The Top 25 Stories of 2009 ... So Far

As we come to the Fourth of July holiday (and as we take two seconds to catch our breath from the Michael Jackson marathon from the past week), we wanted to look back on the stories that resonated most with our readers in the first half of 2009. Way too many tragedies for our taste, mixed with some triumphs, scandals and absolutely absurd items. How did we figure the list below out? We looked at views of individual articles. So, for instance, we know the developing news around the Michael Jackson death has exploded over the week. But we didn't add up all the angles surrounding it ... we only looked at visits to the initial death story. That's why he's on the list .. but is he Number One?

Below are the top 25 stories that moved you in one way or another since January 1.

The people of Boston love many things. The Red Sox, yelling at Yankees fans, chowder, the Charles River. Jay Leno, however, doesn't seem to be on their list of likes. Read More >>>

And the number one reason Letterman shocked his audience during the taping of Monday's 'Late Night' show is... he announced that he had married long-time girlfriend Regina Lasko on Thursday in Choteau, Montana. Read More >>>

Advance details from 'Little House on the Prairie' star Melissa Gilbert's tell-all memoir have hit the Internet, and from the sound of it, that little house was not the happiest home. Star magazine reports that 'Prairie Tale', due out June 9, accuses actress Shannen Doherty of breaking up Gilbert's marriage to Bo Brinkman - when she was just a teen. Read More >>>

Fledgling singer Brooke Hogan performed at the Ocho Calle Latin festival in Miami this weekend, but her vocals weren't the highlight of the show. Hogan performed a spicy pole dance in a sparkly, midriff-baring top and matching bottoms while hundreds of onlookers watched - including her dad, former wrestler Hulk Hogan. Read More >>>

Remember all that weight gain hoopla surrounding Jessica Simpson a month or so ago? The now-country singer seems to have wiped them out in the single donning of a pair of short-shorts, a la her Daisy Dukes character from 'The Dukes of Hazard' movie. Read More >>>

According to new reports from E! and PEOPLE, Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer have ended their relationship -- again. Allegedly, Mayer called it quits when Aniston returned from overseas, where she was promoting 'Marley & Me,' citing their busy careers as a deal breaker. Read More >>>

While Jon's away, Kate will play ... with her eight kids and a camera crew on a beach in a bikini. Read More >>>

Julia Louis-Dreyfus appears on the April 2009 cover of Shape Magazine looking younger and healthier than ever. The 'New Adventures of Old Christine' actress says her toned body is the product of diet, exercise and good genes - but not plastic surgery. Here are some of the highlights of lucky Julia's candid chat with Shape. Read More >>>

The combination of a large chest and high-waisted pants is not flattering, just ask Jessica Simpson. Read More >>>

Miley Cyrus takes to her blog for the second time to apologize for a picture of her and her friends with their eyelids pulled back, which many considered to be racially insensitive toward Asian people. Read More >>>

Even though third season 'Biggest Loser' champ, Erik Chopin, lost a remarkable 214 pounds on the show, he has gained half his original weight back. Weighing in close to 300 pounds, Chopin says once he stopped getting attention from the show, he fell into depression and stopped exercising. He sat down for a candid interview with Access Hollywood to talk about yo-yo dieting, body lift surgery and getting his weight under control. Read More >>>

It's been more than five years since Rachael Ray posed in next to nothing for men's mag FHM, and despite negative feedback from fans and even her mother, the TV cook says she'd "do it again tomorrow" if given the chance. Read More >>>

It's not the first time a photo has posed a problem for an 'American Idol' contestant, and it probably won't be the last. Pictures of Adam Lambert, who made the show's top 12 last week, kissing another male have been circling the Internet. Read More >>>

Farrah Fawcett, the actress who shot to worldwide fame thanks to her role in 'Charlie's Angels' and other Hollywood ventures along the way, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was 62 years old. Read More >>>

Authorities in the Bahamas detained three people, including a Bahamas senator, on Friday in connection with an alleged $20 million extortion plot against John Travolta, local officials told TMZ. Read More >>>

PopEater has confirmed that the husband of 'Little House on the Prairie' actress Sidney Greenbush killed himself just two days after Greenbush told him she was seeking a divorce. Read More >>>

Move over, Adam Lambert. There's someone else who Simon Cowell likes.Susan Boyle, a 47-year-old contestant on 'Britain's Got Talent,' unexpectedly wowed Cowell and the other two judges, including Simon-like Brit Piers Morgan, with her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' from 'Les Miserables. Read More >>>

In the wake of shocking news of pop superstar Michael Jackson's death, many are left wondering about the fate of his three children. Early reports by RadarOnline suggest that Jackson's mother Katherine will assume custody of the children. Read More >>>

Rihanna has been identified as the victim in Chris Brown's assault charge, TMZ first reported, and now there's more details coming out about what happened in the hours after the incident. A RadarOnline.com witness who was in the hospital with Rihanna says the 'Disturbia' singer "was clearly very upset by what had happened and I could hear her screaming." Read More >>>

Even if their big "announcement" was spoiled by the fact that PEOPLE broke the news of their divorce papers being filed, Jon and Kate Gosselin sure did let things off their chest during Monday night's special episode in which they admit they were splitting after 10 years of marriage. Read More >>>

Popular product pusher Billy Mays had an enlarged heart and likely died over the weekend of a pulmonary embolism, or blocked artery, a medical examiner told reporters on Monday. There was no sign of head trauma. He was 50. Read More >>>

TMZ reported on Tuesday that Richardson had fallen while taking a lesson on the slopes of the Canadian resort. They say there was no blood and no sign of impact. Two ski patrollers came to her rescue. When they got there she was conscious, smiling and making jokes. Read More >>>

An official with a Bahamian funeral home says Jett Travolta's death certificate says he was killed by a "seizure." Glen Campbell is assistant director of the funeral home handling the remains of John Travolta's 16-year-old son. Read More >>>

Michael Jackson, the charismatic musician who came to be known as The "King of Pop,' has died at the age of 50. Michael's brother Jermaine, during a brief statement at the hospital, said the following: "My brother, the legendary King of Pop Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25 at 2:26 pm. Read More >>>

Natasha Richardson, a gifted and precocious heiress to acting royalty whose career highlights included the film "Patty Hearst" and a Tony-winning performance in a stage revival of "Cabaret," died Wednesday at age 45 after suffering a head injury during a beginners' ski lesson. Read More >>>