MTV Awards Suffer Big Hit in Ratings

[b]MTV Awards Suffer Big Hit in Ratings[/b] By Anne Becker — Broadcasting & Cable, 9/1/2006 7:26:00 PM The downward spiral of the MTV Video Music Awards’ TV performance continued Thursday night as the ceremony’s audience plunged from last year and VMA fans headed online. The show, once a ratings juggernaut for MTV, pulled in an average of just 5.77 million total viewers over its three hour telecast starting at 8 p.m., down 28% from the 8 million viewers it averaged last year, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. Just two years ago, the show brought in nearly double last night’s audience-10.3 million viewers. While still about five times what MTV has averaged in primetime this summer, the show’s TV audience last night is a shadow of the 12 million viewers it once earned. The numbers have to be frustrating for MTV executives who moved the show back to its former home, New York City, after last year’s poor showing in Miami.

Lawyer defends underdogs in trials of known, unknown UPDATE

[b]Lawyer defends underdogs in trials of known, unknown[/b] Sunday, April 16, 2006 ERIC VELASCO News staff writer Reputation vs. reality Mesereau’s reputation as a celebrity lawyer began in 2001 when he helped persuade prosecutors not to charge boxer and convicted rapist Mike Tyson after another rape accusation. Mesereau also defended actor Robert Blake in pretrial hearings in his murder case, pulling off the rare feat of getting bail in a capital case. But it was Jackson’s trial that splashed Mesereau’s face daily all over the international media. Jackson fans chattered on the Web about the lawyer they dubbed “Mez.” One set up a Tom Mesereau Fan Club site, while another offered do-your-own “T-Mez” dolls.