No. 1 on our ranking of Hollywood’s hardest-working actors:

• Morgan Freeman Now known to many as Lucius Fox, the unmasked man behind Wayne Enterprises in the latest screen versions of the Batman epic, Freeman has been in nine films that grossed more than $20 million since 2005, including “The Bucket List,” “Evan Almighty” and “Lucky Number Slevin.”

•  Seth Rogen With eight films earning at least 20 million box-office bucks, he’s the hardest-working comedic actor on our list. His films earned a total of $1.2 billion , more than any other star on the ranking. Since his frontman debut with “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” in 2007, Seth Rogen has become Judd Apatow’s go to goof with roles in “Knocked Up” and “Superbad.”

• Steve Carell reprized his role as Evan Baxer, filling Jim Carrey’s leading-man shoes as a politician asked by God to build a giant ark in Bruce Almighty (2007), the second installment of the “Almighty” franchise, co-starring Lauren Graham and Morgan Freeman. In 2008 he re-united with Jim Carrey in highly successful animation hit Horton hears a Who (2008), then appeared as Agent Maxwell Smart in popular comedy Get Smart (2008).

• Queen Latifah  has also made tremendous inroads in movies, television, and artist management, with her management company, Flavor Unit, alongside her business partner Shakim Compere A role model who takes the responsibility to heart, Queen Latifah has done one animated feature and one short film.

• Samuel L. Jackson  It’d be a spectacular year for any actor, but 2008 was pretty average for Samuel L. Jackson, one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. For Jackson, it’s a strategy that’s made him one of the most recognizable stars in the world. Not to mention a nice salary.

 So you finally have your Wii all set up, and you just love it! The action, the bonus of exercise you didn’t even know you were getting, the bringing together of family and friends. Great fun, but after the tenth or twentieth time you’ve played the games that came with your Wii, you start thinking about greater challenges. Off you go to the electronics store to check out new games, only to find that most of the really cool ones cost $20, $50, even $90 a-piece. I don’t know about you, but I hadn’t accounted for that in my entertainment budget.

One alternative you might consider is downloading the games from the Internet for your Wii device. You pay one flat membership fee for unlimited downloads of thousands Wii games, as well as movies, music, TV shows, etc. You’ll want to make sure it’s compatible to all Wii versions (in case you live in Australia or something), as well as compatible with PC/Mac/Linux, depending on your computer. Another plus would be 24/7 technical support. A money-back guarantee couldn’t hurt either; just to be sure it’s for you. But really, for the price you’d pay for one game at the electronics store, you’re set for life and will never outgrow your Wii. For more information, check out Wii Games

This year,  Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton will be in Times Square, helping Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the glittery New Year’s Eve ball. Bill and Hillary Clinton will lead hundreds of thousands of revelers in the final 60 second countdown and push the ceremonial button that lowers the ball, ending their roller coaster year that saw the former first lady be named Secretary of State.  Up to a million people are expected Wednesday to wait for the clock to strike midnight, with the forecast calling for snow and temperatures in the low 30s. Portions of the event will be televised live on ABC TV and other networks. Five minutes before midnight, 1,000 balloons with the words “Joy,” “Hope” and “2009″ will drift down from rooftops in the area. More than a ton of confetti will be released at midnight. The Waterford crystal ball some 12 feet in diameter and weighing nearly 12,000 pounds will remain on display atop One Times Square as a tourist attraction after the event.

“Marley & Me” was based on John Grogan’s best seller about a couple going through the ups and downs of marriage with their mischievous dog in tow. The holiday timing was ideal for a story about an adorable pup.  Below is the Top Ten Movie Ticket Sales for the week ending Sunday.

1. “Marley & Me,” $37 million.

2. “Bedtime Stories,” $28.1 million.

3. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” $27 million.

4. “Valkyrie,” $21.5 million.

5. “Yes Man,” $16.5 million. 

6. “Seven Pounds,” $13.4 million.

7. “The Tale of Despereaux,” $9.4 million.

8. “The Day the Earth stood still,” $7.9 million.

9. “The Spirit,” $6.5 million.

10. “Doubt,” $5.7 million.

