“When we came up with our list of Top 10 Movie Cars last summer, we had no idea our readers would be so passionate about their favorite car films,” said Patrick Olsen, managing editor of Cars.com. “With ‘Transformers’ arriving on the big screen, we revisited our list — listening to last year’s reader feedback — and determined once again which cars deserved to make the top 10. Some cars were able to hold on to their spots, while others were shuffled to make room for more-worthy contenders. With ‘Speed Racer’ hitting the big screen next year, expect another round of evaluation.”

No. 10: 2003 Mini Cooper S, “The Italian Job”
2006 rank: 10

Drivetrain: 163-horsepower, supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with six-speed manual transmission; front-wheel drive

Notable Features: 200 pounds lighter than stock Cooper S; painted red, white or blue

The Mini Cooper holds the No. 10 spot on the list for the second year in a row likely due to its slender physique, which allows the vehicle to escape captors on congested streets, parks and subway tunnels. Computer-rigged signals aid the getaway, stopping cross traffic at red lights. Larger cars could not have achieved the maneuverability demonstrated by the Mini as it weaves through traffic, drives down stairs and speeds along sidewalks.

No. 9: 1959 Cadillac Ambulance, “Ghostbusters”
2006 rank: 7

Drivetrain: 325-hp, 6.4-liter V-8 with two-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Tailfins, flashing lights, sirens, attached ladder

The Ghostbusters wouldn’t go far without a sizable vehicle to transport the team and their ghost-capturing gear around New York City. Though it plays a relatively small part in its film, the Ectomobile is the finest medical movie car to date. From its distinctive siren wail to its red tailfins, strobe lights and roof gear, this car is truly unique.

No. 8: 1974 Dodge Monaco, “The Blues Brothers”
2006 rank: 3

Drivetrain: 275-hp, 7.1-liter V-8 with three-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Cop motor, cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks

You usually don’t come out ahead when swapping a Caddy for a Dodge — unless the Dodge has a 440-cubic-inch V-8. The Bluesmobile would be our pick if we had to outrun the better half of Illinois police, not to mention a neo-Nazi outfit and a country-and-western band. The car may fall apart in the end, but it performed well on this “mission from God.”

No. 7: 1932 Ford coupe, “American Graffiti”
2006 rank: New for 2007

Drivetrain: 60-hp, 3.6-liter V-8 with three-speed manual transmission

Notable Features: Bright yellow paint job bound to be noticed by bored teens in Modesto, Calif.

Nicknamed the Deuce, this five-window ’32 Ford coupe is the quintessential American hot rod. As built, it came with the engine mentioned above, but in the movie it’s clear the coupe has been souped up. It was the car’s impressive performance in the drag race at the end that lodged this hot rod into the hearts of American teens for a decade.

No. 6: 1976 AMC Pacer, “Wayne’s World”
2006 rank: New for 2007

Drivetrain: 100-hp inline-six with three-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Flame decal, licorice dispenser, “Bohemian Rhapsody” on continuous playback

Wayne and Garth’s baby blue Mirth Mobile may not have inspired fans to purchase one of their own, but its special features made the car stand out from any other AMC Pacer on the road.

No. 5: 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, “Bullitt”
2006 rank: 6

Drivetrain: 325-hp, 6.4-liter V-8 with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Fastback roof, higher engine note than the Charger

The seven-minute chase scene between Bullitt’s green Mustang GT 390 and a hit man’s 1968 Dodge Charger is among the best of its kind. Close-up shots of Steve McQueen (Bullitt) as he maneuvers his vehicle through the streets of San Francisco add realism to the scene and intensify the chase.

No. 4: 1964 Aston Martin DB5, “Goldfinger”
2006 rank: 4

Drivetrain: 282-hp, 4.0-liter six-cylinder with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Bulletproof glass, machine guns, incessantly beeping radar screen

Bond cars are known to be top-notch — the list includes Aston Martins, Bentleys and Lotuses — but voters agreed that the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in “Goldfinger” belonged at the top of the list. Not only is it appealing to the eye, it outruns and out-gadgets all of its competitors.

No. 3: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
2006 rank: 2

Drivetrain: 280-hp, 3.0-liter V-12 with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Cherry-red exterior, wire grille, Cameron-sized tonneau compartment

This red Ferrari convertible is probably responsible for thousands of teens cutting class to joyride in their father’s car. The kit car stands out with its sleek exterior and low mileage. Though borrowing this car was a source of controversy between Ferris and Cameron, they both enjoyed driving in style through the streets of Chicago.

No. 2: 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, “Smokey and the Bandit”
2006 rank: New for 2007

Drivetrain: 200-hp, 6.6-liter V-8 with three-speed automatic
Notable Features: T-top, CB radio, runaway bride in the passenger seat

The mission seemed simple enough: Get a truckload of bootleg beer from Texarkana, Texas, to Atlanta while Bo “Bandit” Darville runs interference in his Trans Am. The combination of comical car chases and Burt Reynolds’ mustache sold more than a few black and gold versions of Bandit’s car.

