Editor's note: This article appeared in the February 8, 2010, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.
2009 may be the year that brought movies back. From Avatar to the latest Harry Potter movie, New Moon and so many others, box-office revenues topped $10 billion - a new record, according to a poll from Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive. The box-office boom also brought a new No. 1 to America's favorite movie star list: Clint Eastwood moved to the top spot from his No. 2 position in 2008 - ending Denzel Washington's three-year reign at the top and bumping him down to third on the list. In second place, jumping up from No. 8 last year, is Johnny Depp.
The 82nd-annual Academy Awards are less than a month away and movies are top of mind. It appears Oscar nominations have some bearing on Americans' favorite actors of 2009, as four of the top 10 for 2009 are nominated for an upcoming award - two back on the list after an absence and one making the list for the first time ever. Returning to the list after a one-year absence is Sandra Bullock (nominated for her role in The Blind Side) at No. 4. George Clooney is both nominated for Up in the Air and back on the list at No. 6 after two years outside the top 10. Meryl Streep has multiple Academy Awards already, is nominated for her role playing Julia Child in Julie & Julia and for the first time has a place among the favorites at No. 8. With a long career and an Oscar nod for his role in Invictus, Morgan Freeman came in at No. 9 - his second year on the list.
Other actors who have stood the test of time but who didn't make a big splash in the past year include Tom Hanks (moving up two spots to No. 5), Julia Roberts (down four spots to No. 10) and - proving that you can have staying power in Hollywood long after you've ceased making movies - John Wayne (down four spots to No. 7).
With three new additions to the list from last year, Will Smith, Harrison Ford and Angelina Jolie were pushed from the top 10.