Avatar Wins Heavyweight Box Office Champion of the World

It happened: Avatar has beaten out Titanic to become the highest grossing film of all time. And as Avatar towers above, petty American Idol squabbles continue, Arianna Huffington's sit-com is green lit and Forest Whitaker stars in a crime drama.

•With this weekend's earnings factored in, Avatar has surpassed Titanic's $1.842 billion global take. So does this mean we get to stop writing about the film? Not really: Titanic still holds the number domestic box office spot, with $600.8 million to Avatar's puny $551.7 million. OK, everyone go see the movie so we can be done with it... until it wins every Oscar next month [Variety]

•Nikki Finke has the inside dirt on some convoluted American Idol gossip. What it comes down to is: Simon Cowell is slacking off because this is last Idol season. Also, Cowell hates Idol producer Simon Fuller because Fuller is courting music exec Tommy Mottolla to replace Cowell on Idol at the same time Cowell is trying to get him to star in his new talent show X Factor. New Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres, meanwhile, is pissed off that she has to deal with a lame duck Cowell. Maybe Fuller should just hold a nationwide talent search for the next Idol judge? He's good at that. [Deadline]

•Sundance continues it's glorious dance of sun. Today, we learn that Kate Aselton's The Freebie—about "a couple who give each other permission to have one-night stands"—did well. As did the Julianne Moore pic The Kids Are All Right, about "a lesbian couple whose kids are introduced to their biological father." TREND ALERT: 'Non-traditional' marriages are hot hot hot. [Variety]

•When she's not running a shady journalism non-profit or stealing your Tweets, Arianna Huffington is a television producer. Her sit-com pilot with How I Met Your Mother executive producer Greg Malins, Freshmen was just picked up by ABC. The series focuses on three freshmen legislators who share an apartment in D.C. This will probably be really boring since all politicians do is work for the greater good of our country. [Variety]

•Seems like Forest Whitaker always plays police officers, doesn't it? He's in final negotiations to star in a spinoff of CBS' Criminal Minds. [THR]