a-list Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Just the other day, I tackled the notion of whether A-List actors were becoming an endangered species. Now Forbes is adding to the celebrities woes with a list of Hollywood's 10 Most Overpaid Stars. Their criteria for the list: Look at the 100 biggest stars who have starred in at least 3 flicks opening in more than 500 theaters in the last 5 years, and calculate a return-on-investment by dividing total operating income on the 3 movies by the actor's total compensation (salaries and sales earnings).

So, who could possibly end up on such a list? Hazard a guess? Well, here are some hints. The 10-spot actor, who has the biggest earnings for his pay, earns an average of $8.62 for every $1 paid, while the worst offender skyrocketed to the #1 spot with a pretty big flop this year, earning only $3.29 for every buck paid. Some of the names in the middle are quite expected, especially Tom Cruise and Eddie Murphy, the former still dealing with image issues, and the latter found out that his silly-comedy formula isn't working like it used to. Also, there is one lone woman on the list, but this actress might be a little hard to guess.

Considering the previous post and some of the names on this list, I think we might be seeing a big decrease in star-power pay over the next few years. But for now ... Who's the least-bad investment, the worst, and the woman? Can you figure out the names in-between? Take a stab and then check out the list after the jump

There was a time, not too long ago, when the dream was to be on the A-list in Hollywood. Being so high up on the ladder meant great roles, great movies, and box office success. It was a world raining money. Now, however, not only are times tough, but Hollywood is learning a valuable lesson: It's not all about the stars. (Something we wondered about three years ago.)

Reuters reports that the movie town is rethinking the millions of dollars they spend to grab the big stars because big celebrity doesn't necessarily equal big box office. They cited the money brought in by The Hangover, District 9, Paranormal Activity, and the Twilight Saga, and the fact that none of these productions had big celebs leading the way. Meanwhile, the star extravaganzas like A Christmas Carol, Surrogates, Funny People, Land of the Lost, Imagine That, and Duplicity boasted big-name talent, but still flopped. Now insiders say that the stars used to big paychecks and gross profit deals are having a heck of a time getting their demands met. As Reuters says: "several films have shown that a great concept or story can trump star appeal when it comes to luring fans."

What a concept! A worthy story being more important than the actors who star? Crazy talk! Could we, dare I say, be headed towards a Hollywood where they don't just write a bunch of crap to have big names appear in (say, Sandra Bullock), and actually put some more effort into the story? Or will we just get greeted by the same crappy stories, but now with unknown names?

It's always a difficult task picking and choosing which stars are or aren't on the A-list. It's not like Hollywood puts out an official list each year, and I'm not crazy about letting the gossip rags define for me who is and isn't among the best of the best. So, the following is based solely on my opinion, and will most certainly be up for debate. Basically, I made these choices based on the actor (or actress') recent track record, including box office take, and also took into account how valuable their name currently is to a film. Feel free to disagree ... or, even better, agree. That said, here are my choices for seven stars about to fall off the A-List:

Jake Gyllenhaal -- While it may take an actor awhile to land on the A-list, there is an express lane and that includes starring in one, over-the-top controversial film. For Gyllenhaal, as well as Heath Ledger, that movie was Brokeback Mountain. Unlike Ledger though (who decided to take a risk and play an iconic villain in next summer's The Dark Knight), Gyllenhaal followed up Brokeback with Proof, Jarhead and Zodiac. Granted, the last film won high praise from critics, but no one went to see it. What would it take for Gyllenhaal to remain on the A-List (and not slide into ensemble hell)? A high-profile romance might. An Oscar-worthy performance might. But Gyllenhaal is interested in neither at this point (Rendition? Eh?), so look for his star to slowly fade until someone convinces him to do Brokeback: The Prequel.

Reese Witherspoon -- And speaking of fading stars, Reese Witherspoon (who co-stars alongside Gyllenhaal in Rendition) has been falling faster than a sorority girl at a keg party. The gal broke onto the A-List following her Oscar-winning performance in Walk the Line, but then chose to follow it up with two bizarre comedies: Just Like Heaven and Penelope. The latter hit the festival circuit, then test screened for what felt like a year -- and, well, I don't even think it ever came out. At least not yet. Apart from Rendition, it appears she'll most likely go the Kate Hudson route: Just keep making romantic comedies until people stop going to see them. For those who absolutely loved films like Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama, I guess that ain't such a bad thing.