Celebrity Circuit's 2012 Crystal Ball
We at Celebrity Circuit don't claim to be clairvoyant, but we do profess to know an awful lot about what the entertainment industry and the stars in it are doing. And we can make some predictions for 2012 based on that knowledge.
So keep clicking to find out which stars will be making headlines next year.
Meryl Streep
Just honored by the Kennedy Center in Washington, actress Meryl Streep plays former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the just-opened biopic "The Iron Lady." Even before the film hit screens, critics were talking of yet another recordKaley Cuoco
The star of the hit CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory," actress Kaley Cuoco is set to host her first People's Choice Awards on Jan. 11 on CBS. She also may be on the receiving end of the awards gala; she is nominated for favorite TV actress in a comedy.Picture: Host Kaley Cuoco is seen at the Teen Choice Awards on Aug. 7, 2011, in Universal City, Calif.
Adele
Despite being sidelined in the last quarter by throat surgery, the 23-year-old singer Adele had a good year in 2011. But 2012 is poised to be even bigger. The British singer-songwriter's sophomore album "21" and hit single "Rolling in the Deep" have been at the top of the Billboard charts for weeks. She is nominated for six Grammy Awards and has been named artist of the year by Rolling Stone magazine and Artist of the Century in the U.K.Angelina Jolie
Editors use the flimsiest of excuses - a toy-store trip with one of her six kids - to get megastar Angelina Jolie in the headlines. But they won't have to do that this winter. Her directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," has just opened and it already has been nominated for a best foreign film Golden Globe award. The romance, set during the Bosnian war, has been controversial from the start. Authorities refused to let her film in Bosnia until the script was approved by officials there. Some women's groups still are calling for a boycott.Picture: Angelina Jolie arrives at the "In the Land of Blood and Honey" premiere on Dec. 8, 2011, in Hollywood, Calif.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie's partner and the patriarch of her six-child family, is getting some awards chatter of his own, with talk of possible Oscar nominations for his two fall movies, "Moneyball" and "Tree of Life." He has won the Best Actor awards of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle and has been nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice award for "Moneyball." The Palme d'Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival, "Tree of Life" was named best film at the Gotham Awards and is nominated for a Critics Choice Award.In this image released by Sony Pictures, Brad Pitt, left, and Jonah Hill are shown in a scene from "Moneyball."
Ricky Gervais
British comedian Ricky Gervais is making his third performance as Golden Globes host on Jan. 15. Known for pushing the envelope, Gervais managed to cause controversy last year by criticizing not only the stars in the audience, but also the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the awards show. HFPA found its sense of humor before the year was out and asked him back as host. You'll have to watch to see what he has planned for this year.Madonna
It seems as if Madonna is always making news, if not as a performer, then as a director, a children's author and a marketer, with her daughter, of young people's clothes. You may be hearing more about her in 2012 because there are reports she is at work on a new album due out in the first half of the year. You definitely will be seeing Madonna headlines when she performs at the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.Queen Elizabeth II
Last year, the world's eyes were on Britain's Prince William and his bride, Kate Middleton, but this year it's his grandmum's turn. Queen Elizabeth II has plans for an entire year of festivities, involving the entire royal family, to mark her diamond jubilee. Buckingham Palace says a concert, a river pageant, a church service and a nationwide Sunday lunch will help mark her 60 years on the throne. She and her husband, Prince Philip, will make a tour of the British Isles, while other royals will mark the jubilee with trips elsewhere in the U.K. and commonwealth nations.Picture: Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Liverpool Lime Street train station at the start of a day-long visit to Liverpool on Dec. 1, 2011.
Kanye West
Kanye West has a leading seven Grammy nominations, including best song for his all-star number "All of the Lights," going into the Feb. 12 awards ceremony. He is also making headlines with his buddy Jay-Z on their "Watch the Throne" tour, which according to the trade publication Pollstar, was bringing in $2,243,684 per city with an average ticket price of $120.57 at year's end. And of course, there's also a chance Kanye will open his mouth and start yet another controversy.Picture: Kanye West, left, and Jay-Z perform during the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Nov. 9, 2011, in New York.
