BEST MOVIE
* Twilight
The Dark Knight
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
* Zac Efron, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Christian Bale, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man
Shia LaBeouf, Eagle Eye
Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
* Kristen Stewart, Twilight
Angelina Jolie, Wanted
Anne Hathaway, Bride Wars
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST VILLAIN
* Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Derek Mears, Friday the 13th
Dwayne Johnson, Get Smart
Johnathon Schaech, Prom Night
Luke Goss, Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
* Jim Carrey, Yes Man
Amy Poehler, Baby Mama
Anna Faris, The House Bunny
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Steve Carell, Get Smart

BEST FIGHT
* Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet, Twilight
Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson, Bride Wars
Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss, Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride, Pineapple Express

BEST KISS
* Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Twilight
Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, Wanted
Freida Pinto and Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
James Franco and Sean Penn, Milk
Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon, I Love You, Man
Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron, High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
* Ashley Tisdale, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia!
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie
Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, MALE
* Robert Pattinson, Twilight
Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Bobb’e J. Thompson, Role Models
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Taylor Lautner, Twilight

BEST WTF MOMENT
* Peeing In The Sink, Amy Poehler in Baby Mama
Curved Bullet Kill, Angelina Jolie in Wanted
Jumping In The Poop Shed, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar in Slumdog Millionaire
Tasting Decapitated Head, Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder
Naked Break Up, Jason Segel and Kristen Bell in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE
* Miley Cyrus “The Climb”, Hannah Montana: The Movie
A.R. Raham “Jai Ho”, Slumdog Millionaire
Bruce Springsteen “The Wrestler”, The Wrestler
Paramore “Decode”, Twilight

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No one saw Paul Blart: Mall Cop coming. At least no one saw it coming to the tune of $64.8 million in ticket sales for its first two weekends of release.

That puts former King of Queens star Kevin James in the select company of TV denizens who have hit the big-screen motherlode with a surprise, career-turning hit. But where does James rank on the all-time list? Let’s count ‘em down.

10. Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) — His first star vehicle, after supporting roles in the likes of Bruce Almighty and Anchorman, took Carell into the realm of bankable comedy stars. The Office still churns his butter, but he now can pick and choose among big-ticket projects. Domestic box office: $109.4 million

9. Seth Rogen in Knocked Up (2007) — He co-starred in NBC’s critically acclaimed but little-seen Freaks and Geeks before also languishing in Fox’s likewise under-appreciated Undeclared. Both were creations of Judd Apatow, whose career soared along with Rogen’s when he made him the unlikely leading man of a comedy-romance co-starring Katherine Heigl of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Coming next year for Rogen: the starring role of Britt Reid in a new big-budget version of The Green Hornet. Domestic box office: $148.8 million

8. Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore (1996) — The former Saturday Night Live star slowly gained traction in movies such as Mixed Nuts and Billy Madison. Then Happy Gilmore took him into the stratosphere as a goofball golfer with a hockey player’s swing and mentality. Putting himself on the receiving end of a Bob Barker punch-out also proved to be comedy gold. Not a huge moneymaker, but a certified semi-cult classic that put Sandler on track to The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy and Big Daddy in the next three years. Domestic box office: $38.6 million

7. Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) — Likewise an SNL alum, Myers created a multi-million dollar franchise character for himself in this surprise spy spoof hit. Catchphrases abounded, too, including “Oh behave” and “Yeah, baby.” There have been two sequels to date, with Myers also cashing in as the voice of Shrek. Domestic box office: $53 million

6. Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992) — Stone had barely scratched the surface after compiling a long list of TV credits ranging from Magnum, P.I. to Bay City Blues to the miniseries War and Remembrance. But this single role as a diabolical sexpot — including a fleeting but memorable glimpse of her lower regions — propelled Stone to international stardom. Not that she’s done much of late. Domestic box office: $117.7 million.

But almost every comic actor has a dark side, and the tears of a clown have been immortalized in verse, on stage and screen and in pop music. Among them:

Jim Carrey discussed his bouts of depression in a 60 Minutes interview in 2004. Chevy Chase also suffered similar despondent spells.

Bill Murray always has been candid in interviews — at least until studio reps tried to shut him up. When doing interviews for 1988’s Scrooged, he told reporters that the flop of his long-planned remake of The Razor’s Edge had left him with a nervous breakdown. When a Studio Type barked, “They want to hear about Scrooged, Bill!,” reporters urged Bill to just keep talking. Last year, he honestly said that the thought of his ongoing messy divorce was “devastating.”

