Eddie Murphy Will Play Riddler in Next Batman

He gets the nod for telecast in February

(NEWSER) - The rumor mill proved true this time: Eddie Murphy will host the Oscars in February, reports the Huffington Post . One connection that likely helped, as noted by Deadline : This year's show is being produced by Brett Ratner, who directed the soon-to-open movie Tower Heist, starring Murphy and Ben Stiller. Murphy also reportedly is a huge fan of the Oscars and movies in general, and he's got plenty of experience handling a live audience from his stand-up and SNL days. Click to read one Salon blogger's take on why this is a great pick. (Last year's co-host, James Franco, didn't go over so well with critics .) More»

Christian Bale looked to Cruise to inspire 'American Psycho'

(NEWSER) - Some things are too good to be true, but that's not the case for these fictional movie characters: BuzzFeed has a list of 10 popular movie icons that you'd never believe were inspired by actual people. A sample:

• Big Lebowski's The Dude: Producer and political activist Jeff Dowd was the archetype for the Coen brothers' interpretation. The Jeffs share their love for White Russians.

She'll be in next year's 'Dark Knight Rises'

(NEWSER) - Big news on the Batman scene: Anne Hathaway has been cast to play Selina Kyle, better known as alter ego Catwoman, in next year's Dark Knight Rises, reports the Los Angeles Times . Hathaway will be the first to touch the character since Halle Berry's box office flop in 2004, though hopes are high that director Christopher Nolan's treatment can make the character compelling again. Christian Bale is Batman, and Tom Hardy will play the villain Bane. More»

Really? 'Hot Tub Time Machine' is the best we can do?

(NEWSER) - “2010 very possibly is the worst year in the history of motion pictures,” declares Joe Queenan in a hilarious Wall Street Journal piece bemoaning the downfall of American cinema. You know things are bad in Hollywood when:

• “Shia LaBeouf—who looks a bit like the young George W. Bush” is being passed off “as the second coming of Tom Cruise.”
• The top contenders for Next Big Action Star are Jake Gyllenhaal and Adrien Brody. “None of these are logical heirs to the throne abandoned by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone. They may not even be legitimate heirs to the throne vacated by Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.”

Ruby slippers, Maltese Falcon, Spider-Man costume have all disappeared

(NEWSER) - Important things vanish in movies all the time—ghosts, ninjas, starlets' clothing. But what happens to important props that may have aftermarket value? Quite often, they go missing. Mental Floss lists seven iconic movie props that mysteriously disappeared:

• The Easy Rider motorcycle: Two copies of each bike in the counterculture classic existed, but three of the four were stolen and presumably sold for parts. Peter Fonda's Captain America model survived and is at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.