ABC pulls plug on 'The One'
TORONTO (CP) -- The One: Making a Music Star -- the American reality show that grabbed headlines last month for bumping CBC's The National from its usual time-slot -- has been cancelled less than two weeks after its debut.
U.S. broadcaster ABC announced the decision in a note posted Friday on its website: "There are no plans for additional episodes. Thanks to all who participated in and supported The One."
CBC created a ruckus earlier this summer when it announced plans to move The National from its 10 p.m. ET slot on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays in order to air The One.
Critics were vicious, arguing that the public broadcaster has a mission to explain Canada to Canadians -- not to import reality TV shows from the United States.
CBC, in turn, said it was simply trying to lay the groundwork for a Canadian version of The One, which followed a format similar to Canadian Idol and Rock Star: Supernova.
But the show floundered from the get-go, and critics were quick Friday to seize on its cancellation as proof of poor decision-making at CBC.
"The senior leadership at the CBC has to have egg on its face. They made this extraordinary and, I would say, indefensible decision," said Ian Morrison of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
"Why would Canadian taxpayers subsidize a public television network in order to see it pre-empt their national news?"
Arthur Lewis, executive director of the advocacy group Our Public Airwaves, said the cancellation "emphasizes what an incredibly stupid decision it was for CBC to import an American reality show in the first place."
"I'm willing to bet CBC was praying for ABC to cancel it and get them off the hook," he added.
For her part, Kirstine Layfield, CBC-TV's executive director of network programming, called ABC's decision "disappointing."
"But it's understandable," she said. "ABC is in a very tough marketplace. It's having a very tough summer ... They don't have the luxury of waiting around for a show to grow over time."
She said the public broadcaster may still go ahead with a Canadian edition of The One in the fall.
"It's too early to tell. We're not under any pressure to make immediate decisions."
Hosted by CBC-TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos, The One's debut last week grabbed the attention of a mere 236,000 Canadians.
And on Tuesday this week, according to Nielsen Media Research, just 150,000 Canadians tuned in to the singing contest, despite the marketing fanfare and high hopes at CBC.
By contrast, BBM says Rock Star: Supernova pulled in 1.2 million Canadian viewers Tuesday night in the same 9-10 p.m. ET slot on Global.
CTV's Canadian Idol finished the night with 1.65 million viewers in the 8-8:30 p.m. ET slot, said Nielsen.
The One's numbers south of the border were also abysmal. An article in the trade magazine Media Life reported that the show was the lowest-rated new summer reality series this season.
Reached in Los Angeles on Friday, Stroumboulopoulos was philosophical about the show's demise, blaming it on "market saturation."
"I suspect that (TV viewers) had already invested themselves in Canada in Idol," he said, adding he had no regrets about doing the show.
He also defended CBC's decision to air it.
"It was the exact right decision ... Canadians have demonstrated an awesome appetite for programs from all over the world."
The Canadian version of The One is still "in early development," said Layfield, adding that the CBC has learned from the U.S. show and will make a decision on its future in the next few weeks.
For his part, Stroumboulopoulos reiterated that he will not be hosting a Canadian version of The One because of his commitment to his own CBC current affairs program, The Hour.
Owen Wilson says 'Dupree' is no rip-off
LOS ANGELES - Owen Wilson has denied any connection between his new movie, "You, Me and Dupree," and '70s supergroup Steely Dan, a spokesman for the actor said Friday.
The band recently posted a letter on their Web site claiming that Wilson's Dupree character was based on their Grammy-winning song, "Cousin Dupree," about a couch-hopping houseguest.
In a statement released by his spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, Wilson said: "I have never heard the song `Cousin Dupree' and I don't even know who this gentleman, Mr. Steely Dan, is. I hope this helps to clear things up and I can get back to concentrating on my new movie, `HEY 19.'"
Larry Solters, a spokesman for the band's management company, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Steely Dan released a string of hits in the '70s, including "Hey Nineteen," "Reeling in the Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."
"There are some pretty heavy people who are upset about this whole thing and we can't guarantee what kind of heat little Owen may be bringing down on himself," band leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen wrote in the letter.
The band asked Wilson, 37, to appear at a concert to apologize to their fans.
"You, Me and Dupree" co-stars Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon as a newlywed couple annoyed by Dupree, a friend who crashes on their couch.
In 2001, "Cousin Dupree" won a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo or group from Steely Dan's album "Two Against Nature," which snagged album of the year.
Mel Gibson arrested on suspicion of DUI
MALIBU, Calif. - Mel Gibson was arrested early Friday for suspicion of driving under the influence, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.
Gibson's vehicle was speeding eastbound on the Pacific Coast Highway when officers stopped him at 2:36 a.m., Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
Gibson, 50, was booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff's station at 4:06 a.m., according to department records. The actor-director was cited and released, Whitmore said. Bail was set at $5,000.
"The investigation is ongoing," Whitmore said. "As we would do with anyone, we don't want to release any more since the information is fragmentary."
Gibson's spokesman, Alan Nierob, said he was looking into the matter.
Gibson won a best-director Oscar for 1995's "Braveheart."
Like his 2004 religious blockbuster, "The Passion of the Christ," which was shot in Aramaic and Latin, his new film, "Apocalypto," was done in an ancient tongue, Yucatec Maya.
Gibson has starred in the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max" films, "What Women Want" and "The Man Without a Face," among other movies.