Steven Moffat to receive a special BAFTA honor: "Recognising his 'outstanding creative writing contribution to television,' the award will be presented on 27 May at London's Royal Festival Hall. Previous recipients include Russell T Davies, who preceded the 50-year-old Scot as 'Doctor Who's' head writer. 'Blimey! A special award!' said Moffat, 'I didn't even know I was ill.' The accolade follows the writing prize he received at last Sunday's Bafta Craft Awards for 'A Scandal in Belgravia,' the first episode of 'Sherlock's' second series." BBC

Sherlock Holmes breaks the record as the most portrayed literary character in TV and film history: "Sherlock Holmes, who has been portrayed by actors like Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Baker and many others, has broken the record for having more film and TV portrayals than any other literary character. The super sleuth has been depicted on the big and small screen a total of 254 times. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation beats the next most popular character, Hamlet, by a total of 48 appearances. Shakespeare's prince of Denmark has been portrayed 206 times." THE TIMES OF INDIA

Composer Stephen Schwartz honored in Palm Springs: "Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz is honored with Desert Ensemble Theatre Company's inaugural Melpomai Award at 'When You Believe: A Conversation With and Tribute To Stephen Schwartz' May 19 in Palm Springs ... Directed and moderated by Scott Logsdon ('Les Miserables'), the evening includes performances from Tony nominee Andrea McArdle ('Annie'), Hunter Parrish ('Spring Awakening,' 'Weeds'), Haviland Stillwell ('Les Misérables'), Kate Flannery ('The Office'), Pamla Vale Abramson, Melissa Batalles, Garrett Hoy, Ben Reece and Laura L.Thomas. Joel Baker is the musical director and accompanist." PLAYBILL

Mainstream Hollywood joins art films at the Cannes Film Festival: "Certainly, the films that compete for the Palme d'Or each year are, on the whole, serious films made by real artists. This year, for example, [Wes Anderson's] film ['Moonrise Kingdom'] is up against new works by some of the world's greatest directors, including the Austrian master Michael Haneke, Romanian Cristian Mungiu and Canadian David Cronenberg. But Cannes screens plenty of films out of competition. And every single year, it shows at least one movie that could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be called an 'art film.' This year, it's 'Madagascar 3,' the latest in the DreamWorks Animation franchise." WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Adele wins at the Ivor Novello Awards: "Adele was the toast of the 57th Ivor Novello Awards in London on Thursday (17 May 12) when she scooped two major prizes, including Songwriter of the Year. The singer received nods in four categories at the event, which honours the best of British music, and went home with one of the most prestigious awards, for best songwriter, as well as the Prs for Music Most Performed Work prize for 'Rolling in the Deep.' However, she lost out on the revered Album Award to PJ Harvey, whose acclaimed record 'Let England Shake' took the prize." CONTACT MUSIC

Marion Cotillard stirs up early Oscar buzz in Cannes: "The Oscars are eight months away, but the race has officially begun. After the Cannes premiere of 'Rust and Bone,' the latest film from Jacques Audiard (the Oscar-nominated 'A Prophet'), critics are already pegging Marion Cotillard as a possible contender for the Best Actress award. The Guardian is blunt: '"Rust and Bone" has to be a real contender for prizes, and, the odds will be shortening to vanishing point for Cotillard getting the best actress award.' AwardsDaily suggests Cotillard's given her 'second best performance,' (the actress previously won the Oscar for her work in the film 'La Vie en Rose'), while RopesOfSilicon describes her work as 'one scene after another of sheer perfection to the point she turns Katy Perry's "Firework" into an emotional epiphany.' I don't know what that means, but it sounds amazing." HOLLYWOOD.COM

Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder will perform at the Billboard Music Awards: "Grammy-winning 'Fallin’' singer Alicia Keys will present the Billboard Icon Award to Stevie Wonder — and perform with the legendary artist — at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, EW has learned exclusively. There’s no word on what song — or medley of songs — the pair will perform. Wonder and Keys have had a long-running kinship and respect for each other, as they performed 'Higher Ground' together at the 2004 MTV VMAs and presented together at the 48th Grammy Awards in 2006. Keys has won 10 Billboard Music Awards during her career." EW.COM

