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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 9, 2009

Jackson's memorial not a ratings record


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Ronald Regan

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kate Winslet

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More people watched Princess Diana's funeral in '97 on television than tuned in for Michael Jackson's memorial service Tuesday.

Nielsen Media Research reports that 30.9 million viewers caught the King of Pop's service on 19 broadcast networks. (That does not include online viewership, estimated at millions.)

Diana's funeral, broadcast early on a Saturday morning, drew 33.3 million.

But neither Michael nor Diana could match former President Ronald Reagan, whose Friday night services in '04 were watched by 35.1 million.

WINSLET SKIPPED THE WILD PHASE

Kate Winslet, who's on the cover of the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, tells the mag that when it comes to dope, she just says no.

"When everyone was out getting plastered, I didn't do all of that. I was working. I was doing life," said Winslet, 33, who already was acting as a youngster. "I feel very lucky. I've never taken drugs."

Winslet said she's happy people are happy with her bod, which she put out there in her post-WW II Nazi romantic tragedy "The Reader."

"If people are noticing my boobs in a movie and saying they do what real boobs do, then that's great," she said. But, she said, enough's enough: "I can't keep getting away with it. There was so much of it in 'The Reader' because the story required it, but people have seen enough of my (body parts) ... I have to put them back."

KATE GOSSELIN TO MINGLE WITH A-LISTERS

Maria Shriver's annual women's conference has always been an A-list affair, and this year's event in October is no different.

Cindy McCain, Elizabeth Edwards, Katie Couric, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and Hawai'i-born actress Kelly Preston are among the featured speakers. But the guest likely to draw the most attention is a relative newcomer to the media spotlight — reality TV personality Kate Gosselin.

California's first lady says she invited the co-star of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8" at the suggestion of her teenage daughters, who watch the show.

The invitation was sent five months ago. That was before Gosselin announced that she and her husband, the parents of 5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins, are splitting after 10 years of marriage.

"I think her life has certainly changed dramatically, but so be it," Shriver said yesterday by phone. "I think that's the beauty of this conference — to have Madeleine Albright and Kate Gosselin at the same place."

'REVENGE' GETTING EVEN AT BOX OFFICE

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has reached another Hollywood milestone.

The sci-fi blockbuster shot past the $300 million mark domestically on Tuesday — after just 14 days in release.

That makes it the second-fastest movie to top $300 million, behind last summer's "The Dark Knight," which made it in 10 days.

The "Transformers" sequel has topped $600 million worldwide. It's quickly closing in on the $319 million domestic total of the first "Transformers" installment and the original 2007 flick's $700 million worldwide.