"The Artist" enjoys post-Oscar bump at the box office: "In North America, the black-and-white silent film moved into the top 10 chart for the first time since opening in select theaters 15 weeks ago, grossing $3.9 million for a domestic cume of $37.1 million. The pic was up 34 percent from the previous weekend. The Weinstein Co. planned all along to hold back from going wide until after the Academy Awards. Over the weekend, the film aggressively upped its theater count from 966 locations to 1,756. 'This is within the range of what we expected. This film is a slow burn,' Weinstein Co. president of distribution Erik Lomis said." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Freed West Memphis 3 prisoner Jason Baldwin will executive produce "Devil's Knot": "'Devil's Knot' tells the story of Ron Lax, a successful private detective who worked for the defense for no pay. He found DNA evidence linking the stepfather of one of the murdered boys to material that was used to bind one of the victims. That evidence helped convince a judge to release Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., in 2011." THE WRAP

Oscar-winners Terry George and Oorlagh George return to Belfast: "The father and daughter pair - who picked up the glittering prizes in Hollywood last weekend for their short movie 'The Shore' - touched down at Belfast International on Monday morning. Mr George described how it felt to return home to a hero's welcome, after walking a specially laid-out red carpet to the applause of passengers. He told UTV: 'It's breathtaking, stunning - is that the word? It's really great. We had a great reception at the airport from friends, family and the press this morning, crisp skies, a beautiful morning, it's a real trip.'" UTV

Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is now the top-selling digital track by a female artist: "'Deep' moved an impressive 99,000 downloads for the week ending February 26, per Nielsen SoundScan, pushing its cumulative sales to 6.68 million. 'Poker Face' had been the leader among female-sung songs with 6.62 million in sales. With 7.82 million downloads, the Black Eyed Peas' 'I Gotta Feeling' is the all-time digital-download leader. 'Deep' now ranks second and 'Poker Face' third." MTV

Sequel to "The Muppets" is in the works: "EW has confirmed a Variety report that 'The Muppets' co-writer Nicolas Stoller and director James Bobin will reunite to pen a new script. But Jason Segel, who co-wrote, starred, and was the driving force in resurrecting the beloved Muppet characters, is less certain about his role, depending on his other film and television commitments." EW.COM

Sundance Film Festival favorite "Smashed" picked up by Sony Pictures Classics: "The final piece of Movieline's Sundance 2012 Bidding-War puzzle has fallen into place, with director James Ponsoldt's boozehound relationship drama 'Smashed' going to the estimable Sony Pictures Classics. Five-for-five! High five? Smashed is the last of the year's projected Sundance darlings to officially find a distribution deal, with 'The Surrogate,' 'Bachelorette,' 'Arbitrage' and 'Red Lights' all spoken for in the month-plus since the festival came and went." MOVIELINE

Who are 2012's possible lead-acting Oscar contenders? "The next twelve months promise has a number of meaty parts to choose from, with several previous winners coming back with roles that seem made for the category. Right now, Best Actress seems a little weaker, but that could all change by the time the awards season kicks off. So, with the usual caveats in place, below we've run down the major contenders for the two lead acting prizes, once more in descending order of likelihood." INDIEWIRE

"The Lorax" may not have to worry about any Best Song nominations at the next Oscars: "'Dr. Seuss's The Lorax' opens today, and it's shockingly bad, says New York's own David Edelstein. But it's not just that the movie's bad (and seems to miss its own point of critiquing consumption and greed). Even the songs leave something to be desired, according to many other critics: 'There are songs here, it's true, but they're musical rants / As stale as the crust on your dad's underpants. / You'll forget them before this young March hits the ides; / I have heard better tunes on Clay Aiken's B-sides.'" VULTURE

Where is the help for black filmmakers in Hollywood? "This conversation is by no means new and took place most recently in the Hollywood Reporter in an article entitled: 'So What's On Your Mind, Spike Lee?' Among other topics, Lee discussed his recent difficulty getting films made, asking, 'Where are the people of color? That's what it comes down to. How many people, when they have those meetings and vote on what movies get made, how many people of color are in those meetings?' These are indeed important questions at a time when what was called 'African American Cinema' some years ago has all but disappeared." MOVIEFONE