Does Joan Rivers's joke about Whitney Houston go too far? "Joan Rivers has made a career out of pushing the envelope but in her new book, 'I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me,' she may have finally gone too far. The Village Voice was the first to notice a shocking passage that takes a cruel swing at the late Whitney Houston. In the travel section of her new book, the 78-year-old co-host of the E! network's 'Fashion Police' writes: 'I hate Houston. It's crawling with bugs. Oh, wait, that's Whitney Houston; I'm sorry, my bad. (Can I just mention that Whitney looked fabulous at the Grammys? She was in mahogany from head to toe.)'" HUFFINGTON POST

What separates the CMT Awards from all others? "'Our tone is different,' CMT president Brian Philips tells The Hollywood Reporter. 'Our toning is, intentionally, a bit more casual, a little more irreverent, and that’s by nature, I guess. We like things that are over the top, we like things that make peoples jaws drop,' he adds. 'I don’t know if that is part of the recipe for every awards show on every network, but it certainly is for ours. The element of surprise.' CMT makes no secret of having borrowed their format from sister-network MTV and their wildly successful VMAs, with Viacom president Van Toffler carefully watching over the show’s preparation and execution." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

The Emmys consider a reality revamp: "Changes might be afoot with the TV Academy's treatment of reality and nonfiction programming, Brian Lowry of Variety exclusively reports. Bowing to the shifting TV landscape, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is seeking to amend its bylaws to create a new reality-TV peer group. The proposal, which would require approval from the board of governors, would split the existing non-fiction peer group into two branches: Reality TV, representing those who work in that field; and what would be renamed 'non-fiction documentary programming.' The academy currently consists of 28 peer groups, representing everything from animators and art directors to title design and writers." THE VOTE

The Broadway run of "Newsies" will now be open-ended: "Surprising no one following the show's grosses, it's just been announced 'Newsies,' which opened on Broadway back in March for a limited run through August 19th will now officially be an open-ended run with tickets on sale through November 18, 2012 and group sales to January of 2013. The show received 8 Tony nominations earlier this month. 'Ever since the Paper Mill Playhouse run ended six months ago, the audience has re-written the playbook for "Newsies,"' said Thomas Schumacher, Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. 'We continue to be astonished by a passion for this show that is as heartfelt as it is widespread and find ourselves, once again, in the wonderful position of altering our plans to respond to palpable demand.'" BROADWAY WORLD

The Producers Guild Awards change their 2013 date. From the press release: "The Producers Guild of America announced today that it has shifted the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony to take place on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Additionally, Producers Guild Presidents Hawk Koch and Mark Gordon announced that the 2013 awards program, which honors excellence in motion picture and television production, will be produced by Academy-Award nominated producer Michael De Luca. 'Michael is an original, creative producer with some of the most impressive credits in the business and we’re thrilled he has accepted our invitation to produce the 2013 Producers Guild Awards show,' said Koch and Gordon."

Grammy performers are "pathetic," according to Rob Zombie: "The veteran heavy metal singer doesn't like what the US awards show, because he doesn't feel the performers put in as much energy as real rock bands do. He told the Pittsburg Post Gazette newspaper: 'Rock bands can deliver it live, whereas a lot of pop act - you watch the Grammys and it's pathetic sometimes. You know, 60-year-old Bruce Springsteen comes out and he rocks and whatever pop star of the moment comes out and lip-synchs through some pathetic performance and you're like, "Really? Is this what it's come down to?"'" TIMES LIVE

Are the MTV Movie Awards more in touch than the Oscars? "Since 1992, the MTV Movie Awards have bestowed honors on the films and stars who won the hearts and minds of moviegoers during the preceding year. The awards are chosen by popular vote, and while the mainstream-leaning ceremony may not have the same prestige as the Oscars or the BAFTAs, there is reason to believe the MTV Movie Awards better reflect what fans truly want to watch -- and enjoyed watching. As the MTV Movie Awards audience (and voting pool) by definition skews young, you're not going to find plodding art house dramas or small foreign films among the nominees." INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES

Tony-nominee James Corden explains how much improv is in "One Man, Two Guvnors": "I have bits that are tried and tested, but from the first moment that I bring two people from the seats to the stage, you never know what’s going to happen. I had two guys yesterday who started talking to each other, and I turned to the audience and said, 'Please bear with me. You can see what I’m up against.' It immediately makes it me and the audience against these guys. If you watch the show tonight, I can promise 100 percent there will be lines I don’t even know I’m going to say." THE DAILY BEAST

First Emmy nomination for a show produced by a digital company: "Everyday Health, Inc., a leading digital health company, is pleased to announce that its syndicated television series, 'Everyday Health,' received a Daytime Emmy nomination, as announced Wednesday by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS.) This marks the first time a TV series inspired and produced by a digital company has earned this prestigious honor ... Show co-hosts Laila Ali, Jenna Morasca and Ethan Zohn bring audiences an inspiring story of people who have been affected by a health crisis and are now delivering a message of hope and healing to others." MARKET WATCH

Donna Summer was the supreme songbird of the disco era, winning five Grammys including one for warbling the Oscar-winning "Last Dance." That song from the otherwise forgettable 1978 film "Thank God Its Friday" brought Summer her first recongition from the Grammys with a win for Best Female R& B Performance.