We’re in the middle of Shark Alley, South Africa, have  just been shown  the flimsy looking cage on the side of his boat, Barracuda, where we’ll be getting up close with the fiercest predator on Earth. The water is choppy and one of DiCaprio’s friends is lying on deck suffering from seasickness. Leonardo DiCaprio  meanwhile, can’t wait to get into the water. Waterproof camera in hand,  Leonardo DiCaprio puts on his mask and slides into the cage, grinning wildly despite the cold. Leonardo  an experienced scuba diver, totally at ease in this environment. As the captain throws foul smelling bait, known as chum, into the water he tells us that the sharks keen sense of smell will draw them from as far as five miles away. Within moments he spots a massive shadow gliding through the water and shouts a warning. We all take a gulp of air and submerge beneath the surface, staring through the bars into the gloomy depths. Visibility is only about five feet. Suddenly, a huge shark comes out of nowhere and lunges for bait that’s hanging just a few feet from Leonardo DiCaprio’s face. Leonardo coolly snaps a picture as the shark grazes the side of the cage, rocking it slightly.  Before long we’re surrounded by a dozen hungry great whites. It’s terrifying and compelling at the same time. Leonardo DiCaprio is grinning and snapping photographs, willing the sharks to come closer. He stays in the water long after the cold has defeated the rest of us but is equally affected once we’re back on the boat. ‘Wow. That was amazing,’  Leonardo DiCaprio says. His pupils are dilated with adrenaline and he mocks one of his friends who’s chatting instead of admiring the scenery. ‘Look around you!’  Leonardo DiCaprio screams, pointing to thousands of basking seals, ‘You’re missing a scene out of National Geographic.’

 New Year’s Eve entertainment is “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2009,” The show has a prime time hour at 10 p.m. ET, breaks for news, then returns with Swift, the Jonas Brothers and Lionel Richie in Times Square.  Carson Daly is hosting his fifth New Year’s Eve special on NBC, an hour in prime time, a break for news, and a longer party. T.I., Ludacris, Katy Perry, the Ting Tings and Elton John all join Daly.  Daughtry and Scott Weiland are featured players on Fox’s late night special, with Spike Feresten and Mark Thompson as hosts. It airs at 11 p.m. ET.  Anderson Cooper,  teamed with comic Kathy Griffin, is in Times Square for CNN, which boasts a lineup of Lil Wayne, My Morning Jacket and Hinder. Fox’s “U Party 2009″ has LoCash Cowboys and Chuck Hicks.

Jim Carrey plays Carl Allen a bank loan officer, a divorced guy who lives alone and prefers it that way. He’d rather watch movies at home than venture out for a drink with friends. He’s switched off, like his cell phone.  Would a guy like this get himself to a lecture on the powers of positive thinking? Probably. Who else do the self appointed, self help gurus feed on, if not the lonely and the miserable, or those who suspect they might be?  But that’s by the by. It’s the idea that counts. For Carl, ”Yes,” indiscriminately unlocks doors he hadn’t even noticed before. He even gets a promotion. It would not be going too far to describe “Yes Man” as an offer you can’t refuse, this is such a genial crowd pleaser.

The show, which stars Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, is in its sixth season.  Warner Bros. claims that its agreement with CBS granted it the ability to recoup $49 million in losses on the show’s first four seasons and other financial incentives.  Also Warner Bros. claims CBS will soon owe it $20 million now that “Two and a Half Men” has remained a hit in its fifth and sixth seasons. CBS’ senior vice president of communications, issued a season-themed statement: “Wow, I wonder what they got the other networks for Christmas.”

Madonna supposedly took a shine to model Jesus Luz hunky slice of vealcake during a photo shoot for W magazine in Rio de Janeiro, so much so that she invited him to tag along on her remaining concert dates.  Everyone knows they are Ficando, which is a Portuguese expression that means they are kissing and doing other things but without any obligation of being faithful or getting into a relationship afterwards. Wow could Madonna be unfaithful?  Madonna just settling things in their divorce settlement, has been having a grand old time in South America thanks to a strapping young model named Jesus Luz and looking by the picture one could only guess why?

Filmmaker Ian Halperin said that Michael Jackson was suffering from Alpha 1 antrypsin deficiency, a serious lung ailment that would require the singer to have an emergency lung transplant. He also claimed that the music legend is in bad health can barely speak, suffers from internal bleeding, and has lost 95 percent of the vision in his left eye.  Michael Jackson also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping.  Jackson’s “official and sole spokesperson, Dr. Tohme Tohme,” released a statement saying that reports of Michael Jackson’s failing health “are a total fabrication.”