Jackie Chan may be a lovable, chipper action/comic figure on screen. Off screen, he’s said in interviews that American schools are “soft” and he deplores the hour-long lunch breaks allowed in Hollywood moviemaking. He also travels with only two sets of underwear, personally washing at least one pair each night.

Phil Hartman attained tabloid immortality the hard way. On May 28, 1998, the onetime Saturday Night Live headliner was murdered by his wife, who committed suicide later the same morning.

Paul Reubens, a.k.a Pee-wee Herman, became tabloid fodder with his arrest for “lewd conduct” while watching the skin flick Nurse Nancy in a Florida porn theater. Pee-wee practically went bye-bye, but Reubens has stayed afloat in supporting roles under his own name. Pee-wee’s “little adventure” in Florida definitely cast dark shadows.

Dana Carvey shied away from show business for almost six years when, after the success of Wayne’s World, his subsequent films flopped. He reached the decision that he’s best as a stand-up comic and last year did an HBO comedy special.

Steve Martin has been successful in movies, but his stand-up comic routines had a freshness that few of his films have caught. He once expressed a fear that in a dozen years, he’d be making Father of the Bride, Part XII. His writing efforts reveal a sensitivity that his movies also rarely allow. Last year’s memoir, Born Standing Up, was a poignant reverie of his early stand-up years and of his painful relationship with his jealous father.

Comeback is a generic word, freely tossed around. To qualify for a comeback, an actor doesn’t need to have gone away. He just needs not to have been noticed.

Examples, both past and present:

Rourke is the real thing, with his tender, mesmerizing performance in The Wrestler definite Oscar-bait. The role of a has-been wrestler almost mirrors Rourke’s own status. Once a critic’s favorite, he’s made relatively few films in the last decade, with 2006’s Stormbreaker a critical and box-office dud. But he’s been navigating the comeback trail with great finesse, appearing on talk shows, apologizing for past excesses and even chatting up his pet Chihuahua.

Downey has never gone away. He was wry and witty in 2007’s Zodiac, but the film was not widely seen. His terrific turn in Iron Man helped make the comic book movie a Marvelous hit, and he followed it with inspired hilarity in Tropic Thunder. The one-time bad boy and substance abuser is now a Hollywood kingpin, to be seen in ‘09 as Sherlock Holmes, co-starring Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. One misstep, however: He started dissing The Dark Knight once the Batman epic surpassed Iron Man as the year’s biggest blockbuster.

Gwyneth Paltrow has announced that she wants to concentrate on her family and no longer cares about “carrying” a movie. So, after a slew of largely unseen artsy endeavors, Princess Gwyn made a wise career move by playing Pepper Potts in Iron Man. She was accessible, jolly and a regular salt-and-pepper gal who had strong chemistry with Downey. If Iron Man was a comeback for Downey, it was no less so for Paltrow.

Jim Carrey and Tom Cruise are hoping for holidays greetings.

Carrey’s last hit was 2005’s Fun With Dick and Jane, but it was a fleetingly popular film that few even remember. Otherwise, his recent starring vehicles have bombed. Yes Man, which borrows heavily from Carrey’s own Liar, Liar, opened nicely but below expectations. Carrey and Company are blaming its meek opening week on the weather.

Cruise’s alleged fall from grace has been widely documented. But his comic bit in Tropic Thunder won raves, including a Golden Globe supporting-actor nod, while his down-with-Hitler opus Valkyrie, opened Christmas Day with strong advance tracking but mixed reviews. Still, don’t count Cruise out. He knows how to play the game.

Forbes took a look at some of Tinseltown’s best-paid stars and weighed their paychecks against box office earnings. A few old favorites may have a harder time negotiating that next big contract.

Here’s the list of Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Movie Stars. The second number indicates how much the performer’s last three films grossed per dollar he or she was paid.

Nicole Kidman: $1-$1
Jennifer Garner: $1-$3.60
Tom Cruise: $1-$4
Cameron Diaz: $1-$4
Jennifer Lopez: $1-$4.10
Jim Carrey: $1-$4.11
Nicolas Cage: $1-$4.16
Drew Barrymore: $1-$4.38
Will Ferrell: $1-$4.67
Cate Blanchett: $1-$4.97

To read more about these, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes.

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