Mariah Carey
2005 was a huge year for Mariah Carey. Getting people to take her seriously after “Glitter” and a subsequent meltdown was no small task, but she enlisted the help of major players–Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri and others–to make April’s “The Emancipation of Mimi” a huge success. She also pulled in eight Grammy nominations.
Martha Stewart
So “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” wasn’t a hit. It’s still impressive that the homemaking mogul was able to ease gracefully back into public life after spending the first half of 2005 in jail. Plus, NBC picked up her talk show, “Martha,” for a second season.
Patrick Dempsey
We’ve seen this hottie pop up in movies like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Scream 3,” but his role as dreamy doctor Derek Shepherd on “Grey’s Anatomy” has scored him a Golden Globe nomination.
THE MELTDOWN ’05
Tom Cruise
He may be Hollywood’s Top Gun, but no one will ever let Tom Cruise forget the bizarre couch-hopping, fist-pumping “Oprah” appearance in which he declared his undying love for now-fiance and baby-mama Katie Holmes just weeks after they started dating. He followed up that interview by criticizing Brooke Shields for taking drugs for her postpartum depression and going all Scientologist on the “Today” show, picking a fight with Matt Lauer over the drug Ritalin. Plus, he couldn’t take the joke when someone squirted water on him at London’s “War of the Worlds” premiere. It wasn’t exactly surprising when he later fired his sister/publicist in search of a revamped image.
Dave Chappelle
No one knows exactly why there won’t be a proper third season of “Chappelle’s Show” on Comedy Central, but rumors circulated that it’s because the star cracked under the pressure of living up to fans’ expectations and his $50 million deal with the network. Chappelle denied the rumors, telling Time magazine he went on a “spiritual retreat” in South Africa and that he was “stressed out.”
Russell Crowe
The Oscar-winning Aussie lost his temper and threw a telephone at a hotel concierge. He said he was sorry on Letterman and settled a lawsuit filed against him by the employee he hit.
THE IPOD
Music-lovers were addicted to their iPods before 2005, but this year the pocket-sized player got a few serious makeovers. In January, Apple introduced the smaller iPod shuffle, the preferred pod of joggers. In September the iPod mini was replaced by the iPod Nano, the slimmer sister to the original iPod, boasting a color screen. And in October Apple debuted the video iPod, equipped with the ability to download commercial-free episodes of TV shows as well as music videos. Apple sold nearly 18 million iPods in the first nine months of 2005, which explains why everyone on the Red Line was rocking out with little white earbuds.
THE FEUD
Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie
Neither Paris nor Nicole will say what started the Feud of the Year. Paris cryptically released a statement in April that said, “Nicole knows what she did.” In May People magazine reported that Nicole was jealous of Paris’ popularity, so she threw a party celebrating Hilton’s gig hosting “Saturday Night Live” but showed the heiress’ infamous sex tape instead. Richie’s rep denied it. Nonetheless, “The Simple Life” stars refuse to speak to each other. That ought to make the fourth installment of the series, set to air on E! next spring, pretty interesting.
Lindsay Lohan & Michael Lohan
Michael Lohan wasn’t exactly Daddy Dearest to the pop starlet, who sang about it–“Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)”–on her latest album. LiLo’s parents reached a divorce settlement earlier this month, but only after a very public battle. In February, Michael, who’s been serving time in prison on various charges, even suggested the family hash out its differences in a reality TV show. Shockingly, the Lohan ladies didn’t go for it.
50 Cent & The Game
There’s room for only one thug in G-Unit, we learned this year, when Fif booted The Game from his crew. Who could forget the March showdown–in which gunshots were fired–at New York’s Hot 97 radio station, when Game’s posse showed up to confront 50, who was announcing that he’d kicked Game out of G-Unit? Or the publicity-stunt makeup session the following week?.
THE JACKO FIASCO ’05
In June, after a dramatic trial–in which he once showed up to court wearing pajama pants–a jury found Michael Jackson not guilty of all charges in his child molestation trial. Some of the jurors later told the media that they believed he was guilty. The king of pop has since retreated to Bahrain. His father said in November that Michael will never again live in the U.S.
THE CELEBRITY PHILANTHROPIST ’05
Tsunami and Hurricane Relief
Every star in Hollywood was donating or hosting a benefit. Oprah donated $10 million of her own money. Sharon Stone organized the song, “Come Together Now” with The Game, Joss Stone, Celine Dion and others. Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman asked their wedding guests to donate money to hurricane relief instead of gifts. Britney Spears sold her stuff in a charity auction on eBay. The list goes on and on.
Angelina Jolie
Who’s the hottest do-gooder in town? The UN honored Jolie in October for her work as a goodwill ambassador.
Bono
Even though he didn’t win, the U2 rocker was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to combat worldwide poverty–from performing in the summer’s Live 8 concert series to meeting with President Bush in October to discuss AIDS and African debt relief. Time magazine honored him, along with Bill and Melinda Gates, as Persons of the Year for their work to combat poverty and improve world health.
THE CHICAGO LOVE-FEST
Chicago natives received some major attention this year. Kanye West snagged eight Grammy nominations–and got political–while Vince Vaughn’s rumored romance with Jennifer Aniston made him a tabloid fixture. Plus, Jeremy Piven scored an Emmy nomination for his role as cold-hearted Hollywood agent Ari Gold on “Entourage.”
THE BABY BOOM
Britney Spears & Kevin Federline
The princess of pop gave birth to Sean Preston Federline on Sept. 14, but even his arrival couldn’t put an end to his parents’ frequent frolics in Vegas.
Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise
Any doubt about the legitimacy of TomKat was slammed when they announced in October that Holmes is preggers.
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck
The “Alias” star and the Oscar-winning actor welcomed Violet Affleck on Dec. 1. Friends quickly vowed to make her a Red Sox fan.
