Clooney is gutsy. Seriously, he never gets criticized for any career choices (when's the last time anyone mentioned "Men Who Stare At Goats"?) and he puts himself out there politically. He's come a long way from "The Facts of Life." No one can doubt Tebow's ability, yet his religious beliefs are a lightning rod for controversy. Both could run for office one day, and both are who men quietly aspire to be even if they won't admit it.

These guys have it all. The career everyone wants, and the wives everyone pines for. Um, it's really that simple. Though I'll give Brady a better chance at a Super Bowl than I will Pitt as Best Actor, because Robert Redford never won it. Maybe if I knew Pitt had someone spying on the other actors' performances so he could see what they were doing and use it to his advantage I would change my mind. ("Oh, if I cry here it's more powerful? Got it. OK, turn this thing off before Pacino sees us.")

Mention either of their names and unless you're a 14-year-old girl you roll your eyes. Yet you can't deny that each of their stars burns brightly in the universe, for now. Despite only knowing how to make a pensive face, Stewart is the hood ornament of the biggest current movie franchise. Despite continuing to throw interceptions in the fourth quarter, Team Romo -- sorry, Tony Romo -- is still the face of the most popular team in the NFL as it prepares for a hoped-for Super Bowl run. The good times are still rolling for both, but the bottom could fall out on either of them at any time. Though I'll give Stewart more rope on this. Her fans will still come to bad movies for a while, but Jerry Jones will stop payment on his checks if another Cowboys season ends in December.

How many great one-liners can you remember from Will Smith's movies? About as many as you can remember from the Jets' Ryan. Smith's "I Am Legend" may be the perfect action movie, to go along with some of Ryan's defensive schemes that teams still haven't figured out. Smith's journey saw him go from rapper to TV star to movie star. Ryan grew up in Canada and then became an NFL head coach, which a) isn't easy to do, and b) is plenty far from Bel-Air.

Go back and look at Damon's career. You scratch your head and say "How did the kid from "School Ties" get this good? Yeah, Damon snuck up on all of us, and then exploded in 1997. (For my money, "Courage Under Fire" and "Rounders" were his best roles.) And yet he seems to get better as his career goes along. With Foster, you say "How was this guy undrafted and now he's the best running back in the game?" Yet all he does is get better. But I do have some advice for both: Don't tweet any more pictures of your hamstring and don't do any more "Oceans" movies.

So young, so talented. Last year was Newton's "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" breakout performance. (I still can't believe DiCaprio lost to Tommy Lee Jones for Best Supporting Actor. TLJ plays the same guy in every movie. So he should either win every year or never.) I know plenty of pundits predict a slowdown for Newton, but you don't do what he did unless you are a huge talent. His "Titanic" will come in the form of a Super Bowl in the next five years. I just hope his follow-up is more "Inception" and less "The Beach."

They carried the torch for a long time, but has their time passed? Not counting "Toy Story 3," where he was just a voice, Hanks' last huge hit was "The Da Vinci Code" in 2006. Yet he still tops marquees and generates ticket sales. He may be this generation's finest actor, as Manning may be its finest QB. Also, Peyton's name paved the way for Eli to come along and do great things, just like Hanks has helped his son Colin -- though for most, two Super Bowls outweighs "Band of Brothers." (But not in my house. I'm a Jets fan and I'm now going to go run Currahee.)

Both have been steady producers the last few years, but each has fallen on hard times recently ("Rock of Ages" for Cruise, the fumble against the Chiefs for Rivers). Can they bounce back from the adversity they've faced (a non-playoff season and a teeny-tiny divorce story that you may have been following) and remain at the wattage they're accustomed to? My money's on Rivers. He can still win a Super Bowl, whereas how many more "Mission Impossible" movies can you really make? Scrap that and go right to "Top Gun 2." THAT I'll sleep outside the theater for.