The Year in Entertainment

ByABC News
December 30, 2006, 2:41 PM

— -- 2006 was a tumultuous year in entertainment, to say the least. From celebrity couples to celebrity babies, YouTube and Chuck Norris, "Nightline" revisits the biggest entertainment stories of the year.

First, "Nightline" brings you the stars, the marquee names that have been in the spotlight this year.

The 78th annual Academy Awards marked first-time nominations for two actors; Terrence Howard, star of last year's critically acclaimed "Hustle and Flow," and actress Keira Knightly for her role in a new version of "Pride and Prejudice."

On television, "Grey's Anatomy" remained one of the top shows of the year, noted as much for its race-blind casting as its on-set antics.

And in the music world, Beyonce, former front girl for the group Destiny's Child, continued her climb to success, scoring a huge role as Deena in "Dreamgirls." She celebrated her 25th birthday while her famous boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, ended his brief retirement, to release his new CD, "Kingdom Come."

2006 also witnessed the explosion of new media, most notably Internet video -- and a lot of the focus was on YouTube.com. Whether it was someone's dad singing Tango, or Keira Knightly playing "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" on her teeth, YouTube was everywhere. The buzz only got bigger when Internet giant Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion.

One of the biggest hits on YouTube turned into a sensation all its own. For months the sad stories of a quiet video blogger using the name 'lonelygirl15' captivated Internet audiences, who later learned that 16-year-old Bree was actually not a real person, but a character being played by 19-year-old Jessica Rose, an aspiring actress from New Zealand.

And, of course, 2006 brought us new ways to keep tabs on our favorite celebrities. TMZ.com became an online celebrity tabloid sensation with a number of scoops, including the police report of Mel Gibson's now notorious arrest and anti-Semitic rant.

Finally, we recognize the comebacks, the characters and stories who found new life in 2006.