The Batman movie, Barack Obama and plans for a new skyscraper have seen Chicago named City of the Year.

The US city was awarded the mantle by that serious, analytical magazine GQ, which in the past has also named gun-toting rapper 50 Cent as man of the year.

GQ cites Barack Obama's election victory and the city's role as the backdrop in the latest Batman movie The Dark Night for reasons why it rocks.

The magazine also tips its hat to the proposed Chicago Spire - even though construction has ground to a halt, like many tall building projects in the city.

California's governator Arnold Schwarzenegger is right now penning an irate letter to the mag, listing the 4,398 movies filmed in Los Angeles this week and containing blueprints for a 100m statue of Brangelina.