The recording industry's top kudos had snubbed Summer for her chart-topping tunes "Love to Love You Baby" (1976) and "I Feel Love" (1977). However, they could not ignore her continued success with her #1 hit "MacArthur Park" reaping her a Pop performance bid in 1978.

The following year, she contended for Album of the Year with her best-selling "Bad Girls" and won the Rock Vocal award for the track "Hot Stuff." She reaped eight other bids over the next four years for hits such as "She Works Hard for the Money."

However, it was her renditions of the soulful "He's a Rebel" and "Forgive Me" that won her back-to-back Inspirational Performance Grammys in 1983 and 1984. Her final win was, appropriately enough, for Dance Recording in 1997 for her comeback hit "Carry On."

Will Cannes make a major mark on the Oscar race again? "Certainly festival director Thierry Fremaux and Gilles Jacob hope the sun will shine on the official selection this year as well after a rousing 2011 where Cannes had an an unusually large impact on the Oscar race. An impressive three films that debuted here – 'Midnight in Paris,' 'The Tree of Life' and 'The Artist' – all received Best Picture nominations ... 'I’m just here supporting our film,' an excited Fremaux told me at the time, but certainly ‘how do you top this?’ had to be in the back of his mind." DEADLINE

The MTV Video Music Awards get a new location: "MTV's annual awards ceremony is moving to Los Angeles' Staples Center this year, giving it a lot more elbow room than its previous location, the Nokia Theatre. The Staples Center, home venue to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings, has a seating capacity approaching 20,000 for concerts and special events, compared to the Nokia's 7,100 capacity. An MTV spokesperson told TheWrap that the move to the Staples Center will 'provide us with an opportunity to execute our vision at a new size and scale while maintaining the intimacy of the musical performances that the VMAs have become legendary for.'" THE WRAP

Bret Michaels settles his lawsuit with the Tony Awards: "The Poison frontman filed the suit after being hit by a piece of scenery during the 2009 awards show, the Los Angeles Times reports. Michaels had just finished performing and claims he was told to exit the stage towards the hazard. His nose was broken and he received three stitches in his lip. He also blamed the incident for a near-fatal brain hemorrhage he sustained 10 months later. So what's the 'Rock of Love' reality star getting for his troubles? Unfortunately, everyone is staying tight-lipped about the details. The settlement agreement was confidential. But what's known is that it covers both the organizers of the Tony Awards and CBS, the network that aired the event." REUTERS

A 3-hour cut of Kenneth Lonergan's embattled "Margaret" will hit DVD in July: "This is great news for anyone who missed the movie's brief theatrical release last fall, but even better news for fans of the film (we are a small group, but we're very vocal). As The New Yorker reports, the film will be available in both the original theatrical cut (which ran two-and-a-half-hours) alongside a new director's cut (with an additional 36 minutes of footage), presumably in a two-disc edition, on DVD at least. So all those dangling subplots and unresolved conflicts may not be dangling and unresolved for much longer." THE PLAYLIST

"Social Network" Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin will pen Steve Jobs biopic: "Studio Sony's announcement that it has appointed the creator of 'The West Wing' to adapt Walter Isaacson's bestselling official biography of Jobs immediately catapulted the film into pole position in the race to bring the late technology guru's story to the big screen, as well as marking it as potential awards season fodder. Sorkin surprised many by adapting what had looked on paper to be a rather dry tale about the Harvard-based founders of Facebook into a film which won three Oscars last year and took more than $200m at the global box office." THE GUARDIAN