George Clooney
Oscar buzz for actor George Clooney started last fall when his "The Ides of March" hit the big screen. (He is both director and star of that political movie.) It reached fever pitch in December with the release of the acclaimed "The Descendants," in which Clooney stars as a father trying to reconnect with his kids. A winner at the Venice Film Festival, "The Ides of March" is nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture and Best Director and is up for a Critics Choice award for best ensemble. "The Descendants" has five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Actor for Clooney. He is also nominated for Critics Choice and Screen Actor's Guild Best Actor awards and has won Best Actor awards from the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and the National Board of Review.Picture: Clooney attends the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights 2010 Ripple of Hope Awards dinner on Nov. 17, 2010, in New York.
Billy Crystal
This year, it's BillyJessica Simpson
Singer-actress Jessica Simpson is poised to make news in 2012 with the birth of the first child she is expecting with fiancDustin Hoffman
You'll be hearing about Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman in late January as he takes on a small screen role of mobster Chester Bernstein in "Luck," an inside-look at the horse-racing industry. The HBO series starts Jan. 29.Picture: Hoffman chats with the media on the press line at the BlackBerry Bold party in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Oct. 30, 2008.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney, the former Beatle who made news in 2011 with his marriage to New York businesswoman Nancy Shevell, will be back in the headlines in February with the release of his first album since 2004. Featuring guest performances by Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, the as yet untitled album will focus on McCartney "classics" and will have only two new songs.Picture: Paul McCartney at the end of the "Concert for New York", at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Jennifer Lawrence
An Oscar nominee for 2010's "Winter's Bone," actress Jennifer Lawrence, will be scooping up more than her share of headlines as Katniss Everdeen in 2012's most buzzed about movie, "The Hunger Games," which debuts in March. The movie, based on the first book of a best-selling trilogy by Suzanne Collins, has an all-star cast that includes Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Lenny Kravitz.Picture: Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games."
David Lee Roth
Look for rocker David Lee Roth in the news as he joins Van Halen for a reunion tour. The 2012 tour, marking Van Halen's 40th anniversary, is expected to feature Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, bassist Wolfgang Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen. Roth parted ways from the group in 1985.Pictures: Singer David Lee Roth, right, and musician Eddie Van Halen perform at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 13, 2007, in New York.
Crown Princess Victoria
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria will make headlines in 2012 when she gives her country an heir. The pregnant princess is expected to give birth in March. The first child for Victoria and her commoner husband, Prince Daniel, the baby, regardless of gender, will be second in line (behind her) to the Swedish throne.Picture: Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland, at the royal palace after their June 19, 2010, wedding in Stockholm.
Axl Rose
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose will be in the news in April when he and the other members of the rock group are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Fans will be waiting to see whether the induction ceremony will produce a reunion concert. Also making news as inductees will be The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beastie Boys, the folkie Donovan, and songwriter Laura Nyro.Picture: Axl Rose perform at the 2010 Rock and Rev Festival in Sturgis, S.D.
Christian Bale
Actor Christian Bale's temper can sometimes bring on unwanted headlines but this summer, he's happy to be in the news as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's action film "The Dark Knight Rises." It's a sequel to the hugely popular "Batman Begins" of 2005 and 2008's "The Dark Knight." Both Bale and Nolan have said it will be their last Batman film. The movie also stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman.Michael Phelps
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps will dive into the news when the 2012 Olympics open in July. He has said he will compete in the summer games in London this year but the 2012 Olympics is likely to be his last. The 26-year-old swimmer holds 16 medalsWill Smith
Will Smith will make some headlines this summer when he reteams with Tommy Lee Jones for "Men in Black III." In the popular franchise, Smith and Jones play two men who keep society safe by keeping tabs on all the aliens coming through the planet.Leonardo DiCaprio
Look for actor Leonardo DiCaprio to make headlines next December as Jay Gatsby in Baz Lurhman's remake of the period drama "The Great Gatsby." Based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic, the movie is now being shot in Australia. Tobey Maguire stars as Nick Carraway and Carey Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan.Picture: DiCaprio arrives at a theatre in Tokyo on July 20, 2010, for the Japanese premiere of his film "Inception."
Sacha Baron Cohen
You'll also be hearing a lot about comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen next fall and winter. The "Borat" star is joining Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Samuel L. Jackson in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained ," due out next December. There also are reports that he has a role as Monsieur ThDaniel Craig
Actor Daniel Craig, making headlines this winter as one of the stars of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," will be back next winter as James Bond. To open in November 2012, "Skyfall," directed by Sam Mendes, shows an MI6 under attack, testing Bond's loyalty to M.Picture: Daniel Craig arrives for the world premiere of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in London on Dec. 12, 2011.