No. 1: 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, “Back to the Future”
2006 rank: 1

Drivetrain: 1.21-gigawatt nuclear/electric hybrid with five-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Gull-wing doors, 16-port twin exhaust boxes, flux capacitor

Doc Brown’s DeLorean holds the first-place spot on this list for the second year in a row. The car achieves time travel at 88 mph thanks to a plutonium-powered nuclear reactor and onboard flux capacitor. By the end of the first movie, it runs solely on trash — and it can fly. That’s still futuristic two decades after the movie debuted.

Honorable Mentions
— 1958 Plymouth Fury, “Christine”
— 1973 Ford Falcon, “The Road Warrior”
— 1975 Lotus Esprit, “The Spy Who Loved Me”

Off the List from 2006
— 1973 Ford Falcon, “The Road Warrior”
— 1958 Plymouth Fury, “Christine”
— Batmobile Tumbler, “Batman Begins”

The movie, which I saw at midnight, put forward some excellent plot twists, good fight scenes and (finally) some superb, epic naval warfare scenes as opposed to earlier, cartoonish attempts.

The movie opens nice and strangely with a scene of men, women and even a child who has to be propped up with a barrel, being hung for taking part in acts of piracy or associating with known pirates. No gruesome–just, you know, dozens of people being dropped through the trapdoors of the gallows.

The movie was 2 hours and 48 minutes long.

Last year, I said that two and a half hours was simply too much for a Disney movie about pirates.

That statement makes perfect sense, but somehow they made the third installment longer without making it seem so.

This movie flew by, and it was by far better than “Dead Man’s Chest,” although the second movie makes much more sense now.

What should not be overlooked at the performances of Geoffrey Rush and Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd, two prototypical villain actors, who gave exceptional color to “At World’s End.”

The Rt. 1 Branford location, which the company claims had their best inventory for over 20 years, will liquidate its supply of movies and video games.

Tommy K’s had been ranked #1 in the state by the New Haven Advocate for many years. It’s video rental business had been down for the past three years, matching the rest of the retail movie rental industry.

Video Business Writer, Cindy Spielvogel wrote in 2004 that its sell-through business had been up, however, which management credited to increased previously viewed movie sales. That trend means that more movies have been going for sale faster, in line with the fact that they weren’t renting enough in the first place. More and more surplus titles got pulled from the shelves and put for sale.

This practice works with DVD’s which cost rental stores very little, quickly pay for themselves and are often sold used at a profit. VHS was another story, however, because rental VHS videos often cost upwards of $100 and had to be rented out many times to make a profit.

“Dreamgirls” was nominated for eight Academy Awards, but not Best Picture.

Blockbuster has put out a list of its top 10 renting movies, combining figures from both its stores and online presence:

1. “Wedding Crashers”
2. “Flightplan”
3. “Click”
4. “Walk The Line”
5. “Inside Man”
6. “Failure to Launch”
7. “Lord of War”
8. “The Break-Up”
9. “Fun With Dick and Jane”
10. “Mission Impossible III”

“Half of this year’s top movie rentals are comedies, showing America loves to laugh in its downtime,” said Joyce Woodward, senior vice president and general merchandising manager for Blockbuster Inc. “The holidays are always one of the peak times for movie watching. Blockbuster recommends any of the top picks of 2006 as entertainment for friends and families getting together this season.”

As the year winds down, several companies, mostly research firms and retail outlets let everyone know what they watched, listened to and paid for most.

Current Odds: *All odds are subject to change*

Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Departed 1/1
The Queen 7/4
Little Children 7/1
Babel 7/1
Bobby 32/1

Best Actor – Drama
Forest Whitaker 5/6
Peter O’Toole 2/1
Will Smith 7/1
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed 10/1
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond 24/1

Best Actress – Drama
Helen Mirren 1/5
Penelope Cruz 8/1
Kate Winslet 9/1
Judi Dench 13/1
Maggie Gyllenhaal 32/1

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Dreamgirls 1/7
Little Miss Sunshine 6/1
Borat 24/1
Thank You For Smoking 24/1
The Devil Wears Prada 24/1

Best Actor – Musical or Comedy
Sascha Baron Cohen 11/10
Johnny Depp 5/2
Aaron Eckhart 6/1
Will Farrell 6/1
Chiwetel Ejiofor 9/1

Best Actress – Musical or Comedy
Meryl Streep 4/7
Annette Bening 2/1
Beyonce Knowles 7/1
Renee Zellweger 16/1
Toni Collette 16/1

Best Director – Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese 5/9
Stephen Frears 3/1
Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima 6/1
Clint Eastwood, Flags of our Fathers 19/1
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu 19/1

For more information and a complete list of odds, please visit http://www.pinnaclesports.com/.

About PinnacleSports.com

PinnacleSports.com (http://www.pinnaclesports.com/ ) is the Internet’s largest sports betting site serving customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. Founded in 1998, PinnacleSports.com was the first sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering, using a -105 pricing model that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional bookmakers. With low minimum bet requirements and the highest maximum limits on the Web, PinnacleSports.com has earned an industry leading reputation for providing consistent value to the player, professional customer service and the quickest payouts online. Fully licensed and regulated in Curacao, the company offers a secure environment for sports betting, racing and casino gaming.

