We look back at the biggest, best and WTF-est of 2009 so far … because why wait till the end of the year?
Biggest News of the Half-Year: The King of Pop Dies at 50
Up until June 25, the decision here was quite easy: By entertainment-news standards, no story approached the magnitude and sheer longevity (the aftermath has lasted almost five months—and counting!) of the Rihanna-Chris Brown saga, which started way back in early February following an altercation that left the “Umbrella” singer with a facefull of bruises. It dominated the headlines, gossip blogs and message boards, and divided fans, celeb friends of the duo and, finally, the pop superstars themselves. But then, on June 25, the decision for this spot became infinitely easier when the world’s most famous musician, probably ever, died suddenly. It was a day that also saw the passing of Charlie's Angels star Farrah Fawcett, which might explain to a certain degree why so many people are still saying that Michael Jackson’s death hasn’t yet sunk in. The details are still unfolding, and so are everybody’s feelings, but the "I’ll always remember where I was” news was the most colossal story in several years, let alone the first half of this one. KEEP READING: 'It' Person of the Half-Year