Without Britney Spears and Sarah Chalke to pump up the ratings, CBS’ comedy-on-life-support drew only a 3.4 Nielsen this week in an episode with no guest stars for How I Met Your Mother. Still, the show did build on the ratings lead-in from Big Bang Theory, which drew a 2.9.

While those numbers are on Orovo diets compared to what was considered great ratings 20 years ago, the improvment HIMYM is showing off its lead-in may be just enough to show that the show does not require guest stars every week, and that it has enough oomph to build in the ratings bar set by its lead-in.

A brief prayer wouldn’t hurt, but signs are good that HIMYM’s demise might have been diagnosed a bit prematurely. Like, say, by Dr. Elliot of a certain NBC comedy soon destined to appear on ABC, perhaps?

Ask the average Screen Actors Guild media relations guy if SAG wants to strike so soon after the extended writers strike that lost Hollywood billions, and they’ll assure you that of course they don’t want to create another work stoppage in the city of Guilded Implants.

But ask them about their expectations for the next SAG contract and their double-speak is about as convoluted as that of a truck accident lawyer. SAG is demanding to get what neither directors nor writers could manage: a better cut of DVD sales. Furthormore, they want even more than the AMPTP was willing to give writers and actors in terms of new media residuals.

SAG and AFTRA (who will negotiate separately for the first time in 27 years) naturally think they’re the most deserving because actors are out-front, the faces and bodies that sell movies. Never mind that the actors are already far more well-compensated on average than any director or writer will ever be.

Sure, folks like Tom Hanks will claim the battle isn’t for them, but for the casting session rejects who rarely get work. So… if they rarely get work… how is it that better DVD and new media residuals will help those folks again? No, this is all about turning $20 million per flick actors into $30 million per flick headliners.

The Riedel-sipping Elton John spent the weekend shilling for Sen. Hilllary Rodham and took the occassion to Reagan-bash, even though the Gipper’s been in the ground for at least a couple years now, and out of power for 20 years.

John’s complaint, of course, was the old saw about how Reagan “did nothing” about AIDS. Yawn. The last time EJ’s been relevent in his political commentary is also about as long ago as the last time the Brit pop tart had a solid hit record.

Like Striesand, Manilow and countless other no longer relevant liberals, they tell you exactly how they feel about everything … so long as it’s 20 years after the fact and the person they’re hating on is no longer alive to defend himself.

Courage.

Let’s face it. I grew up in the 1980s when the original Prom Night came out, and it was no big whoop, even back then. So it’s a bit surprising that the 2008 remake is such a hit, despite being no better than its 1980s-era original.

The Prom Night franchise is perhaps best remembered for its second installment, which landed a cameo by Jamie Lee Curtis, then hot off her Halloween debut and the then-reigning “queen of scream.”

Now, getting chased around my a knife wielding maniac is standard fare for starlets looking to establish themselves, stumbling down the same path Curtis blazed about 25 years ago. Brittany Snow is the victim in training this time out, and she proves herself servicable if a bit generic.

The flick made its $20 million budget back in the first weekend, though, so expect sequels to follow. Meanwhile, Street Kings did far worse, raking in over $12 million to rank a distant second place; Street Kings also cost $20 million to make, but is less likely to make it back. The moribund Leatherheads dropped to fifth place, narrowly edging out the ever-popular Dr. Seuss film, Horton Hears A Who.

The worst major debut was Miramax’s Smart People, which struggled to reach $4 million and rank seventh. Box office is still in the pre-summer flick slumber; expect things to pick up in May.