Happy New Year—almost!
The last seven days of 2011 pretty much flew by, what with the holiday stand-still and all (no mail, no courts, no Charlie Sheen domestic incident, etc.) and now we are thrilled to bring you the final Week in Review of the year.
Though the news from this past week doesn't bode well for all, we can only guess what 2012 will bring for the stars we love. Not to mention the celebs we love to hate, the celebs who hate each other and the ones who have carved out a little piece of paradise in the spotlight together.
And with that, we bid 2011 adieu...
EX-MAS TIME: Katy Perry and Russell Brand spent Christmas apart, Russ walked around without his ring and, then, while were waiting for the last-ditch camping trip, he went and filed for divorce after 14 months of marriage. We understand why the spunky duo fell in love, but we were always at a loss as to how they could possibly work out long term.
SAME OLD MOON: Kate Middleton who? Ryan Gosling? Charlie Sheen? Pfft to all of them. For the second year in a row, Robert Pattinson topped onscreen soul mate and real-life paramour Kristen Stewart to be named E!'s Celeb of the Year, as chosen by you, the fans. Sorry, folks—next year, we're having those two match up in, like, the quarterfinals or something in order to give these other poor stars a chance.
HACK JOB: Jennifer Aniston revealed that she had to trade in her long locks for a blunt-cut bob this year because her hair was starting to thin out from the extensions she regularly wore. "The Rachel" may have been "the ugliest haircut" she'd ever seen, but Aniston didn't want "the Jen" to be a fried mess.
COMEBACK QUEEN: Just a few weeks after undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, Giuliana Rancic didn't miss a beat upon her return to E! News. Welcome home, G!
TOP GUN: Five years after Tom Cruise's public persona was blamed for Mission: Impossible III's underwhelming box office, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol not only got pretty good reviews but also came out firing, topping Daniel Craig and It-girl Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (which also got beat by resurgent Robert Downey Jr. and Sherlock Holmes: The Game of Tattoos). Lizbeth Salander is now the girl with some explainin' to do.
WEDDING BELLS: Matthew McConaughey put a ring on Camila Alves...Steven Tyler is crazy for fiancée Erin Brady...John Legend is engaged to model Chrissy Teigen...Wynonna Judd is engaged to musician Cactus Moser...American Idol alum Danny Gokey is engaged to Leyicet Peralta...
UNHITCHING POST: As quickly as they tied the knot, Sinéad O'Connor pulled the plug on her 18-day-old marriage to Barry Herridge...Mel Gibson is officially divorced from Robyn Gibson, who takes away at least $400 million from the experience.
BABY BOOM: Robert De Niro and wife Grace welcomed their second child together, daughter Helen Grace...Caleb Followill and Lily Aldridge expecting their first child...Former Tiger Woods fling Rachel Uchitel is pregnant with her and hubby Matt Hahn's first child...Alessandra Ambrósio and businessman hubby Jamie Mazur are expecting their second child.
ROMANTIC ROUND-UP: What's with Rihanna and Chris Brown's mutually affectionate tweets?...Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana have coupled up...Adam Levine and Victoria's Secret model girlfriend Anne Vyalitsyna are going strong...Pete Wentz and Megan Camper aren't going to be parents anytime soon...Lady Gaga and boyfriend Taylor Kinney aren't house-hunting in Pennsylvania.
DOCTOR, DOCTOR!: Taylor Lautner was the victim of a prankster with too much time on his/her hands when a faux (but somewhat legit-looking) People cover surfaced touting the Twilight heartthrob as "Out & Proud." But that's where they went wrong right there. Who says that anymore?!
SCREEN PLAY: Sylvester Stallone looks awfully red and ripped in Bullet to the Head...Thor, Fast Five, Source Code and the final Harry Potter among the most pirated films of the year...Cheetah, Johnny Weissmuller's chimp companion in the original Tarzan films, passed away at the approximate age of 80...Forrest Gump among the films preserved in 2011 by the National Film Registry...The 2011 box office was way down from last year.
MUSICAL NOTES: Van Halen, with David Lee Roth but minus Michael Anthony, announce a 2012 tour...Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt reunited for a cute-as-a-button cover of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"...A fire put an end to LMFAO's Honduras show...Madonna tune leaker busted in Spain...Jail time possible for women who allegedly faked injuries from the Indiana State Fair stage collapse...Watch Big Time Rush's new "Boyfriend" video, featuring Keenan Cahill...Check out Rihanna's new "You Da Man" video.
TV LAND: Demi Lovato took the Disney Channel to task for, in her opinion, treating the subject of eating disorders too lightly...Vanessa Minnillo put her hat in to host The X Factor...Preview Glee's big proposal episode...Most of the cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—Will Smith included!—showed up at an event for Karyn Parson's charity, Sweet Blackberry, benefiting African-American children in need...Recap of Teen Mom 2.
LAW & DISORDER: Lady Gaga sued by former assistant...Louis Vuitton is suing the makers of The Hangover 2 over its instant-classic cameo in the sequel.
HOSPITAL CORNER: Justin Bieber's grandfather suffered a few broken ribs in a car crash...Prince Philip was discharged from a Cambridge-area hospital after having a stent implanted...Baz Luhrmann needed three stitches after banging his bean on the set of The Great Gatsby in Australia...Etta James, said to be terminally ill, was hospitalized and put on a respirator.
FAREWELLS: Former SNL scribe Joe Bodolai found dead in an L.A. hotel after apparently committing suicide; he was 63...Michelle Duggar shared an audio letter she wrote to her stillborn child, Jubilee Shalom...An autopsy determined that Heavy D died of a pulmonary embolism.