Sunday's "True Blood" on HBO scared up good numbers, according to the Nielsen Co.

The second-season launch of the sexy vampire drama starring Anna Paquin attracted 3.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched HBO original program since the June 2007 finale of "The Sopranos."

Moreover, Sunday's telecast was up 157% from the first-season premiere and up 51% from the first-season finale, indicating viewers were eagerly awaiting some, uh, fresh blood.

What's more, the initial ratings do not include time-shifted or on-demand viewing.

The Alan Ball-produced drama, inspired by novels by Charlaine Harris, also opened to good critical reviews, which may have helped boost the audience.

Dot's all ...

Donald Trump has teamed with WWE boss Vince McMahon for a stunt to air on next Monday's edition of USA's "Monday Night Raw" commercial-free. Trump and McMahon put out a press release Tuesday saying Trump had purchased the show, which didn't happen ... As expected, A&E has canceled Patrick Swayze's "The Beast." ..."Curb Your Enthusiasm's" Susie Essman performs at Carolines on Broadway Thursday through Saturday. ... Keep the kids up - the Jonas Brothers guest on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday at 9 p.m. King's cameras also got a tour of the setup for the group's new tour ...Imagine that - just after "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" ends, the folks at Bravo have found enough unseen footage to create a bonus episode, "The Last Supper," airing Thursday at 9 p.m.

source : http://www.nydailynews.com