Suddenly the Universe is a very cold and empty place.

• Apparently we are not a nation of people waiting for Amanda Woodward to return to Melrose Place. Heather Locklear's trip back to the series did little to ease its struggles, lifting its gruesome ratings by a mere 15 percent to a 0.8 rating in the 18 - 45 demo. [Hollywood Reporter]

• Meanwhile, just as the world was sending its mocking obituaries to the printers, guess who's having a good week? Jay Leno is up five percent this week, "matching its highest ratings in six weeks." [Hollywood Reporter]

• With two and a half months to go, the Super Bowl's ad space is almost sold out. CBS reports a 90 percent sell-out rate thus far, meaning only six slots are still available. Like everything else these days, Super Bowl ad sales are being viewed as a barometer of the nation's economic health. [Ad Age]

• A Writers Guild report of diversity among its ranks finds "little if any improvement" for the prospects of women and minority writers. Variety writes that the report "found that women scribes remain stuck at 28% of TV employment and 18% in features while the minority share has been frozen at 6% since 1999." [Variety]

• Jennifer Hudson will play Winnie Mandela, the ex-wife of the ex-South African President Nelson Mandela in Winnie, a biopic to be directed by Darrell J. Roodt, maker of Cry the Beloved Country. [Variety]

• Roger Ebert may be off the airwaves, but his influence lives on, remarkably, as the online buzz king. A survey by Nielsen of which critics dominate the internet reveals that Ebert remains a goliath online, crushing all the competition combined. [thehotblog]

• Making 2012's grosses look like the change fallen under the cushions of your sofa, the video game Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 reported sales of more than $550 million in the first week of its release. The LA Times puts production costs on the game in the $40 - $50 million range (a fraction of 2012 or Avatar), putting its total budget including marketing somewhere around $200 million. Who's in the wrong business now, movie people? [LA Times]

• Lovely Bones director Peter Jackson told a reporter that, despite his PG-13 rating he had upped the violence in his upcoming film after early test screening audiences "were simply not satisfied" with the depiction of a character's death. [Hitfix]

• Nikki Finke reports that investor Carl Icahn has been snatching up MGM bonds like "A bat out of hell." [Deadline]

• The LA Times reports further on Disney's heroic decision to pull the plug on McG's attempt to America's memories of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with his remake. The paper writes that execs saw the project, scripted by novelist Michael Chabon as "too dark" and that they will take another stab at it somewhere down the line. [LA Times]

In the former case, Hudson's brother-in-law William Balfour was formally indicted on murder and home invasion charges in Chicago. Balfour continues to proclaim his innocence.

TMZ also reports that an arrest is imminent in the shooting death of Scott Ruffalo, though their sources declined to reveal who is being targeted by the police. However, the report can't be good news for Shaha Mishaal Adham, the "Saudi princess" who was present during the shooting and claimed it was the result of a misbegotten game of Russian Roulette. As TMZ says, "the L.A. County Coroner begs to differ."

• Indictment Handed Down in Hudson Murder Case [E!]

• Arrest in Ruffalo Case Imminent [TMZ]

Despite the fact that her estranged husband is still the prime suspect in the murders (and may be free as soon as Monday), Julia has added new pictures that showcase her partying with friends, as well as a picture of her late brother captioned, "NOW THAT JASON'S GONE I'M THE PRETTIEST ONE." There's also this picture of Julia with American Idol's Fantasia Barrino:

NOT YOU. YOU ARE NOT A STAR. YOU ARE A STAR'S SISTER.

• Julia Hudson — "NOW I'M THE PRETTIEST ONE" [TMZ]

COULD A BEDSIDE SHOTGUN RACK HAVE SAVED JENNIFER HUDSON’S FAMILY FROM TRAGIC DEATH?

Tragedy strikes in a Chicago home leaving 3 people dead and an Oscar winner forced to identify the bodies of her family.

Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were gunned down in their home Friday. Could an invaluable device have saved their lives? It’s called The BackUp and it is a bedside shotgun rack. ...

Whether it is someone known or a stranger entering the home, too many people in this country are paying with their lives during these home invasions. The Hudson family is just one of far too many Americans gunned down in their own home.

What can be done? Law enforcement and the government aren’t solving the problem. So law-abiding citizens are now forced to take their safety, security, and life into their own hands.

