Once again, it’s a weekend battle of head-to-head stars. In this corner: we have once upon a time pop princess turned lovable actress, Mandy Moore. And in the other corner: we have every boy’s new summer poster girl, Megan Fox. You know the rules. Let’s drop the cage. Two women enter! One woman leaves!

In the box office this weekend: Winner = Fox

Transformers versus a Robin Williams comedy? If there’s actually a contest here, no one told me about it. Transformers is going to do insane money this summer and has a shot of actually going to the head of the class. License to Wed won’t break the top ten.

In the critical arena: Winner = Fox

Both are playing romantic leads but neither are playing on the front line. They’re each second fiddle to a nerdy comic lead and then, well, robots. The critical response will be solely based upon how those critics respond to the film and the lead. But if they were to take a straw poll on which girl they couldn’t get off their minds, it would be Megan Fox. Everyone is gonna be talking about her for at least a month.

In their careers: Winner = Moore

Moore is a singer with a modest amount of success. While she has had her share of flops and bad films, she has a large number of good ones and has proven time and again her ability to actually act. Fox is a fresh face and while everyone will be all about her in approximately six seconds, she needs to do something impressive very soon or else she’s just going to be just another flavor of the month. Getting boys to want to put your poster on the wall is one thing. Having them keep it there for a long while is another.

In my heart of hearts: Winner = Moore

Fox is hot, too hot, and while she plays one heck of a tough girl, Mandy Moore’s sweet, soothing girl next door vibe is exactly the kind that makes me want to sit on the front porch swing and sip tea. I like a girl who makes me think of images like that. Moore wins.

Winner = Moore

She’s proven that she has staying power, even if she hasn’t achieved true A-List ranking, and she’s gonna be around for a long time. Even if her movie gets creamed this weekend, she’ll be back for sure in any number of films. Fox, well, she’s still got a lot to prove and could be just another blip on the radar if she’s not careful with her next few films.

C. Robert Cargill – - – Email Me

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Austin-based Cargill, who not only loves but owns The Cutting Edge, writes on movies and DVD five times a week.