Some examples:

Sidney Poitier got the transition off to a stunning start. He was the first African-American mega-star Oscar-winner, and virtually all of today’s black actors acknowledge the debt they owe him. In In the Heat of the Night, when he shouted, “They call me MISTER Tibbs!,” it was a voice heard ’round the world. At the time, he was criticized for playing too many saintly roles. In retrospect, that seems a necessary part of the transition.

Oprah Winfrey made her feature debut in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 version of The Color Purple — and who would’ve guessed that one day she’d be more powerful than he? In the Presidential campaign, some disapproved of her going public with her Obama endorsement. But silence on her part might have been misinterpreted as a lack of support.

Bill Cosby never enjoyed the same success on the big screen as he did on television. But his TV roles reflect the ascent of the African-American actor. In I Spy, he mostly served as sidekick to smug Robert Culp. He was to I Spy what Sammy Davis Jr. was to Sinatra’s Rat Pack. But in The Cosby Show, the Huxtables avoided racial stereotypes and won a warm place in America’s living rooms. Cosby was preceded by Diahann Carroll, whose TV sitcom Julia was similarly embraced for transcending racial cliches.

Will Smith still reigns as box-office king despite the disappointment of the recent Seven Pounds. He’s bigger with ticket-buyers than Cruise, Hanks, Pitt or Sandler. He knows how to play the game, and he plays it smoothly.

Richard Pryor gained wide acceptance as a major movie star and opened the gate for such later titans as Eddie Murphy. Pryor’s personal tragedy sometimes obscures the fact that his talent frequently elevated mediocre movie scripts.

Jennifer Hudson didn’t win the American Idol contest, but she won a more important trophy — the Oscar for Dreamgirls. She also won the public’s respect for her dignity during her recent family tragedy.

Denzel Washington is today’s Sidney Poitier, a handsome, talented actor at home in a variety of roles. He’s the only African-American to win Oscars in both supporting and lead actor categories, and his two Oscars reflect his range. He was a martyred soldier in Glory and a sneering, smirking and deadly corrupt cop in Training Day.

Favorite Movie: The Dark Knight

Favorite Comedy Movie: 27 Dresses

Favorite Movie Drama: The Secret Life of Bees

Favorite Family Movie: WALL-E

Favorite Independent Movie: The Secret Life of Bees

Favorite Action Movie: The Dark Knight

Favorite Cast: The Dark Knight

Favorite On-Screen Matchup: Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Favorite Male Movie Star: Will Smith

Favorite Female Movie Star: Reese Witherspoon

Favorite Male Action Star: Will Smith

Favorite Female Action Star: Angelina Jolie

Favorite Leading Man: Brad Pitt

Favorite Leading Lady: Kate Hudson

Favorite Super Hero: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman

Favorite TV Drama: House

Favorite TV Comedy: Two and a Half Men

Favorite New TV Drama: The Mentalist

Favorite New TV Comedy: Gary Unmarried

Favorite Animated Comedy: The Simpsons

Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show: Heroes

Favorite Competition/Reality Show: Dancing with the Stars

Favorite Game Show: Deal Or No Deal

Favorite Male TV Star: Hugh Laurie

Favorite Female TV Star: Christina Applegate

Favorite Talk Show Host: Ellen DeGeneres

Favorite Scene-Stealing Guest Star: Robin Williams on Law & Order: SVU

Favorite TV Drama Diva: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Favorite Male Singer: Chris Brown

Favorite Female Singer: Carrie Underwood

Favorite Group: Rascal Flatts

Favorite Combined Forces: “No Air” by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown

Favorite Hip-Hop Song: “Low” by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain

Favorite Rock Song: “All Summer Long” by Kid Rock

Favorite Country Song: “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood

Favorite R&B Song: “No One” by Alicia Keys

Favorite Pop Song: “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry

Favorite Song from a Sound Track: “Mamma Mia!” by Meryl Streep from Mamma Mia!

Favorite Funny Male Star: Adam Sandler

Favorite Funny Female Star: Tina Fey

Favorite User Generated Video: Barack Roll

Favorite Online Sensation: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
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Others, unfortunately, don’t conjure up quite the same warm fuzzies. That song you coundn’t get out of your head back in ‘86 is now downright cringe-worthy, leaving one to ask the time-honored question:

“WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING???”

Recently, Spinner put together its list of the “Top 20 Worst Songs Ever.” Obviously, these were popular at one time, or no one would remember them, but classics they are not.

Here’s the Bottom 10, in reverse order:

20. “The Final Countdown,” Europe (1986)

19. “What’s Up,” Four Non Blondes (1993)

18. “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” Will Smith (1998)

17. “Achy Breaky Heart,” Billy Ray Cyrus (1992)

16. “Thong Song,” Sisqo (2000)

15. “Hollaback Girl,” Gwen Stefani (2005)

14. “Rico Suave,” Gerardo (1991)

13. “Convoy,” C.W. McCall (1975)

12. “With Arms Wide Open,” Creed (2000)

11. “Wannabe,” Spice Girls (1996)

To read more about these, and to see the rest of the list, visit Spinner.

