities, according to preliminary amounts.See the Oscars fashion hits and missesThe three-hour telecast came 39.3 million audiences plus an 11.7 rating inside the grownups 18-to-49 demographic, up from 37.9 million and basically a tick below last year's 11.8.Everyone else was the second finest since the 2007 ceremony, when 40.2 million up-to-date in. (This Year's show acquired 41.7 million.)The Artist, Hugo and Meryl Streep top OscarsElsewhere, systems forfeited the evening for the Oscars typically, airing repeats, besides the Astonishing Race (7.6 000 0000, 2.1) and Celebrity Apprentice (5 million, 1.8), which fell 25 and thirty percent, correspondingly, striking series ratings lows.8 p.m.CBS: The Astounding Race 7.6 000 0000 audiences (2.1 demo rating) ABC: Oscars Red-colored-colored Carpet Live 8.64 million (3.) 84th Academy awards 6.3 million audiences (1.7) [8:30-11:30 p.m.]Fox: The Simpsons (R) 3.9 million (1.6) Napoleon Dynamite 3.6 000 0000 (1.6)NBC: Celebrity Apprentice (R) 2.5 million (.8) 9 p.m.CBS: The Mentalist (R) 4.8 million (.9)Fox: Family Guy (R) 3.5 million (1.6) American Father! (R) 3.2 million (1.5)NBC: Celebrity Apprentice 5 million audiences (1.8) [9-11 p.m.]10 p.m.CBS: CSI: Miami (R) 5.8 million (1.2)

Exclusive 'Goon' Buying and selling Cards: Now When Needed!

Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber beating the ever-loving snot from one another, on ice believe it or not? Yeah, that seems like my concept of an incredible time in the movies. That's just what "Goon" has available for audiences once the hockey flick from Scott, Schreiber and Jay Baruchel hits theaters in choose metropolitan areas on March 30. Obviously, you can aquire a load of "Goon" way before that release date -- it's presently on VOD by today (Feb 24)! In front of the first "Goon" viewing experience, take a look at these "Goon" buying and selling cards, solely at MTV Movies. Check Them out beyond the jump! Yeah, that Ross Rhea card is rising on my small wall immediately. "Goon" hits VOD on Feb 24 and comes to choose theaters on March 30.

Steven Spielberg talks Tintin 2

Total Film recently caught up with Steven Spielberg, and we got him to spill the beans on the upcoming Tintin sequel.Spielberg directed the first instalment of the performance-capture/animated take on Hergé's spirited comic book series, with Peter Jacskon serving as producer. The pair had planned on a trilogy, and the ending of The Secret Of The Unicorn certainly left things open for a sequel.So what can Spielberg tell us about Tintin 2?"Peter [Jackson]'s doing it. I wanted to do it, but Peter has to because we made a deal. I said, 'I'll direct the first one, you direct the second one.'"And Peter, of course, is going to do it right after he finishes photography on The Hobbit. He'll go right into the 31, 21 days of performance capture."We're not telling the world what books we're basing the second movie on yet."But didn't producer Kathleen Kennedy say it's going to be The Calculus Affair?"We haven't decided that yet. She's throwing a monkey wrench into your story! It could be that. I like The Calculus Affair. So it could be."We have completed a story outline now. We have a writer on it. I'm just not declaring what it is. It will be more than one book, but no more than two."The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on 19 March 2012.For more from Steven Spielberg, get the new issue of Total Film magazine, which hits newsstands on Thursday 16 February.And, it's a special interactive issue this month, which means that you can get great extra content through the free Blippar app. Check out the mag for full details! Click here to subscribe to Total Film magazine.Click here to get Total Film magazine on iPad and iPhone from Apple Newsstand.

BERLIN: SPWA shoots for '2 Guns'

BERLIN --- Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions is nearing. a multi-territory deal for Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg starrer ''2 Guns.'' The $80 million pic, which Emmett/Furla Films and Universal Pictures are fully financing, is helmed by ''Contraband'' director Baltasar Kormakur. Mark Damon's Foresight Unlimited and Brian O'Shea's The Exchange have been shopping the project to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin this week and the project didn't take long to heat up the market as the fest unspooled on Thursday. Kormakur is directing from a screenplay by Blake Masters (''Brotherhood''). Pic, which Uni will release domestically in late 2013, is an adaptation of Steven Grant's graphic novel ''2 Guns,'' which sees a DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another but find they have both been set up by the mob , the very org the two men believe they have been stealing money from , to steal $81 million from the CIA. The mismatched pair must eventually learn to trust each other and work together to dig to the truth of the matter and survive. Marc Platt will produce the pic with Randall Emmett and George Furla. Envision Entertainment's Stepan Martirosyan and Remington Chase, who maintain a film fund with Emmett/Furla, will exec produce. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

ABC orders Portia de Rossi pilot

ABC has ordered multicam comedy pilot "The Smart One," starring Portia de Rossi and exec produced by Ellen DeGeneres and Lauren Corrao. De Rossi ("Better Off Ted") will play a successful woman who has to work for her less intelligent but more popular sister, a former beauty queen who has become mayor of a major city. Donald Todd wrote the pilot and will also exec produce. "Smart One" comes from De Generes' A Very Good Production in association with Warner Bros. TV. The project originally had a put-pilot commitment from NBC. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com