Celebrity Women & Models

These are the ladies who have dominated the 2008 headlines — with more to come in the next few days.
By James Montgomery

Beyoncé
Photo: Getty Images

Who was the biggest star of 2008? Who had the most impact on the year that was, who inspired the most headlines or generated the biggest amount of buzz? It's really tough to say ... yet, for decades now, plenty of magazines have been doing just that (we're looking at you, Time). And so, after years of sitting on the sidelines, we here at MTV News have decided to get in on the act too.

Over the next few days, we'll be unveiling our list of the most fascinating, controversial and, well, BRITNEY!!! women of the year. These are the artists, actors and pop-culture heavyweights who dominated the headlines here at MTVNews.com (and no, Sarah Palin didn't make the cut ... we'll leave that to the folks at Time).

Today, we present picks 10 to 6. On Tuesday, we'll reveal numbers 5 to 2. And then, on Thursday, we'll unveil our 2008 MTV News Woman of the Year. And, of course, we'd love to hear what you've got to say — we'll even publish some of the best comments later this week — so if you agree with us (or if you don't), let us know in the comments below.

(For our first list of picks for the Top 10 Men of the Year, click here.)

And now, let the debate begin ...

10. Beyoncé

2008 Highlights: Spent the majority of the year putting the finishing touches on her much-discussed double-album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce ... Played legendary blues singer Etta James in "Cadillac Records" ... Married longtime beau Jay-Z ... Applauded by PETA for her fur-free outfits ... Released a pair of singles, "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," the latter of which ended up being our second-best song of 2008 ... Donated $100,000 to victims of Hurricane Ike ... Volunteered her services for Barack Obama's inauguration ... Snagged her third-consecutive #1 album, selling more than 482,000 copies of I Am in one week ... Parodied the "Single Ladies" video to hilarious effect on "Saturday Night Live" ... Landed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. To anyone else, this is a lifetime's worth of résumé fodder. To B, it was just another year.

9. Hayley Williams

2008 Highlights: Penned a cryptic blog post that kicked off rumors that she and her band, Paramore, were calling it quits ... Addressed those rumors (and whispers that she was pregnant) in an equally cryptic blog post that used the phrase "My Eggo is not preggo" less than 24 hours later ... Sat down with MTV News for an "everything's fine" interview in Austin, Texas, during South by Southwest ... Defended "family friend" Miley Cyrus ... Played the Warped Tour ... Battled her stepfather over unscrupulous eBaying ... Got (then later removed) bull-ring piercing in septum ... Admired by John Mayer ... Performed in a virtual Whisky A Go Go during the MTV Video Music Awards ... Contributed a pair of songs to the "Twilight" soundtrack ... Copped to being a huge "Twilight" fan and a member of Team Jacob ... Began work on new Paramore album ... Is seriously, like, 4 feet tall.

8. Rihanna

2008 Highlights: Won her first-ever Grammy in early February ... Followed up on that momentum by landing an opening slot on Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour ... Re-released her hugely successful Good Girl Gone Bad album with the hugely successful single "Take a Bow" ... Denied reports that she and Chris Brown were an item (despite mounting evidence to the contrary) ... Performed a freaky version of "Disturbia" (another one of her hugely successful singles) at the Video Music Awards ... Collapsed onstage in Australia while performing a duet with Brown, sparking rumors she was pregnant ... Inspired a fan revolt when none of the aforementioned "hugely successful singles" are named in James Montgomery's Best Songs of 2008 list ... Did, at some juncture during the year, get a fairly awesome neck tattoo.

7. Aubrey O'Day

2008 Highlights: Rolled into the year fresh off reports that she was leaving Danity Kane to join the Pussycat Dolls ... Appeared to put all the drama behind her when DK's Welcome to the Dollhouse debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts ... Launched DK/Day26 tour in May ... Landed the role of Amber Von Tussle in the Broadway version of "Hairspray," which causes her to miss Danity Kane's appearance on "FNMTV" ... Boasted about her breasts during an interview with former WWE announcer Paul Heyman ... Shot a rather eye-opening photo spread for Complex magazine ... Booted from Danity Kane during live finale of MTV's "Making the Band" due to concerns over her "image" and despite the fact she was one of only two interesting members in the group ... Reportedly posed for Playboy ... May have had the most turbulent 12 months of anyone not named " Britney Spears" or "Amy Winehouse."

