THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! Dominates the Night with NBC's Best 18-49 Thursday Average, Excluding Sports, Since the Night of the "ER" Finale

THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! (4.6/13 in 18-49 and 18.470 million viewers overall) dominated the night with NBC's best 18-49 Thursday average, excluding sports, since the night of the "ER" finale (5.2, April 2, 2009).

In total viewers, this is NBC's best Thursday average excluding sports since May 13, 2004 (FRASIER finale night, 22.597 million viewers).

· NBC won its fifth night in a row among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in 18-49 (12/1-5). It's the first time since June 2002 that NBC has won five nights in a row, excluding Olympics (since a six-night streak June 2-7, 2002; NBC's last in-season five-night streak was May 1-5, 2002).

· The top local market in metered market households came in Carrie Underwood's home state, with Oklahoma City giving the three-hour special a 20.7/28. NBC ranked #1 in primetime in all 56 metered markets.

Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christian Borle Cast in 'The Sound of Music'

Tony Award winners and stage veterans Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christian Borle have been added to the cast for the live Dec. 5 production of NBC's "The Sound of Music."

McDonald, who has won five Tonys ("The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess," "A Raisin in the Sun," "Ragtime," "Master Class" and "Carousel"), as well as two Grammy Awards for "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny," will portray Mother Abbess. McDonald is also a three-time Emmy Award nominee, with nominations for the TV movies Wit and A Raisin in the Sun, as well as the special Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel from Live From Lincoln Center, for which she serves as series host.