Who's to blame for Desperate Housewives' recent ratings slip? Star James Denton believes ABC may have something to do with it.
Denton thinks the network could have done a better job at marketing the return of the series on Sunday after it was sidelined for three months due to the writers' strike. "They didn't promote it," the actor said at last night's Cool Comedy-Hot Cuisine fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation in Beverly Hills. "Nobody knew we were back. I couldn’t believe the lack of promotion."
Housewives isn't the only show Denton thinks ABC isn't giving any love to. "Grey’s has the same issue," he said. "They don’t promote them any more either."
Viewership for the Sunday premiere hit a record low for an original Housewives episode, down 15 percent from its average of 18.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Then again, it's not like Denton is completely distraught over viewership: "Sixteen million is a victory after all that time off."
"Desperate Housewives" star Teri Hatcher will sing on the "American Idol" charity fund raiser Idol Gives Back next week. Hatcher will appear on the fundraiser along with superstars Bono, Brad Pitt, Annie Lennox, Robin Williams and Kiefer Sutherland, contactmusic.com reports. Hatcher will perform "Before he cheats" by Carrie Underwood with James Denton, her co-star from "Desperate Housewives"
The Idol organisers are hoping to raise over $100 million for the charities like Children's Defence Fund, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis And Malaria, Make It Right and Save The Children.
Fasten your seatbelts, "Desperate Housewives" fans. When the series returns April 13, expect a revved up plot to make up for time lost due to the writers strike.
"(We'll) solve the mystery faster than we would have, I'll get out of rehab faster than I would have which is kinda nice," James Denton, who plays hunky plumber Mike Delfino told The ShowBuzz. "When we get back I will be back at home with Susan (Teri Hatcher). Bree (Marcia Cross) and Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) are living with us because their house was destroyed in a tornado and that's a little too close for comfort, so there's some good comedy to be found there."
"Desperate Housewives" and other prime-time scripted shows were forced to stop production in November after members of the Writers Guild Of America went on strike. After the strike ended in mid-February, the cast and crew started working around the clock to crank out seven new episodes.
"We're working Monday through Saturday to get 'em in," Denton said. "which will be good for the viewers and help the crew make up a little bit of lost money because it was four months out of work for everybody."
Tortured
