After a tumultuous decade, Robert Downey Jr. found a role that truly suited him (literally), and he gained a new legion of fans as billionaire superhero Tony Stark. Yet no one inspired as much screaming, fainting, and generally pandemonium as Robert Pattinson as the pale and prepossessing vampire Edward Cullen.

2009′S CONTENDERS

Who will be the top heartthrob of ’09? It could be Zac Efron, who made a big-screen splash this year with “High School Musical 3″ but will get to stand on his own in “17 Again.” Or maybe Chris Pine when he takes the captain’s seat of the USS Enterprise as Kirk in “Star Trek.” “Step Up” star Channing Tatum goes from dancer to action star in “G.I. Joe.” And Daniel Radcliffe is grown up and casting spells in “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.”