6: Sasha Fierce

2008 Highlights: Created by Beyoncé as a marketing tool/ psychological id for her I Am ... Sasha Fierce album ... Despite being completely fictional, may actually be more interesting than the actual Beyoncé ... Starred in the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" video, which managed to "out-crazy even 'Ring the Alarm' " ... Definitive proof that Beyoncé is nuts ... Signified by a futuristic metallic glove worn on the left hand ... Is probably steampunk ... Quite possibly the most interesting alter-ego ever created by a musical superstar (sorry, Chris Gaines).

We'll be rolling out our Top 10 Men and Women of the Year all week! Today you've got 10 through 6, tomorrow you'll see 5 through 2, on Wednesday we'll be recapping your reactions and opinions, and on Thursday the winners will be revealed! Who do you think the Man and Woman of the Year should be? Tell us now!

Related Videos

• MTV News' Women And Men Of The Year

Related Photos

• MTV News' 2008 Men And Women Of The Year

Related Artists

• Britney Spears
• Beyoncé

Tags: amy winehouse, barack, Britney Spears, chris brown, drama, fiction, hurricane, john mayer, Love, married, miley cyrus, Music, music awards, obama, photos, pregnant, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, sarah palin

Lindsay Lohan is still apparently rubbing people in the entertainment industry the wrong way. Recently Lindsay’s alleged antics on homely Betty ended up costing her some work when studio execs decided to shorten her stint on the show from six episodes to four. Not something that would normally happen if things were going well

Tags: Lindsay Lohan, Music, music awards

UK’s The Daily Star is reporting that Nicole Richie’s doctors have told her to quit breast-feeding six-month-old Harlow because they fear Nicole is losing too much weight and it’s affecting her health.

Losing tons of weight while breast-feeding is completely common, especially when someone has a naturally small frame, like Nicole. While I don’t necessarily believe this rumor, it’s great to see that Nicole is taking care of herself and going to the doctor regularly. She needs to be strong and healthy to run after Harlow. I can’t believe Harlow is six months old already!

In photo news, Nicole was spotted going to yoga yesterday with a personal instructor.

See the photos here.

Tags: harlow-madden, nicole-richie, nicole-richie-rumors, Richie Baby

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Tags: Music, music awards, nicole-richie, photos

 

Nicole Kidman and her husband, Keith Urban, have welcomed their first child together, a daughter, born Monday morning in Nashville.  The birth has been confirmed to People Magazine.

The couple first reported their pregnancy in January. Kidman has two other children with her former husband Tom Cruise: Isabella, 15, and Connor, 13.

The bouncing baby girl has been named Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 7 oz.

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Tags: husband, Keith Urban, Music, music awards, Nicole Kidman, tom cruise

Wow! It’s hard to believe that the Best Damn Tour is half-way through, but it is! We’re going to post the remaining tour dates up here for anyone who is interested in seeing Avril Lavigne live, but doesn’t know when she is coming to their area. Tickets are still LISTED as available for all shows, except those noted.

June 26 KB Hallen Copenhagen
June 28 Annexet Stockholm
June 30 Ice Hall Helsinki
July 1 Saku Arena Tallinn
July 2 Riga Arena Riga
July 3 Siemens Arena Vilnius
July 5 Hala Stuleca Wroclaw
July 7 Petofi Csarnok Budapest
July 8 Sazka Arena Prague
July 9 Stehplatz Vienna

See the rest of the tour dates, through September 23, 2008 after the jump!

