TORONTO — Celebrity news in 2013 can be summed up with the opening words of the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”
Or, perhaps more appropriately, by paraphrasing the first verse of beloved ’80s sitcom Facts of Life: “You take the good, you take the bad, you take ’em both, and there you have… celebrities in 2013.”
Here’s a look at some of the stars who made headlines in the past year.
LEAVE IT TO BIEBER
For someone who didn’t release an album or appear in a movie in 2013, Justin Bieber sure managed to stay in the spotlight — and the headlines.
The belt-challenged 19-year-old pop star continued to capitalize on the female fan frenzy by touring the world in 2013. Along the way, he added lots of ink to his body and spawned plenty of ink about his behaviour.
The year started with news that Bieber and Selena Gomez were officially over. Then came the video showing Bieber urinating in a mop bucket; the photos of a nude Bieber and his grandma (you read that right); an alleged altercation with a neighbour in his Calabasas community; alleged scraps inside nightclubs in Toronto and Ohio; the discovery of drugs on his tour bus; accusations he spit on fans from the balcony of Toronto’s Hazelton Hotel; an alleged attack on a paparazzo; and reports that he abandoned his monkey.
Bieber was also caught sneaking out of a brothel in Brazil, snapped being carried by bodyguards up the Great Wall of China, and criticized for spraying graffiti in Australia.
The singer also came under fire for suggesting Anne Frank would have been a fan.
But, to be fair, Bieber’s good works — visiting kids in hospitals, doing charity work in Guatemala, raising funds for typhoon relief, and promoting the Pencils of Promise charity — rarely get the same kind of coverage.
Bieber’s acting like a typical 19-year-old dude. A rich, talented 19-year-old dude with ripped abs and 47 million Twitter followers. If we’re completely honest, we’re all a little bit jealous.
GIRL POWER
Women were more than a formidable force in entertainment in 2013.
Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, P!nk and Rihanna are just some of the talented femmes who dominated the airwaves and awards shows.
At the Emmy Awards, four of the five Comedy Series Director nominees were women (Modern Family‘s Gail Mancuso won). Kerry Washington was the first black lead actress to be nominated at the Emmys since 1995.
Canada’s Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
But it wasn’t all good news for women.
On the big screen, Sandra Bullock soared in Gravity and Jennifer Lawrence kicked butt in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire but the rest of the year’s top-grossing movies kept women relegated to sidekick status.
There was no shortage of testosterone in Iron Man 3, Fast & Furious 6, Thor: The Dark World, The Wolverine, G.I. Joe Retaliation, The Hangover III, Captain Phillips, Pacific Rim and This is the End.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was such a sausage fest that director Peter Jackson added a female character (played by Canada’s Evangeline Lilly).
Those female stars who did find movie roles were often expected to take it off. Alice Eve and Jennifer Aniston appeared in gratuitous underwear scenes in Star Trek Into Darkness and We’re The Millers respectively.
Oscar host Seth Macfarlane sang about “boobs” and most of the attention Miley Cyrus got in 2013 was for showing skin and flaunting her sexuality — either in print, online or on the MTV Video Awards.
READ MORE: Box office hits and misses of 2013
Reese Witherspoon was busted for disorderly conduct after she and husband Jim Toth were pulled over by police in Atlanta on suspicion of DUI. The actress told cops: “Do you know my name? You’re about to find out who I am.” Witherspoon later apologized.
Actress Amanda Bynes started the year posting bizarre tweets and by mid-year was arrested after allegedly tossing a bong out the window of her NYC apartment. Bynes spent most of the latter half of the year in a treatment facility to deal with addiction and mental health issues.
Emma Roberts was arrested by Montreal police after an alleged altercation with boyfriend Evan Peters. No charges were filed and the two are reportedly still together.
Julianne Hough found herself in hot water after going to a Halloween party dressed as Crazy Eyes from Orange is the New Black — complete with black face paint. She later explained: “It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way.”
