Perhaps the only media types who enjoy speculation more than entertainment writers are sports journalists. They're constantly trying to out-predict their colleagues on which team will win the World Series, where Dwight Howard will be traded, which rookies will become all-stars, etc.
A popular format to grade teams and players on where they are and where they are headed is the Power Rankings.Grantland borrowed this device to recap "Mad Men" episodes, positioning the characters each week in order of how well they handled themselves in the episode.
I'm going to borrow the concept from Grantland and apply it the young stars of "The Twilight Saga." We're still months away from the final installment, "Breaking Dawn – Part 2," but we already have a sense of where the actors stand and what their careers should look like when they move on from vampires.
Below I've ranked eight celebrities who owe their stardom to 2008's "Twilight" by how powerful they currently sit in Hollywood. I omitted the older actors since we already have a good sense of what their legacy will be. I've also provided a "Floor" and "Ceiling" for each name as a comparison to the careers theirs may resemble if they miss their potential or reach it.
1. Kristen Stewart
Floor: Elisabeth Shue
Ceiling: Nicole Kidman
Until recently, you could have argued that Robert Pattinson should be in the top spot, but his girlfriend has proven she can carry a blockbuster ("Snow White and the Huntsman") on her own while his projects ("Bel Ami" and "Cosmopolis") have floundered. K.Stew's critics claim she's just a pretty face with limited acting range, but she does take bold roles. Many had the same criticisms early in Kidman's career, but she was daring with her roles and now has a Best Actress Oscar as well as two more nominations.
2. Robert Pattinson
Floor: Christian Slater
Ceiling: Johnny Depp
My younger readers may balk at a Christian Slater comparison, but in the early '90s his poster hung on young girls' walls – right next to Kurt Cobain and Luke Perry. Slater never broke out of his teen heartthrob stage as Johnny Depp did after "21 Jump Street." Pattinson should keep looking for unique roles as Depp has and not settle for easy schlock as Slater did.
Ceiling: Johnny Depp
My younger readers may balk at a Christian Slater comparison, but in the early '90s his poster hung on young girls' walls – right next to Kurt Cobain and Luke Perry. Slater never broke out of his teen heartthrob stage as Johnny Depp did after "21 Jump Street." Pattinson should keep looking for unique roles as Depp has and not settle for easy schlock as Slater did.
3. Anna Kendrick
Floor: Helen Hunt
Ceiling: Straight Jodie Foster with comedy chops
AK-47 has taken her relatively small role in the "Twilight" franchise and spun it into the Power Ranking's third spot. After an Academy Award-worthy performance in "Up in the Air," Kendrick has become the go-to cute girl-next-door type with serious acting chops. Like Helen Hunt, she's proven her worth in both drama and comedy. While Hunt has fallen off the earth, it's easy to imagine Kendrick having a long career like Jodie Foster, albeit she's a more affable version.
4. Taylor Lautner
Floor: Richard GriecoCeiling: Mario Lopez
Lautner got his opportunity to star in his own action movie, just like former teen star Richard Grieco did in "If Looks Could Kill." "Abduction" did about as well as Grieco's movie, which the world has since forgotten about ever existing. Lautner's fate may be similar unless he admits to himself that he's not a great actor and his strength is being the likable guy with dimples and an uncertain ethnic background. Mario Lopez has turned that into a career, after all.
5. Kellan Lutz