July 22 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre St. Louis St.Louis
July 23 Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis
July 25 Hersheypark Stadium Hershey
July 26 New England Dodge Music Center Hartford
July 28 Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati
July 29 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte Charlotte
July 30 Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion Raleigh
August 1 Musikfest Bethlehem
August 2 Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs
August 3 Toms River Festival New Jersey
August 5 Sudbury Arena Sudbury **SOLD OUT**
August 6 Molson Amphitheatre Toronto
August 8 Harbour Station St. John, NB
August 9 Moncton Coliseum Moncton
August 10 Metro Centre Halifax
August 12 Mile One Centre St. John’s, NL
Sept 10 Hamamatsu Arena Hamamatsu, JPN
Sept 11 Niigata Messe Niigata, JPN
Sept 16 Dome Tokyo, JPN
Sept 17 Gaishi Hall Nagoya, JPN
Sept 18 Gaishi Hall Nagoya, JPN
Sept 20 Osaka Osaka, JPN
Sept 21 Osaka Osaka, JPN
Sept 23 Marine Messe Fukuoka, JPN

Tags: Avril Lavigne Tour, Avril Lavigne World Tour, Avril-Lavigne, Best Damn Tour, Best Damn Tour Dates

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Tags: Music, music awards

SIX months after his split from wife Natalie Imbruglia, reclusive rock star Daniel Johns happily posed with new girlfriend Louise Van de Vorst on a busy Sydney street on Friday night.
The glamorous couple stopped outside a Surry Hills restaurant, before the eccentric Johns later wrote a message telling photographers to, “F*** Off C****” .
Van de Vorst is a 20-year-old Sydney model with a striking resemblance to the “alien look” of internationally successful Perth girl Gemma Ward.
Imbruglia is believed to have also found new love with American nightclub boss Chris Paciello, and is regularly seen out on the town in London with fellow Australian singer Kylie Minogue.
Johns and Van de Vorst began the night canoodling as they sipped cocktails at an outside table at the upmarket Toko Japanese restaurant on busy Crown St.
A besotted Johns, 29, stared into her eyes as he brushed her hair back behind her ears.
The couple reportedly amused patrons of a Kings Cross night club last week when they disappeared into the cloakroom for 20 minutes.
After settling the bill on Friday night, they moved to the trendy Mille Vini wine bar. Enroute they posed for photographs with fans, even stopping to play with a puppy.
Spotting the camera while on one of many cigarette breaks outside the bar, Johns eventually became irritated by the attention and penned a note to the photographer.
Van De Vorst wore a black skirt and leather jacket, with her blonde hair out, giving a slightly dishevelled look. “I’m really super happy,” she said last week.
It was a big week for Johns, who sparked much gossip in the music industry with his peculiar acceptance speeches at the APRA Music Awards on Monday.
Accepting one of his three awards, Johns jumped up to the podium and straddled Environment and Arts Minister Peter Garrett.
He accessorised his outfit with a white wedding garter belt and overt eye make-up.
Van De Vorst didn’t accompany her new beau to the awards, opting to enjoy the facilities of their inner-city hotel room.
But she later gushed with pride at his winning songwriter of the year, as well as most played Australian work and song of the year for Straight Lines.
“I’m really proud of him,” she said. “He’s very talented.”
Van de Vorst was reportedly introduced to Johns by her former boyfriend, Liam O’Brien, guitarist with Aussie band The Scare and a part-time bartender at Hugo’s.
source : news.com.au

Tags: boyfriend, fashion, Girlfriend, Love, Music, music awards, rap, wife

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were busy this past weekend. They were in Moscow for the MUZ TV music awards. One source says MUZ TV “is Russia’s answer to MTV, and it somehow manages to combine the street humour of the American network with a level of Russian slapstick that makes the channel a pleasure to watch.”

Jennifer looked like she had a blast at the news conference:

Here’s some video from the press conference as well. The interviewer is speaking in Russian, but Jen is replying in Engligh. She talks about seeing the countryside, her musical influences growing up (Janet Jackson, Madonna, and anyone who could sing and dance). Here’s part one of the interview.

Marc looked like he had a great time during the press conference too:

NOT!

