WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Alita: Battle Angel tops the chart with 27.8MM (and 36.5MM since opening), which is both better than some projections and yet not good against a 170MM production budget. It's doing considerably better overseas though (almost 100MM), and has yet to open in Japan or China.  The LEGO Movie 2 places with 21.2MM on a 38 percent drop; it may make 100MM domestic, whereas the first one made more than 250MM.  Isn't It Romantic shows with 14.2MM (and 20MM since opening) ans will quickly recoup its 31MM production budget.  What Men Want also took advantage of Valentine's Day and scored another 14.2MM on a 40 percent drop; it's doing fine against a 20MM budget.  Happy Death Day 2 U, which many thought might top the chart, rounds out the Top Five with 9.8MM (and 13.5MM since opening) against a 9MM budget; the original had a 26MM debut.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT may have paid two men to orchestrate the assault on him, sources tell CNN. Two suspects in the case were released by the police.

50 CENT may have been threatened by an NYPD commander (who denies it).

BECK has filed for divorce from his wife of nearly 15 years, Marissa Ribisi.

ORLANDO BLOOM and KATY PERRY are engaged.

MIRANDA LAMBERT secretly tied the knot with Brendan Mcloughlin.

DARREN CRISS married longtime love Mia Swier on Saturday.

THE OSCARS: After days of protest and backlash, the Academy has reversed its initial decision to air four categories during commercial breaks. ALSO: 20 Oscar Voters Spill Their Secrets.

THE WGA AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats!

LOKI: Marvel's streaming show has picked up Michael Waldron (Rick and Morty) as a showrunner. Sources say the show will follow Loki as the trickster and shape-shifter pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events.

MEG RYAN, on romantic comedies, celebrity and leaving it all behind: ‘The feeling with Hollywood was mutual.'

More tommorow, I hope.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ARETHA FRANKLIN, Live in Stockholm, 1968! The "Lady Soul" concert was broadcast on Swedish TV, including: "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Come Back To Me," "Satisfaction," "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream," "Soul Serenade," "Night Life," "Baby I Love You," "Groovin,'" "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Come Back Baby," "Dr Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)," "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" "I  Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)," "Chain Of Fools," and "Respect."

RAY CHARLES: Advance stream the reissue of Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vols. 1 and 2.

JULIA JACKLIN advance streams Crushing.

OUR NATIVE DAUGHTERS advance streams Songs of Our Native Daughters.

BENNY SINGS advance streams City Pop.

YOLA advance streams Walk Through Fire.

ADIA VICTORIA advance streams Silences.

JENNY LEWIS shares “Heads Gonna Roll.” And it's an all-star band, starting with Ringo.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE shares "Boyfriends."

WILLIAM SHATNER, BEN FOLDS & JOE JACKSON: Just some "Common People."

RYAN ADAMS further responds to claims of sexual manipulation via Twitter.  Liz Phair weighs in. ALSO: Indie rock may be rife with beta male misogyny. 

PAVEMENT: The Infinite Radness of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

HENRY ROLLINS reviews the soundtrack of his life.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Sly & The Family Stone's sweaty, hopeless funk jam "Family Affair" and Melanie's frisky novelty smash "Brand New Key."

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Alita: Battle Angel, scoring 59 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Isn't It Romantic, which is scoring 66 percent; and Happy Death Day 2U, scoring 65 percent.

KANYE WEST got KIM KARSDASHIAN a private Kenny G concert for Valentine's Day.

R. KELLY may face indictment after prosecutors review an explosive new videotape that reportedly shows Kelly sexually assaulting an underage girl.

JUSSIE SMOLLETTmay have staged the attack against him, according to Chicago media reports.The CPD disputes these reports.

ARIANA GRANDE recorded an alternate version of "Thank U Next" in case she married Pete Davidson.

BILL COSBY issues a statement from prison saying he has 'no remorse' and is a 'political prisoner' like MLK, Gandhi and Mandela.

ELIZA DUSHKU is expecting her first child with her husband, Peter Palandjian.

WILL SMITH explains why he turned down The Matrix.

JEFF BEZOS discussed buying AMI to find out source of the leak of his risque photos.

JASON MOMOA is in negotiations to join the ever-growing cast of Dune.

SPONGEBOB spinoffs may be coming to Nicolodeon.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: The reboot stalls as Deadpool's screenwriters depart.

30 COMEDIC PERFORMANCES Worthy of Oscars Nominations, compiled by Vulture.

A BEAGLE MAMA is raising a baby possum after losing her pups.

THE CELEBRITY TORTOISE BREAKUP That Rocked the World.

METAPHOR ALERT: A bald eagle named Justice is missing in D.C.

A CHOPPER carefully shepherded a group of elephants back into Amboseli National Park after they wandered out of the protected area and onto community land.

VALENTINE'S DAY: I've never been a big Valentine's Day guy, but I have always liked The Replacements' "Valentine" and Elvis Costello's cover of "My Funny Valentine."  Beyond that, my thoughts typically drift to the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror," The Beatles' "In My Life," and the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." I think it's probably very difficult to write a straight-ahead, universal love song, and these three are great.

