ABC; ABC/Donna SvennevikSarah Palin's poll numbers are through the roof.
Monday's Oprah Winfrey Show, featuring the first stop on Palin's Going Rogue book tour, scored the daytime talk show's highest ratings in two years, reports said.
And yes, that means Palin outdrew the chimp-attack victim, Mackenzie Phillips' shocking daddy disclosure, and Ellen DeGeneres' wedding video, to name three recent high-profile Oprah Winfrey gets.
Never underestimate the appeal of a pistol-packin' former vice presidential candidate with Levi Johnston problems, apparently.
Elsewhere in TV-ratings land, Heather Locklear saved Melrose Place last night. Well, sort of.
The original Melrose resident's debut on the struggling CW reboot did provide a lift—and maybe even ensured that the show won't get outdone by a Friday rerun of America's Next Top Model (as it did last week).
Tuesday night's show clicked with an estimated 1.5 million viewers, still low even for the CW, but represented a six-week series high nonetheless.
Other tidbits:
• Yes, ABC's Dancing With the Stars is heading into its finale without Joanna Krupa, but it does have momentum. Monday's episode dominated the night with a season-high 18.7 million viewers, per estimates; last night's results show topped CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles with 15.9 million.
• The numbers on NBC's Heroes just keep getting sadder, and smaller: down to an estimated 5.1 million on Monday night.
• Same old, same old in the just-released weekly cable rankings: Nick and Disney tween shows (iCarly, Suite Life on Deck, Phineas and Ferb) ruled prime time alongside USA's detective shows (Monk and White Collar).
• No surprises in the just-released broadcast rankings, either. Sunday Night Football, NCIS, DWTS, CSI and the Taylor Swift-assisted Country Music Association Awards comprised the top five.