Big baby Chris Noth is having a hard time coming to terms with the end of Mr. Big, telling New York magazine that the press killed "Sex and the City 2." "It's like all the critics got together and said, 'This franchise must die.' Because they all had the exact same review. It's like they didn't see the movie," he said. We can almost picture the global conspiracy meeting, with critics divvying up such lines as "almost no sex and very little city" (Los Angeles Times); "an insult to the memory of a cleverly written show" (USA Today), "downright depressing" (Boston Globe); "some of these people make my skin crawl" (Roger Ebert), and "makes 'Dancing With the Stars' seem dignified" (Time).

The final reel Sweden's Michael Nyqvist goes from crusading journalist in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" series to villain in the next "Mission: Impossible" installment. ... Mark Ruffalo will play the Hulk via motion capture in "The Avengers." ... Lindsay Lohan's role in "One Night With You" reportedly has been offered to Taylor Swift. ... Jonah Hill is wooing "It" girl (and "Superbad" co-star) Emma Stone for his big-screen update of "21 Jump Street." Stone is also on the short list to join the cast of the "Spider-Man" reboot. ... Johnny Depp will be Tonto in "The Lone Ranger," from his "Pirates" director Gore Verbinski. ... Jared Harris ("Mad Men") beat out the likes of Brad Pitt, Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth and Russell Crowe for the role of Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes 2."

CYNTHIA DICKISON