The Good and Bad of 2010

Good: Helen Mirren Prior to this year, most Americans knew Helen Mirren as that brilliant, serious British actress from movies like The Queen, Gosford Park and Elizabeth I. In 2010, however, it was: Helen Mirren: action star! Helen Mirren: video game spokesperson! Helen Mirren: hottie!The 65-year-old seemed to be everywhere this year; flashing her fabulous figure on the red carpets of the six movies she appeared in, posing nude for New York magazine and of course -- on screen. Mirren broke from the mold of stiff, proper characters we're used to, as we saw her play a brothel owner in Love Ranch, a Shakespearean duchess in The Tempest and former CIA agent in R.E.D. That will be hard to top in 2011!

Bad: Mel Gibson Was 2010 the worst year of Mel Gibsons life? Probably. Do we feel bad for him? Probably not. Its hard to feel sympathy towards someone after you and the rest of the world have heard him seething at his ex-girlfriend, telling her she deserved to be beaten and threatening to bury her in a rose garden.Mels ex, Oksana Grigorieva the mother of his year-old daughter accused Mel of hitting her back in January while she was holding baby Luciana. A domestic violence investigation has ensued, the two have armies of lawyers battling in court, and no one is coming out a winner.

Bad: Hillary Think WikiLeaks was bad? If youre Hillary Clinton it was really, really bad. Keeping state secrets is the responsibility of the Secretary of State, so the scandal was pretty much her worst nightmare. Since the documents leaked, shes been holed up in her office 24/7 apologizing to world leaders for causing them embarrassment. Does that sound like fun to you?

Good: Chelsea Who knew that ten years after losing the first daughter title, Chelsea Clinton would command the nations attention for weeks? Bill and Hillarys little girl did just that as she prepared to walk down the aisle over the summer and marry longtime boyfriend Mark Mezvinsky. Suddenly the town of Rhinebeck, NY was the hottest zip code in America as the country watched and waited for news of the ultra-exclusive guest list, words from the proud Pop and photos of the brides gown. In due time, we got them all, Chelsea and Mark rode off into the sunset and Rhinebeck returned to anonymity.

Good: Prince William and Kate Middleton Finally! Eight years after meeting as students at St. Andrews, the announcement came that William would be making Kate his princess. The news created a whirlwind of attention that likely wont cease until the couple ties the knot at Westminster Abbey in April. The royal family hasnt seen this much media coverage since the days of Princess Diana -- but hopefully this story will have a happier ending.

Bad: Prince Charles and Camilla Late 2010 wasnt quite as pleasant for Wills dad Charles and his wife Camilla. Just weeks after the engagement announcement, Charles and Camillas Rolls-Royce was ambushed in London by a mob of student tuition fee protesters who broke a window and jabbed Camilla with a stick. Needless to say, theyve since been traveling in an armor-plated car surrounded by a slew of bodyguards and a police escort.

Good: The Expendables Nearly 30 years after Rambo, the name Sly Stallone doesnt exactly scream box office superstar, but thats what he was in 2010 with the release of The Expendables. Sly gathered action veterans like Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and together, they made box office gold. Despite mixed reviews, the film debuted at number one and has gone on to earn over $260 million worldwide.

Bad: Burlesque Cher picked an unfortunate project in which to make her return to the big screen. The campy musical featuring Christina Aguilera was panned by critics and avoided like the plague at the box office. RottenTomatoes.com commented, Burlesque wastes its talented cast on a movie that wavers uncertainly between 'bad' and 'so bad it's good. Ouch. The bright side? The Hollywood Foreign Press (inexplicably) included the bomb in the Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category at the upcoming Golden Globes. We wont be holding our breath for the win.

Good: Jennifer Grey Did we need any reminder that you dont put baby in a corner? If so, Jennifer Grey provided it when she dominated the competition on Dancing With the Stars and walked off with the season 11 mirror ball trophy. The 50-year-old showed grace and resilience as she stunned the judges from week to week, all while pushing through injuries so severe, she needed surgery on the heels of her victory. Was it worth it? Wed say so.

