Dan Power, Lifetime NetworksAn Affair, Sorry, TV Movie to Remember: Lifetime's LeAnn Rimes-Eddie Cibrian publicity coup, Nora Roberts' Northern Lights, scored with an estimated 4.5 million viewers last night, the network said. The movie is the network's biggest of the year, outdrawing the likes of Rosie O'Donnell's America (3.2 million) and Sigourney Weaver's Prayers for Bobby (3.8 million). It fell short, however, of last year's more fully clothed The Memory Keeper's Daughter (5.8 million) and Coco Chanel (5.2 million).
Weekend's Most Popular Soap: Despite no Rimes, no Cibrian and no juicy rumors, Desperate Housewives (14.7 million viewers, per preliminary Nielsen estimates) ruled.
They Love I Love You, Man: A soft weekend at the box office translated into a strong Sunday for the TV networks. Several shows were up over their performances from last week, including: Desperate Housewives, 60 Minutes (night-best 16.2 million), The Amazing Race (11.6 million), Family Guy (7.4 million), the in-need-of-good-news Celebrity Apprentice (7.3 million) and The Simpsons (6.2 million). Brothers and Sisters (10.4 million) was even.
Beyond Help: Kings, which averaged only 4.6 million—down 1.5 million viewers from its little-watched premiere.