The Los Angeles Times has gathered what they believe to be the most shocking headlines of 2008. Some of them funny, some of them sad, some of them I look at and think "who cares?" - but all of these headlines got people talking in 2008.

21. Lindsay Lohan has a girlfriend

Lindsay Lohan's heterosexual love life always provided filler for the pages of the tabloids, so in 2008, when she started a relationship with – gasp! – a woman.

20. The death of Heath Ledger

He was perhaps one the most talented actors of his generation, which is why the death of 28-year old Heath Ledger on Jan. 22 shocked so many. Ledger wasn’t publicly known as a party boy, but there he was, found in his empty New York apartment apparently overdosed on six different prescription drugs. Months later, he riveted moviegoers with his penultimate performance as the maniacal Joker in the highest-grossing movie of the year, "The Dark Knight," a final taste of what has been lost.





19. Sienna Miller hooks up with a married man

Wait? Isn’t there some kind of code amongst women who’ve been cheated on? After Sienna Miller’s beau, Jude Law, cheated on her with his nanny in 2005, Miller turned around and became “the other woman” in 2008, when she hooked up with married actor Balthazar Getty.

18. Anne Hathaway’s ex arrested on fraud charges

When it comes to Hollywood starlets making tabloid news, Anne Hathaway was always the exception to the rule. You wouldn’t catch her table-dancing at Winston’s; she was a serious actress, thank you very much! All that changed in 2008, when Anne Hathaway’s mysterious ex, Raffaello Follieri, was arrested on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. "I broke up with my boyfriend, and two weeks later he was sent to prison for fraud. I mean, we've all been there, right, ladies?" Hathaway later quipped on “SNL.”

17. The Spice Girls sell out!

No one stays broken up in pop music these days. The Police? The Eagles? The Jesus Lizard? Indie or mainstream, few can resist the opportunity to get the band back together. So it wasn’t a surprise that the Spice Girls staged a reunion tour. But it was, perhaps, unexpected that it became one of the 10 highest-grossing tours of the year, raking in about $70 million.

16. ‘American Idol’ adds a fourth judge

In 2008, mega-hit series "American Idol” announced that a fourth critic would be joining Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Paula Abdul on the judges’ panel in 2009. The fourth judge, Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi, has penned hits for Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Pink and a handful of Idols, including Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

15. Tom Brady, out for the season

It's hard to say poor Tom Brady when he's dating Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, but the New England Patriots quarterback's season-ending knee injury in the Patriots' first game of the 2008 NFL season made TV-watchers flinch every time it was played back.

SEE THE REST AFTER THE JUMP!

14. Tim Russert dies

Tim Russert's death on June 13, 2008, hit many in the broadcast journalism world very hard, and very publicly. The journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," was tearfully mourned by many of his colleagues in the media while on air, with James Carville one of the most visibly shaken as he hung his head while speaking.




13. Herbie Hancock tops Kanye West for album of the year

After two prior chances, this seemed like the year Kanye West was finally going to get his album of the year prize at the Grammys. His biggest competition seemed to be buzzy newcomer Amy Winehouse. But who saw jazz legend Herbie Hancock making off with the win for his “River: The Joni Letters”? No one.

12. Eliot Spitzer's prostitution scandal

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was disgraced in March after the New York Times reported that he had patronized a prostitution service called Emperors Club VIP. Spitzer was linked to a young woman named "Kristen," who was later identified as the 22-year-old Ashley Alexandra Dupré.

11. Travis Barker & DJ AM survive plane crash

Musicians Travis Barker and DJ AM survived a tragic plane crash in September. Their four traveling companions, however, died in the accident. Barker and DJ AM will perform together for the first time since the crash on New Year’s Eve in West Hollywood.




10. Mariah Carey bests Elvis

Music purists probably wouldn't equate Mariah Carey with legendary acts such as Elvis and the Beatles, but when it comes to chart-topping records, she's now outstripped the King -- and she's on pace to take down the Fab Four. Carey's 2008 single, "Touch My Body," made music history this year when it surpassed Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most No. 1 singles in the modern pop era.

9. David Duchovny checks into rehab

Sci-fi loving "X-Files" fans were shocked when married family man David Duchovny released a statement on Aug. 28 saying that he had checked into rehab for sex addiction. Fans of Duchovny's other roles, including the portrayal of a womanizing writer on "Californication," probably weren't as surprised. Rumors of sex addiction have dogged Duchovny for years, though he denied the rumors in a 1997 interview with Playgirl magazine. On Oct. 15, representatives for Duchovny and his wife, Tea Leoni, announced that the couple had separated.

8. Catherine Hardwicke leaves ' Twilight' franchise

Fans and studio execs alike were nervous that the film adaptation of the first of Stephenie Meyers' beloved teen vampire novels would fail to satisfy her devoted and fiercely protective fan base. When the film satisfied both fans and non-fans alike, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to eagerly anticipate the already green-lighted sequel, "New Moon." So it was a real stake in the hearts of many fans to hear that director Catherine Hardwicke and Summit Entertainment were parting ways and that a new director would be brought in for "New Moon."

7. AC/DC delivers NO. 1 album

In just two weeks, AC/DC’s “Black Ice” topped the 1 million sales mark. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts this fall after selling 784,000 copies. It was only the second time in the act’s career that it owned the No. 1 album, and first time it held such heights in nearly 30 years.

6. Madonna and A-Rod

Madge's split from husband Guy Ritchie had been coming for a while, and it's not a shock that she turned to a Latino hunk for company and comfort. But a slugger for the Yankees taking up Kabbalah, tutored by a 50-year-old pop goddess? Now that's unusual.

5. 'Chinese Democracy' flops

The much-delayed Guns N' Roses album was allegedly the most anticipated music release of the year, but new efforts by younger stars Kanye West and Taylor Swift outsold it the first week of release, and it's plunging down the charts.

4. Jennifer Hudson's terrible loss

Hudson is a pop princess, an "Idol" favorite and an Oscar winner. The murder of her mother, brother and nephew, and the arrest of her brother-in-law for the crimes reminds us that domestic violence can strike anyone -- even American sweethearts.

3. Britney's (so far successful) comeback

For a while, it seemed that the former teen queen's life would just keep sinking toward real tragedy: the hospitalizations and child custody battles seemed like par for the course. But her new single "Womanizer" is her first Billboard singles chart-topper in five years, and it's renewed her credibility with the in-crowd. Britney's back, for real, and that's unexpected.





2. John Edwards' infidelity

National Enquirer began reporting that the former senator had an extramarital affair with his then-campaign video producer Rielle Hunter in 2006, but the Democratic presidential nominee denied the allegations. Later the tab uncovered news of Hunter’s child and possible links to Edwards. In an Aug. 8 statement and an interview on ABC, Edwards finally came clean about the relationship but said he was not the father of her child.

1.Michael Phelps wins 8 gold medals

Michael Phelps is the fastest man alive in the water, but it's the speed at which he became an international media darling that may be most impressive. Of course, winning a record 8 gold medals in one Olympics is a feat, but he's now been on "Entourage," hosted "Saturday Night Live" and was a presenter on the MTV Video Music Awards 2008 . Besides being on every talk show imaginable, he's also touring for his new book, "No Limits: The Will to Succeed." Many Olympians get post-Games notice, but none on the scale of Phelps.

What, no mention of the new President Elect Barack Obama?! I guess that much is obvious.

In your opinion, what was the most shocking headline of 2008?