2010 was filled with all things pop culture, from this year's biggest phenomenon, Jersey Shore's "Snooki," to the burning question of why the Kardashians are still considered the first family of reality TV, to the God-awful show "Cougar Town."
Just like in years past, 2010 included breakups, Twitter fights and scandals. Oh, and Lindsay Lohan went to jail. Paris Hilton also had a brush in with the law. Britney Spears made a guest appearance on the hit show "Glee." "Sex and the City 2" was a major flop, and several YouTube videos went viral.
Indeed, 2010 gave us a lot of special moments, here are a few:
Facebook: The Movie
Released in October, The Social Network received critical acclaim in the U.S. The drama film shed light on the founding of the social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits.
Behold: The iPad
Apple's iPad tablet is arguably the hottest gadget available. The tablet was released in April. According to USA Today, Apple sold 3 million in roughly 2 months.
Paris Hilton
In August, Hilton was arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession while in Las Vegas. At first, she claimed that the handbag where drugs were found was not hers. Later she claimed some of the personal items from the bag, acknowledging it was hers. Eventually she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charge to avoid a possible felony charge.
"I'm going to take my talents to South Beach," he said and, indeed, he did. The NBA superstar opted to become a free agree on July 1, instead of staying in Cleveland. He was courted by several team including New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angelos Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers. On July 8, James announced on a live ESPN special, "The Decision," that he will be playing for the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season and teaming with Miami's other All-Star free agent signees Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The television program drew high ratings as well as criticism for the prolonged wait until James' actual decision. In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to Art Modell's efforts to move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.
Lindsay Lohan jailed
Lohan had a busy year, to say the least. In March, she decided to begin legal proceedings in which she requested $100 million from the financial services company E*Trade for a television advertisement that she claimed invoked her likeness without her permission. Both parties eventually reached a settlement. In July, a judge determined that Lohan had violated the terms of her probation and sentenced her to 90 days in jail. In addition, the judge ordered Lohan to check into an inpatient rehab program for three months after her release from jail. She was released Aug. 2 for good behavior after serving 14 days of the sentence. Lohan would break her probation again. In September, a judge sentenced her to jail again, but she was later released after posting bail. She was required to wear a secure, continuous remote alcohol-monitoring bracelet and stay away from establishments that primarily sell alcohol. A few days later, she voluntarily entered the Betty Ford Center, a drug and alcohol treatment center.
After his car accident in 2009, it was discovered that professional golfer Tiger Woods had more than a dozen mistresses. In February, he finally decided to apologize. During a controlled televised statement, Woods addressed the public about his behavior, and he also cited Buddhism as part of his path to recovery. Woods said this to his family and fans: "I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again."
'Jersey Shore' ruins reality TV
When it comes to MTV's reality show, "Jersey Shore," most people either absolutely love or really hate it. Cast members "The Situation" and "Snooki" are common household names (along with hair and abs). In August, reality started to hit them. Snooki was charged with disorderly conduct and creating a public nuisance, and fellow cast member Ronnie's unpaid parking tickets landed him in police custody. Most recently, he was indicted on assault charges. But even with these drawbacks, "Jersey Shore" cast members still remain in celebrity news.
This musical comedy-drama television series airs on Fox, boasts huge ratings and has a dedicated fanbase. The show, in its second season, focuses on the high school glee club, "New Directions," competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationship, sexuality and social issues. According to Billboard.com, the show's musical performances have been a commercial success, with more than 13 million copies of "Glee" cast single releases purchased digitally, and more than 5 million albums purchased worldwide. In 2009, the "Glee" cast had 25 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the most by any artist since The Beatles had 31 songs in the chart in 1964. On Sept. 28, Britney Spears made a cameo appearance on a Spears-themed tribute episode titled "Britney/Brittany." The episode drew the show's second largest audience, as well as its highest ratings ever.
Bed Intruder song
Antoine Dodson is a former resident of the Lincoln Park housing in Huntsville, Ala. His interview on local television became an Internet sensation and resulted in a autotune song with the Gregory Brothers. The interview that propelled Dodson into fame was prompted by the report of a house intrusion and attempted rape of Dodson's sister. Check the video out at YouTube.com. Search "bed intruder."
Katy Perry and Sesame Street
In September, Katy Perry stopped by Sesame Street to perform a kid-appropriate version of her song, "Hot N Cold" with Elmo for the show's 41st season premiere. A clip hit the Internet, and parents had plenty to say about Perry's cleavage. After several complaints, Perry's appearance was deemed too hot for the children's program. But of course that didn't stop "Saturday Night Live" from spoofing it with the singer in a more revealing Elmo tee.