It's true! Now you can handle the "people of interest" in your own life when they come knocking, kidnapping, shooting and/or intending general homicidal mischief in your own home. It's made in America, and it works — just ask company president John Peters, who is ready to receive your questions at (612) 605-3613 or press-info@the-backup.com. We're sure comments are welcome as well; send our coldest regards either way.

• COULD A BEDSIDE SHOTGUN RACK HAVE SAVED JENNIFER HUDSON’S FAMILY? [MMDN]

• SNL [NBC]

The Sun-Times reported in the last hour that police were summoned to S. Kolin Ave., where the body of a black male child was spotted in a white Suburban SUV. The cops aren't yet commenting, and an Amber Alert remains in effect for Julian, whose mother discussed the shootings and suspected kidnapping at a press conference Saturday in Chicago. Her plea for his return came as FBI investigators joined Chicago police in the hunt — a clue that authorities suspected the boy may have been taken across state lines, though local detectives said Sunday that the search would concentrate on "the immediate vicinity" of the home.

Meanwhile, Julia Hudson's estranged husband William Balfour (right), 27, remains in custody as a "person of interest" in the shootings and the disappearance of Julian King. Balfour, whom police say they are holding on parole violations related to his conviction of attempted murder in 2006. He has not been charged in any cases related to the Hudson tragedy, and so far has been reported to not be cooperating with investigators.

The Hudsons have received a surge of public support since Friday; Jennifer Hudson yesterday thanked the fans who flooded her MySpace page with prayers and condolences, and Barack Obama — a fellow Chicagoan upon whose request Hudson sang the national anthem before his speech at this year's Democratic National Convention — issued a statement of his own on Saturday. The American Idol contingent came out not long afterward, and Hudson herself stepped up Sunday with a $100,000 reward for details leading to Julian King's return. Developing...

UPDATE: (12:41 p.m.) From the AP: "While the body has not been positively identified, FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole said authorities believe it to be that of Julian King, who also lived in the home."

• Body of child found on West Side may be Julian King [Chicago Sun-Times]

The New York Goes To Hollywood star says she's skeptical about the Dreamgirls actress' engagement to Harvard Law School grad David, who competed for Tiffany's affections on I Love New York 2 under the name Punk. "He's really loving being Mr. Jennifer Hudson. I think he's loving the lavish things she brings to his life, he's seeing the world due to Jennifer's success," Tiffany tells In Touch. "[But] can you love this person if they lose all of this tomorrow? She needs to find out. I just hope people are marrying each other for the right reasons."

Then, New York broke out the Star Jones/Al Reynolds comparisons and catty body image slams:

New York’s not optimistic about the couple’s future. “It’s a mixed match, it won’t work,” she says. “He’ll be in her shadow like Al Reynolds was to Star Jones, like Stedman Graham is to Oprah.” There’s also a good reason David wasn’t the right match for Tiffany on I Love New York 2. “When we were in Miami together, he didn’t even try anything [on me]!” she says. “Maybe I wasn’t his type, maybe I wasn’t big enough for him.”

New York, save your misapplied aggression for the crafts-services table. As Oscar and American Idol royalty, Jennifer Hudson is not to be messed with — she's got the gays (mostly) and the U.N. at her disposal!

• In Touch Weekly

As the Daily Mail reports, Cattrall's metallic dress started bunching up 'round her rear end, forcing Kim to cheekily dig out the material from in between her very toned ass, all the while winking. But Kim didn't stop surprising the crowd by allegedly telling reporters at a previous premiere that she "hopes we get to come back and make another." Which is very sweet, but judging from the NY Daily News' report from the scene, a repeat performance of the mob scene isn't something we'd like to see anytime soon:

"Organizers of the celeb-studded event overbooked the 6,000-seat theater, leaving bounced fans fuming. The angry crowd surged against police barricades, cursing and stomping their Manolo Blahniks."

Even Chris Noth, who's still clinging to that charming rep like a security blanket, blowing kisses to the furious crowd did little to numb the pain. As one fan said, "We waited in line 21/2 hours. I guess we'll go drink a Cosmo or five now." Which is quite possibly the saddest comment made by a woman we've ever heard.

And of course, there were the requisite horrendous fashion choices, notably made by Ashley Olsen in pants so oversized she could have comfortably fit both herself and MK inside, plus Jennifer Hudson's decision to shove approximately 95% of her breasts in photographers' faces and, unsurprisingly, legendary SATC wardrobe wench Pat Fields sporting what may be the most cringeworthy combination of purple and red hair dye we've seen to date. To be fair, dressing horribly is sort of her "thing," so we'll go ahead and forgive the kookiest of all kooky stylists.

