'Rudolph' tramples rivals

By Greg Braxton
Los Angeles Times

All the attention recently focused on party girl-turned-reality TV star Paris Hilton was no match for the allure of one of television's holiday chestnuts Tuesday.

CBS' "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," just shy of its 40th birthday, also had the ratings glow to leave a new "Peanuts" special in the dark.

The 1964 holiday classic was prime time's most-watched show Tuesday, scoring more than 13.7 million viewers.

"Rudolph" far outdistanced new episodes of NBC's "The Tracy Morgan Show" and Fox's "The Simple Life," as well as ABC's new animated "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown." The "Peanuts" special came in second in the 8 p.m. time slot with 10.4 million viewers.

The audience for "Rudolph" grew 11 percent from last year.

Jack Sussman, CBS' senior vice president of specials, said he wasn't surprised at the continuing strong appeal of the animated "Rudolph."

"It is the holiday special," he said. "It connects with audiences year in and year out. It's such an iconic show. Baby boomers grew up with it, and now they want to share it with their kids."

"The Simple Life," the unscripted series featuring wealthy city girls struggling with life on a farm, held up reasonably well in its second week, dropping only about 11 percent in viewers.