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'Iron Man 3' (Photo: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures)

Settle a bet for me: Now that "Iron Man 3" has made a $1 billion worldwide, does that make him the most popular comic book hero of all time?
_ W. Emmett

Sorry, nope. Just because the world currently adores Robert Downey Jr.'s rapid-fire, eye-popping interpretation of Tony Stark — and all the CG explosions that he can deliver in a 130-minute span — does not mean that Iron Man always has ruled supreme.

For decades, in fact, the flying suit, and the bazillionaire inside of it, hovered somewhere in the middle of the superhero pack — at least, in the world of comic books, in which the Iron Man title first debuted in 1963.

Hard numbers for a franchise are tough to nail down, given the large number of ancillary titles and crossovers in the comic book world.

"But," notes John Jackson Miller, curator of the historical sales archive The Comics Chronicles, "'Iron Man' was never the perennial best-seller that 'Superman' and 'Batman' were for their publisher; 'Iron Man' only first approached the very

Alice Eve and Chris Pine in 'Star Trek Into Darkness' (Photo: Paramount Pictures)If you're letting 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" be your guide to "Star Trek Into Darkness," you may be anticipating some hanky-panky between Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine). Eve appears in her skivvies, after all.

Aside from Pine and Eve's shared – and sordid – character history from "Star Trek" antiquity, they have another thing in common: Both have parents who were, like, totally recognizable actors from '80s television.

Robert Pine in a 'CHiPs' publicity photo (Photo: Everett Collection)Robert Pine played Sgt. Joseph Getraer in NBC's long-running cop drama "CHiPs." And on the other side of the pond in Britain, Sharon Maughan (Eve's mum) was the star of a popular '80s coffee commercial that eventually made its way to the U.S.

Chris Pine's dad played the sergeant in charge of the California Highway Patrol's Central Los Angeles Division from 1977 to 1983. On "CHiPs," Sgt. Getraer stuck close to the police station, but would go out on patrol every once in a while. At one point in the series, Robert Pine's character was

Vanessa Paradis rehearses her new song 'Love Song' on the 'Le Grand Journal' TV show set during the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival. (Photo: Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)

If Vanessa Paradis is still hurting from her split from long-time love Johnny Depp, it certainly doesn't seem to be showing.

The French star was spotted at the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival rehearsing a new song from her album, titled -- what else -- "Love Song."

Warner Bros. Pictures'

Sure, Tony Stark has his pick of mechanized suits of armor, but do any of his stand 250 feet tall?

The latest trailer for "Pacific Rim" was unleashed today online, and to call it big would be an understatement. The preview for this sci-fi action flick literally rises above the competition, making it the most massive -- and dare we say, best -- trailer of the summer.

But why talk about giant robots fighting giant monsters when you can see it for yourself?

Julianne Moore in 'The English Teacher' (Photo: Cinedigm)

"I could have been an English teacher," Oscar nominee Julianne Moore, 52, told Yahoo! Movies while discussing "The English Teacher," which opens Friday. She plays a repressed high school instructor whose career unravels when she encounters a former student- turned- playwright (Kristen Stewart ex Michael Angarano).

"I really related to my character," said Moore. "I was that kind of kid who loved to read, who was happier in a book than outside with other kids.

"I would win the summer library reading contest," Moore confessed. "I started acting after school because I wasn't athletic. It was an extension of reading. If I hadn't had my high school English teacher saying I could be an actress, I may not have the career I do."

Asked about her favorite book, the face of L'Oreal and mother of two paused for a moment and said, "'Little Women,' probably. It's a book that I read over and over and over again. So much of that book is about self-determination. Rich family life, a lot of tragedy, and

Zachary Quinto and Penn Badgley in 'Margin Call' (Photo: Roadside Attractions)

In 2007, when director J.J. Abrams first started putting together the cast for his reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise, much attention naturally focused on who would fill out the Lycra uniform of Captain James T. Kirk, embodied so uniquely by William Shatner in the sci-fi franchise's previous incarnation. Chris Pine was eventually chosen, and minted a star - leading man roles followed in major studio releases like "Unstoppable," "This Means War," "People Like Us" and this December's forthcoming "Jack Ryan," opposite director Kenneth Branagh.

Another integral part of the 2009 "Star Trek"'s huge success, though (it pulled in $258 million of its $386 million worldwide gross in the United States, best in the series), was in Zachary Quinto's casting as Spock. At the time best known for the buzzy small screen hit "Heroes," Quinto would win praise for his carefully layered performance, serving as the emotional anchor of the film - a feat he repeats in this week's "Star Trek Into Darkness."