James Cameron's "Avatar" has sailed past his blockbuster "Titanic" to become No. 1 on the all-time domestic box-office chart.

"Avatar" climbed to $601.1 million domestically on Tuesday, putting it a fraction ahead of the $600.8 million haul for "Titanic."

With more than $2 billion worldwide, Cameron's sci-fi sensation shattered the global box-office record of $1.84 billion held by "Titanic" last week.

"When some said to us, 'How is it going to feel to knock off 'Titanic'? I think our response was, 'It's about time those guys got knocked off their perch,"' said Cameron's producing partner Jon Landau on Tuesday, after "Avatar" tied for the lead at the Academy Awards with nine nominations, including best picture.

EXEC SAYS COURIC HAS A 'LONG TIME' AT CBS

CBS News chief Sean McManus said yesterday that it's unfair to criticize Katie Couric's multimillion-dollar salary at a time news division jobs are being cut and that he expected the evening news anchor to stay at the network "for a long time."

Although no negotiations have taken place, McManus offered the strongest public signal yet that the network is interested in Couric beyond the May 2011 expiration of her current contract — a possibility once considered remote.

"I am not anticipating, nor do I want to anticipate, life at CBS News without Katie Couric," said McManus, CBS News and Sports president.

JACKSON ESTATE EXECUTORS TO GET 10%

Two men administering Michael Jackson's estate will receive a total of 10 percent of its profits minus several sizable assets, a judge agreed yesterday.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved the compensation for attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who have been administering the singer's estate since shortly after his death on June 25.

Branca and McClain each will receive 5 percent of the estate's profits, minus earnings from the "This Is It" movie and Jackson's interest in the lucrative Sony-ATV music catalog. Branca represented Jackson throughout his life and McClain is a childhood friend of the singer.

GARRETT OUT OF JAIL AFTER HEROIN ARREST

Former 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett has been released from jail on a charge he carried heroin into a Los Angeles subway station.

Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says the actor and singer was arrested Monday for heroin possession and released on bond yesterday.

Whitmore says the 48-year-old was shaking and sweating. Whitmore says Garrett denied having drugs at first and allowed them to search him, then acknowledged that he had black tar heroin in his shoe.

Garrett has a history of drug use, including a 2006 arrest at another subway stop for having heroin.

— Advertiser News Services