What were this season's nine highest rated canceled shows, and why were they axed? "You had Fox’s 'Fringe' getting renewed for a final GTFO season with only 4.2 million viewers and slight 1.6 average rating. Then you had 'Terra Nova' getting axed with 10.8 million viewers and a 3.6 rating. The biggest mitigating factor was a show’s cost — which usually rises along with its age — along with the difficulty of a time period, who owns the program, how intensely critics and fans feel about the series and, believe it or not, whether a network’s executives like the show. Here are the top nine highest-rated canceled shows this season." EW.COM

"Sherlock" and "Great Expectations" win at BAFTA Craft Awards: "BBC dramas 'Great Expectations' and 'Sherlock' have each won three prizes at this year’s British Academy Television Craft Awards. 'Sherlock' won for its editing and sound, with Steven Moffat winning the writing award for his work on the series. Moffat beat Neil McKay, who penned 'Appropriate Adult,' Abi Morgan, who wrote 'Birdsong,' and Jack Thorne, who was nominated for 'The Fades.' At tonight’s ceremony, hosted by Alan Davies, 'Great Expectations' won for its photography and lighting, its production design and for its visual effects." THE STAGE

Billboard Music Awards will pay tribute to Whitney Houston: "In addition to performances from a number of today's top recording artists, a special tribute to Whitney Houston has been confirmed for the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. News of the tribute broke Sunday, with Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina to participate ... the Billboard Music Award program is not the first to piece together a tribute this year. They follow the Grammys, BET Celebration of Gospel, NAACP Image Awards and 'Glee' in creating a program of some sort to pay respect to the late entertainer." EXAMINER

Tony-nominee Linda Emond discusses playing Linda Loman in "Death of a Salesman": "It really is a process for me of digging and saying those words and trying to find out who that person is that would use those words in that way. It was a complex thing, certainly, given the dynamic of that family and the time period. There’s nothing in [the script] about the term that is often attributed to her: “long-suffering.” [Original director Elia] Kazan called her 'terrifyingly tough,' and I agree. I was struck by the number of things she says that are really wise, and there’s also a lot she says that, frankly, is bullsh*t because it’s caught up in Willy’s dreams and ideas." BROADWAY.COM

Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson tapped for fourth season of "Glee": "In her first return to television since 'Sex in the City,' Emmy Award-winning actress and fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker will guest star in the fourth season of 'Glee.' Additional details about her character and storyline will be released at a later date, as 'Glee' prepares to move this fall to a new night and time on Thursdays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following 'The X Factor' (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX ... To kick off 'Glee’s' fourth season, Golden Globe Award winner and Academy Award nominee Kate Hudson will join the cast in a six-episode arc." TV BY THE NUMBERS

Tony-nominee Christian Borle talks "Peter and the Starcatcher" and NBC's "Smash": "'I was elated. I'm so happy. I'm so proud and thrilled and over-the-moon for this show's recognition,' the singing actor, whose Broadway credits also include 'Mary Poppins,' 'Spamalot,' 'Amour,' 'Thoroughly Modern Millie,' 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Footloose,' told Playbill.com May 1, the morning the Tony nominations were announced ... In addition to his Broadway gig, fans of the actor can catch him Monday nights as composer Tom Levitt on the NBC musical series 'Smash.' About his success on both stage and screen Borle said, 'I'm trying to just appreciate how incredibly lucky I have been this year.'" PLAYBILL

Jim Parsons prepares for Broadway's "Harvey": "Parsons won the 2010 and 2011 Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy Series by portraying theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper on 'The Big Bang Theory.' Now, on summer break from CBS, he is again romancing his first love, starring on Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of 'Harvey.' He's playing Elwood P. Dowd, an otherwise ordinary man who says he has an invisible friend named Harvey — a pooka, or mythological creature, who resembles a 6-foot-3-½-inch-tall rabbit. Mary Chase's classic 1944 comedy won the Pulitzer Prize and lasted 1,775 performances, making it the sixth-longest-running play in Broadway history." PLAYBILL

TV cancellations probably won't affect Emmy nominations: "Emmy contenders emerged largely unscathed even as more and more programs found the network chopping block this week, with Kathy Bates of 'Harry's Law' perhaps the most prominent casualty. Bates received a lead drama actress nomination last tear for 'Harry's' — which also generated 2011's winner for drama guest actor, Paul McCrane — but despite the show ranking as one of the Peacock's most-watched programs, the demos of its viewers did not fit with NBC's needs ... 'Awake,' dropped today as expected by NBC, arguably deserves some Emmy writing nomination consideration for its pilot by Kyle Killen, but attention to the show might be too low to register at voting time. No broadcast drama received a writing nom a year ago." THE VOTE

