2009: Michael Jackson's year

What a year it's been in celebrity news.

While the world mourned the loss of the King of Pop, Charlie's Angel and a Dirty Dancer, Susan Boyle 'Dreamed A Dream', Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to a popularity contest and rock stars bought relief to to victims of the Black Saturday bushfires.
Here's my picks for the top five entertainment stories of the year:

5. Oprah quits

It's the talk show that's talked about around the world. The biggest names in showbusiness have laughed, cried, even jumped over her couch. But come September 9, 2011, The Oprah Winfrey Show will be no more.
In November, Harpo Productions released a statement confirming the queen of daytime television would end her show after its 25th season.
The woman herself says she wants to focus on the launch of her own cable network - and there is a possibility that she may re-establish herself as everybody's favourite small-screen couch companion there.
But conspiracy theories abound. Will this billionaire businesswoman be involved in Barack Obama 2012 re-elected bid? Only time will tell.
Either way, her fans are still in mourning - probably because they'll never get the chance to sit in her audience when she gives out cars and other cool stuff.

4. Kanye caned

Perpetually arrogant rapper Kanye West has a history of throwing fits when he fails to win awards. In September, however, his onstage tantrum had nothing to do with his own music.
Overjoyed country star Taylor Swift was graciously accepting her MTV VMA for best female video when West swiped the microphone from her and proceeded to say:
"Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time."
Backlash immediately ensued. The Twitterverse - fans and celebrities alike - jumped to a mortified Swift's defence. The row even spread to the White House, with US President Barack Obama labelling the rapper a "jackass".
Luckily for Swift, the public mocking has only added to her star status - she's gone on to win five American Music Awards, four Country Music Awards and is up for eight Grammys.
West, meanwhile, has been keeping a low profile since the incident.

3. The MasterChef juggernaut

Critics questioned Channel 10's decision to replace cheap and tacky reality TV staple Big Brother with MasterChef Australia - a family-friendly cooking show. But their gamble paid off.
There were no vapid wannabes, no alliances, very little bitching - just a dozen ordinary Aussies and three charismatic judges who shared a passion for food.
MasterChef tapped into Australia's hunger for uplifting television and became the surprise success story of 2009.
More than 3.7 million of us tuned in to see Julie Goodwin take the inaugural title from Poh Ling Yeow - shattering ratings records.
Since July's finale, Ten has cooked up a celebrity version of the show. There's also a junior spin-off in the works. Matt Preston has an album out, there's Julie's Women's Weekly column and Poh is currently shooting a new show for the ABC.
This cash-cow will be milked for every last drop in 2010.

2. New Moon rises

Twilight. You either love it or you hate it.
Lovers' levels of hysteria hit fever pitch on November 19 when the second instalment in the film franchise, New Moon, was released worldwide. Haters, meanwhile, took pleasure in the critical panning the movie received.
This cultural phenomenon is the heir to Harry Potter's throne.
Stephenie Meyer's quartet of bestselling books, like JK Rowling's, revolve around life at high school - but the child-like wizards have been replaced by love-struck Bella Swan and her vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen.
Meyer's modern-day Romeo and Juliet (immortalised on the silver screen by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart) have given millions of tweens, teens and adults - commonly refereed to as Twi-hards - a new fantasy to daydream about.
The numbers for the overall Twilight franchise indicate there's a Beatlemania aspect to it: 85 million copies of the books sold worldwide; the first movie (released in 2008) made more than $385 million at the box office while New Moon scored the third biggest opening of all time - only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3 have done better.
With Eclipse due out next year, this bloody billion-dollar business shows no signs of slowing.

1. RIP Michael Jackson

June 25, 2009 will be remembered by many as the day the music died.
Michael Jackson's premature passing at age 50 was, without a doubt, the biggest entertainment story of the year - if not the decade. And not just because of his reigning King of Pop status.
Tragically, MJ's death came some 18 days before he was to embark on a series of comeback concerts in London.
His final rehearsals were subsequently crafted into a documentary - This Is It - which showcased the singer's musical versatility and thrilling dance moves. After years of being tabloid fodder with tales of scandal and strangeness, Jacko's star was reborn.
And although Jackson's death was ruled a homicide, that indignity didn't define his final curtain call.
Instead, a star-studded but sombre memorial reminded us all that he had been a son, a brother and "the best father you could ever imagine".