1. The controversial “Hottest MCs in the Game” special on MTV, which has already caused Danny Brown to release a diss track and Kanye West to lash out on the radio, announced that Kendrick Lamar has been “crowned” number one by the “MTV Hip-Hop Brain Trust,” whatever that is. Lamar beat 2 Chainz, who took the number two spot on the list, it was announced last night. The reaction so far has been quiet, but we expect West to do something crazy any second now. [MTV]

2.  Letters written to Mark Twain, and his responses, will be collected in “Dear Mark Twain: Letters to his Reader,” edited by R. Kent Rasmussen. Spanning a period from 1863 to his death in 1910, the letters come from “autograph seekers” and fans “seeking advice from writers.” To many of his admirers, Twain responded with nothing but a snide remark. Personally, we’d love to see a collection of notes he wrote in his books from his personal collection; reportedly, he was fond of scribbling “the droolings of an idiot” in books he was not fond of.  [NY Daily News]

3. Hope Davis has signed on to play the mayor of New York City in the CBS political thriller “The Ordained.” Hope will play Patricia, “dubbed Packy because she packs a punch,” who is being protected from assassination by her bother Tom, a former priest and “son of a Kennedy-esque family.” Lisa Takeuchi will write the script, with R.J. Cutler directing the pilot. Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Nestor Serrano co-star. [Hollywood Reporter]

4.  The Esquire Network, a rebranding of the nerdy G4 channel, has picked up syndicated reruns of cult-favorite “Party Down.” The show, which starred Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan, premiered on the Starz network in 2009 and picked up an audience via streaming on Netflix before being cancelled. The Esquire Network will also air reruns of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” an unscripted show from Ryan Seacrest Productions, and, we imagine, lots of shows on what’s the best hair gel to use and how to pick up chicks at the club. [Variety]

5.  Watch the trailer “Much Ado About Nothing,” an adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy by “The Avengers” director Joss Whedon. Don’t expect dudes with capes, though: Whedon’s idea of Shakespeare is to keep the original text, get his buddies together, and shoot a black-and-white indie-comedy at his house. The film was well received during its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and opens in theaters June 7. [Vulture]

Previously: Christina Hendricks, Steppenwolf Theater, Jay Leno, Edward Norton, WALL

Image: Kendrick Lamar/Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for AXE

Tags: 2 Chainz, Hope Davis, Joss Whedon, Kendrick Lamar, Mark Twain, Much Ado About Nothing, News, The Esquire Network, The Ordained