STARS

STARS AND PERSONALITIES

Monthly Herald Staff and Associates.

Photo: Actresses Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker (L-R), the stars of the HBO comedy series 'Sex and the City' are shown in a February 2004 episode. Fans of the HBO hit gave a big send-off to the series as 10.6 million viewers tuned in to see Carrie Bradshaw end the series in the arms of 'Mr. Big,' according to ratings reported on Feb. 24. Photo by Craig Blankenhorn/Hbo/Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fans of the HBO hit "Sex and the City" gave a big send-off to the series as 10.6 million viewers tuned in to see Carrie Bradshaw end the series in the arms of "Mr. Big," according to ratings reported on Tuesday. The 45-minute telecast of Sunday's night's finale to the Emmy-winning comedy about the lives and loves of four young women in Manhattan drew the biggest audience for the show's six-season run, Nielsen Media Research said. It also drew the highest household rating on HBO (21.8) since the September 2002 premiere of the fourth season of mob drama "The Sopranos," which averaged 13.4 million viewers to then rank as the most watched original program in the history of the cable channel. While "Sex and the City" was dwarfed in overall audience by ABC's return of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," the HBO series topped the broadcast networks among viewers aged 18 to 34 and female viewers 18-34. "Sex" ended with its lead character, fashion-conscious columnist Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker ), returning to New York from Paris to take up with her long-time, on-again, off-again boyfriend, Mr. Big, (Chris Noth), whose actual name is finally revealed to viewers as John. Vixen-like public relations executive Samantha (Kim Cattrall), who is recovering from cancer, finally hints she's ready for monogamy with her younger beau. Hard-boiled lawyer Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) reveals her softer side by caring for her mother-in-law, while inveterate optimist Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and her husband receive the news that their adoption of a Chinese baby has been approved.

"Sex and the City," one of the signature shows that established HBO as a creative powerhouse and the first cable series to win an Emmy Award for best comedy, may yet see an afterlife on the big screen. HBO said executive producer Michael Patrick King is writing a script for a feature film adaptation that would essentially pick up where the series left off. A spokeswoman for the Time Warner Inc.-owned network said all four principal cast members were in talks to reprise their roles for the movie, and some have already have committed. ReustersNews.

Photo: Actress Sarah Jessica Parker , star of the HBO comedy series 'Sex and the City' is interviewed by talk show host Larry King during the CNN program 'Larry King Live' at the CNN studios in Los Angeles February 25, 2004. Parker discussed the series finale of 'Sex and the City,' her family and her plans for the future. NO SALES REUTERS/ Rose M. Prouser/CNN/Handout

Janet Jackson barred from playing diva Lena Horne after "boob-gate" scandal

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US diva Lena Horne has barred pop star Janet Jackson from playing her in a television movie after Jackson scandalized America by exposing her breast on national television, a report said. Jackson pulled out of the ABC movie about the legendary singer's life after Horne and her daughter Gail Lumet Buckley objected to her taking the role following this month's "nipple-gate" scandal, Daily Variety said. The move marks the latest fallout from the February 1 incident at the football Super Bowl in which pop heart-throb Justin Timberlake ripped off her bustier, exposing her breast, at the end of a song and dance number. "It's sad that this had to happen," said an ABC executive. "It was a perfect match," he told Variety of the choice of Michael Jackson (news)'s 37-year-old little sister for the Horne role. The movie's executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron quit in solidarity with Jackson, whose spokeswoman said she was effectively disinvited from the movie by Horne who was reportedly incensed by the flash that Jackson maintained was caused by a "wardrobe malfunction." Jackson's flash sparked an investigation by the US government media watchdog, got her barred from music's top awards, the Grammys (news - web sites), a week later, and prompted the CBS television network to slap an unprecedented five-minute delay on the Grammys telecast. ReutersNews.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Mariah Carey made her debut in the Arab world with a concert before thousands of cheering fans in Beirut, performing her hits "Butterfly," "Hero" and "Dreamlover." The Grammy-winning singer was met with loud cheers and warm applause Tuesday night when she appeared on stage in a two-piece, silver outfit at an exhibition and leisure center on the Mediterranean seafront in downtown Beirut. "Thank you for being so welcoming," she told the crowd of about 5,000. he wives of the president and prime minister of Lebanon were among those who attended Carey's 90-minute concert, her first in the Middle East, organized by the Beiteddine Festival Committee. Carey, 33, arrived in Beirut Monday as part of a world tour to promote her latest album, "Charmbracelet." She was scheduled to perform Thursday in Dubai.
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