Desperate Housewives Dominates NCAA March Madness

March Madness -- an overrun of the NCAA basketball tournament -- got things off to a fine start for CBS Sunday night, combing with the start of 60 Minutes to give the network a 9.8 rating and a 17 share in the 7:00 p.m. hour. The network's ratings even climbed to an 11.3/17 in the 8:00 p.m. hour for the conclusion of 60 Minutes and the beginning of Cold Case. But that's all she wrote. At 9:00 p.m. Desperate Housewives scored the top numbers for the night, a 13.5/20 for ABC, leading into a repeat of Grey's Anatomy at 10:00 p.m., which drew a 9.8/16. In the end, ABC won the night with an average 9.1/14, outscoring CBS's 8.8/14. NBC placed third with a 6.2/10, while Fox trailed with a 3.9/6.

INSIDE MAN TAKES TOP SPOT

Inside Man not only garnered the best reviews of any film released this year, it also came close to rolling up the best box-office results. The Spike Lee film, starring Denzel Washington, earned an estimated $29 million, just behind the $30 million posted for Madea's Family Reunion last month. Two other new films -- which were not screened for critics -- registered so-so results. The horror flick Stay Alive debuted with $11.2 million, somewhat better than most analysts had predicted, and Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector took in $7.1 million, somewhat worse than most analysts had predicted. Meanwhile, in its second week, V for Vendetta got an F, as its gross fell 52 percent to $12.3 million. The film, which several analysts predicted would become the first big blockbuster of the year, grossed only $12.3 million to bring its total to $46.2 million. Nevertheless, with the top 12 movies grossing, $98.9 million, the box office was able to break out of its latest slump; the figure was up 10.6 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:1. Inside Man, $29 million; 2. V for Vendetta, $12.3 million; 3. Stay Alive, $11.2 million; 4. Failure to Launch, $10.8 million; 5. The Shaggy Dog, $9.1 million; 6. She's the Man, $7.4 million; 7. Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, $7.05 million; 8. The Hills Have Eyes, $4.25 million; 9. Eight Below, $2.7 million; 10. 16 Blocks, $2.2 million.