w -r- OB- The- Mictiigan Daily Weeken 8Maga e - Thur~c, February. 27, 1997 0 Tho Michigan D y Weeken Mag New TV shows to premiere while old ones enjoy hiatus Los Andles Times The February rating sweeps conclude Wednesday, signaling not just the end of TV's latest exercise in hype and hysteria but also the start of another kind of high-stakes chess game. In a seemingly chaotic array of moves that could frustrate viewers, the networks will make wholesale lineup changes right after sweeps. A dozen series will premiere over the next-few weeks, several more will shift to new time periods and some of prime time's most-watched shows - including "ER," "NYPD Blue" and a fading "Murphy Brown" - will take sabbaticals almost until the next audience survey period begins in late April. Network executives insist there is method to this apparent case of March madness, as they seek to introduce pro- grams in time periods where they'll have a better chance of getting sampled by viewers, at the same time resting shows that would otherwise be in repeats. = The risk, however, could be alienat- ing segments of the audience, such as those die-hard "ER" fans who have already lit up the Internet wondering what they'll do with their Thursday nights for the five weeks the show is off the air. "I look forward to 'ER' each week and would rather watch reruns than nothing," one fan griped on the show's Web site. Others have gone so far as to suggest boycotting replace- ment programs, fearing their success could endanger "ER's" speedy return. While boycotts seem unlikely, view- ers, faced with so many changes, might just ignore new offerings, which for networks and producers would be just as bad. The crop of hopefuls premiering by mid-March includes sitcoms starring Arsenio Hall, Pauly Shore, Laura San Giacomo and Debi Mazar; "Crisis Center," an ensemble drama with Kellie Martin; "Law & Order" pro- ducer Dick Wolf's "Feds," about fed- eral prosecutors; and the legal series "The Practice," from "Chicago Hope" creator David E. Kelley. "There's no question it is in certain instances going to increase our view- er confusion," CBS Entertainment President Leslie Moonves acknowl- edged Monday. Networks have always trotted out new programs in January and March as a second wave to the new season that begins in September, but seldom in such a concentrated fashion. Insiders attribute the crush to various factors, from economic considerations to the changing nature of TV viewing pat- terns. Programmers don't want to introduce shows during sweeps - which fall in November, February and May - because of pressure to garner big rat- ings during those periods, which affili- ates rely on to negotiate advertising rates. "Unfortunately, the networks all play by the same rules," said Jeff Bader, ABC's vice president of pro- gram planning and scheduling. "You don't launch new shows and you don't make scheduling changes during the sweep because there is risk of confusing viewers. In a perfect world, you'd stagger these changes through January, February and March." Instead, lineup' revisions will be bunched together in March and April, f finish the season with six consecutive new episodes when it returns in April. New series thus provide original pro- gramming at a time when networks no longer have the luxury of counting on big tune-in for reruns due to the explo- sion of options available to most view- ers via cable, home video and other alternatives. That competitive land- scape also explains why networks are willing to gamble by bench- ing popular shows: Simply put, pro- grammers feel they must use their best time slots to estab- lish new series, since few programs have become hits in recent years without the benefit of such a showcase. Small wonder, then, that NBC has placed e Clooney two series this season ("Suddenly Susan" and "The Naked Truth") in the "ham- mock" between "Seinfeld" and "ER." A third comedy - "Fired Up," star- ring "NYPD Blue's" Sharon Lawrence - will get a shot there beginning April 10. "If there's an audience flow, if there's a protected time period, then the prod- See TV HIATUS, Page 16B ICE CREAM Continued from Page 6B cream. It's great because you can study while eating. Until this place opened, I ate at Stucchi's all the time. The atmosphere is much better, more laid back and the ice cream tastes better to me, " part-time student Ilana Singer said, between bites of a hot fudge sun- dae. Java House is less parlor-esque than Stucchi's, yet the ambiance can be comfortable. With ample couch space, larger tables and the down-stairs cel- lar feel, one can definitely get romantic with a cone and a date, or even curl up with few books and some sweet decadence. When you're down on Main Street, check out the sweet creations at Lovin' Spoonful. Set on the same block as Gratzi, Palio and other gourmet establish- ments, Lovin' Spoonful is the ideal place to sweet- en up your palate after a good meal on the town.. While Lovin' Spoonful shares its name with the '60s rock group of the same name, the store has been at the same location churning out its own homemade ice cream since 1982. It closed in 1989 and reopened under new ownership in 1992, but its recipes have remained the same. Along with the 28 flavors of rich and deli- cious ice cream, the store offers four kinds of hand-scooped yogurt, two soft-serve sugar-free non-fat yogurts and four sorbets. If frozen sweets aren't your thing, try one of the 15 sandwiches, a homemade soup and various cookies, brownies or other baked goods.n Chocoholics should be sure to check out the Midnight Desire ice cream, based in bitter- sweet chocolate with homemade brownies and fudge mixed in for the ultimate chocolate experi- ence. On the low-fat side, check out the Strawberry-Kiwi sorbet for some sweet and fruity ecstasy. Mrs. Peabody's advertises ice cream on the sign that hangs outside the store, but since the early '90s the ice cream has been replaced by frozen yogurt, in an attempt to keep up with the times. Cravers of Colombo fat-free and low-fat frozen yogurt often form lines out the door of the quaint, little cookie and muffin shop. Along with Mrs. Peabody's, Y&S r-1 Sandwich Cafe also offers fat-free and low- fat frozen yogurt. Y&S, one of the more recent additions to the Michigan Union, offers four flavors of soft-serve frozen yogurt, though the selection is sometimes sub-par (sometimes only two types of chocolate and two types of vanilla yogurt). Surprising flavors, like Cantaloupe and. Peppermint, however, can set taste buds afire. While Mrs. Peabody's toppings are scarce com- pared to other dessert places, the sweetness of Mrs. Peabody's lies in its simplicity and warmth. The Where to scream for ice cream: j which once offered a steady diet of repeats while networks held back new episodes until May. Last spring, for exam- "Dr." Geor ple, fans groused about an arid stretch of ".ER" reruns, as NBC sought to spread 22 episodes (the stan- dard number for most one-hour series) over the 35-week TV season. Similarly, in the eight weeks that "NYPD Blue" will be off the air, Bader noted, six telecasts would have been repeats. By giving up its beat to "The Practice," the police drama will now Place: Where: Phone: Hours: Java House and Stroh's Ice Crea Lovin' Spoonful 330 S. Main St. 663-2663 Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 12-9 p.m. ge Mrs. Peabody's Stucchi's Y&S Sandwich Cafe, 315 S. State St. 302 S. State St. 1123 South University Ave. 715 North University Ave. 669-8977 662-1700 662-1716 761-2447 Monday-Friday, 9 a m.7 p.m,; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11-12 a.m. Monday-Friday 10-12 a.m.; Saturday, 11:30-12 a.m.; Sunday, 11-12 a.m. i Your source for campus news Ann Arbor's Only Hemp St( ale Mdi~iwttn Dalg Bahia Mar Resort and Conference Center BAHIA MAR RESORT 6300 Padre Blvd. 9 South Padre Island, Texas 800-99-PADRE SPRING BREAK '97 Rates starting at $99.per nt. * A complete Tropical Resort Directly on the Beach. Featuring the Beachside Cabana Bar, the Largest Indoor Dance Club on the sland. 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