Celebrity of the Decade: Who Should It Be?

on December 29, 2009 at 7:00 AM

Photo from People

The first decade of the new millenium has been filled with huge celebrity headliners, but which celebrity deserves the Celebrity of the Decade title?

Is it Britney Spears, who began the decade as pop's princess, dating Justin Timberlake, breaking album records, and (gasp) kissing Madonna? Her scandalous spiral began in 2004 when she married a hometown friend in Vegas for a total of 55 hours, then tied the knot with Kevin Federline a year later. Two years and two beautiful little boys after that, K-Fed and Brit went through a very public and messy divorce. Britney hit rock bottom in 2006-07, shaving her head, attacking paparazzi with an umbrella, and being forced in rehab. With the help of Papa Spears, she got her life back together and she's ending the decade on an even higher note than it started.

Angeline Jolie went from wild child to humanitarian this past decade. In 2000, she made headlines when she lip-locked with her brother at the Oscars. One month and a rehab visit later, she married (much older) Billy Bob Thornton. In 2002, she began creating her little Jolie clan with the adoption of her first child from Cambodia. The (odd?) family ended when Jolie and Thornton divorced in '03. Then, in '06, after heavy rumors, Jolie and co-star of Mr. and Mrs. Smith Brad Pitt (who was at the time married to Jennifer Aniston), began their relationship, which still continues today. The Pitt-Jolie clan now includes their three biological children and three adopted children.

Tom Cruise's professional life was shadowed by his personal life. From jumping on Oprah's couch professing his love to Katie Holmes to his ode to the Scientology religion, Tom Cruise became thought of as a joke instead of the highly-respected actor from the 90s.

The world saw change when the United States elected their first black president, Barack Obama. Whether you're an Obama supporter or not, this will definitely go down in American history.

The world lost a major musical influence in the summer of '09 when the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, suddenly passed away. Earlier in the decade, his life was filled with scandals such as dangling his baby from a hotel window and being charged with child molestation, though he was acquitted of the latter in 2005.

So, in your opinion, who should be crowned Celebrity of the Decade? One of these five or someone else?

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