Celebrity chef Paula Deen was singing the same tune when she was sued by a former employee who alleged Deen used sexual and racial slurs. Deen defended her use of the N-word in jokes and apologized publicly — but she lost several endorsement deals and her Food Network gig.
Montreal’s Genevieve Sabourin was convicted of stalking Alec Baldwin and sentenced to 210 days in jail.
IN MEMORIAM
The world lost some talented people in 2013 — too many to list here.
Canadian actor Cory Monteith, fresh out of rehab, died in a Vancouver hotel room from a toxic mix of heroin and alcohol. Fellow Canadians Conrad Bain, best known for his role on Diff’rent Strokes, and August Schellenberg, also passed away.
Fast & Furious hunk Paul Walker died when the Porsche he was a passenger in lost control and slammed into a tree, bursting into flames.
READ MORE: Celebrity splits, marriages and babies of 2013
Actors Peter O’Toole, James Gandolfini, Bonnie Franklin, Richard Griffiths, Annette Funicello, Jonathan Winters, Jeanne Cooper, Jean Stapleton, Dennis Farina, Eileen Brennan, Karen Black, Lisa Robin Kelly, Lee Thompson Young, Ed Lauter, and Marcia Wallace are just some of the famous folks who passed away.
The music world mourned the likes of Lou Reed, Patti Page, Mindy McCready, George Jones, Eydie Gorme, J.J. Cale, Alan Myers of Devo, Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman, Chris Kelly, Richie Havens, Chrissy Amphlett and Phil Ramone.
Canada (and the world) mourned the death of Rita MacNeil.
Book lovers lost Tom Clancy and Elmore Leonard.
IT’S GOOD TO BE GAY
Gay stars were shining brighter than ever in 2013.
Four of the five stars nominated in the Favourite Comedic TV Actor category at the upcoming People’s Choice Awards are openly gay — and the fifth plays a gay character.
Actress Maria Bello revealed she’s in a relationship with a woman and British diving champ Tom Daley confirmed he’s in a relationship with a man (reportedly Hollywood writer Dustin Lance Black).
Canadian actor Victor Garber, former Prison Break star Wentworth Miller, Sherlock star Andrew Scott, actress Raven-Symone, singer Charice, actor Matt Dallas, WWE star Darren Young, former NBA player Jason Collins, pro soccer player Robbie Rogers and young actor Troye Sivan all came out in different ways.
At the Golden Globes, Jodie Foster spoke for the first time about being gay.
Former child star Blake McIver came out three years ago but revealed in 2013 he’s working as a go-go dancer.
Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez admitted she’s “gone both ways” and Panic! at the Disco singer Brendon Urie said “it’s fun to dabble” with guys. Music mogul Clive Davis, 80, also spoke openly about his relationships with men.
Indigo Girls singer Emily Saliers married her Canadian partner Tristin Chipman; actor John Barrowman tied the knot with his longtime partner Scott Gill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson exchanged vows with his beau Justin Mikita; and TR Knight wed Patrick Leahy.
Even Benedict Cumberbatch got into the action, officiating at the wedding of his friends Seth Cummings and Rob Rinder.
HE’S NEVER HEARD OF YOU EITHER
He’s behind some of the biggest songs of 2013 and he’s Canadian but few people outside the music industry have heard of Henry Walter.
A Halifax native who moved to Toronto before hitting Los Angeles, Walter (who is also known as Cirkut) co-wrote the Katy Perry hits “Roar,” “Unconditionally” and “Dark Horse” as well as Ke$ha’s “Die Young,” Britney Spears’ “Ooh La La,” The Wanted’s “Walks Like Rihanna,” Robin Thicke’s “Give it 2 U” and will.i.am’s “Fall Down.”
Walter also co-wrote — with fellow Canadian Stephan Moccio — the Miley Cyrus smash “Wrecking Ball.”
Walter’s incredible year ended with a Grammy nomination for “Roar.”
Take that, Biebs.
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