With "Newsies" now a hit on Broadway, should it return to the silver screen? "Now, after much acclaim from critics and general audiences, some people are asking (okay fine, I am asking) if Disney has plans to turn the stage show back into a movie using [Harvey Fierstein’s] revised version as a guide. You know, a 'Hairspray' situation, in which a movie inspires a show that then inspires another movie. Disney isn’t currently developing any such title, but if the Mouse House decides to revisit the cult classic, original director Kenny Ortega says he wants to be involved." EW.COM

Loretta Lynn chooses Zooey Deschanel to play her in "Coal Miner's Daughter" stage musical: "Lynn, 80, unveiled plans for a musical adaptation of 'Coal Miner’s Daughter' during a Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday night. Wearing one of her signature long sleeve, floor length dresses, the singer blew through four songs before bringing Deschanel onstage to sing the title tune. The announcement mirrored the way Lynn invited actress Sissy Spacek on the Opry stage in 1979 to reveal that Spacek would play her in the upcoming film. Spacek later won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn." EW.COM

Brit, Germans win student Oscars: "A young British filmmaker and two Germans have won foreign picture student Academy Awards, Oscars organizers the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday. The order of gold, silver and bronze in the Foreign Film category will be announced when winners receive their prizes on June 9 at the 39th Annual Student Academy Awards show in Los Angeles. They are David Winstone (University of Westminster) for 'For Elsie;' Thomas Stube (Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg) for 'Of Dogs and Horses,' and Elmar Imanov (International Film School Cologne) for 'The Swing of the Coffin Maker.'" EXPATICA

How will film version of "On the Road" handle Jack Kerouac's singular prose: "Walter Salles is an intelligent, conscientious filmmaker, but also rather a polite one ... It's the ballsiest task of Salles's career, and we won't know if and/or how he's pulled it off until we see the film for ourselves.  Two outfits that obviously believe he's pulled it off are IFC and Sundance Selects -- who, in the biggest nugget of pre-Cannes acquisitions news to date, snapped up the US distribution rights to the film ... Either they were savvy to get their offer in there early, before critical reactions could potentially interest bigger buyers, or the film's  handlers suspected a cushier offer wouldn't be forthcoming. Either way, it bodes well for an appropriately challenging and uncompromised adaptation of a daunting property." IN CONTENTION

The Latin Grammys expand their top categories to ten nominees: "The chance of winning an album of the year Latin Grammy just slightly improved. Coming to the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards is an expansion of the four top categories, which will now include 10 nominees apiece. This adds five new contenders to best new artist, as well as the record, album and song of the year fields. The move would seem to foretell similar changes for the Grammy Awards and would follow like-minded tweaks by the Academy Awards and the Emmys. However, the Latin Recording Academy operates independently of the Recording Academy, with each maintaining a separate board of trustees." LOS ANGELES TIMES

Should the original Grammy Awards also expand to 10 nominees? "... There’s no reason to think the Grammys wouldn’t want to do the same, especially while they are on a roll: this year’s show received some of the best ratings in decades. Plus, the expansion to 10 nominees in the four general fields could help make up for the heat the Recording Academy got after it cut the number of categories from 109 to 78 this year. The consolidation did not mean that any recording previously eligible was no longer allowed, but it did mean that many genres and sub-genres that previously had their own fields were now competing in much more crowded categories." HIT FIX

"Once" star Elizabeth A. Davis celebrates her Tony nomination: "Elizabeth A. Davis is the kind of woman who sets goals, writes them down and puts them on the fridge. It just makes sense. 'People need to know where they're going. If you don't have a map and you're driving a car, you're going to end up who knows where. So I have a map,' says the actress and musician ... After years of toil in regional theater and off-Broadway, she made her Broadway debut in March in the hit musical 'Once' and promptly earned her first Tony Award nomination. 'I'm incredibly honored and very thankful,' she says during an interview in her flower-filled dressing room at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. 'I will carry it as a banner for all of us and say, "This is a nod for us, for our ensemble."'" MERCURY NEWS

Why the soon-to-close "Leap of Faith" never had a prayer: "Broadway has always been a gambler’s business, and the biggest crapshoot of the season was the new musical 'Leap of Faith,' whose producers hurried it into New York this spring rather than lose a prized theater that had suddenly become available. This week the bet soured, as the producers announced a closing date of Sunday, with losses exceeding $14 million, making 'Leap of Faith' the biggest flop of the season as well as the latest case study in how shows fail." NEW YORK TIMES

