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Sandra Bullock has been named the top box office star of 2009 with two monster hits, 'The Proposal' and 'The Blind Side,' she's got two Golden Globe nods, is an odds-on favorite to at least be nominated for her first Oscar for 'The Blind Side,' and at 45 is once again riding high as America's sweetheart.

Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, who co-starred with Bullock in the Oscar-winning Best Picture 'Crash,' says it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. "When I got a chance to really meet her and just kind of kick it with her on set when we were doing 'Crash' I just realized how down to Earth she was and how extremely great of a personality she has," he tells Moviefone.

It wasn't George Clooney who brought in the most bucks at the box office in 2009 -- no, he was merely the fourth-ranked bread earner. And it wasn't Robert Downey, Jr. -- even with all the 'Sherlock Holmes' hoopla, he was down the list at No. 5. And Meryl Streep? Sure, she had a terrific 2009. But she was down the list even further, located at No. 6.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, it was Sandra Bullock who landed at No. 1 on the Quigley Publishing Co.'s annual list of the top moneymaking stars of the year. With the powerful box-office strength of 'The Proposal' and 'The Blind Side' giving her award nominations and other brand-building tailwinds, Bullock becomes the eighth woman to top Quigley's list since it began in 1932 -- and the first since Julia Roberts in 1999.

Someone might finally be opening the doors to 'The Orphanage.'

Variety reports that New Line Cinema is in talks with Mark Pellington ('The Mothman Prophecies,' 'Arlington Road') to direct the studio's long-in-development remake of the Spanish-language ghost story 'The Orphanage.' The remake will be produced by Guillermo del Toro (who had a hand in the original film), Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson, with a script by del Toro and Larry Fessenden ('The Last Winter,' 'Wendigo'), who was originally attached to direct.

'The Hurt Locker' is the true darling of cinema appraisers, taking three National Society of Film Critics Awards -- including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor -- on Sunday, according to IndieWire. And a pair of acting dark horses for Oscar glory have officially emerged, thanks to the sometimes renegade ways of the NSFC. Jeremy and Yolande, take a bow.

Though we've acknowledged Jeremy Renner's growing buzz for 'The Hurt Locker,' his bid for an Oscar is not a sure thing, with beloved veterans (Jeff Bridges for 'Crazy Heart') and superduperstars (George Clooney for 'Up in the Air') in the hunt. With the NSFC's pat on the back, Renner has picked up his first national film critics prize for his star turn in 'Locker' (he's already been honored as Best Actor by the Chicago and Boston Film Critics). Though Renner is missing from the Golden Globe nominees, he'll be up in the Best Actor and Best Ensemble categories when the SAG Awards are presented January 23.

It won't be official until the final numbers are released on Monday, but if Sunday estimates hold up, 'Avatar' has joined the $1 Billion Club this weekend. In just 17 days of release, James Cameron's sci-fi epic has sold an estimated $352 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada and another $650 million overseas.

Ah yes, at the end of the year it's certainly tempting to look back with fondness at the more memorable movies ('Up' or 'Anvil! The Story of Anvil') of the past 365 days. No one wants to pick the scab of box office disappointments, adventures in stupidity and paeans to the craptastic, do they? Oh, actually, we do. Here are the top 10 movies we were eagerly anticipating, only to have them dash our expectations upon the rocks of cinematic suckage.

It was a year of overly-hair-gelled vampires, badass boy wizards, hungover idiots and shape-shifting robots; a year when 'Star Trek' became relevant once again and George Clooney and Brad Pitt proved they deserve to be the biggest movie stars on the planet; a year when Sam Raimi reminded us what horror movies are all about and Wes Anderson found his true calling; a year when 'Wild Things' roared and James Cameron became king of the world for a second time (though this go-around he deserves it). In short, 2009 was one heck of a year for people who love to make up these nifty end-of-the-year top 10 lists ... and an even better year for people who simply love to watch movies.

In a world of Jonas Brothers and vampires who don't go all the way, Robert Downey Jr. is the adult woman's sex symbol -- an edgy, talented man with enough charisma to make 'Sherlock Holmes' a hit with those of us who can remember him from his days in the Brat Pack. Not only is he a man you can imagine having actual sex with (no promise rings needed here), he offers something that most Hollywood leading men don't -- a willingness to expose his flaws and vulnerability both on screen and off.

Downey Jr. captured attention for his role in 1987's 'Less Than Zero' and went on to prove his street cred with an Oscar-nominated turn in the title role of 1992's 'Chaplin.' And although his arrest record, known drug use and stints in rehab lend to his bad-boy persona, it's the way he was able to tackle his problems and come out the other side that's really appealing. A self-proclaimed Jewish-Buddhist, our rogue may have found spirituality, but thankfully it hasn't taken away that devilish glint in his soulful brown eyes.

James McAvoy as the next 007? Close ... but not quite.

According to Pajiba, McAvoy is attached to play the lead in 'Ian Fleming,' a biopic about the years that inspired Fleming to create that beloved martini-sipping member of Her Majesty's Secret Service: James Bond.

The film is loosely based on Andrew Lycett's 1996 book 'Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond,' which profiles Fleming's early years as a London playboy, adrift in the shadow of his politician father and successful siblings until his life-changing World War II experiences triggered him -- with the 1953 novel 'Casino Royale' -- to channel those experiences into one of the century's most enduring and memorable characters.

Batten down the hatches, sci-fi fans, because J. J. Abrams is preparing to boldly go where he's already been before: the world of 'Star Trek.'

According to a report on MTV.com, 'Star Trek' actress Zoe Saldana recently revealed to the network that Abrams is in the process of hashing out a plot for a sequel to this year's blockbuster reboot of the venerable franchise, which brought in $257 million at the box office. That performance almost guaranteed a follow-up, with the main question being how soon it would enter production.