"Game of Thrones" debuts a new trailer: "You’ve been told that “War is Coming” this season on 'Game of Thrones.' Ready to see some of it? EW.com has the exclusive new trailer for 'Thrones' season two (links to the earlier trailers below). There’s fighting, there’s romance, there’s … Florence and the Machine! For the first time, HBO has licensed a pop song to market 'Game of Thrones,' selecting the indie track 'Seven Devils.'" EW.COM

George Clooney and Brad Pitt will appear in Proposition 8 play: "If you thought the George Clooney/Brad Pitt bromance was only reserved for 'Ocean's Eleven' movies, the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, well, think again. Pitt has just signed on to join his longtime pal for the West Coast production of '8,' a play based on the landmark Proposition 8 trial in California. According to E! News, Pitt will play Prop 8 opposer U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker, and Clooney will play David Boies, an attorney who sought to overturn the highly publicized ban." MTV

Scarlett Johansson cast as Janet Leigh in "Making of Psycho" movie: "According to Variety, the role of Janet Leigh will give Johansson a meaty career boost; the trade paper's sources compare it to Michelle Williams's lead role in 'My Week with Marilyn,' which scored the actress an Oscar nomination. Whether Johansson will be as lucky remains to be seen. [James] D'Arcy is also a new addition to the cast, but his role as [Anthony] Perkins is apparently small. Not that it matters: dude looks so much like Anthony Perkins that it's kinda scary. He can just stand in the background, not hurting flies and such." MOVIEFONE

Razzies for "Project X" next year? The reviews are brutal: "The reviews are in for the Todd Phillips-produced uber-party comedy 'Project X,' and three out of four critics agree: It is the douchiest, most mean-spirited debauch of the year. (To date, anyway; we'll see what kind of revisionist zest Steven Spielberg and co. bring to 'Lincoln.') Hop aboard Movieline's scorched-earth golf cart and let's go for a spin..." MOVIELINE

Can bad movies ever be good again? "After all, some films are so terrible that they gain a cult of devoted followers. It's those films that fans say can enhance our understanding and enjoyment of all movies, and provide some much-needed relief from the predictability of the film industry. They're also, aficionados worry, a dying breed ... It's this trend towards 'cookie-cutter' cinema that has fans of bad movies worried." BBC

Harvey Weinstein awarded the French Legion of Honor: "For his grand contribution to cinema, and for just having won France the Best Picture Oscar, President Sarkozy nominated Harvey Weinstein for the high honor and it’s just been announced he will be the recipient. It’s the least they can do, don’t you think? ... President Sarkozy wrote the following upon nominating Weinstein to the Légion d’Honneur: 'This prestigious distinction, which I wanted to come from my personal allocation, is a testimony of the admiration of millions of French citizens for the exceptional quality of the films that you have produced ...'" AWARDS DAILY

"One Life to Live" stars make the move to "General Hospital": "'If you are a 'One Life to Live' fan, you know that Blair is mama bear. Anything that her children needs, she is there,' says [Kassie] DePaiva. 'When Blair arrives, she’s only aware of the car accident. She’s unaware of the fallout of that accident and the drama and the sadness that unfolds.' Blair’s not the only one riding into town to support Starr. Blair’s on-again/off-again love interest/father of her children Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) is right behind her." EW.COM

Kathryn Bigelow's Osama Bin Laden film incites protest, gets a working title: "Members of the right wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad group stormed the set of Kathryn Bigelow’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden film in the Indian city of Chandigarh today, protesting the portrayal of Muslim culture in India, according to reports. Bigelow’s crew had been shooting there for 4 days although the director is understood not to have been on set during the unrest ... Meanwhile, media reports from the set say the long-untitled picture is using the working moniker 'Zero Dark Thirty' which is military-speak for a very early starting time." DEADLINE

