“Meet the Spartans” was the surprise winner at the box office this weekend, bringing in $18.7 million to top Sly Stallone’s “Rambo” ($18.2 million). (Stallone’s profession of his undying love for HGH probably could’ve come at a better time. And what does that mean for Rocky’s championship belts?)

Behind were “27 Dresses” ($13.2 million), and Diane Lane’s “Untraceable” ($11.2 million). Juno brought in another $10.3 million, bringing its total box office haul to more than $100 million. “Cloverfield,” however, tumbled an eyebrow-raising 68% to fall to $12.7 million in only its second week.  

Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” stayed atop the Billboard 200, followed by the “Juno” soundtrack and Mary J. Blige’s “Growing Pains,” each up a spot from last week. “In Rainbows,” Radiohead’s newest effort, slipped to fourth. Raheem Devaughn’s “Love Behind the Melody” debuted at No. 5. John Legend’s “Live from Philadelphia” entered the charts at No. 7.

Andrew Morton’s unauthorized biography of Tom Cruise, aptly titled “Tom Cruise,” shoots to the top of the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list to be published Feb. 3. It unseats Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food,” which falls to No. 2. Stuart Woods’ latest, “Beverly Hills Dead,” cracks the fiction bestseller list at No. 4 and Janet Evanovich’s “Plum Lucky” holds the top spot.

Nominees for the 80th Oscars were announced this morning. The awards show is scheduled for February 24th. The biggest mystery surrounding this year’s show is whether the writer’s strike will spoil the show as they did this month’s Golden Globes.

“No Country For Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” racked up the most nominations with eight apiece, including nods for Best Picture. Their competition for Best Picture comes in the form of “Atonement,” “Michael Clayton,” and “Juno.”

Best actor nominees are George Clooney (“Michael Clayton”), Daniel Day-Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”), Johnny Depp (“Sweeney Todd”), Tommy Lee Jones (“In the Valley of Elah”), and Viggo Mortensen (“Eastern Promises”).

The nominees for Best Actress come from decidedly more low-profile movies. They are: Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Julie Christie (“Away from Her”), Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), Laura Linney (“The Savages”), and Ellen Page (“Juno”).

See a complete list of nominees.

“Cloverfield,” J.J. Abrams’ monster flick, set January box office records with an opening weekend of $41 million. Katherine Heigl’s “27 Dresses” ($22.4 million), “The Bucket List” ($15.2 million), “Juno” ($10.3 million), and “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” ($8.1 million) finished second through fifth. “Indie” flick “Juno” continues to win over audiences, to the tune of $85 million so far.
 
Alicia Keys “As I Am” reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” fell to No. 2, followed by the “Juno” Soundtrack, Mary J. Blige’s “Growing Pains,” and “Taylor Swift” by Taylor Swift. In its 69th week on the charts, Fergie’s “The Dutchess” crept back into the top 10.
 
Several newcomers made their way onto next week’s New York Times non-fiction bestseller list. Madeleine Albright and Bill Woodward’s “Memo to the President Elect” came in at #4, “Geography of Bliss” by Eric Weiner at #8, and “Liberal Fascism” by Jonah Goldberg at #10. “Plum Lucky” by Janet Evanovich takes the #1 spot in its first week on the fiction bestseller list.

With the NFL playoffs in full swing, and no big blockbuster in sight, it was a relatively slow weekend at the box office. Both “The Bucket List” ($19.5 million) and “First Sunday” ($19 million) came in a virtual dead heat, followed by “Juno” ($14 million), “National Treasure 2” ($11.482 million), and “Alvin and the Chipmunks” ($9.1 million).

Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” locked down the top spot on the Billboard 200, despite all but giving away digital downloads on their website for months. Alicia Keys’s “As I Am” held the #2 spot, Mary J. Blige’s “Growing Pains” dropped from first to third, and Taylor Swift’s self-titled album matched its highest spot on the chart at #5 in its 63rd week on the charts. 

As anybody who watched football on Fox this weekend knows, last night saw the two-hour premiere of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” to mixed reviews. Early reviews for “Cashmere Mafia,” like Bryan Kristopowitz’s at 411mania.com, have been somewhat less kind.

In book news, Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” will break Stephen Colbert’s stranglehold on the bestseller list next week. “I Am America (And So Can You!)” drops to second, “An Inconvenient Book” from second to fourth, and “Clapton” from fifth to eighth.