NOT INVINCIBLE: "American Idol" is a huge hit but it's not unbeatable in the ratings. As a matter of fact, last week's results show finished second in its time period, losing to "Survivor: All-Stars."

And it didn't just lose in total viewers (20.42 million for "Survivor" to 15.33 million for "Idol"), it also lost among the advertiser-friendly demographics 18-49 and 25-54.

All things considered, "Survivor" remains remarkably strong in the ratings in its seventh season. "Idol" will be hard-pressed to do the same through four more go-rounds.

The big winner last Thursday, however, was the season finale of "The Apprentice." The 28.05 million who tuned in to the two-hour installment gave NBC a rare victory over even "CSI" in the 8-9 p.m. hour.

The bad news for NBC is that "The Apprentice" ended before the May sweeps begin.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com