As depressing as it may sound, 2009 was dominated by dark moments. Simply put, the death of Michael Jackson, pop star Rihanna being beaten black and blue and Tiger Woods' transgressions dominated the celebrity landscape. tabloid! walks you through the highest highs — and lowest lows — of the past 12 months.
Hitched
While supermodel Gisele Bündchen and her sportsman beau Tom Brady chose to get married in a small, private ceremony in Santa Monica, Bollywood siren Shilpa Shetty decided to go the whole nine yards by inviting her celeb friends to her lavish reception. For Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, her honeymoon phase with Josh Duhamel didn't last long as a stripper scandal erupted soon after their nuptials. But the good news is the couple is maintaining a united front despite the infidelity claims. Meanwhile, Die Hard star Willis chose to celebrate his 54th birthday by marrying a 30-year-old lingerie model. Naturally, his best pals - former wife Demi Moore and her husband Ashton Kutcher - were on the guest list.
Fergie and Josh Duhamel
When: January 10
Where: White fantasy wedding in Malibu.
Bruce Willis and Emma Heming
When: March 21
Where: West Indies
Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady
When: February 26
Where: Santa Monica, California.
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
When: September 2009
Where: Private ceremony in France.
Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom
When: September 27, 2009
Where: Private estate in Beverly Hills.
Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra
When: November 22
Where: Khandala, India.
Kevin Jonas and Danielle Deleasa
When: December 19
Where: A forest-themed wedding at Oheka Castle on New York's Long Island.
Hook-ups
The hit on-screen romances culminating into something bigger was the dominating force of 2009. Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's "are they or aren't they" game ensured that they didn't suck the fun out of 2009 while tween heartthrob Zac Efron made an honest woman out of Vanessa Hudgens by coming out of the relationship closet. Overnight sensations Freida Pinto and Dev Patel didn't have a shabby year either, being spotted in each other's company but denying a relationship. The older lot weren't far behind either. Pop idol Madonna seems to be going great guns with her toyboy - the 20-something Luz. Here is a roundup of the hook-ups.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Status: In denial. They hold hands in Paris, but Stewart is maintaining her I-don't-dig-vampires stand.
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens
Status: Reports claim that Efron proposed to his sweetheart in Japan while promoting their film High School Musical 3. The two hope to tie the knot in 2010.
Taylor Swift and Taylor Lutner
Staus: They are willing to make out on the big screen for their romantic comedy Valentine's Day but are not willing to talk about their off-screen antics.
Madonna and Jesus Luz
Status: Don't be surprised if 2010 sees the happy couple tying the knot — Kabbalah style.
Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto
Status: Fresh from their outing to the San Deigo Zoo and roaming the streets of London hand-in-hand, the coy couple are no longer shy about their hook-up.
Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil
Status: All set for a second innings, Fielder-Civil is confident that the troubled couple can iron things out this time around.
The list goes on with...
Marilyn Manson and Rachel Evan Wood
Jude Law and Sienna Miller
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher
Celeb splits
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
Did they or didn't they? After a rocky three-year run, in September Timberlake apparently called it quits — over the phone. That unshakeable source of celebrity news — grandma — confirmed it. But in recent weeks they've been cosying up again.
Katie Price and Peter Andre
What, the fairytale is over? After the gaudiest wedding this side of Vegas, two children and countless reality shows together, Jordan and her Aussie beau rather acrimoniously broke it off in May, only three months after their bid to take over the US fell flat.
Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone
Bollywood's It couple called it quits. In Kapoor's own words: "Physical attraction dies out at some point — what remains is friendship and companionship."
The list continues with...
Jon and Kate Gosselin
Kate Hudson and Alex Rodriguez
Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal
Ivana Trump and Rossano Rubicondi
Gone forever
2009: It's a morbid thought, but 2009 saw higher than usual life-altering deaths — some even on the same day — and two in particular. Jade Goody's death from cancer was sadly expected, and converted media coverage of the often clueless reality star from mocking to deathwatch. Michael Jackson's death on June 25 sent out shockwaves that are still reverberating, and had everyone reevaluting their opinion of the man: icon or lunatic?
Michael Jackson
With memorial service upon memorial service upon tribute concert, it seemed Michael Jackson would never stop dying. The King of Pop took celebrity deaths to new heights when developments surrounding the events of June 25 received unprecedented media coverage. The singer, who had entertained us since his early years, died at 50.
