David Simon Wins Genius Grant, and 7 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Pirates swoon over Get Him to the Greek... Studios stand up to union threats against The Hobbit... The Segway story to end all Segway stories (no, really)... and more.

· David Simon, creator of The Wire and Treme, is among 23 of this year's MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" awardees. The prize entitles Simon to $500,000 -- paid quarterly over five years -- to do with what he wishes. He admitted to a "vague sense of guilt" considering the not-insubstantial pay grade he's already achieved in the TV business, but on the bright side, he might finally be able to buy some Emmy recognition, so let's wait and see how it works out. [AP]

· Congratulations to Get Him to the Greek, which this week has inherited the coveted role of Most Pirated Movie in the World. Make a speech, Nicholas Stoller. [THR, Esq.]

· MGM, New Line and Warner Bros. -- currently as impotent a studio triumvirate as any in Hollywood -- will not tolerate labor unrest ahead of the Hobbit adaptation they're never going to make anyway. [THR]

· You've probably heard by now, but it bears repeating: Jimi Heselden, who bought the Segway Corporation 10 months ago, was found dead in a river at the bottom of a cliff after apparently riding his Segway over the edge. Nothing and everything about this is hilarious. [AP]

· Mexico nudged Biutiful's Oscar hopes up a little bit Monday, declaring the searing Javier Bardem drama its submission for the Academy's Foreign-Language Film prize. [THR]

· Patrick Goldstein has an interesting read about what the The Social Network has in common with Citizen Kane. Hint: It's a lot more than breathless hype. [LAT]

· Jeff Zucker's departure from NBC Universal is a boon for the Tea Party movement. Who knew? [THR]

· Cleveland still pretty much loathes LeBron James for leaving the Cavaliers; batshit team owner Dan Gilbert has taking to selling life-size floor decals of the treasonous superstar for $17.41 -- a number also representing the year of Benedict Arnold's birth. Someone get this guy a Genius Grant. [NYT]