2004: The Year in Entertainment

ByABC News
December 14, 2004, 4:41 PM

— -- Have you ever had one of those days when you knew from the onset, it was gonna be a doozy?

You spill coffee on your shirt on the way out the door, someone is parked behind your car so you can't get out, your big deal falls through at the office, the traffic going home is hideous, your grocery bag rips, spilling two dozen tangerines. And just when you're about to blow, you open the garage door upon returning home and your kids come out to greet you, your spouse has a cocktail waiting and the entire bad day seems to melt away.

That's the kind of year 2004 was in the world of entertainment … the one that stinks at first, but ends up OK.

Let's have a look at some of the year's top stories, shall we?

1) Britney Does, Then Doesn't -- And as quickly as she did, she didn't anymore. Britney Spears married Jason Alexander, an old high school friend, in a quickie ceremony in Vegas. Then, as most inebriated folks that get married in Vegas do, she annulled the marriage almost immediately after. But wait ... she'll be back for seconds.

2) Bennifer Breakup -- Yes, although it seems like an eternity has passed, it was in January 2004 when the anything-but-dynamic duo put the kibosh on their romance. Not a bad thing, but we had to see another 50 magazine covers explaining what we already knew ... you can't put a square peg in a J.Lo.

3) That's Janet, That's Nasty -- Janet Jackson performed at Super Bowl XXXVIII's halftime show, where she sang with Justin Timberlake, danced with Justin Timberlake and exposed nipple with Justin Timberlake. Let's just say it's one of those deals when something so small causes something so big.

4) A Passion for Fahrenheit? -- Two movies make big waves with two very different audiences. Mel Gibson released a controversial account of the last days of Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ," while Michael Moore offered a controversial account of how the United States went to war under George W. Bush in "Fahrenheit 9/11." Both films were condemned by many and embraced by many more.