Jade Goody
The reality TV star's seven-month battle with cervical cancer sent the media into a tizzy. Her deterioration was monitored more closely than the share markets. The Big Brother contestant lived and died onscreen, but her last wish was that it would bring attention to the deadly disease. She died on March 22, at 27.
Also missed:
Brittany Murphy, 32, December 21
Found unconscious in her bathroom and died of cardiac arrest. Toxicology report awaited.
Stephen Gately, 33, October 11
The Boyzone singer died of fluid on the lungs while on holiday in Majorca.
Jett Travolta, 16, January 2
John Travola's son, who had a history of seizures, succumbed to a lethal one during a holiday in the Bahamas.
Patrick Swayze, 57, September 14
Swayze was diagnosed with advanced stage four pancreatic cancer in January last year.
Farrah Fawcett, 62 June 25
The Charlie's Angels star lost her three-year battle with cancer.
David Carradine, 72, June 2
The Kill Bill star was found hanging in his Bangkok hotel closet, apparently the victim of a bizarre sex game.
Natasha Richardson, 45, March 18
A member of the Redgrave acting dynasty, she suffered head trauma while skiing in Canada and died in New York, leaving behind her devastated husband, Liam Neeson.
Celebrity scandals
If you thought the economy was the only thing to hit an all-time low in 2009, think again. The constantly-monitored celebrities were not far behind. Violent encounters, extortion, rape charges and marital infidelities were aplenty. Check out tabloid!'s scandalicious bits…
Rihanna and Chris Brown
The Grammy Awards are about decorating massive hits. But the hits took place some way away — in Brown's rented sports car. The singer's brutal attack on Rihanna brought domestic violence into focus — well, it made it onto Oprah, at least. After the ugly fight, Brown is serving five years of probation and has been ordered to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna.
Kanye West & Taylor Swift
The hijack episode: We still can't believe West hijacked Swift's winning moment at the MTV Video Music Awards night. It wouldn't be an awards show with an indignant West stealing the limelight. But this time, his antics — at the expense of America's musical golden girl — were very poorly received. Swift and Beyoncé, however, came out shining and dignified. Poor, overworked West vowed to take some time off to think about what he had done. We can't wait to see what he gets up to at the Grammys next month.
Shiney Ahuja
Bollywood's rising star maintained a pristine image until his maid accused him of raping her in June. Though his wife stood by him, the incident sent Bollywood into a tizzy. After being detained in jail for over three months, Mumbai High Court granted him bail on October 1. He has been forbidden to go to Mumbai — the home of Bollywood — except during the trial. He is currently trying to wrap up his five pending projects.
Tiger Woods
A car crash revealed his multiple womanising conquests. The beatific golfer, once considered a paragon of piety, is still picking up the pieces of his picture-perfect life. Aborted high-profile brand endorsements and tackling divorce lawyers is just scratching the surface...
Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori
The Bollywood hunk claims to be happily married, but rumours linking him to his Kites co-star, Mexican hottie Barbara Mori, continue to grab headlines.
Living the dream
The rise, fall and shine of Susan Boyle — the frumpy, never-been-kissed Scottish singer captured the collective imagination of the aspiring singers inside all of us with her Britain's Got Talent performance. A meteoric rise, a wardrobe makeover and a nervous breakdown later, Boyle has the biggest-selling album of the year in the UK and US and is tipped to sing the next James Bond theme.
Slumdog Millionaire
Panned in India as another example of "poverty porn", British director Danny Boyle's film enjoyed a positive reaction in the West. Telling the story of a teenager who grew up in the slums of Mumbai yet knows all the answers on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, it was the underdog in the Oscar race. Beating out competition like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader, the film won a total of eight Academy Awards and renewed interest in the biggest film market in the world. In the process, its stars, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, became instant global celebrities.
The knock-ups
Mel Gibson & Oksana Grigorieva
No sooner had Gibson announced the end of his 28-year-marriage to his wife Robyn (who bore him seven children), than news broke that he had a new girlfriend. But what left us reeling was the announcement that she was pregnant as well. The couple welcomed baby Lucia on October 30.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick
A set of twins — via surrogate — joined SJP, hubby and 7-year-old son James on June 22.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
The handsome couple welcomed their second child, Seraphina, on January 6.
Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer
On May 9, the Spider-Man star and his wife welcomed their son and second child.
Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda
On October 7, Farrell welcomed his son Henry Tadeusz Farrell.
