Nielson ratings are 'Bee'-utiful news for beleaguered NBC

NEW YORK -- Finally, beleaguered NBC has something to sing about.

Its premiere of "The Singing Bee" was the last week's most popular television show, with the biggest audience among young viewers of any new summer series in five years, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Former 'N Sync member Joey Fatone earned strong reviews for his work as host of the game, which tests contestants' memories of song lyrics. Fox's version of the same show, "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" did well last week but didn't come close to NBC.

Eager for any good news, NBC moved swiftly to announce the series would return in September.

Fox claimed the week's ratings crown, however, due largely to the 12.5 million people who watched baseball's All-Star game. It was the second-smallest audience on record for the game, which was seen by 12.3 million in 2005.