Source: PinnacleSports.com

Best drama: “Babel,” “Bobby,” “The Departed,” “Little Children” and “The Queen.”

Best comedy or musical: “Borat,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Dreamgirls,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Thank You for Smoking.”

Best actor in a drama: Leonardo DiCaprio (“Blood Diamond” and “The Departed“), Peter O’Toole (“Venus”), Will Smith (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) and Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”).

Best actress in a drama: Penelope Cruz (“Volver”), Judi Dench (“Notes on a Scandal”), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Sherry Baby”), Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and Kate Winslet (“Little Children”).

Best actor in a comedy or musical: Sasha Baron Cohen (“Borat”), Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), Aaron Eckhart (“Thank You for Smoking”), Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Kinky Boots”) and Will Ferrell (“Stranger Than Fiction”).

Best actress in a comedy or musical: Annette Bening (“Running with Scissors’), Toni Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Beyonce Knowles (“Dreamgirls”), Meryl Streep (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Renee Zellweger (“Miss Potter”).

Best director: Clint Eastwood (“Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima”), Stephen Frears (“The Queen”), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Babel”) and Martin Scorsess (“The Departed”).

Best supporting actor: Ben Affleck (“Hollywoodland”), Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”), Jack Nicholson (“The Departed”), Brad Pitt (“Babel”) and Mark Wahlberg (“The Departed”).

Best supporting actress: Adriana Barraza (“Babel”), Cate Blanchett (“Notes on a Scandal”), Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”), Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”) and Kikuchi Rinko (“Babel”). (no prediction)

Best screenplay: “Babel,” “Little Children,” “Notes on a Scandal,” “The Departed” and “The Queen.”

The award ceremony is set for January 15. Not too many surprises are present, and it looks like Scorsese won’t have Francis Ford Coppola to worry about this year, as “The Good Shepperd” is set for the 2007 awards, of which it should take several. To explain a few of my thoughts, Wahlberg had a breakthrough performance in “The Departed,” and I think he added a lot to the movie, making him worthy of a nod. Scorsese’s time has come and he will take home directing awards this year. Leo will take best actor in one of his two nominations for the category. He’s had a good year.

What to look for in 2007? Keep your eyes on Matt Damon in “Shepperd.” Damon was overlooked in “The Departed” but that’s only because they can’t nominate everyone that starred in that movie. Vera Farmiga did deserve a supporting actress nomination, however, as not only was this her best movie performance, but it was also a damn good job of portraying the psychologist that sleeps with her patients.

Borat will get recognition that may surprise some, but its unbelievable box office success will propel both it, and its leading man, Sasha Baron Cohen to awards. It was a great year for comedies. “Pirates,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Smoking” could easily take any of the awards in the comedy/musical category.

The comic book that told the story of the plight of outcast mutants recruited to attend Professor Xavier’s school just didn’t appeal to the masses.

But that was before Dave Cockrum took on the fledgling project with comic writer, Len Wein. That was before Dave Cockrum drew the shadowy Mystique, the weather-shifting Storm and the devout Nightcrawler. That was before the Fox-cartoons and Hollywood trilogy, which may never have come to be f not for Mr. Cockrum, who loved the genre so much that his wishes include cremation in a Green Lantern t-shirt.

Mr. Cockrum died Sunday of complications due to diabetes. He was 63-years-old.

Surrounded by adventure at a young age, Mr. Cockrum was in born Pendleton, Ore to an Air Force officer. His art aspirations were on hold while he served in the United States Navy during Vietnam. He returned from war in the 1970s and set to work for DC Comics and later went to Marvel where he took on the X-Men.

The comic series he saved has spawned three major and high grossing Hollywood blockbusters with a 4th movie about the character, Wolverine, set to release next.

Mr. Cockrum, however, received no royalties from the film companies nor from Marvel, despite the fact that four characters he created, Storm, Mystique, Nightcrawler and Colossus, were used in the films. One can not help but speculate that if Mr. Cockrum could afford better medical care to manage his condition, his death may have been averted.

In the mean time, the world goes on with one less superhero.

Witherspoon and Philippe starred in 1999′s Cruel Intentions together after they reportedly met nine years ago at Witherspoon’s 21st birthday party and were married on a farm in South Carolina while Reese was six months pregnant with their first child.

Their publicists released a joint statement indicating that both wished to have their privacy respected and that their dedication to their family and children remained paramount.

The separation appears to be mutual and possibly even amicable. According to USA Today, the couple has been having problems since 2005 when news surfaced that they were seeking counseling, something Witherspoon admitted to in December on the “Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Pop Candy blogger, Whitney Matheson, pointed out today that the couple was one of the longer Hollywood items and one of the most predominant celebrity couples where the woman was the more famous spouse.

We could only come up with four: Oprah (with Stedman since 1986), Madonna (married since 2000), Dolly Parton (married since 1966) and Meryl Streep (married since 1978).

A CNN report confirmed no one event triggered the separation, but a series of events added up to the news today.

TMZ, a celebrity website, broke the story originally and reported Witherspoon contacted the same divorce lawyer who represented Jennifer Aniston, Roseanne Barr and Lisa Marie Presley.