Iron Man 2 and other superheroics: the week in film

The world premiere of Iron Man 2 had originally been scheduled to take place in London, but volcanic ash meant that it had to be hastily relocated to Los Angeles, where Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson had to walk the un-rained-upon non-red carpet. Poor things
Photograph: Alex J Berliner/BEI/Rex Features

As if to remind them of why they were there, the Iron Man 2 world premiere organisers arranged an eruption of their own for Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson
Photograph: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Over on this side of the pond, the 'VIP screening' of Iron Man 2 at the spanking new Vue Westfield had to make do with these guys …
Photograph: Dave M Benett/Getty Images

… and him
Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Amping up the star wattage again, here's Russell Crowe having some words with another producer who's crossed him … oops, what we really mean is, he's posing at a photocall for Robin Hood in Madrid
Photograph: Paul White/AP

And here's Russell Crowe demonstrating the choke hold he was going to use on that pesky Gladiator producer … oops, nope, still posing for the benefit of Robin Hood
Photograph: Andrea Comas/Reuters

In other news, the venerable Hollywood sign was finally saved from the grubby hands of developers
Photograph: Fred Prouser/Reuters

… by the no-less venerable hands of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who contributed the last $900,000 needed to preserve the famed view from being spoiled
Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Mel Brooks, The Producers' producer and creator of countless zany comedies, finally gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You ain't nobody until you're being trod on by tourists
Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Continuing with the august theme, here's Leonard Nimoy, aka Spock of Star Trek, giving the Vulcan salute in the town of, you'll never guess, Vulcan, Alberta. 'I have been a Vulcan for 44 years, I figured it was time I came home,' the 79-year-old actor told the local citizenry
Photograph: Todd Korol/Reuters

An Avatar fan tries to transport himself to Pandora on Earth Day, but he could have just done like his fellow Avatards and bought the DVD or Blu-ray. James Cameron's space opera set a new sales record of 6.7m copies in four days
Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Here's something you might not want to see in 3D – Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan performs at the launch of Raavan in Mumbai
Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images

Here's something not many would have bet on seeing: disaster-master Roland Emmerich is flanked by Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson at a photocall for Anonymous, his film about Shakespeare, which will shoot at the Babelsberg studios in Potsdam
Photograph: Michael Sohn/AP

And here's Paris Hilton, who is still trying to live down her 2006 box-office bomb Pledge This. This week, investors in the film took her to court in the hope of recovering her $1m fee
Photograph: Alan Diaz/AP

We started with a man in a can, and by god, we're gonna end with one, too. Here's Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, reunited with C3PO at a screening of The Empire Strikes Back at the Jules Verne festival in Paris
Photograph: Remy de la Mauviniere/AP