ABC, Fox Keeping Eye on ‘Pizza’ Delivery

Slogging through a frustrating year, ABC officials were jubilant Wednesday when “The Drew Carey Show” hit its second-highest rating ever and the new comedy that followed, “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place,” scored the biggest opening-night audience for an ABC show since “Spin City” premiered 18 months ago. The question now--being closely monitored by ABC, Fox and even the producers of “Ellen”--is whether “Two Guys” (starring Richard Ruccolo, Ryan Reynolds and Traylor Howard) keeps delivering. Last week’s numbers alone were bad news for “Ellen,” since the new show vastly outperformed its recent results in that time period, suggesting that ABC has the opportunity to reach more viewers--if not with “Two Guys” then perhaps a program the network is developing for next season. Fox, meanwhile, has mixed feelings: The network ordered “Two Guys” initially, then cut it loose and allowed ABC to claim the show, whose success came in part at the expense of Fox’s new drama “Significant Others.” On the plus side, “Two Guys” is owned by Fox’s production division, which is also behind ABC’s “Dharma & Greg” and stands to make millions if those shows are hits. The whole twisted scenario demonstrates how network television--now more than ever--creates strange bedfellows.

Will It Be Veterans’ Day in March?

Do Baby Boomers still drive record sales? SoundScan sales figures this week will indicate if new albums by Eric Clapton and Aretha Franklin have been swept up in the wave of ‘60s and ‘70s nostalgia that lifted records by Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Paul McCartney and Fleetwood Mac to unpredicted heights last year. Franklin’s “A Rose Is a Rose” collection ends a six-year recording hiatus for the R&B; legend, who is expected to benefit from her two performing slots on last month’s Grammy telecast. Clapton’s “Pilgrim” is the veteran’s first album of original material since 1989 and comes on the heels of his wildly successful 1992 album, “Unplugged,” and his hit 1994 collection of blues standards, “From the Cradle,” both of which hit No. 1. “There are a lot of factors at play here,” Gary Arnold, vice president of marketing for the Minneapolis-based Best Buy chain, says of the strong sales of veteran acts, which he predicts will continue with the Clapton and Franklin albums. “At the heart of it all, these are the true greats of the industry, and over time they have built massive followings that cut across the demographic profile of the country. They have crafted their skills over many years and they deserve this kind of response.”