"Avatar" may be popular with auds worldwide, but the Vatican is slamming James Cameron's 3D sci-fi epic as "sentimental hokum," Variety reports.

Sharon Stone is going to be laying down the law come April - on the small screen, no less. The actress, who was nominated for an Oscar for Martin Scorsese's "Casino," will be joining the cast of "Law & Order SVU" for a four-episode arc, Entertainment Weekly's Web site reports.

James Cameron's sci-fi extravaganza stayed atop the US charts after holding on to the box-office crown thanks to an estimated $68.3m (£42m) haul, according to The Guardian.

This weekend's battle of the blockbusters opened on Christmas Day in a close contest. Director Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" just barely edged "Avatar" out of the top spot, with $24.9 million in ticket sales to the sci-fi epic's $23.5 million. Estimates pin both with a $70 million weekend, but the James Cameron flick has been turning in strong daily numbers, so a shortfall isn't out of the question, MTV reports.