Warren Beatty Courts LiLo ... No, Not Like That

Ex-husband makes the list, too

(NEWSER) - With an ignominious 1:1 ratio of salary to receipts, Nicole Kidman snags the top spot on Forbes’ list of most overpaid movie stars. In other words, her films make a mere $1 for every dollar she’s paid, an average $15 million per flick. Ex-husband Tom Cruise is close behind at No. 3, with Jennifer Garner in the runner-up slot. More»

6 highest-grossing films all have it

(NEWSER) - One key to The Avengers' record success this weekend: its PG-13 rating. The top six highest-grossing movies ever made are all rated PG-13; the rating points to a film that's titillating enough for teens but isn't likely to offend adults, the Los Angeles Times notes. The rating has become a Holy Grail for movie execs, particularly lately. Last year, R-rated movies accounted for 21% of US box office takings—the lowest figure in decades. More»

Action flick less than the sum of its all-star parts

(NEWSER) - Sylvester Stallone directed and co-stars, alongside a Magnificent Seven-style roster of action-film legends—Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham—but critics have some issues with The Expendables.

• James Verniere (and a friend), Boston Herald : "Hulk like Expendables. It SMASH. Guns go BANG-BANG. Things go BOOM. Fire EVERYWHERE. Cars crash and make even MORE FIRE. HA-HA-HA. Hulk no like Rourke, though. Rourke NUTS."

Pop star wants to follow in Michael Jackson's footsteps

(NEWSER) - Not content with entrancing Bill O'Reilly , Lady Gaga is planning her next pop-culture triumph: a blockbuster movie. "Gaga wants to emulate what Michael Jackson did during the 80s. You can already see that with her music videos," a source tells the UK tabloid News of the World . "Every one of them is a mini event. So it's only logical she moves that on to the big screen." More»

'The silly is slowly being leeched out of him'

(NEWSER) - Paul Rudd is Hollywood’s next big thing —but not in the way he should be, writes Elbert Ventura in a Slate piece arguing that Tinseltown is squandering the actor’s comedic talents. “Rudd's rise is well-deserved,” considering his body of work “is one of the funniest—and most underrated—in recent American comedy.” But Rudd, “an absurdist at heart,” has gone from “unhinged, even surreal” movies like Wet Hot American Summer and Anchorman to bland, conventional fare. More»