VARIOUS: SHOWBIZ Review of the Year 2010 - YEARENDER Part 2 - The biggest entertainment and music stories of 2010

Record ID: 393337

  • Title: VARIOUS: SHOWBIZ Review of the Year 2010 - YEARENDER Part 2 - The biggest entertainment and music stories of 2010
  • Date: 17th December 2010
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF NKOTB AND BSB
  • Embargoed: 1st January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Haiti, Germany, Usa, France, United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: Various
  • Reuters ID: LVACO9UN7F506S0Y9HRAP5TOQ2KY
  • Story Text: Some celebrities made headlines in 2010 without winding up in jail. Michael Douglas opened up about his battle with throat cancer and Wyclef Jean, Sean Penn and John Travolta made their presence felt in Haiti. In the music world Justin Bieber reigned. The Canadian teen had chart topping singles, a Grammy nomination and even a book deal. Eminem also made a hearty comeback with his album, "Recovery" scoring ten Grammy nods. It wasn't all easy going. Whitney Houston canceled concerts and face bad reviews after illness and Bono had to have emergency back surgery. Lastly we said goodbye to some Hollywood greats including Dennis Hopper, Tony Curtis and Lynn Redgrave. Here is a look at the people and music of 2010.

    PRINCE WILLIAM ENGAGEMENT
    Britain's Prince William will marry his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton next year after an on-off courtship that has lasted nearly a decade. The elder son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana proposed to Middleton with the large blue oval sapphire and diamond engagement ring his mother once wore as Charles's 19-year-old fiancee. The two 28-year-olds will marry on the 29th of April, 2011, 30 years after Charles and Diana's spectacular but ultimately ill-fated wedding.

    MICHAEL DOUGLAS
    Cancer-stricken Michael Douglas has had a troublesome year but is already looking ahead. The 66-year-old actor has been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatment after being diagnosed with stage four throat cancer. His son Cameron was sent to prison on drug charges, and his ex-wife sued him for earnings from the "Wall Street" sequel.

    WYCLEF JEAN AND HAITI
    Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean made a short-lived run for president in Haiti after the devastating quake in the country. His candidacy was formally rejected by Haitian authorities over concerns about meeting residency requirements. Jean left Haiti with his family to live in New York at age 9 and launched his music career in the United States.
    Jean was not the only visitor the earthquake ravaged country. Sean Penn made a stop in the country to bring supplies and aid for the population, and John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston flew their own personal plane into Haiti delivery supplies for the aid workers.
    For the celebrities that didn't make the flight, many participated in a massive live televised fundraiser, with musical performances. The fundraiser earned over 61 million dollars in the days following its telecast.

    BETTY WHITE
    Veteran comic Betty White won over a new generation of fans in 2010. The "Golden Girls" star hosted Saturday Night Live and earned herself an Emmy for the performance. Other notable appearances for the 88-year-old included a hit Super Bowl commercial, a handful of supporting Hollywood roles and a US cable TV sitcom.

    NAOMI CAMPBELL AT THE HAGUE
    Naomi Campbell testified about "blood diamonds" at the war crimes trial of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor, who prosecutors say gave such a gem to the British supermodel.
    Taylor -- accused of being given the diamonds by rebels a month before his trip to South Africa -- was said by prosecutors to have given Campbell a large rough cut diamond after a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela. Taylor called the claim "nonsense."

    JUSTIN BIEBER
    Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber has been blasting his way through the music world, picking up fans and awards. The 16-year-old R&B singer earned a Grammy nomination for best new artist, swept the American Music Awards and topped the list of most-viewed YouTube videos.
    EMINEM Detroit rap star Eminem has had a banner comeback year with his album "Recovery." Two singles from the album hit the top of the charts including his duet with Rihanna, "Love the Way You Lie." He wrapped up the year with 10 Grammy nominations, the most for any artist this year.

    TAYLOR SWIFT
    Country star Taylor Swift also had a stellar year. She won four Grammys in February and managed to sell out several venues for her latest concert in a matter of minutes. The 19 year old star has also managed to sell more than a million copies of her latest album "Speak Now" in one week.

    LADY GAGA
    Glittering pop star Lady Gaga made a splash in the music and fashion worlds. The singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, has dominated the music world for the past two years, turning out dance hits like "Bad Romance," and "Telephone" and amassing more than 20 million followers on Facebook.
    Her 2008 album "The Fame" has spent more than 100 weeks on the U.S. Billboard charts and she has become known for stunts like setting her piano on fire, and dressing entirely in raw meat. Changing outfits after each award, Gaga raked in 8 awards at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

    KATY PERRY
    Sugary pop star Katy Perry has had an up and down year. She married comedian Russell Brand at a lavish ceremony in India, had several number one hits on the singles charts and managed to get dropped from Sesame Street.

    WILLOW SMITH
    Willow Smith, the nine-year-old daughter of actor Will Smith, has signed a record deal with rapper Jay-Z and her first single is already kicking up a storm on the Internet. The single, "Whip My Hair," bounded up the record charts and landed at number 2 in the U.K. Willow, the daughter of "Men in Black" actor Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, follows her brother Jaden in an early start to a high profile career. Jaden Smith, 12, starred in the movie "The Karate Kid" earlier this year.

