BarbraNews.com

10 December 2005

ET's Top 25 Stories of All-Time

December 10, 2005

This weekend on ET, we continue to count down the top 25 entertainment stories over the past 25 years, from MICHAEL JACKSON's rise and fall to JOHNNY CARSON's retirement and VANESSA WILLIAMS dethroned!

VANESSA WILLIAMS DETHRONED - She was the first African-American Miss America and went on to earn an Academy Award®, 14 Grammy® nominations, and star on Broadway, in film and on television. But how many remember how she was forced to relinquish her Miss America crown in 1984 when nude photos of her were published in Penthouse magazine? We examine the scandal.

BARBRA STREISAND'S BACK - The legendary singer, actress and director is profiled with the release of a DVD that contains her TV specials, including 1965's "My Name is Barbra." ET was granted access into her world with rare interviews and behind-the-scenes footage on her film and video sets; we present the diary of Barbra in her own words.

ELLEN COMES OUT - Ellen DeGeneres finally came into her own leading the ensemble of "Ellen," earning her four Emmy nominations as Best Actress and capturing the statue for her scripting contributions for the "coming out" episode titled "The Puppy Episode." In April 1997, she herself came out in a two-part interview with DIANE SAWYER. TV history was made when her character Ellen Morgan disclosed her homosexuality, thereby becoming the first openly gay lead in a series. Unfortunately, it spelled the end of the sitcom. We look back at the events of the day, along with Ellen's relationship with her then-lover, ANNE HECHE.

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE RISE & FALL - Michael Jackson has been in the spotlight his entire life, beginning with the JACKSON 5 to his mega-selling solo career. We have great behind-the-scenes footage of Michael backstage, in the studio and on the set. We also have early interviews that chronicle the rise of Michael, including his cosmetic surgery to substantially alter his looks, the public appearances wearing a surgical mask, and his preference for animals and children that earned him a questionable reputation, culminating in a pair of headline-grabbing cases involving claims of molesting young boys.

THE BEE GEES REIGN- We examine the career of the disco gurus, including their many comeback incarnations and the deaths of brothers MAURICE and teen-idol ANDY. The British legends have granted ET many interviews and have allowed our cameras backstage to capture the sound that has made them famous for more than 30 years.

JOHNNY CARSON RETIRES - A late-night TV talk show host for three decades whose longevity was matched only by his enormous popularity, Carson catapulted into national consciousness when he replaced JACK PAAR as the host of "The Tonight Show" in 1962. The celebrity talk show format did not originate with Carson, but his unique blend of quick wit, patented slow takes, topical humor, and expert timing and delivery made him the TV personality audiences wanted to invite into their bedrooms every night. His sudden retirement and replacement was news from coast to coast, and ET was there.