Celebrities tried to be real people in 2002

NEW YORK -- 2002 should have been the year that celebrity didn't matter as much.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks should have put our fascination with inane pop culture in perspective. How could we still care about which contestant on a desert island wins $1 million? Or which pop starlet is dating which boy-band member?

Not only did celebrity continue to matter, it showed itself in new forms. We became enraptured by a woman who could belt out an Aretha Franklin song after years of practice in karaoke bars, and a bachelor who chose his bride after dating 25 competitors for weeks on prime-time television.

A look back at the people and stories we talked about, whether they deserved it or not:

Celebrity reality. "The Osbournes" became the most popular show in MTV's history. When Ozzy, Sharon and the kids opened their home to us, they opened the floodgates to a wave of copycats, including Anna Nicole Smith, Brian "Kato" Kaelin and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. At the same time came the idea that real people (just like us!) could become stars. We probably know more about "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson and "The Bachelor" than we do about the person sitting in the cubicle next to us at work.

Jennifer Lopez. You could run but you couldn't hide -- J.Lo was everywhere, with albums ("J to Tha L-O" and "This is Me ... Then"), movies ("Enough" and "Maid in Manhattan"), a clothing line, perfume and, of course, her high-profile love life. After eight months of marriage, she split from her second husband, dancer Cris Judd, and got engaged to Ben Affleck.

Jacko wackiness. You could run from Michael Jackson, but why would you want to? Following his antics was far more entertaining, from his accusations of racism against his record label to his ever-changing face to the dangling of his infant son over a balcony railing. And of course, he was best man at the wedding of the year ...

Liza Minnelli and David Gest. What good is sitting alone in your room when you can walk down the aisle, for the fourth time, in a custom Bob Mackie gown? Minnelli's Manhattan nuptials to Gest, a producer, marked a comeback from years of health problems and obesity. Also in 2002, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills married before 300 of their closest friends at an Irish castle.

Breakups. Besides J.Lo and hubby No. 2, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Billy Bob Thornton, ending one of the weirder Hollywood matches; they bragged about their sex lives in interviews and wore vials of each other's blood around their necks. Nicolas Cage left Lisa Marie Presley after less than four months of marriage. And the one that still wakes me up crying in the middle of the night: Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

Crime blotter. Robert Blake was arrested for the murder of his wife outside a Los Angeles restaurant. Winona Ryder was convicted of shoplifting from a Los Angeles department store. And far from Los Angeles, publicist-to-the-stars Lizzie Grubman backed her SUV into unsuspecting members of the glitterati in the Hamptons.

Comebacks? Mariah Carey came out with a new album after her emotional breakdown and flop of a film, "Glitter," in 2001. And amid talk about her emaciated frame and turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston released her first album in four years -- and admitted she'd abused drugs.

Going solo. Could 2002 mark the end of the boy-band bonanza? Timberlake of 'N Sync and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys released solo albums. 'N Sync's Joey Fatone appeared in "Rent" on Broadway and in the indie film smash "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson is preparing to play Billy Flynn on Broadway in "Chicago." And 'N Sync's Lance Bass tried to become the youngest person in space, but was brought back to Earth when his sponsors failed to pay the $20 million price tag.

Rosie O'Donnell. She came out of the closet. She pulled out of her talk show. She shut down her magazine. She took on Florida's law banning gay adoptions. And she added to her own large family when her girlfriend gave birth to a baby girl. Speaking of babies ...

Elizabeth Hurley. The supermodel-turned-actress-turned-producer produced a son, Damian Charles. But the boy's father, producer Steve Bing, denied paternity. The British tabloids took him to task, then apologized. And DNA tests showed Bing is the daddy after all.