Disney’s movie ‘American Girl’

Samantha introduced girls to a Victorian lifestyle, while Felicity showed the forces at work during the American Revolution. Now, Molly will demonstrate how World War II affected a nine-year-old girl living in Illinois.

The Disney Channel will premiere “Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front” on Nov. 26. The made-for-TV holiday movie is the latest installment based on the popular American Girl dolls and books.

Set in 1944, the film centers on how Molly McIntire (Maya Ritter) must learn to deal with the sacrifices and hardship during World War II. She befriends Emily Bennett (Tory Green), an English girl who escaped the bombings in London and now lives with the McIntires. The girls learn to cooperate and get along, just like the rest of the nation does to win the war.

The character Molly was first introduced in 1986 and became a favorite among young girls. Her friend Emily was introduced to the Molly-related line as an 18-inch doll in September.

“Molly” also stars Molly Ringwald and David Aaron Baker as parents Helen and Dr. James McIntire. The film is produced by American Girl, Revolution Studios, and Red Om Films in association with Warner Bros. Television Production Inc.

The two other films in the series, “Samantha: An American Girl Holiday” and “Felicity: An American Girl Adventure,” grabbed big numbers when they debuted on The WB. Both will re-air on the Hallmark Channel on Dec. 2.

—

‘Spongebob’ gives nick best ratings

The premiere of the newest “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode went swimmingly for Nickelodeon on Friday.

The episode titled “The Best Day Ever,” averaging 6.7 million total viewers, followed by network premiere of “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” drawing more than 7 million, gave the network its most-watched, highest-rated day ever.

“The Best Day Ever” did well with kids 2-11 (4.0 million) and 6-11 (2.6 million), while the film drew 4.4 million and 2.9 million, in those demos respectively.

The one-two punch capped a 24-hour marathon of “SpongeBob” that began Thursday, featuring the Top 100 cartoon picks, selected by fans online by viewing clips. The site received almost 5 million streams and 3.2 million votes. All told, Friday averaged a total of 4.4 million total viewers, averaging 2.5 million kids 2-11 (a network high) and 1.5 million kids 6-11.

The marathon also increased ratings for Nick at Nite among kids 2-11 (204 percent) and kids 6-11 (188 percent). An average of 3.2 million viewers tuned in during primetime, with 831,000 adults 18-49. The marathon event also increased unique visitors to the Nickelodeon website the week leading up to “The Best Day Ever,” in part for its related game, promotion video and full-length msuic video.

In the special, SpongeBob has the perfect day planned: flipping patties at the Krusty Krab, engaging in karate with Sandy, jellyfishing with Patrick and then attending Squidward’s clarinet recital. When he’s disappointed by mishaps every step of the way, the usually happy-go-lucky sponge must readjust his outlook to see that it’s friends, not plans that make a good day.

The episode also included the song “The Best Day Ever,” which can be found on the soundtrack of the same name. The CD features all-new original music as well as guest artists Brian Wilson and Tommy Ramone.

—

“LIGHTS’ KEEP BURNING AT NBC

The 2006-07 TV season is becoming the Year of the Patient Networks.

The latest beneficiary of the newfound forbearance is NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” which received a full-season order on Monday. This despite the fact that the show is among the least-watched new dramas on any of the Big Four networks.

Wide critical acclaim and a devoted audience – although the show’s ratings haven’t been big, they’ve been fairly consistent – appear to have factored into NBC’s decision. Here’s what NBC Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly has to say about the pickup:

“We’re proud to reward an authentic, poignant series like “Friday Night Lights’ with a full-season order, demonstrating our confidence in its appeal and quality. Television critics and devoted fans have supported the show with well-deserved praise for the executive producers, writers and exceptionally talented cast.”

Through Nov. 5, “Friday Night Lights” is averaging 6.7 million viewers per week in first-run broadcasts (factoring in a little-watched repeat on Oct. 31, the figure is 6.1 million). It draws a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49. Among new dramas, only NBC’s already canceled “Kidnapped” (5.6 million) has brought in a smaller audience this fall, although Fox’s “Vanished” is headed that way after two meagerly rated Friday episodes.

Among the encouraging signs for NBC are the fact that the show’s 18-49 rating tends to rise in its second half-hour – a sign that viewers are sticking with it – and that its ratings were above average in a special Monday airing on Oct. 30, which drew about 8 million viewers.

“Friday Night Lights” becomes the third new NBC series to be picked up, following “Heroes” and “Studio 60,” which has also had some ratings issues. ABC has also been patient with some of its new shows, picking up “Men in Trees” and second-year show “What About Brian” despite less-than-stellar numbers and has ordered extra scripts for “The Nine.”

CBS has been a mixed bag, yanking the expensive drama “Smith” after just three episodes but giving comedy “The Class” a reprieve by asking for more scripts. Fox has yet to pick up any of its fall series and has already pulled “Happy Hour” and “Justice.” Having been exiled to Friday, “Vanished” seems an unlikely bet to get more episodes, which leaves only “Standoff” and “‘Til Death” as viable possibilities to continue into 2007.