Should Harvey Weinstein apologize for his bullying reputation in light of the documentary "Bully"? "We've read -- and written -- a lot about 'Bully' lately. The R rating, followed by the Weinstein protest, followed by a screening for kids, followed by NATO's counterprotest. And all of it has produced the sort of PR bonanza for which the Weinsteins are known. 'Bully' has also produced a curious side effect: Irony ... [Mark Lipsky] was a marketing exec for the early days of the Weinsteins' Miramax Films ... but he remembers the Weinsteins as 'two of the most unrepentant bullies I’d ever met.'" INDIEWIRE

"Mad Men" angers 9/11 victims' families with its ad camapign: "The ads, which echo the show’s opening credits, show a man (protagonist Don Draper) falling into a white void. They have appeared in subways and on buses since mid-January, but a new series just recently began appearing on highly position billboards and building facades around New York City, prompting cries of insensitivity. Several family members of people lost in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, told the Times the ads are offensive because they bring to mind the imagery of victims jumping from the Twin Towers on the day of the national tragedy." EW.COM

"Glee" star Jane Lynch discusses whether audiences will find out why Sue Sylvester is so mean: "Yes, we’re going to get a piece of that in this series. We find out that Sue herself may have been a lover of musical theatre as a child. And perhaps someone badmouthed her. [Laughs] I don’t know." METRO

Zachary Quinto will be the new "American Horror Story" lead: "Deadline reports that Quinto has signed on to co-lead the second season, and he'll be playing the antagonist to [Jessica Lange]'s character, who also recently negotiated her return to the show. Both will be playing different characters than they did in season one, and Deadline claims that in addition to the other returning players whom Murphy will announce tonight, there's still a male co-lead yet to be cast." VULTURE

Oscar-winning "A Separation" director Asghar Farhadi signs with talent agency: "Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director who won the Best Foreign Language Academy Award for 'A Separation,' has signed with UTA. The family drama set in Tehran has earned critical and popular support throughout the international film community after its world premiere a year ago at the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran, where it earned Farhadi the Best Director award." DEADLINE

Did the Oscars seal the election for Barack Obama? "A strange pattern has emerged over the past 50 years, and it seems an incumbent president's hopes for re-election are tied to which films win big at the two major Hollywood award shows. Specifically, if a film is named Best Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globes and Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the Republican candidate is elected. If not, the Democrat wins. The theory applies to the year the films are awarded, not the year they are released–this year's awards went to films released last year–and if it holds, 'The Descendants'' inability to repeat its Golden Globes triumph at this year's Oscars means Obama will win." CNN

Are the Razzie Awards any less star-struck than the Oscars? "If the Oscars are ultimately a popularity contest, the Razzies are sort of an anti-popularity contest: To be a serious Razzies candidate, you have to be famous enough to be truly disliked ... Just like with the Academy Awards, it's all about star power. That's why you won't see universally loathed movies like 'Apollo 18' or 'Shark Night 3D' win a Razzie. The Razzies make fun of only the fattest of targets, and in doing so they commit the same crime as the Oscars—they judge movies as a function of fame and publicity." DEADSPIN

Seth Rogen criticizes Chris Brown and the Grammys: "Seth Rogen took to the stage at the Independent Spirit Awards last weekend and made sure he used the opportunity to sound off his own opinions about Chris Brown's recent negative press: 'The Grammys... seem much more forgiving than the Oscars altogether... Seriously, if you say a few hateful things, they don’t let you within 100 feet of the Oscars. You could literally beat the s— out of a nominee and they ask you to perform twice at the Grammys.'" ENTERTAINMENTWISE.COM

An idea to improve the Motion Picture Academy's diversity: "The academy says part of the reason it hasn't been easy to make itself younger or more diverse is because its memberships are for life and rules allow the organization to bring in only 30 new voters each year beyond the number of spots created by deaths or retirements. The academy could easily decide to put its oldest voters on retired status after a certain point — a step that is now strictly voluntary. For example, if you haven't had a credit in 25 years, you'd become an emeritus member, which would entitle you to all the perks the academy offers, minus the voting. Currently, approximately 5% of the voting membership is over age 85. If they were put on emeritus status, that would presumably open up the membership rolls to a younger, more vital constituency." LOS ANGELES TIMES

