Tim Martens

CHICAGO – In a move that I can only describe as head-scratching, the 84th Academy Awards producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer have invited Cirque du Soleil to perform at this year’s Oscar ceremony. The decision is not head-scratching because Cirque du Soleil is a bad act, but because they have cancelled other performances that actually pertain completely to this year’s awards to make room for other parts of the telecast.

CHICAGO – In the middle of an Oscar race where their film “The Artist” is favored to win the top prize, The Weinstein Company announced news about a future film today. Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein announced two big names that they have signed for one of their next films: Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

CHICAGO – Fans of the new sketch comedy show “Key & Peele” will be happy to hear that Comedy Central has renewed the show for a second season. The news came this morning from Kent Alterman, Head of Original Programming and Production at Comedy Central, who announced the news with a little joke of his own.

CHICAGO – Maybe you heard earlier today that the Grammys had between 37 and 38 million people tuning in last night. Well, apparently almost everyone stayed in to watch TV last night. In the middle of the Grammy telecast (between 8 and 9 p.m. CST), the mid-season premiere of season two of “The Walking Dead” premiered on AMC and set basic cable records.

CHICAGO – Fans of the mash-up work of Seth Grahame-Smith will be pleased to know the first trailer for “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” was released today, giving a first look at the 16th president in bloody and explosive vampire action. Based on the book written by Grahame-Smith (who also wrote the mash-up “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”) the first trailer gives a minute and twenty second look into the new film, accompanied by a little Johnny Cash.

CHICAGO – Just as it is predicted to do two Sundays from today, “The Artist” dominated the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) today, winning seven different awards. The silent, black-and-white film won Best Film, Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), and Best Lead Actor (Jean Dujardin), and four other wins.

CHICAGO – In a time of year that doesn’t tend to see big box office weekends, four new films combined to total over $130 million at the box office this past weekend. Romance trumped drama, fantasy/adventure, and a 3D re-release as “The Vow” was the top film of the weekend.

CHICAGO – A new trailer for one of this summer’s most anticipated blockbusters has released this morning, giving fans a new look at the reboot of one of the most successful film series ever. “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the new origin film of the famous comic book superhero, has an all new, two-and-a-half minute trailer giving looks at spidey in action, Peter and Gwen Stacy romance, and one angry lizard.

CHICAGO – Are you one of the millions of people that watched the Super Bowl yesterday, including the Super Bowl ads? Well, even if you were, there are new extended versions of the trailers you saw yesterday now available for your viewing pleasure. I mean, at $3 million per 30 second ad, it would have been costly for every film to have a one-minute-plus trailer.

CHICAGO – In a battle that stayed tight from Mindnight Thursday Night/Friday Morning all the way through Super Bowl Sunday, the new film “Chronicle” edged the thriller “The Woman in Black” to win the weekend box office. The totals for both films surprised many who didn’t project such high totals over the weekend, and puts both films in the record books.