Morning Report

POP/ROCK

Barry White in Need

of a Kidney Transplant

Veteran R&B singer Barry White has been hospitalized in Los Angeles for kidney dialysis treatment.

According to a brief statement released by his record company, the deep-voiced, 58-year-old musician has a history of high blood pressure that led to a decline in his kidney function. When his condition stabilizes, doctors say he will be a candidate for an organ transplant.

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Elvis' Hits Package Making Strong Debut

The new Elvis Presley hits package, "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits," may reach No. 1 on the album sales chart itself when first-week figures come in on Wednesday.

The album, which was released Tuesday, is "shaping up like it could be pretty huge," Wherehouse chain senior pop buyer Bob Bell said Thursday, looking at the first two days of sales. "This is the kind of title that's going to sell well in lots of different kinds of retail and discount outlets as well as traditional record stores."

Presley's record label is anticipating sales of at least 450,000 to 500,000 the first week, a range that would put it in the vicinity of the Beatles' "1" collection of 27 of that group's hits. The "1" album sold 595,000 during its first week in stores in 2000 and went on to set the record for highest single-week sales other than first week when it posted 1.26 million copies during the week leading up to Christmas that year.

"What is amazing is not only the scale and scope of the consumer response, but the diversity in age and demographics," says Joe DiMuro, senior vice president of strategic marketing for BMG Entertainment. "It is clear that this campaign has been embraced beyond the core Elvis Presley demographic."

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TELEVISION

Damon Beats Bernie, NBC Takes 'Wing'

It was good news, bad news, and more bad news for ABC on Wednesday, as "My Wife and Kids" opened its season to strong ratings while the second edition of "The Bachelor" and new drama "MDs" both stumbled out of the starting gate versus a two-hour "The West Wing."

ABC's Damon Wayans comedy averaged 14.8 million viewers with an hourlong episode, easily beating Fox's tandem of "The Bernie Mac Show" and "Cedric the Entertainer Presents," which together averaged a little more than 8 million. Some observers had worried that the two sitcoms with African American stars would cancel each other out, but both fared reasonably well, particularly in the younger demographics sought by advertisers.