Award shows are all the rage these days. When people get burned out on the big three, the Oscars, Emmy’s, Golden Globes, they turn to more fun and entertaining (albeit less important ones) award shows. One of the more fun ones is definitely Spike’s annual Scream Awards.

Starting off celebrating the world of horror, the award show has since become a haven for all things pop culture and geeky, giving awards to the likes of Frank Miller or Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd for Back to the Future. This year, two modern icons are finally getting some love.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. will attend to accept SCREAM’s prestigious Hero Award. With wildly successful films like “Sherlock Holmes” and “Iron Man,” Downey has captivated fans and critics alike with his daring and iconic interpretations of some of cinema’s most beloved characters.

There hasn’t been a genuine outer space sci-fi drama flick on the horizon since last year’s Pandorum, which is why I’m really excited about Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity. With films like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men under his belt, Cuaron has certainly proved to be an excellent director and one to keep an eye on. While Gravity, his latest venture, was on the back burner for some time, it looks like the project is full-steam ahead.

Gravity will be about a woman fighting to return to Earth after being separated from the Hubble. While casting for the lead role is unknown, Blake Lively and Scarlett Johansson are rumored to be fighting for the part. Though his role is currently unknown, Robert Downey Jr. is a confirmed cast member in the film.

The film is planned to be released in 3D, and will feature one of Cuaron’s amazing long takes, with a rumored 20-minute opening shot similar to the amazing scene at the end of Children of Men. The movie will also be almost entirely CGI, as it sounds like it’ll take place almost exclusively in outer space.

After Azkaban it’s clear that Cuaron can handle a film with a lot of CGI and imagined landscapes, and Children of Men proved him to be a master of taking a futuristic premise and creating a very realistic film. I think he’s the best person to undertake this project, and it’ll be exciting to see what the film becomes as casting is decided and production begins.

For any fans of the sci-fi genre or any kind of survival dramas, this certainly sounds like a film for you. We’ll keep you posted on Gravity and any other exciting flicks on the horizon.

While Iron Man fans wait with bated breath for the long-awaited sequel to be released in theaters next week, Robert Downey, Jr. recently told MTV’s Splash Page about the future of several Marvel properties in the works (namely The Avengers and Thor) and the future role of Tony Stark outside the Iron Man movies.

Although he hasn’t seen a script for the upcoming Avengers movie, Downey said he wasn’t familiar with the work of Joss Whedon, the rumored director of the upcoming flick.

“I’m not very familiar with the guy, but I will let Marvel make whatever decisions they deem appropriate.”

While Downey didn’t know if his participation in The Avengers was a “done deal,” the actor stated that it didn’t really bother him, because “everything changes in success and everything changes in lack of success.”

Downey did reveal that he has already visited the set of Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Thor, Marvel’s god of thunder, as he has taken on the mantle of being an ambassador of sorts.

“I take it fairly seriously. As a bit of an ambassador from Marvel, it’s important for me to just show up and let these guys know there’s a presence and an awareness, and a gratitude, and a bit of a commiseration because these are tough movies to pull off. I think between the casting and Branagh at the helm, I particularly feel that Thor is on a really solid page right now.”

Okay Iron Man fans, here you go. Courtesy of USA Today here’s your first glimpse of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. I don’t know about you, but I was a huge fan of last year’s Iron Man.

After reading the comics for years, I was pretty convinced there probably wasn’t anyone who could pull off Tony Stark’s combination of bravado, intelligence, heroism and vulnerability on the big screen. And then, there’s Robert Downey, Jr. who, in all senses of the phrase, nailed it and makes me very eager to see more. So, it’s with great excitement that I wait for the next installment of the Iron Man franchise.

The sequel, which is currently filming and will be released May 7, 2010, takes place six months after Stark revealed himself to be Iron Man and deals with those consiquences, the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D and what it takes to be a hero. In addition to Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, the film also features Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer.

Those who remember the original Rocky and Bullwinkle show remember two sister franchises fondly. Those being Dudley Do-Right about a bumbling Canadian protagonist and his wins against the evil Snidley Whiplash, and then there was Peabody and Sherman. The latter was about a super-genius talking dog and his teen boy sidekick who would hop in the WABAC time machine and learn about various triumphs and follies in history.

Do-Right got his 15 minutes of Hollywood fame in the form of a Brandan Frazer adaptation, and now it’s Peabody and Sherman’s turn. It looks like Dreamworks is moving ahead with their completely CG adaptation, and have now cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. From EW.

The project was just announced internally to the DreamWorks staff, with Robert Downey Jr. signed to voice the super-smart, bespectacled canine.

The new animated feature, planned for 2014, aims to bring the duo back to the pop culture mainstream. “Certainly for Boomers, they’re in the sweet spot of our childhood animation memories, but beyond there it gets a little bit, well, not quite as familiar,” says director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King).