Charlie Sheen, #Tigerblood, 'Thor' Top Twitter's Top Topics of 2011

ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT(SAN FRANCISCO) -- Twitter has released a list of Hot Topics for 2011, giving a snapshot of the past year in pop culture -- a who's who of the most-mentioned for the microblogging service.

The actor to appear most frequently among Twitter users was Charlie Sheen, while his expression #Tigerblood ranked as the second most popular hashtag of the year -- interestingly second only to #Egypt, which exploded on Twitter amid a government crackdown on dissenters.

Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away this year, took the top topic prize for actresses, leading second place finisher Friends with Benefits star and Marine Ball date Mila Kunis.  TV's Pretty Little Liars was the most-mentioned show on Twitter, followed by Two and a Half Men.  Superheroes led the pack for movies, with Thor, The Dark Knight Rises, and X-Men: First Class ranking in the top three.
 
Twitter's Hot Topics for 2011:

Television
 1. Pretty Little Liars
 2. Two and a Half Men
 3. The Craigslist Killer
 4. Golden Globe Awards
 5. People's Choice Awards

Movies
 1. Thor
 2. The Dark Knight Rises
 3. X-Men: First Class
 4. Fast Five
 5. Green Hornet

Actresses
 1. Elizabeth Taylor
 2. Mila Kunis
 3. Anne Hathaway
 4. Raven Symone
 5. Natalie Portman
 6. Elisabeth Sladen
 7. Jennifer Lopez
 8. Nina Dobrev
 9. Emma Watson
10. Fernanda Vasconcellos

Actors
 1. Charlie Sheen
 2. Macaulay Culkin
 3. Ryan Dunn
 4. Ricky Gervais
 5. Pete Postlethwaite
 6. Tracy Morgan
 7. Jake Gyllenhaal
 8. Ashton Kutcher
 9. Colin Firth
10. James Franco

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Ray Stevenson Tapped for 'G.I. Joe' Sequel

Jason Merritt/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) -- Actor Ray Stevenson, who played the Asgardian warrior Volstagg in Thor, will play a villain in the G.I. Joe sequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, he will portray the Cobra saboteur Firefly in G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes, which will also star Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

'Thor' Remains Atop Box Office for Second Week

Ryan McVay/Photodisc(LOS ANGELES) -- The film Thor continued its reign at the top of the box office for the second straight week, tallying $34.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend.

Bridesmaids had to settle for second place grossing a total of $24.4 million.

Fast Five ($19.5 million), Priest ($14.5 million) and Rio ($8 million) round out the weekend's top five at the box office, in that order.

Copyright 2011 ABC New Radio

'Thor' Tops Box Office in Opening Weekend

Comstock Images/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- The film Thor pulled in $66 million in its opening weekend, making it king of weekend box office.

Fast Five, in its second week on the silver screen, came in second in the box office race, with ticket sales totaling $32.5 million.

Jumping the Broom ($13.7 million), Something Borrowed ($13.2 million) and Rio ($8.2 million) round out the weekend's top five at the box office, in that order.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Movie Review: 'Thor'

AbleStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Virtually unknown here, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth takes on the role of the god of thunder, and it turns out to be an excellent piece of casting.

You see, Thor is a belligerent jerk, or as his father -- the Norse god Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins -- likes to call him, "a vain, greedy, cruel boy."  And Hemsworth seems as if he was born to play this role.

Thor's reactionary attack on the frost giants proves to be his undoing.  As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth, where he meets an astrophysicist named Jane, played by Natalie Portman.  Back in Asgard, Thor's duplicitous brother Loki is quietly planning a coup of mythological proportions.

Thor feels epic while thematically balancing a comic book sensibility with a mesmerizing aesthetic -- most notably the design of Asgard, which is stunning.

Four out of five stars.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

'Thor,' 'The Beaver' Among Films Opening Friday

Comstock Images/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- The summer movie season officially begins this weekend with the opening of what could turn out to be one of the year's biggest blockbusters, Thor. Here's a closer look at it and the other movies arriving in theaters Friday:

* Thor -- Australian actor Chris Hemsworth portrays the titular Marvel superhero, the brash, hammer-wielding Norse god of thunder, banished from the cosmic realm of Asgard to Earth. Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and Rene Russo also star in the film, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Rated PG-13.

* Something Borrowed -- Ginnifer Goodwin is a 30-year-old attorney who falls for her best friend's fiancé. Kate Hudson, John Krasinski and Colin Egglesfield also star. Rated PG-13.

* Jumping the Broom -- In this comedy, two African-American families come together for a wedding at Martha's Vineyard. Angela Bassett and Paula Patton star. Rated PG-13.

And opening in limited release:

* The Beaver -- In his first film since his much-publicized recorded rants against his ex-girlfriend leaked online last summer, Mel Gibson plays a depressed man who tries to turn his life around with the help of a beaver puppet he wears on his hand and uses to communicate with others. Jodie Foster directs and co-stars. Rated PG-13.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio