You may have heard about this guy named Robert Downey Jr., who is only, like, the hottest thing in Hollywood right now thanks to the runaway success of Iron Man. Apparently, it's been a busy seven weeks for Downey since Iron Man premiered. After all, every studio you've ever heard of has been courting the guy. It's the kind of troubled-dude-makes-good story that Hollywood eats up. Especially because he's doing such a good job playing the nice guy these days.

Tags: Cowboys and Aliens, Guy Ritchie, Hugh Hefner, Iron Man, Jr., Madonna, Robert Downey, Sherlock Holmes, Snatch, Swept Away

Guy Ritchie, director of Snatch and wife -- sorry, husband of Madonna, will be directing an adaptation of a new Sherlock Holmes comic, featuring a reimagined, "more adventuresome and less stuffy" version of the detective than has been previously seen on film. Which means it could very well be closer to the original original Sherlock Holmes stories -- he's kind of a badass in them. I wonder if anybody in Hollywood has read them...

Tags: comic book, Guy Ritchie, Harry Potter, Madonna, remake, Sherlock Holmes

Although snippets of the song first debuted in Coke advertisements, people yesterday got their first full listen of the new Bond theme song by Alicia Keys and Jack White. There was a lot of anticipation for this ditty -- the first duet in the Bond franchise's history -- so it's unsurprising that for many it doesn't completely live up to the hope/hype. Radio 1 listeners heard "Another Way to Die" for the first time and, according to the BBC, reactions were "mixed." A Los Angeles Times blog dings the song for relying on elements of the "instantly recognizable Bond theme" for its hooks rather than rather than coming up with anything new of its own. Another complaint is that the singers' voices are "not meshing well". My main problem with it is that I keep wanting to type "Die Another Day", Madonna's similarly-titled Bond song from a few years back.

Tags: Alicia Keys, Another Way To Die, Coca Cola, Jack White, James Bond, Madonna, Octopussy, Quantum of Solace, Rita Coolidge, Thunderball, Tom Jones

Everyone seems shocked that Madonna is turning 50 this year. Fifty! And she looks so good! Well, duh. She's a bazillionaire. Recording and touring are gruelling affairs, but it's not like she's been carrying 50-pound sacks of rice on her back in the blazing hot sun all of her life. During an interview last night, Cynthia McFadden even compared her to geezer rockers Mick Jagger and David Bowie. (She meant it in a good way, but still. Cynthia.) But it seems the focus is -- for the moment -- turning away from the relentless march of time and toward Madonna's Malawi documentary, I Am Because We Are.

Tags: Madonna, Malawi