Bad: Margaret Cho Bitter, perhaps? After an early exit, the outspoken comedienne apparently wasnt ready to give up the limelight. Cho dove into the controversy surrounding Bristol Palins staying power with a blog entry claiming Sarah Palin forced her daughter onto the show. Bristol fired back with a few insults of her own, and Poof!, Margaret once again disappeared off the national radar.

Good: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Gorgeous houses, behind-the-scenes celebrity drama and the most Botoxd babes in Beverly Hills: whats better television than that? The latest edition of Bravos Housewives franchise took living large to a whole new level, and reeled in the viewers as we watched Kelsey Grammers marriage collapse first-hand. Having gotten to know the self-absorbed Camille, we understand why Kelsey is already engaged again -- but we still cant take our eyes off of her and her catty castmates.

Bad: The Real Housewives of Washington D.C. Bravo had already begun filming when Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed the White House in late 2009, and the network was then faced with a decision: to air or not to air. They figured the allure of tabloid drama would outweigh the publics morals and bring in big ratings, but they were wrong on both counts. The Salahis came across as delusional social pariahs and the viewers stayed away, not wanting to reward their behavior with the one thing they craved: more attention. Hopefully weve heard the last of them.

Good: Madonna The episode dedicated to Madonna was so popular, talk of a sequel began the morning after it aired. The casts renditions of hits like Vogue and Like a Virgin were so successful; the show released a special album dedicated to the covers which shot up to number one on the iTunes album charts. Theyve tried to replicate its success with other artist dedication episodes, but theyve all fallen flat. Long live the Queen!

Bad: Carol Burnett The internet was a buzz when word leaked that Carol Burnett would be appearing on the show as Sue Sylvesters mom. What a pairing! Sadly, expectations were dashed when the legendary star was cast off to Sues lame Im going to marry myself plotline, isolating her from the energy of main cast. Luckily we got a song from Ms. Burnett -- but Ohio? We wanted more.

Good: Phil Mickelson

In April, the 40-year-old won his third Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia. After the final hole, he flew into the waiting arms of wife Amy, whose battle with breast cancer had made headlines over the past year. Always a bright presence at her husbands tournaments, Amys subsequent absences were just as noticeable making her return to the sideline for this Masters all the more special. As Jim Nantz pointed out on Phils final birdie putt: That's a win for the family.

Bad: Tiger Woods The drama surrounding Tiger began unfolding on Thanksgiving of 2009, but it was 2010 when we really saw his life unravel. His wife divorced him (taking with her about $110 million), he lost endorsements, respect, and his previously infallible reputation in the golf world. Things can only get better in 2011. At least we hope.

Good: Randy Johnson

The 47-year-old pitcher announced in January that he was retiring after 22 Major League seasons. Johnson played with six teams over his career, but most of his years were spent with the Seattle Mariners, from 1989 to 1998, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, from 1999 to 2004 and then again from 2007 to 2008. He was a five-time Cy Young Award winner and 2001 World Series co-MVP, whose accomplishments also include 303 career wins, a 20-strikeout game against the Cincinnati Reds in May 2001, and a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves in May 2004. Great career, right time to go.

Good: Chilean Miners The front page was finally dominated with good news after we learned that 33 miners had survived a cave-in in Chili. The world and of course the miners then waited for 69 days as an operation was devised to rescue the men, who were trapped three miles from the mines entrance. Approximately one billion people watched the miraculous rescue on live television around the world.

Bad: Earthquake in Haiti Tragedy struck Haiti this past January when a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the destitute nation. An estimated 230,000 people died, 300,000 were injured and over 1 million left homeless. Nearly a year later, were still hearing stories about death and disease -- and recovery is nowhere in sight. So heres hoping that 2011 will be a lot better year for this small sad country. And that it will be a happy new year for all of us!