Was a 9/11 joke cut from "Les Infideles" to help Jean Dujardin's chances of winning the Oscar? "Talking to his wife on the phone while he is seducing the woman, Dujardin stands by a window where, in the background, an airline can be seen flying into the World Trade Centre, as it did on September 11th 2001. Dujardin has his back to the terrorist atrocity in which thousands died, and says to his wife: 'Yes, yes, my darling, everything is fine!' ... Le Point magazine claimed the sketch 'could have been fatal' to his chances of success. Instead Dujadin's 'little secret was kept right until the end' said Le Point, adding: 'The actor and co-producer of 'Les Infideles' indeed feared that the world of American cinema would take offence to the short scene.'" TELEGRAPH

Adele spends her 22nd week at number-one, while Whitney Houston remains at number-two: "The English singer shifted another 297,000 copies of "21" (Columbia) last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ending Feb. 26. Set marked a drop of 59% from Adele's record post-Grammys take of 730,000 units last week ... The late Whitney Houston's 'Greatest Hits' (Arista/Sony) maintained its post at No. 2, selling 174,000 copies (down just 1%). Houston's sales renaissance continued in the wake of her death on Feb. 11, as two of her catalog titles entered the top 10." CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Tony Awards set their calendar of upcoming events: "The American Theatre Wing’s 66th Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will air on CBS on Sunday, June 10th from 8:00 – 11:00 PM (ET/PT time delay)." Nominations will be announced May 1, followed by a "Meet the Nominees" press reception on May 2. Tony Nominees' Luncheon is set for May 31.

Oscar collection sells at auction for $3 million: "All 15 Academy Awards auctioned today by Nate D. Sanders sold for a record-breaking total of $3,060,089, which includes the buyer’s premium. The most expensive Oscar statuette was Herman Mankiewicz’s 1941 Best Screenplay Academy Award for 'Citizen Kane,' which sold for $588,455. Christie’s sold the Academy Award in 1999 for $244,500. In December 2011, Nate D. Sanders sold Orson Welles’ 'Citizen Kane' Academy Award for $861,542."

Will Grammy-winner Norah Jones's collaboration with Danger Mouse spell success? "Co-written and produced by Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse), Jones' upcoming album 'Little Broken Hearts' could be the artistic left turn she needed ... The first single, 'Happy Pills,' came online Tuesday, and Burton's fingerprints aren't hard to see. Backed by a clockwork guitar pulse and heavy-footed drums that could be a half-speed outtake from the 'Broken Bells' sessions, Jones sings with a mix of sass and yearning about getting over the wrong man with a classic R&B refrain of 'Please just let me go now.'" LOS ANGELES TIMES

The Oscars should draw more attention to their foreign and documentary nominees: "... there should be more attention given to two categories that get a short shrift on the telecast, yet for which Oscar nominations are vital – Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary. It would even be a good idea for the Academy to launch a second telecast, on cable, devoted just to introducing these nominees to the public ... Yet, because they rarely if ever have the studio marketing/distribution clout to get into wide national release, they struggle in the marketplace." CITY BEAT

Can "Community" actor's Oscar win help "Community"? "If you're a fan of NBC's cult comedy 'Community,' then last night was a big night for you, not just because it was the 84th Annual Academy Awards, but because 'Community's' own eccentric dean (played by Jim Rash) accept an Oscar for screenwriting (while paying tribute to Angelina Jolie's leg in the process) ... The ratings-challenged 'Community' returns to NBC on Thursday, March 15th, and I've taken the liberty of suggesting some ways in which NBC and 'Community' could use Jim Rash's Oscar win to promote the show and hopefully lure some new viewers." HUFFINGTON POST

Weinstein owned Radius-TWC company many acquire Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives": "I’m hearing that the negotiation is in the range of a $2.5 million minimum guarantee. It is the second recent deal that [Radius heads Tom Quinn and Jason Janego] made that involved Refn, after Radius acquired a remake of 'Pusher,' the first film that Refn directed. 'Only God Forgives' was a surprise entry in the marketplace. It was all but acquired last summer by Drive distributor FilmDistrict, but the deal never closed. The distributor didn’t see eye to eye with the filmmakers, and it once again became available." DEADLINE