Could this year's Cannes Film Festival launch another "Artist"? "At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, few attendees would ever have believed that 'The Artist,' a likeable black-and-white silent film about the early days of Hollywood, would eventually go on to win the American film industry’s biggest honor: the Academy Award for Best Picture ... While plenty of talent from the famous French fest will walk the red carpet at both events, most of the movies that play in Cannes are often too arty to be considered Best Picture material. But strange things do happen, especially with Harvey Weinstein involved. On the eve of this year’s Festival de Cannes — which kicks off Wednesday, May 16 with Wes Anderson’s new film 'Moonrise Kingdom' – here are five contenders that could go the distance." WALL STREET JOURNAL

Lady Gaga will visit Springfield: "'The Simpsons' have officially gone Gaga. Mother Monster is set to star in the season finale called 'Lisa Goes Gaga' - set to go to air on May 20 in the US. The episode will feature no fewer than 18 costume changes in the episode, including her infamous meat dress from the 2010 MTV VMAs and iconic flame-spitting bra. Gaga said her guest appearance on the show would be as provocative as she is in real life ... 'I would say this is one of the coolest things I've ever done. My Dad's probably going to do 80 backflips when the episode comes out.'" NEWS.COM.AU

Russell Brand will host the MTV Movie Awards. From the press release: "Brand will build upon his triple-threat skill set to give viewers a new, off-the-cuff and unique spin on the past year’s biggest films and hottest stars. 'This MTV Movie Awards will be more impressive than "The Avengers" and you won't have to wait an hour for someone to Hulk out,' said Russell Brand. 'With his amazing ability to span the full spectrum of comedy from the most high to lowbrow, Russell’s smart, unpredictable wit uniquely connects him to our audience,' said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV. 'His rock-n-roll sensibility and fearlessness give us the perfect partner with whom to take a leap of faith with as we meld the worlds of movies and music together on one very special night.'"

First batch of presenters announced for the MTV Movie Awards: "'The Amazing Spider-Man' co-stars Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield will be on tap for the June 3 ceremony, along with Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg. British television host Louise Roe will also return as the international guest correspondent on the red carpet for the second year in a row. Indie pop group fun. will also perform." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Burt Bacharach and Hal David win Gershwin Prize: "President Barack Obama honored Burt Bacharach and Hal David on Wednesday night as 'two kings of songwriting,' presenting them the nation's highest prize for popular music at the White House. The songwriting duo received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during a tribute concert in the East Room, featuring Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett and others. Wonder sang their tunes, 'Make It Easy on Yourself' and 'Alfie,' wowing the crowd on his harmonica." ASSOCIATED PRESS

An Oscar nomination failed to help Ashvin Kumar back home in India: "Winning accolades at international film festivals and being nominated at the Oscars didn't make it any easier for Ashvin Kumar to release his film in India. The 39-year-old film-maker waited for six years to release his debut feature 'The Forest,' and says being nominated for an Oscar (for his 2004 short film 'Little Terrorist') didn't help. 'It makes no difference. If it did, do you think I'd be running around arranging finances for my next film and trying to get this one released?' Kumar said. 'The Forest' has been ready since 2006, but the film-maker said its release was stuck for several reasons, including a fallout with a producer." REUTERS

TBS steps in to save "Cougar Town": "The cable network has ordered a fourth season of the comedy to begin airing in early 2013. In addition, TBS has purchased the rights to 'Cougar Town's' first three seasons of 61 episodes that originally aired on ABC. '"Cougar Town" is a smart, whimsical sitcom that draws its humor from likable, relatable characters' said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TBS. 'We are thrilled to have "Cougar Town" moving to the TBS neighborhood as the network continues to expand its slate of original comedy series.'" EW.COM

Tony nominations shake up Broadway ticket sales: "According to figures posted by 'The Broadway League,' Broadway gross ticket sales totaled $25.2 million compared to $26.1 million the previous week. Twenty-four shows had a decrease in sales while 15 saw an increase. 'There are small fluctuations in ticket sales all the time,' Amanda Pekoe, president of theatrical marketing and advertising company The Pekoe Group, told TicketNews via email. 'With Tony nominations just announced, the playing field is changed somewhat with respect to ticket buying patterns. People may be waiting to buy tickets to the show they truly want to see, rather than buying tickets to their second or third choices.'" TICKET NEWS