2011 Year in review: Wacky and tacky
Photo: Roastee Charlie Sheen onstage at Comedy Central's Roast of Charlie Sheen on Sept. 10, 2011, in Los Angeles.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Captions by Nekesa Mumbi Moody, AP Entertainment Writer
Kim Kardashian's 72-Day Marriage
Some things are meant to last one season: Bright pink flip-flops, a relationship with George Clooney, the McRib at McDonald's. But not marriage. And while celebrity marriages can flame out quickly, the implosion of Kim Kardashian's 72-day union with Kris Humphries was all the more spectacular because of the hype that preceded it: The 20.5-carat diamond engagement ring, the engagement party, the three wedding-day gowns, the two-part TV special - even Kate Middleton would have said, "Enough already!" It was more distasteful because it was filmed for her reality show, garnering her more cash than gifts. By the end of the year, the backlash was so strong, she headed to Haiti for charity work, looking to improve her bruised image. Or, perhaps, hubby No. 3.Photo: Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries arrive on the red carpet of the Kardashian Kollection Launch Party on Aug. 17, 2011, in Hollywood, Calif.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Justin Bieber's Baby Drama
We didn't realize Justin Bieber had reached puberty, so it came as a shock when Mariah Yeater claimed he was the baby daddy to her months-old son following an alleged romp after one of his concerts when she was 19, and he was just 16. A paternity suit was filed, DNA tests were bandied about, all while Maury Povich salivated from the sidelines. But, alas, we never got a chance to see Bieber do the customary pimp-walk strut to the phrase "You are NOT the father!" Yeater withdrew her paternity claim as her story started to collapse and Bieber took a paternity test.Photo: Justin Bieber performs at the 33rd Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards on Sept. 17, 2011, in Atlanta, Ga.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Celebrities vs. Airlines
Why should stars fly on private jets? Because they cannot behave themselves on commercial flights. Alec Baldwin was kicked off an American Airlines flight for refusing to stop playing a cellphone game while the plane was parked at the gate. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong was denied a seat because of his sagging pants, and Gerard Depardieu urinated on a plane ahead of takeoff, apparently unable and/or unwilling to hold his bladder until he got the OK to move about the cabin. Next time you see a celebrity on your plane, instead of asking for an autograph, ask for a seat far, far away.Photo: Alec Baldwin attends Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation's A Magical Evening Gala on Nov. 30, 2011, in New York.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Donald Trump 2012?
Donald Trump got the media buzzing when he announced his intention to run for president (maybe). To burnish his credentials as a conservative Republican, he seized on the so-called "birther" bandwagon by stoking doubt about President Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship. In the end, Obama released his Hawaiian "long form" birth certificate proving he is indeed a "natural-born citizen," as the Constitution requires.Photo: Donald Trump addresses the Faith and Freedom Coalition on June 3, 2011 in Washington.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Kat Von D and Jesse James Split...Again
Kat Von D broke up with Jesse James, saying she was shocked - yes shocked! - that James, who was unfaithful to ex-wife Sandra Bullock, had also allegedly cheated on her with 19 women.Photo: Television personalities Jesse James and Kat Von D arrive at her Wonderland Gallery Opening on Sept. 2, 2010, in West Hollywood, Calif.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Rebecca Black's "Friday"
At just 13, Rebecca Black became a sensation and laughingstock of the Internet, thanks to her hard-on-the-ears tune, "Friday," which her parents paid producers to make, along with the now infamous video on YouTube. Seemingly oblivious to the wonders of Auto-Tune, Black's nasally warbling became embedded in the brain like a bad virus. And yet she sounded better than any LMFAO tune.Photo: Rebecca Black appears at MTV's "O Music Awards" on April 28, 2011, in Las Vegas.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Chris Brown Loses Temper on "GMA"
Chris Brown's star, seemingly forever tarnished after assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, was on the rise when he decided to go on "Good Morning America" to perform and talk to host Robin Roberts. But Roberts' decision to ask about the Rihanna incident got under Brown's skin. After the interview, he trashed his dressing room, even breaking a window. Yet people continued to buy copies of his comeback album. Apparently, fear is the best motivator.Photo: Chris Brown on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 22, 2011.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Arnold and Maria's Divorce Drama
When Maria Shriver announced that she was divorcing Arnold Schwarzenegger after 25 of marriage and a stint in the California governor's mansion, we thought it was because she'd finally seen those tiny Speedo pictures. But then we learned that not only did he cheat on her with the family housekeeper, but he and the housekeeper had a son together around the time Maria gave birth to their child, also a boy. Guess it wasn't the wisest decision to let Schwarzenegger be in charge of giving out the employee bonuses.Photo: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger in Mexico City on Nov. 8, 2006.
Special section: Year in review 2011
Sinead O'Connor's 18-Day Marriage
And you thought Kim Kardashian's 72-day marriage was short. Sinead O'Connor's marriage to Barry Herridge only lasted 18 days. The couple wed on Dec. 8 (O'Connor's 45th birthday), in the back of a pink Cadillac at A Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip. On Dec. 26, she announced on her website that the marriage was over. She blamed outside pressure from "certain people" in her husband's life for the split. This was O'Connor's fourth marriage.Photo: Sinead O'Connor attends the Giorgio Armani & Cinema Society screening of "Albert Nobbs" on Dec. 13, 2011, in New York.
Special section: Year in review 2011