Seriously, WHY does that guy have to look so bored and pissed off all the time? Granted, he’s probably experiencing some major jet lag, but then if he has jet lag so does Jenny. And she looks happy and refreshed. So… maybe Marc IS just crabby to be in Moscow.

Anyways, here’s a quick video shot of Jen and Marc leaving the press conference in Moscow:

Here’s Jen and Marc greeting people in Moscow. Jen is wearing a beautiful silver colored dress and looks like she’s already back in shape:

Here are Jen and Marc getting into a car. She’s got her hair up in a bun so perhaps they are on their way home:

Here’s Jen singing “Waiting for Tonight“:

She also sang a mix of “Jenny from the Block”, “My Love Don’t Cost a Thing”, “Get Right”, “Ain’t It Funny“:

And “Let’s Get Loud“:

Jen also gave out an award for best singer. She’s wearing a cute silver mini-dress with a honeycomb pattern on it. Very chic.

You just never know what block Jenny will turn up on next!

Image used with permission from Newscom.

Tags: celebrity appearance, jennifer lopez, Marc Anthony, moscow, music awards, MUZ TV, performance, Photos, video

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Tags: Jennifer Lopez, Lost, Love, madonna, Music, music awards, photos, press conference

Image details: 2005 World Music Awards - Show served by picapp.com

Beyoncé’s younger sister, Solange Knowles, has started her tour to promote her upcoming album “SoL-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.”  I was over on her MySpace page and I noticed that she lists the release date as August 26, 2008.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to think that releasing an album earlier in the summer is better than back-to-school time but what do I know?

Solange is currently on the “Art of Love” tour with Raheem DeVaughan and Chrisette Michelle.  Here are the dates:

May 31     St Louis, MO     The Pagaent
June 1     Kansas City     Beaumont Club
June 5     Cleveland, OH     House of Blues
June 6     Detroit, MI     Chene Park
June 7     Columbus, OH     The Cove Lounge
June 8     Memphis, TN     Canon Center
June 10     New York City, NY     Hammerstein Ballroom
June 11     Westbury, NY     North Fork Theatre
June 14     Philadelphia, PA     Fillmore
June 20     Atlanta, GA     Tabernacle
June 21     Orlando, FL     House of Blues
June 22     Miami, FL     Fillmore

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Tags: Love, Music, music awards

Babytalk, a magazine all about babies and parenting, is planning on presenting Nicole Richie with an award celebrating her as a mother. Nicole will be a recipient of the Golden Pacifier Award.

“Honoring Nicole Richie with a Babytalk Golden Pacifier Award might come as a surprise to some, but we felt that she deserved some recognition for her turnaround since becoming a mom,” editor in chief Lisa Moran told OK Magazine.

Babytalk is impressed with how Nicole has turned her life around since becoming prego with Harlow and feels that Nicole is always putting Harlow and her needs first. They are also impressed with Nicole’s effort with her new children’s charity, the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation.

“She’s grown up a lot since the arrival of little Harlow, and her creation of the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation has demonstrated her efforts to set a good example by shining a spotlight on important issues affecting today’s families,” Lisa adds.

I think Nicole is doing an awesome job as a mom, but find this award thing to be a bit weird. Why celebrate celebrity moms over other moms?

Tags: golden pacifier awards, harlow-madden, nicole-richie, nicole-richie-news

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Image details: 2007 American Music Awards - Show served by picapp.com

The reviews are in! Here’s what Jonathan Geddes from The Evening Times had to say about Avril Lavigne’s Best Damn Tour after seeing her first show back from acute laryngitis, in Glasgow, Scotland at the Academy:

AVRIL LAVIGNE swept into Glasgow last night to wow a sold-out venue

Woo-hoo! Don’t be shy - if you were there or at any other Best Damn Tour stops, let us know what you thought!

[Source]

Tags: Academy, Avril Lavigne Tour, Avril-Lavigne, Best Damn Tour, Glasgow Scotland, Jonathan Geddes, The Evening Times

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Tags: Music, music awards