'Once Upon a Time' starts strong in ratings

Image Credit: ABC

Can Once Upon a Time give ABC’s fall a happy ending? The fantasy adventure got off to a strong start in the ratings Sunday night, opening better than expected at 8 p.m.

Once delivered 12.8 million viewers and a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating, improving a whopping 86 percent on the usual time period average of Extreme Makeover in the slot. That makes Once Upon a Time the highest-rated new drama series premiere of the season — bigger than ABC’s Revenge, CBS’ Person of Interest or Fox’s Terra Nova.

The rest of ABC’s lineup wasn’t quite as enchanted, however. The strong Once lead-in improved Desperate Housewives (9.2 million, 3.0) by 11 percent at 9 p.m., but the magic had worn off by the time Pan Am (5.8 million, 1.8) took flight at 10 p.m.

On the sports front, there was more ratings wizardry at play since baseball may have edged out football among total viewers (though not among adults 18-49). In the early Nielsen ratings, Game 4 of the World Series on Fox delivered a 10.1 household rating while NBC’s Sunday Night Football had an 8.2 rating. It only took a championship baseball game facing the most lopsided victory in the six-year history of SNF for this to happen (the Saints defeated the winless Colts, 62-7).

Dina Manzo: My Rift With Caroline Isn't Teresa's Fault

Caroline Manzo may argue that she's not speaking to her sister because of Real Housewives of New Jersey foe Teresa Giudice, but Dina Manzo says Giudice played no part in their rift.

"[Dina] was led to believe a lot of things that are not true. She has a good friend that likes to talk and she says things to her that aren't true against me and Jacqueline [Laurita]," Caroline argued on Sunday's Housewives reunion, looking right at Giudice. "[Dina] claims I never supported her, and Teresa's a big part of it. When you get into this world, the fame, your mind isn't right. You drink the Kool-Aid."

VIDEO: Watch Caroline open up about her feud with Dina
For her part, Dina -- who quit Housewives midway through season 2 and now hosts her own HGTV series, Dina's Party -- said her friendship with Giudice isn't exactly as deep as her sister may think.

"It wasn't until very recently that Teresa showed up at my doorstep in tears," Dina wrote on her personal blog. "Apparently Caroline and Jacqueline had a sit down with her on camera [for season 4] and she felt attacked. All I did was console a friend who was obviously shaken. I felt bad for her…even though I had distanced myself from her a bit I was still her friend and she needed me."

PHOTOS: Hollywood's ugliest family feuds
Dina wrote that while she continued to interact with Giudice -- mostly to support her business ventures -- she did so out of the spotlight and away from Housewives cameras.

"Teresa had nothing to do with me staying away from everyone, I even stayed away from her too and I have no clue about all the drama that went on with everything else," Dina blogged. "I feel bad that my relationship with my sister and her family is strained, but I can assure you that one day it will be back to the way it was."
VIDEO: Teresa lashes out at her brother

"I don't like fighting, I don't like drama, I don't like confrontation, I don't agree with ganging up on someone [one of the other reasons why I left season 2] and I don't need to share anymore than that," Dina summed up.
"I wish all the girls the BEST!! ALL OF THEM….Let's lift each other up instead of trying to tear one another down. Let's showcase what women are capable of, what I thought this show was going to be back in the day: Running successful businesses, supporting amazing causes, raising incredible children and looking fabulous every step of the way," wrote Dina, before adding in jest: "Unfortunately, not sure what the ratings on that would be."

DeMarco Murray rushes from obscurity into Cowboys' record book

Murray went for 253 yards in Dallas' 34-7 victory within the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, probably the most hurrying yards ever in one game in team history. Only eight other National football league gamers and something other rookie have put together more yards on the floor in a single game.

It had been also probably the most hurrying yards ever permitted through the Rams, breaking an archive set by Jim Brown in 1957.

“I i never thought inside a million years that I'd ever possess a day such as this,” stated Murray, another-round choose of Oklahoma who went 91 yards for any touchdown (second longest in team history) on his first carry. “This is exactly what I have been spending so much time for since my Pop Warner days.”

Murray joined the overall game with only 71 yards for that season but saw elevated playing time because of a higher ankle sprain to starter Felix Johnson.

Most National football league fans might have been caught unexpectedly (a lot more than 11,000 fantasy gamers added Murray for their rosters Monday morning on Yahoo! Sports), but Sooner fans might have seen next. Murray set career records at Oklahoma for those-purpose yards (6,626), touchdowns (64), points (384) and receiving yards with a running back (1,572).

The question now becomes, will Murray get the opportunity for any repeat performance? He's still listed as third around the Cowboys' depth chart, behind Johnson and Tashard Choice. But Johnson may miss more games together with his injuries ... plus how lengthy do they really keep an exciting-time team leader around the bench?