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Their new arrivals are christened Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon. You can bet that even the most intimate chums won’t lean over the crib and say, “Hi, Viv!,” particularly with the French spelling. Marcheline was the name of Angelina’s mother, who died in January 2007 after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

Knox Leon (Leon pronounced with a long “o”) was so named because dad Brad is a fan of artist Archibald Knox and has collected several of the late artist’s works. The day after Angelina gave birth, the Archibald Knox Web site reportedly received over 2,000 hits.

Celebrities are different from us ordinary mortals. Among those differences is their practice of giving offspring unusual names. What follows is a list of celebrity baby names, and there’s not a Dick or Jane among them.

Matthew McConaughey’s new arrival is Levi, but he’s not named for the jeans that Matthew occasionally bothers to put on. The spiritual star explains that Levi is another name for the Biblical apostle Matthew. Early tabloid reports predicted that the bouncing baby boy would be named Budweiser, after his pop’s favorite beer. After all, Matthew’s big brother Rooster named his son Miller Lyte.

Julia Roberts named her twins Hazel and Phinnaeus. Nothing wrong with Hazel other than its vintage seems to be several generations ago. But Phinnaeus??? It’s a family name, says Julia. But try explaining that to the kids at school.

Also on the previous-generations name register is Matilda, daughter of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams. Possibly she was named for the Aussie folk song “Waltzing Matilda.” FYI, Jake Gyllenhaal was her godfather.

Most star treks from small-to-big screen have had smooth passage. But not all.

John Travolta had one of the easiest voyages. Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter was ideal launching for the wicked high school stud in Carrie and likable stud wannabes in Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

George Clooney is movie royalty, complete with an Oscar and a Lake Como villa. Yet only a few of his movies have been bona fide smash hits. But his personality and suave looks make his star status secure. He earned heart-throb rank on TV’s ER and comfortably navigated his way to the big screen. But let’s not mention his recent flop Leatherheads.

Will Smith remains a July 4th firecracker, with Hancock overcoming critical jeers. In the middle of his primetime reign as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he turned to movies, where his good-natured sass proved well-suited for Independence Day and Men in Black. In recent interviews, he worries that the public only accepts him in light-hearted roles. Hey, Will, life is full of problems.

Steve Carell’s flight to the big screen was well-oiled by smooth slots on The Office and Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. His quirky TV persona allowed him to take mild risks in such crowd-pleasers as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine. Some false prophets, including me, thought Get Smart might prove his downfall. But he and Anne Hathaway provided the movie’s safety net.

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Smith currently is Hollywood’s most bankable star. Hancock took in an estimated $66 million over the July 4th weekend, finishing its opening week with a domestic gross of $107,321,000. His previous release, I Am Legend,  grossed more than $250 million domestically alone, and Hancock is Smith’s 12th film to top the $100 million mark in U.S. ticket sales.

Here’s the list, from BoxOfficeMojo.com, with year of release and domestic gross totals:

1. Independence Day (1996): $306,169,268

2. I Am Legend (2007): $256,393,010

3. Men in Black (1997): $250,690,539

4. Men in Black II (2002) : $190,418,803

5. Hitch (2005): $179,495,555

6. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): $163,566,459

7. Shark Tale (2004): $160,861,908

8. I, Robot (2004): $144,801,023

9. Bad Boys II (2003): $138,608,444

10. Wild Wild West (1999) $113,805,681

11. Enemy of the State (1998): $111,549,836

12. Hancock (2008): $107,321,000

Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com

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Just what is a superhero, anyway? It’s a generic term for crimefighters, often but not always of comic book/graphic novel origin, blessed with super powers (Superman, et.al.), outlandish gadgets (James Bond) or just plain survival instincts (Indiana Jones). A sampling of such power players and their impersonators:

Hancock, which opens today, may be the ultimate test of Will Smith’s box-office muscle. It’s tracking through the roof, but practically all buzz has been negative. The first week should be huge, and if continues to show “legs,” Smith may really be “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He plays a slovenly, reluctant superhero. In such antics as Independence Day, Men in Black and I, Robot, his superheroics were less reluctant.
 
Batman has had a colorful host of interpreters. Most of the spin for The Dark Knight (July 18) revolves around Heath Ledger’s Joker, but Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader has also drawn praise. Hey, this is the same guy who played both American Psycho and Laurie in Little Women. He also sang and danced his way through a couple of minor Disney musicals and won Steven Spielberg’s praise as the child star of Empire of the Sun. What’s more, his late father was married to Gloria Steinem. An interesting profile.
 
This generation’s original Batman, onetime Beetlejuice Michael Keaton survives as a solid B-list actor, while George Clooney fizzled as Batman but remains on the A-list. As for Val Kilmer, he’s probably growling and howling on some movie set.

 Iron Man/Tony Stark has been a career milestone for talented Robert Downey Jr., whose flippant attitude always seemed to hide a conflicted inner spirit. All pop-psycho babble aside, the parallels between Downey and Stark are undeniable and work in the movie’s behalf. 

9. Reginald VelJohnson

8. Julia Roberts

7. Kelsey Grammer (above left)

6. Alec Baldwin

5. Samuel L. Jackson

4. Cameron Diaz

3. John Cusak (above right)

2. Will Smith

1. William Shatner

For more on each typecastor, check out the list at Cracked.