Eddie Murphy Will Play Riddler in Next Batman

(NEWSER) - The annual ranking of movie stars based on exhibitors' sentiment is out. Thing is, the Quigley Poll bases its list on what industry insiders think the stars brought in, not on hard numbers. Gina Serpe of E! takes a look at the discrepancies.

• Will Smith: Theater owners had a lot of confidence in the Hancock actor, putting him first in the poll. But his movies brought in just $271.8 million, paltry in comparison to the runners-up.

Actor's 11 nominations more than double previous 1-year record

(NEWSER) - Adam Sandler dominated like no other would-be thespian that bane of awards season, the Razzie Awards nominations, pulling in 11 nods as an actor, writer, and producer, reports the LA Times . Among the lowlights this year:

• Sandler's 11 nominations are more than twice as many as anyone else ever scored in a single year (Eddie Murphy, who got five for Norbit)."It's almost karmic for someone to have made that much razz-able stuff in one year,'' said Razzies' founder John Wilson. "He has angered someone really powerful, I would say.''
• Sandler's Jack and Jill led the way for films with 12 Razzie nods. But he also picked up nominations for Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star and Just Go With It.

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»