MOUNTAIN MAN plays a Tiny Desk Concert.

PHOSPHORESCENT plays KEXP.

SNAIL MAIL visits Morning Becomes Eclectic.

SOAK shares “Valentine Shmalentine.”

THE OPPOSING VIEW:  Ever Fallen In Love? Love Stinks. Love Hurts. Love Will Tear Us Apart. Only Love Can Break Your Heart. And don't forget to give me back my black t-shirt (nsfw)

THE 100 BEST LOVE SONGS, according to The Telegraph.

THE TOP 50 LOVE SONGS, as measured by Billboard.

VH-1's 40 Awesomely Bad Love Songs.

THE WORST LOVE SONGS, according to faculty members of the University of St. Thomas’ Music Department.

NINE SONGS ABOUT SEEING YOUR EX MAKING OUT, courtesy of The A.V. Club. A hardy perennial.

RYAN ADAMS faces multiple claims of sexual misconduct, which he denies.

KATY PERRY is “saddened” after her shoe collection is withdrawn amid blackface claims.

MIRANDA LAMBERT tossed salad in a heated confrontation.

THE BRADY BUNCH is looking for the stuff in their old house.

BREAKING BAD reportedly will have a movie sequel on Netflix.

TOLKIEN: The Nicholas Hoult-led biopic of the Lord of the Rings author has a trailer online.

PUPPY LOVE: Rescue dogs tie the knot for Valentine's Day.

THIS GUY just keeps rescuing cats who got lost in the wildfire months ago.

A BALD EAGLE laid her first egg of the year in Washington.

CHERRY GLAZERR visits Morning Becomes Eclectic.

MAGGIE ROGERS hits WFUV's Studio A.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED features Amanda Palmer, Pkew Pkew Pkew, The Budos Band, and more.

GILLIAN WELCH & DAVE RAWLINGS share their version of their Oscar-nominated song, "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings."

BILL McKAY shares "Try It On."

JULIA HOLTER shares a Jodorowsky-inspired video for “Les Jeux to You.”

NICK CAVE's favorite poets. (Thx, LHB.)

FOALS are down a member, but up two albums.

THE TWILIGHT SAD talks to Drowned In Sound.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Isaac Hayes' blaxploitation-funk classic "Theme From Shaft"... and we can dig it!

CHRIS PRATT responds to Ellen Page's complaint about his church.

YESTERDAY, in which Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis imagine a world where only one man remembers The Beatles, has a trailer online.

JEFF BEZOS' lover Lauren Sanchez shared some of his risque pics with her brother and several female friends.

THE OSCARS' decision to move some categories to commercial breaks is not going down well in Hollywood.

LIAM HEMSWORTH is still healing after a bout with kidney stones. 

AZIZ ANSARI reflected on the MeToo accusation against him during a "pop-up" show in NYC.

RIDLEY SCOTT directed a Hennessy ad; the short version will run during the Oscars.

A REMOTE-CONTROLLED CAR at the dog park.

CAT vs RABBIT: "Excuse me sir? if i could... it’s just that you’re sitting on my... you know it’s just... sir?”

MORE THAN 50 POLAR BEARS have invaded a Russian town in the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

KING, a Wire Fox Terrier, has won "Best in Show" at the 143rd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

UNEARTHED, VOL. 4: Jerry Garcia & Friends at the Matrix, 1966-71.

BONNY DOON covers Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, and B Boys in a Lagniappe Session.

LAU NOAH plays a Tiny Desk Concert.

FILTHY FRIENDS returns with "Last Chance County."

ST VINCENT marked her Grammy wins with a new "MASSEDUCATION" video.

HEART announce their first tour in three years after a "nightmare" that almost ended the band.

BOB GELDOF is hit with fresh claims of fraud and tax avoidance.

HAIRBALL guitarist and singer Bobby Jensen didn't let a little thing like having his head nearly consumed by flames stop him from rocking this weekend.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Cher's melodramatic story-song "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves."

THE OSCARS revealed which categories are getting moved to commercial breaks.

THE BATMAN: The list of possible stars will make you long for Ben Affleck.

RED SONJA is being put on the back burner amid the Bryan Singer controversy.

GAME OF THRONES: The original pilot script had some big differences. ALSO: The death of one character is confirmed.

HOWARD THE DUCK is coming to Hulu, with Kevin Smith.

THE IRISHMAN will be seriously de-aging DeNiro and Pacino.

ALADDIN has a trailer online.

CATCH-22: The Hulu mini-series starring George Clooney and Kyle Chandler has a trailer online.

TURBO ROO, a tiny pupper on wheels.

A BOBCAT chases a squirrel across a large patio.

A MAN releases a giant rat inside McDonald's.

FRISCO FIREFIGHTERS are trying everything they can to keep their pet cat, Edna, after management has apparently asked them to get rid of the feline.