    WHITNEY HOUSTON
    Whitney Houston restarted her international concert tour after canceling a string of gigs due to illness. Critics, however, were less than impressed with her performance. A gig earlier in the year in Australia was panned by fans, some of whom booed her performance.

    BONO SURGERY
    Bono and his fellow U2 band mates went on an unscheduled two month break in May after the singer underwent emergency back surgery after injuring himself. His subsequent rehabilitation forced the band to delay the North American leg of the tour until 2011. The band returned to the stage in August.

    AMERICAN IDOL
    Pop star and actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler are joining TV singing contest "American Idol" as judges in a major overhaul aimed at keeping the show No. 1 with viewers as it enters its 10th year. Record producer Randy Jackson remains the only original judge since the program debuted on Fox television in 2001, and Ryan Seacrest will remain as host.
    BRET MICHAELS Poison frontman and reality TV star Bret Michaels was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage in April. The singer, who also suffers from diabetes, made a full recovery, even appearing on the live finale of TV show "The Celebrity Apprentice."

    MICHAEL JACKSON DEATH ANNIVERSARY
    Jackson family members were among those who visited the tomb of Michael Jackson in Glendale, California, marking the first anniversary of the pop star's death. Thousands of fans paid tribute outside the doors of the heavily restricted mausoleum where Jackson lay, as siblings Janet, Tito and Jermaine entered the building along with selected guests.
    Jackson, 50, died June 25, 2009, of propofol intoxication -- he used the powerful sedative to sleep -- while preparing for a series of concerts in London. Jackson was not completely silent in 2010. The first album of previously unreleased music from the pop star, simply titled "Michael," hit music stores in December. The first music video from the album, "Hold My Hand," a duet between Michael and Akon, was also released.

    JOHN LENNON ANNIVERSARY
    Beatles fans remembered John Lennon on the 30th anniversary of his death. Fans in New York City gathered at Strawberry Fields in Central Park to honor and remember the life of John Lennon.
    The legendary singer-songwriter and co-founder of The Beatles was shot and killed on December 8, 1980 outside his home in New York. Across the street from Lennon's home, in Central Park, fans laid flowers, lit candles, and listened to music at the iconic "Imagine" memorial to Lennon.

    NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AND BACKSTREET BOYS
    Boy bands New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys have announced that they will be joining forces for a summer concert tour. The five guys from New Kids on the Block and the four Backstreet Boys will take the stage together starting in June 2011.
    The wo bands previewed their concert tour at the American Music Awards on November 21. The NKOTBSB tour launches in Toronto, Canada on June 21 with dates scheduled in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

    TAKE THAT REUNION
    Robbie Williams and his old band Take That plan to tour together summer 2011 after reconciling their differences. Williams, 36, left the chart-topping boy band in 1995 and went on to forge a successful solo career. But his fortunes have waned while Take That, which reformed without Williams in 2005, has flourished. The band released their latest collaboration called "Progress" in November.

    SIMON COWELL
    British music impresario and prickly former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell was honored with an honorary International Emmy award. Cowell left Fox's hit talent show "American Idol" after nine seasons. The music producer has not given up on talent based TV shows, building up franchises including "Got Talent" and "The X Factor." In 2011 Cowell will bring "The X Factor" to U.S. television.

    CHERYL COLE
    Cheryl Cole rose to fame through "Girls Aloud" and as a judge on "The X Factor" talent show. She had an album that hit number one on the charts after having to cancel several performances. The 26- year-old singer was recovering from malaria.

    DENNIS HOPPER DEATH
    Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper, best known for directing and starring in the 1969 cult classic "Easy Rider," died May 29 from complications of prostate cancer. Hopper was 74. The hard-living screen star died at his home, surrounded by family and friends. In a wildly varied career spanning more than 50 years, Hopper appeared alongside his mentor James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant" in the 1950s and played maniacs in such films as "Apocalypse Now," "Blue Velvet" and "Speed."

    TONY CURTIS DEATH
    Tony Curtis, whose dark hair and good looks made him a Hollywood star well before he became an accomplished actor in hit movies such as "Some Like It Hot" and "The Sweet Smell of Success," died on September 30th at his home in Nevada. He was 85.
    Curtis, one of the biggest box-office stars of the 1950s and 1960s and one of Hollywood's busiest playboys, died a natural death due to cardiac arrest with his doctor at his bedside in Henderson, Nevada, outside Las Vegas.
    The handsome leading man starred in more than 140 films including the classic gladiator drama "Spartacus," and he received an Academy Award nomination for 1958's "The Defiant Ones."

    LYNN REDGRAVE
    Lynn Redgrave, a leading member of a British acting dynasty, died at the age of 67 after struggling with breast cancer. She was nominated for Oscars in 1966 for "Georgy Girl" and in 1998 for "Gods and Monsters." She also earned several Tony Award nominations for her one-woman show, Shakespeare for My Father.

    ALEXANDER MCQUEEN DEATH
    British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, whose provocative collections made him a global star, was found dead at his London home on February 11. He was 40. Coroner's reports revealed that the designer had committed suicide.
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