[Photo credits: Wireimage, Getty, Splash]

• KIM CATTRALL ON THE 'SEX AND THE CITY' MOVIE: 'I HOPE WE GET TO MAKE ANOTHER' [Us]
• 'SEX AND THE CITY' PREMIERE TURNS UGLY [NYDN]

Which rotund actress had a romantic rendezvous with a waiter - but only after the server's boss promised him free food and drinks if he "went the extra mile" to keep the thespian happy? One cocaine-fueled romp later, and the waiter has yet to see his payoff. "I slept with the beast for this?" he complained.

Naturally we present some of the front runners for you, the loyal Defamer audience, after the jump. As always, your guesses are not only encouraged, but expected!

Our guesses and why:

Camryn Manheim: Okay, Camryn has made a career of proudly declaring how beautiful she is, and we have to agree. That said, she doesn't necessarily strike us as the cocaine type.

Nikki Blonsky: Love her, adore her, want to tuck her inside our pocket and pluck her out whenever we've got the blues. She seems pretty straight-laced, but all that perkiness can't be natural ... can it?

Jennifer Hudson: Again, when we're feeling down, we will dig up our copy of Dreamgirls and fast-forward (who are we kidding - we've got that scene's time-stamp memorized) to "And I Am Telling You," cry our little heart out and feel just fine. But, we must admit, the story fits J. Hud.

But enough about us...what do you think about us the rotundee in question?

• SIDE DISH [NYDN]

As we learned last week, Carrie makes her Big Wedding announcement all shyly to her harem over fancy brunch, and now we learn that Big not only agrees to marry her, he will also buy her a Manhattan castle in the sky. What she'll do there all day, and why she would possibly require the aid of an assistant, still isn't clear. Though we suspect it will involve a whole lot of self-conscious, self-referential, self-revelatory self-obsession. Of note: Kim Cattrall is suspiciously absent from all three leaked clips thus far. Is this yet another of Sarah Jessica Parker's passive aggressive attacks on her allegedly troublesome co-star? Or does she die a very Scream-like death in the first few minutes? We can only hope.

• 'SEX AND THE CITY' MOVIE CLIPS HIT THE WEB [Us]

"Rest assured, friends and fans," the voiceover strains. "Dakota is not retired!" In the mass get-well card equivalent that follows, her "competitor" Abigail Breslin thinks Fanning is nice. Jodie Foster gives her the Child-Star Survivor Stamp Of Approval. The disgrace of Hounddog accounted for, we learn she's also starring in a slate of movies this year including Winged Creatures and The Secret Life of Bees, whose co-star Jennifer Hudson proclaims: "This is not a child! I call her Mama Dakota, OK? And she's half my age." Mama Dakota? Really? Talk about burying the lede! [Via Spout]

• Who is the Next Dakota Fanning? [MTV]

(If we banished the Best Actress category, and just had "Best Acting Performance," would women ever get Oscars?)

Continues Churchwell:

Women do badly in awards in which attractiveness doesn't count, which is why they are so under-represented among producers, directors, and Nobel laureates. By the same token (pun intended), beautiful women on display are used to sell everything in our culture, and the Oscars are no exception.

And The Best Frock Is... [Guardian]

Earlier: Diablo Cody: A Flash Of Leg, A Tear And An Oscar

7. Ellen Page: On the biggest night of her short career, we're happy she didn't go with jeans, but couldn't she have gone one step up on the glamour meter?
6. Jennifer Hudson: Not quite as bad as last year's python-y jacket combo, but can't she keep those funbags from attacking us on sight?
5. Marlee Matlin: Just eh, you know? Stiff tube dress in black and white? Go for pizazz to match the personality!

4. Diablo Cody: Oh dear. The diamond collar, the leopard print, the visible tattoos. Kudos for daring Academy members to Take Notice and all, but an animal print dress will always be an animal print dress: tackiness exemplified.
3. Sissy Spacek: Sissy isn't yet old enough to require Oprah-esque jacket cover-ups. We suspect those arms of hers are toned enough to show off.
2. Tilda Swinton: Like Cate Blanchett, Tilda likes taking fashion risks. But a velvety black curtain paired with barely-there makeup? New addition to the Addams Family.

1. Faye Dunaway: Reminiscent of Cher and Barbara Streisand at their most bizarre, we at least give her credit for not flashing her tush.