Top 5 celebrity scandals of 2008

#5: Anne Hathaway had a great year career-wise, but her personal life crumbled when after breaking up with long-time boyfriend Raffaello Follieri, he was arrested. Anne’s place was searched, bad publicity surrounded her and the police even took her diary trying to find clues to support a case for money laundering and fraud against the Italian.

#4: The Hills were alive with a lot of drama this year! Lauren Conrad got caught in another scandal—not related to Heidi Montag or Spencer Pratt this time—when roommate Audrina Patridge accused her of “hooking up” with boyfriend Justin Bobby. LC denied it and even dedicated a blog to Audrina telling her she should know her better. Audrina talked about the rumor in every TV show and moved out.

#3: Miley Cyrus’ Vanity Fair semi-nude pictures, taken by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, were the cherry on the scandal cake after pictures featuring Miley in a green bra invaded the Internet. Miley’s parents were criticized for exploiting their teen daughter, the Disney Channel was urged to drop the actress from Hannah Montana, Cyrus apologized and blamed it all on Annie.

#2: Heath Ledger’s mysterious death and Mary-Kate Olsen’s involvement in the scandal still remain a question mark. Why did the masseuse who found Heath’s body in his New York apartment try to call Mary-Kate before calling 911? Why did MK refuse to talk about her relationship to Heath? Scandalous!

#1: Britney Spears’ rocky year takes the price for biggest scandal of 2008. The night that several police cars arrived at her house in California followed by tens of paparazzi, the world stopped fearing a sad ending for the princess of pop. The picture of Britney being taken into the hospital almost naked and completely disoriented is the most shocking picture of the year—specially because she has managed to recover and record the album of the moment.

For the top 5 celebrity mug shots of 2008, click here. 

For 5 celebrity holiday pictures, go here. 

Go here for a list of gifts for the celebrity-obsessed.