Sunday's ratings summary:
7 pm/ET
NBC's coverage of the Miss USA Pageant averaged nearly 5 million viewers over its two-hour run.
8 pm
The Amazing Race topped the hour with 10.4 million total viewers, followed by a repeat of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (7.56 mil). Fox's Sit Down, Shut Up premiered to 5.2 mil, fumbling 20 percent of lead-in The Simpsons' audience.
9 pm
An audience of 13.65 million turned up for Desperate Housewife Edie's final hurrah, a 7 percent drop from the show's last fresh outing. CBS/Hallmark's The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler placed second, averaging 9.82 mil over its two-hour run. (Watch my video Q&A with Anna Paquin here, fourth item down.) Celebrity Apprentice's double-elimination drew 8.32 mil, a three-week high.
10 pm
Brothers & Sisters topped the demos but was matched in total viewers (9.63 mil) by Irena Sendler; in fact, CBS' TV movie pulled ahead of the ABC serial by the end of the night.
Other ratings mentions:
• On Friday, Prison Break returned to an audience of 3.38 mil, plunging 32 percent from its winter finale.
• NBC's Kings, in its first Saturday-night showcase, delivered 2.41 mil, down 33 percent from its most recent Sunday outing.
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Miss USA Pageant
7 pm/ET NBC
It's a crowning moment when Billy Bush and My Name Is Earl's Nadine Velazquez host the 58th annual gala, which features 51 young women vying for pageantry honors in swimsuit, evening-gown and interview segments. Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart is on hand to crown her successor at the event, which is marked by performances by singer Kevin Rudolf, who performs the song "Let It Rock," and the pop duo the Veronicas, who render their song "Untouched." From the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Read on for previews of Desperate Housewives, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, In Plain Sight, Sit Down, Shut Up and Cake Boss.
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