Tuning in

Arsenio returns

Arsenio Hall has been named host of MyNetworkTV’s new reality series, “Funniest Moments” (working title), network President Greg Meidel announced Tuesday. The program is scheduled to premiere this fall 2008 on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m.

A versatile actor, comedian and producer, Mr. Hall is best-known as the host of the Emmy Award-winning late-night talk show “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which premiered in January 1989. The entertainer, 53 - whose film credits include 1987’s “Amazon Women on the Moon”and 1988’s “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy - will be featured next in the animated film “Igor,” set for release this fall.

Court date for Al

Having already made his mark in the legislative branch of government, former Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato is ready to move on to the judicial system. Twentieth Television is planning to shoot a pilot for a potential court show featuring the former Republican senator from New York, the Hollywood Reporter says.

While serving in the Senate from 1981 to 1999, Mr. D’Amato was known for his lengthy and, at times, comical filibusters on the Senate floor, one of which found him singing “South of the Border,” THR notes.

The new show revolves around small-claims cases, and the pilot is likely to be shot in Los Angeles, THR says.

ABC’s hoop dreams

The first two games of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers series on ABC were more popular than any National Basketball Association finals since 2004, a boon to a network otherwise off to a tough start to the summer season.

The series’ second game was seen by 13.5 million people Sunday, slightly higher than Thursday’s opener, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Meanwhile, CBS‘ wife-swapping drama “Swingtown” debuted with 8.6 million, making it the sixth most-watched drama of the week, Nielsen reported.

With the broadcast networks in summer slumber mode, the action is heating up on cable. “Army Wives” had 4.5 million viewers for its season debut on Lifetime, making it the most-watched original drama in the network’s 24-year history. Similarly, “Ice Road Truckers” reached 3.9 million people Sunday, the best-ever season launch for a series in the History channel’s own history.

Among the broadcast networks, CBS won the week, averaging 7.2 million prime-time viewers. Fox had 6.5 million , and ABC had 6.1 million. Following were NBC with 5.7 million, the CW with 1.8 million, My Network TV with 1 million and ION Television with 470,000.

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with a 3.2 million average, Telemundo had 1 million, TeleFutura 640,000 and Azteca 110,000.

For the week of June 2 through 8, the top five shows, their networks and viewerships were : 1) NBA Finals Game 2: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, ABC, 13.5 million; 2) NBA Finals Game 1: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, ABC, 13.3 million; 3) “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 9.8 million; 4) “60 Minutes,” CBS, 9.8 million; and 5) “Million Dollar Password,” CBS, 9.6 million;

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