The Bell tolls
NBC is expected to an nounce today that Jim Bell is leaving as executive producer of the “Today” show. Bell will stay with NBC, working on the network’s Olympics cov erage – familiar terrain for Bell, who was a coordinating producer for NBC’s Olympics coverage before joining “Today” in April 2005.
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“Friday Night Lights” is back in the ratings doldrums after a promising start this season. Last Friday’s episode averaged only 5.4 million viewers – and, more alarm ingly, finished second-to-last (9-10 p.m.) in adults 18-49, losing roughly 300,000 view ers its second half-hour. ABC’s “Women’s Murder Club” was the hour’s big win ner in total viewers (10.8 mil lion) and adults 18-49.
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Prohibition (W. 84th) is sud denly a Monday-night hot spot for “All My Children” stars including Alicia Min shew, Walt Willey, Bobbie Eakes and Thorsten Kaye. They’re gathering to watch cast mate Cameron Mathi son on “Dancing with the Stars” – where he’s still going strong with dance part ner Edyta Sliwinska (with whom yours truly cut-the-rug – badly – for a “Dancing” feature story in 2005).
Kaye, Eakes and Mathison were also among the stars who turned out for the surprise 70th birthday party Susan Lucci threw at the Rainbow Room last Wednesday for hus band Helmut Huber.
Last, but not least:
* On today’s “Morning Show with Mike & Juliet” (9 a.m./Ch. 5): Nikki Sixx jaws about his new book, “The Heroin Diaries.”
* Con grats to in dustry vet Nancy Carr, promoted to senior VP, corpo rate com munications, at Hallmark Channel. She’s based in L.A.
* “The View’s” Sherri Shepard lunched at John Ciarcia’s Cha Cha’s Café last Friday (Little Italy) then took a helicopter ride with Vinny Pastore – all part of a piece airing Nov. 1 on “The View.”