Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe TIM ALLEN RETURNING TO TV? Tim Allen, the star of the long-running, Emmy-winning TV comedy "Home Improvement," says he would consider doing another TV series -- with one reservation. Advertisement In an interview for the syndicated show "Extra" to promote his new movie "The Santa Clause 2," Allen said he doesn't know what kind of show he would do if he came back to prime-time TV. "I liked it when I was doing it," he said. "But, how do you top it? I'd feel like (Michael) Jordan. How do you go back and recreate the magic you had. How do you do that?" "Home Improvement," based on Allen's stand-up comedy, was nominated for 34 Emmys during its eight seasons on ABC (1992-99), including three for outstanding comedy series (1992-94). It won seven times -- all for outstanding lighting. Allen said a variety show is "not out of the question," and he was certain that if he could just settle on a format he'd be back on TV before long. Advertisement "If I knew, ABC would do it because we've talked over and over again," he said. END OF THE ROAD FOR 'PROVIDENCE' NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker announced Monday that the drama series "Providence" will be canceled, following a two-hour series finale on Dec. 20. "NBC owes a great deal of gratitude to the cast and crew of 'Providence,' which turned the lights on for the network on Fridays when it premiered and has helped keep us number one on the night ever since," said Zucker. After the show's premiere in January 1999, "Providence" became a reliable ratings performer for NBC, helping the network win the Friday 8-9 p.m. time slot among viewers 18-49. 'DREAMS,' 'BOOMTOWN' WILL GO ON NBC has ordered nine additional episodes of both of its new Sunday night dramas -- "American Dreams" and "Boomtown." Sandwiched about "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," the new shows have given the network its strongest presence in recent memory in the Sunday night ratings battle. "Boomtown," set in Los Angeles, examines one crime each week from diverse viewpoints -- witnesses, uniformed officers, detectives, the media -- even the criminals themselves. "American Dreams" tells the story of a Philadelphia family coping with social and political upheaval in the '60s, using Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" as a backdrop. Advertisement 'RINGING' UP BOX OFFICE SALES "The Ring" ran circles around the competition, hauling in an estimated $15 million and finishing at No. 1 in its opening weekend at the U.S. box office. Other new releases didn't do so well. "Abandoned" opened with just $5.3 million, tied for fifth place with the second weekend of "Brown Sugar." The new Samuel L. Jackson thriller "Formula 51" managed just $2.9 million and didn't even make the Top 10. The Reese Witherspoon comedy "Sweet Home Alabama" finished second for a third straight weekend, taking in $9.6 million and running its four weekend total to $98.5 million. Anthony Hopkins' latest Hannibal Lecter movie "Red Dragon" finished at No. 3 with $8.8 million, and a running total of $77.8 after three weekends. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" -- showing more longevity than some actual marriages -- finished its 27th weekend at No. 4 with $7.2 million and a running total of $169.3 million. Overall, the U.S. box office took in an estimated $88 million -- 6 percent better than the same weekend last year. So far this year, the box office is running 13 percent of last year's pace with $7.1 billion in the bank. Advertisement SELA WARD'S NEXT Emmy-winning actress Sela Ward has joined the cast of "The Day After Tomorrow," starring Dennis Quaid as a climatologist trying to save the world from abrupt climate change. The picture is being directed by Roland Emmerich ("The Patriot," "Independence Day"), from his own screenplay -- based on the book "The Coming Global Superstorm" by radio talker Art Bell. Ward won Emmys for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Sisters" (1994) and "Once and Again" (2000). HBO PLANS MOVIE ABOUT ABOLITIONIST HBO has announced plans for producer-directors Martin Scorsese and Raoul Peck to collaborate with novelist Russell Banks on a TV movie about John Brown, the militant abolitionist who was hanged for treason after leading an uprising against slave-owners in Harper's Ferry in 1859. "Cloudsplitter" will be based on the novel of the same name by Banks, whose novels "Affliction" and "The Sweet Hereafter" were adapted for the big screen in 1997. Peck is best known for his 2000 movie "Lumumba," based on the rise to power and assassination of Congo's first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba.
