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Oscar-winning Hollywood star Julia Roberts had yet another successful year with her ninth win at the US People's Choice awards in January. She became a mother in November, giving birth to twins Phinnaeus and Hazel.

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Ricky Gervais, the co-creator of TV hit The Office, was surprised when he made history as the first UK actor to win a TV comedy acting prize at the Golden Globes.

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The Darkness also had much to celebrate, including leading February's Brit Awards with three prizes, plus their album topping 500,000 sales in the US that month.

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Harry Potter author JK Rowling joined the prestigious US-based Forbes magazine's list of world billionaires. Forbes said in February her wealth rose to $1bn (�530m) with the success of The Order of the Phoenix.

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Peter Jackson gained global recognition for his Lord of the Rings trilogy, which swept the board at the Oscars with 11 wins out of 11 nominations.

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The Alamo failed to cause a stir at the box office. The tale about Davy Crockett cost Disney $107m (�59m) to make yet earned only $9.2m (�5m) in its opening weekend in the US.

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Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake managed to upstage the Super Bowl with a revealing half-time show, sparking thousands of complaints.

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Singer Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty in court to 10 child molestation charges in April. Jury selection is due to begin on 31 January, but the trial proper may not get under way for months after that.

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Director Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush movie Fahrenheit 9/11 won the prestigious Palme d'Or at May's Cannes film festival. It was the first documentary to win the top prize since Jacques Cousteau's The Silent World in 1956.

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Madonna immersed herself in the spiritual teachings of Kabbalah during the first day of her visit to Israel in September.

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Pop star Britney Spears married dancer Kevin Federline in September having announced their engagement in June after two months together. In January Spears, 22, married friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas but it was annulled 55 hours later.

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Midge Ure and Bob Geldof re-released their fundraising single Do They Know It's Christmas? in November, 20 years after it last topped the charts. Proceeds are going towards relief for the Darfur region of Sudan and to combat HIV and Aids across Africa.