CBS, Fox top Thursday ratings

Taking advantage of a stronger lead-in and no original ''Grey's Anatomy'' competition, CBS rookie drama ''Person of Interest'' hit a high Thursday to help the net earn a demo tie with Fox. Meanwhile, NBC's ''Awake'' fell off in its second week, but is still above-average for the net in the timeslot.According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, CBS opened the night an across-the-board winner with ''The Big Bang Theory'' (5.1 rating/15 share in adults 18-49, 15.2 million viewers overall), down a bit vs. its last original episode but still ahead of Fox's ''American Idol'' by 1 share in 18-49 and 25-54 and by 3 shares in 18-34. A ''Big Bang'' repeat did very well at 8:30 (second-place 4.0/11 in 18-49, 12.9 million viewers overall), helping ''Person of Interest'' establish highs at 9 (3.4/9 in 18-49, 15.8 million viewers overall), up 10% from its most recent original episode. And closing out the night, ''The Mentalist'' was an easy winner among the broadcast networks in all categories (2.8/8 in 18-49, 13.8 million viewers overall) and figures to be neck-and-neck with MTV's ''Jersey Shore'' for the lead among adults 18-49.For the night, CBS tied Fox for the lead among adults 18-49 (3.6/10), with the Eye pulling ahead in 25-54 and total viewers. (Note that CBS had some small-market preemptions for basketball, which could affect its final numbers for the night.)At Fox, ''American Idol'' (4.8/15 in 18-49, 17.0 million viewers overall) was down from last week's two-hour episode but stood as the night's No. 1 show in women 18-49 and total viewers; its second half-hour beat the ''Big Bang'' repeat by 3 shares in 18-49. It was followed by rookie drama ''The Finder'' (2.3/6 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall), which was up vs. its last episode, placing second in the 9 o'clock hour.At NBC, ''30 Rock'' continues to struggle kicking off the night (1.4/4 in 18-49, 3.5 million viewers overall) but ''Parks and Recreation'' jumped 12% week to week at 8:30 p.m. (1.9/5 in 18-49, 3.8 million viewers overall) with its best scores since mid-January. In the 9 o'clock hour, ''The Office'' (2.6/7 in 18-49, 5.0 million viewers overall) and ''Up All Night'' (1.7/4 in 18-49, 3.5 million viewers overall) were each up a tick week to week, with the former easily leading its timeslot among adults 18-34 (2.8/9). And at 10, dual-reality drama ''Awake'' (1.6/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall) ran second among the broadcast networks, falling 20% from its OK bow of last week when it didn't face an original ''Mentalist.'' Despite the decline, the demo rating is still the second best for a regular NBC drama in the hour (behind last week) since the series opener of ''Prime Suspect'' in September. ABC aired repeats of Thursday regulars ''Wipeout'' (1.3/4 in 18-49, 4.6 million viewers overall) and ''Grey's Anatomy'' (1.4/4 in 18-49, 4.1 million viewers overall), followed by an encore of new Sunday series ''GCB'' (1.3/4 in 18-49, 3.8 million viewers overall). The net bows Ashley Judd drama ''Missing'' in Thursday's 8 o'clock hour next week.CW went with repeats of ''The Vampire Diaries'' (0.4/1 in 18-49, 1.2 million viewers overall) and Friday drama ''Supernatural'' (0.3/1 in 18-49, 0.9 million viewers overall) at a special time.Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: CBS and Fox, 3.6/10; NBC, 1.8/5; ABC and Univision, 1.4/4; CW, 0.4/1.In total viewers: CBS, 14.5 million; Fox, 12.1 million; ABC, 4.2 million; NBC, 4.0 million; Univision, 3.5 million; CW, 1.0 million. Contact Rick Kissell at rick.kissell@variety.com

Apples New iPad Seen As A Small Step Forward For Digital Infotainment

We may have to wait for Apple to unveil its much-rumored and allegedly revolutionary television set, or even the next iteration of the iPhone,in order to see how the tech giant hopes to rock the infotainment world. That’s because, at first glance, Hollywood execs and analysts say that the new iPad is virtually a non-event: It says more aboutApple’s desire to protect its share of tablet sales from rivals including Amazon and Samsung — or upcoming devices built around Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system — than it does about any plan to shake up media. “There’s nothing game-changing” about it, says one Hollywood exec. To be sure, people say that iPad’s new HD screen and 4G broadband should improve the video-watching experience for consumers.The enhancements also will help iPad to remain the supplemental device of choice. “It will accelerate the development of the dual screen world, and the end of the set-top box” as pay TV providers try to shift TV control capabilities to tablets, says independent analyst Chris Dixon.But the updated tablet is still dinged as being too costly, andhaving too little memory, to qualify as a stand-alone entertainment device for a mass audience. What’s more, studios aren’t just looking at technology. Their biggest concerns with Apple involve the licensing terms it wants for their movies and TV shows. “The content owners are balking at the money Apple is asking for,” says IMS Research senior analyst Paul Erickson.Still, he and others note that it’s usually a mistake to look at the tech company’s announcements in isolation. “There’s always a larger scheme afoot when you’re talking about Apple,” Erickson says. Speaking of larger schemes, Netflix said today in a blog post that starting today owners of Apple TV boxes can sign up and pay for the streaming video service through Apple’s iTunes Store. The announcement comes as Netflix engages in talks with cable operators — who are wary about Apple’s media ambitions — about becoming a service on their platforms.

Willow Smith Dyes Her Hair Neon Green

Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne is venturing from ABC's The River to CBS' CSI. The actor has been cast as a charismatic college professor who teaches a class on the nature of celebrities, Entertainment Weekly reports. His character, Tom, will become the focus of an investigation when one of his protégés ends up dead. Pilot Season: Get the scoop! Blackthorne currently stars on The River as TV producer Clark Quietly. He was recently cast in The CW's Arrow pilot, a modern retelling of DC hero Green Arrow's legendary adventures, where he'll play a detective and father of Laurel (Katie Cassidy), the love interest of the Green Arrow's alter-ego Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell).