Who do you think have been the people of 2008? Here’s our top five and have your say in the comments section below.
Compared to where she was a year ago, Britney Spears has come a long, long way in 2008 - but she’s only at Number 5 in our list because while she does deserve credit, it all feels a bit flimsy to us - a bit of a sham. After a crazy January, her dad Jamie Spears was appointed her conservator in February and he basically stopped her from doing all her wacked-out stuff, stopped her from seeing bad influences and got her on medication. She comparatively disappeared from view for a few months then boom, was back with three awards at MTV VMAs in September and her whole ‘Circus’ comeback. She’s looking great but also looking a bit like she might be a Stepford daughter now. Let’s hope she can properly regain control of her life in 2009.
Like Ms Spears, Jennifer Aniston is looking really great right about now. A little bit of loving clearly agrees with her. After being (perhaps unwillingly) cast as the victim for the first few post-Brad years, she’s now coming into her own again. A nearly year long on-off fling with John Mayer has left her looking radiant and her new film Marley & Me has done very well at the US Christmas box office too. It’s a fun, sweet comedy so probably not going to be collecting armfuls of Oscars but it suits her and she seems much more comfortable with her life these days, and that’s really the best thing for her.
A bit of an ‘ugh’ this one because it seems to have been a bit stunt driven but Peaches Geldof’s star has risen astronomically in 2008. That’s not to say she’s an A-lister just yet but she’s considerably more well known now than she was a year ago, when her biggest claim to fame was her dad and her partying habits. Ok, they’re still her main claims to fame but now she’s launched a limited edition fashion range (set to go less limited in the new year), is editing her own style magazine, has got a magazine column & home in New York and has upgraded from the trendy-rocker-boyfriend to the trendy-rocker-husband thanks to a quickie Las Vegas ceremony. Except to see a lot more of Peaches in 2009 whether you want to or not - and expect to see even more of her younger sister Pixie Geldof.
Miley Cyrus was our Number 5 last year’s People of the Year list and boy, we were right about seeing a lot more of her this year. And we don’t just mean literally seeing a lot more of her given the various photo “scandals”.
Still only just 16, the Hannah Montana star seems to revel in the limelight and seems to be having a lot of fun too. We wouldn’t be surprised if she leaves restricting Disney behind soon but she’s such a character, she’s sure to go onto bigger and better things after that.
Number 1 - our person of the year 2008 - Cheryl Cole
It’s been a helluva year for Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole. It started badly - when a kiss-and-tell story nearly ended her marriage to Ashley Cole - but she pulled it back, they decided to give things another go and then she signed up to be Sharon Osbourne’s last minute replacement on The X Factor. It seemed an odd decision to start with - because she’s hardly an industry veteran - but she was a hit with Simon Cowell and the show’s audience - and of course her mentoring of Alexandra Burke helped the singer win the £1million record contract prize. Oh, and Girls Aloud’s fourth album ‘Tangled Up’, released at the end of 2007, went platinum, their new album, released last month, topped the album charts and they had their longest, sell-out tour to date. Phew.