Five of the Top Entertainment News Stories of 2007

There were numerous headlines involving members of the entertainment world in 2007. Some were scandalous, some were tragic and others were downright ridiculous. Most of us remained fascinated by learning about the goings-on of celebrities and those affiliated with them.

Five of the show biz news stories that held our interest this year were:

A Legend Dies

Opera great Luciano Pavarotti died in 2007. The corpulent tenor was thought by many to have one of the finest voices of his generation. His efforts to bring opera to the masses by giving concerts and singing with popular artists of the day delighted "regular" folks and irritated music "purists."

The 71-year-old Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy and made his debuts at the prestigious La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera during the 1960's. Although opera fans already knew about him, it was his performance at the 1990 World Cup that introduced him to the public at large. He appeared in a film (unfortunately, the dreadful Yes, Giorgio), did a tour with two other well-known tenors- Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras- and appeared on television.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006, Pavarotti was forced to stop performing. He died on September 6, survived by second wife Nicoletta Mantovani and five children.

Writers Render Hollywood Speechless

Hollywood was left in a quandary when its film and television writers went on strike in late 2007. The Writers Guild of America stopped work and started picketing to get a bigger percentage from internet sales of DVDs. The studios have not been agreeable, thus far, despite television networks being forced into reruns, because no new scripts are available.

Words Can Kill ,,, Careers