THE OSCARS HAD A GOOD NIGHT _ The Oscars telecast was seen by 40.3 million people, a slight increase over last year's show. The Nielsen Company said Monday it was the most-watched Oscars telecast in three years. Last year's show, when "The Artist" won best picture, had an audience of 39.3 million people. After bringing in "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane as host this year, ABC saw an 11 percent ratings boost over 2012 (among viewers ages 18 to 49 years old).
... The Academy Awards exceeded 40 million viewers four times in the previous 10 years.
SENATE PANEL DROPS PROBE OF BIN LADEN RAID FILM _ One day after Zero Dark Thirty failed to win major awards at the Oscars, the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the filmmakers' contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency. A source says the intelligence committee gathered more information from the CIA, film director Kathryn Bigelow, and screenwriter Mark Boal and will not take further action. Zero Dark Thirty was nominated for a best picture award.
MICHELLE OBAMA WAS FIRST TO OPEN OSCAR ENVELOPE _ A rep for the Academy says Michelle Obama was in fact the only person in the White House to view the contents of the Best Picture Oscar envelope Sunday night. It's pretty unbelievable that any package -- even a high-profile Oscar envelope -- would reach the First Lady without being thoroughly checked first. But a rep for the Academy said Monday, "First Lady Michelle Obama was the first and only person to open the Best Picture envelope. [PriceWaterhouseCoopers] accountants are the only individuals who have knowledge of the results prior to their live reveal on the Oscars."
BOO BOO GOES ABROAD _ America isn’t big enough to hold the phenomenon of Honey Boo Boo any longer. Now, she is going international. The precocious 7-year-old star of TLC’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (real name: Alana Thompson) is already a hit in Eastern Europe. And in the next few months she will be taking her act to Australia, the Netherlands, Italy and Latin America.
... Here Comes Honey Boo Boo does pose a challenge overseas: How do you put foreign subtitles on a show that already includes subtitles?
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE MARRIES _ More than four years after they started dating, Christina Applegate and fiance Martyn LeNoble tied the knot in a private ceremony. The actress and her musician beau (Porno for Pyros) got engaged after two years of dating on Valentine's Day in 2010. They have a 2-year-old daughter together, Sadie Grace, born January 27, 2011. This is the second marriage for both.
NETFLIX ONLY DOING ONE SEASON OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT _ For fans of the short-lived but much-adored former Fox sitcom Arrested Development, the show’s impending return on Netflix has been reason to stay with the video-streaming service. But Monday the company announced it will only be doing a single season of the show. The new episodes, scheduled to debut in May, will follow the pattern set by recently debuted Netflix original House of Cards: all of the episodes will be released at once.
... But any dreams of this becoming a recurring event were dashed Monday when Netflix CEO Reed Hasting said that a second season of Arrested Development was “non-repeatable.” A Netflix rep said that it is “extremely difficult to get the cast together.”
... Netflix has said that House of Cards has done remarkably well for the company, and it’s believed that the Kevin Spacey series will return for at least one more season.
X FACTOR: COULD PINK REPLACE BRITNEY SPEARS? _ Who will replace Britney Spears as a judge on The X Factor? We've seen plenty of rumors pop up — from Ne-Yo to Lady Gaga. But The Daily Star of the UK says Pink could be taking Britney's spot. If true, that would mark a change of heart for the singer, who previously told Australia’s Herald Sun: "I was offered The Voice in Australia plus American Idol and The X Factor. I said no because you can’t be honest. People will hate you if you’re honest. Simon Cowell is the only person who gets away with it because he’s got an accent. And he’s a man. People would just hate me more than they already do. I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. Besides, you can sing karaoke anywhere.”
GILLIAN ANDERSON'S BACK _ Gillian Anderson has joined an NBC pilot. According to TV Guide, Anderson will co-star opposite 666 Park Avenue actress Rachael Taylor in NBC's untitled pilot, a drama set in Washington and featuring political power players who find themselves blackmailed into an international conspiracy.
GOSSIP: JENNIFER ANISTON WON'T DO LUNCH _ Jennifer Aniston is reportedly acting like she’s above the rest of the cast and crew on her latest movie. Aniston is currently in Connecticut filming a movie with co-stars Isla Fisher, Tim Robbins and Will Forte. A source claims they’re sick of Aniston, though: "Every day at lunch the entire cast and crew head to a cafeteria facility where they all sit down and eat lunch together for well over an hour. But the only person who doesn’t eat with everyone else is Jen. She quickly grabs a lunch to go and leaves." Also, "All the actors ride in normal production vans when they head to lunch, but Jen has her own luxury SUV. And not only is Jen’s private trailer miles away from the set, but she heads all the way back there each day to eat her lunch away from everyone else. Her behavior is a clear indicator to everyone that she’s not approachable."
PRINCE MICHAEL JACKSON TO GUEST-STAR ON 90210 _ Michael Jackson's son Prince will make his acting debut on The CW's 90210. MJ's eldest son, who is filming his guest spot this week, will play Cooper, a trauma victim who will bond with Silver (Jessica Stroup).
ANDY SAMBERG ENGAGED _ Andy Samberg is getting married. The Saturday Night Live alum is engaged to folk singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. The pair have been dating five years.
BOB HOPE’S HOME ON THE MARKET FOR $50 MILLION _ Bob Hope’s Palm Springs, California, home is for sale. It’s an architectural marvel designed in 1973. The futuristic dwelling is almost 24,000 square feet and costs $50 million.
