Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, saving Hollywood one glowing hand at a time {thanks, PARAMOUNT}

Hollywood loves breaking box-office records, yet studio executives aren’t griping that their 2008 lineup will fall a bit shy of the all-time high set a year earlier.
With the overall economy in the pits, movie moguls are just glad to have weathered the year with faithful audiences that continued to crowd into theaters.

“Last year was the record of all time. The economy’s tough. Things are bad out there, and I think if we can have another record-breaking year or close to it, I figure we’ll all be happy,” said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the year’s biggest hit with “The Dark Knight,” which earned $531 million in the United States.

Through New Year’s Eve, 2008 domestic revenues are expected to come in just shy of 2007’s record of $9.7 billion, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers. Factoring in higher admission prices, the actual number of tickets sold in 2008 is running 5 percent behind last year’s, when admissions totaled 1.4 billion.

While consumer belt-tightening no doubt costs studios some cash, the list of 2008 blockbusters is a sign of a healthy business delivering the goods across every genre.
Paramount and Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man” was the superhero runner-up to “The Dark Knight” with a $318.3 million haul. Old-school hero Harrison Ford cracked his whip again as Paramount’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” followed closely with $317 million.

Among other smashes: Sony’s Will Smith adventure “Hancock” and James Bond thriller “Quantum of Solace”; Universal’s action tale “Wanted”; and a rush of animated comedies led by the Disney-Pixar charmer “WALL-E.” {AP}

Batman’s return coming soon? 

Calling “The Dark Knight” a success is like calling Mt. Everest a hill. So it should come as little surprise that, as the Chicago Tribune reports, rumors already abound about a third Batman movie in Chicago.

Trade publication Production Weekly reports “Batman 3” as entering pre-production in February, and reelchicago.com speculated that an office could open up in the city in early 2009.

The most popular rumors: Johnny Depp as The Riddler alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin. And an intriguing one: Rachel Weisz (“The Constant Gardener”) as Catwoman, according to E! Online. {RED EYE}

Bristol Palin welcomes baby boy

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin can add another title to her resume — grandmother.

Sarah’s 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, gave birth to a healthy 7 lb., 4 oz. baby boy in their home state of Alaska on Sunday, according to People. The father, Levi Johnston, has dated Bristol for three years.

The baby boy’s full name is Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, according to Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol’s grandmother Sally Heath. {WESLEY CASE, B}

Hugh Hefner’s sexy Christmas card

Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner knows how to send a memorable holiday card.

The card, according to usmagazine.com, shows the 82-year-old entrepreneur in a silk robe and pajamas while his new twin girlfriends, Karissa and Kristina Shannon, stand next to him. The 19-year-old blondes decided to wear less than Hef — tiny gray shorts and body paint. The word “hef” is written in white paint across their chests.

Hefner was introduced to the twins by now ex-girlfriend and reality TV star Holly Madison while filming the E! show “The Girls Next Door.” {WESLEY CASE, B}

A match made in indie-hipster heaven
“Yes Man” star and one-half of the indie-rock duo She & Him Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, are engaged, reports usmagazine.com.

‘Grey’s’ actress pregnant with third child
Chyler Leigh, who plays Lexie on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” is pregnant with her third child, People reports. Leigh, 26, is married to actor/musician Nathan West. According to Leigh’s rep, her pregnancy will not be worked into any “Grey’s” plotlines.

‘Watchmen’ distribution battle rages on
The highly anticipated film “Watchmen,” scheduled to hit theaters on March 6, 2009, continues to face legal trouble that could affect its release date, according to the Hollywood Reporter. U.S. District Judge Gary Feess decided last week that Warner Bros., the film’s current distributor, had infringed on 20th Century Fox’s copyright from a late ’80s deal to develop the graphic novel. An attorney for Fox said the studio will seek an order to delay the release of the film.

‘Ugly Betty’ gains ‘Dexter’ actress
Lauren Velez, who plays Lt. Maria Laguerta on Showtime’s “Dexter,” will join the cast of ABC’s “Ugly Betty” for a multiepisode arc, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Velez will play a nurse named Elena.

Possible end to Lohan family drama saga?
Lindsay Lohan took to her MySpace blog last week to reveal a family secret. “My father just let my family and I know, amongst others that he had another child after my little sister Aliana …,” the star wrote. Lohan went on to write her father Michael “cheated on my mother and that really sucks…” But, on Monday, Michael told usmagazine.com that he and Lindsay had made up and asked for the public to leave his daughter alone.

{COMPILED BY WESLEY CASE, B}

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