Top 10 Scandals of 2007

1. ANNA NICOLE SMITH's untimely passing set off a firestorm of controversy that continues today. She was found dead in a Florida hotel room on February 8, 2007, and it was later determined that she died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. A court battle ensued over who had the right to bury the late model, and a Florida judge ruled that her baby girl, DANNIELYNN, had the right to her body. The court appointed a guardian ad litem for the little girl, and he decided that Anna Nicole should be buried with her late son, DANIEL, in the Bahamas. An investigation by the medical board of California into two doctors, KHRISTINE EROSHEVICH and SANDEEP KAPOOR, who allegedly prescribed medication taken by Smith, is ongoing.

2. A second shocker related to Smith came later in 2007, when, during a contentious paternity battle in the Bahamas, DNA testing revealed that Smith's ex-boyfriend, LARRY BIRKHEAD, was the biological father of Dannielynn, rather than her partner, HOWARD K. STERN. After a judge ruled that Birkhead was the baby's father, Stern handed over custody of the baby girl and she moved to the states with Birkhead.

3. A drama erupted in late May on the popular daytime chatfest, "The View." Left-leaning ROSIE O'DONNELL, who joined the show in September 2006 but announced in April 2007 that she would be leaving in June, and conservative co-host ELISABETH HASSELBECK got into a vehement on-air argument over the war in Iraq. Rosie announced shortly thereafter that she would not return to the show to finish out the last weeks of her contract.

It was drama-rama for young starlets in 2007, with BRITNEY SPEARS, LINDSAY LOHAN, PARIS HILTON and NICOLE RICHIE all having run-ins with the law.

4. When Britney and her former husband KEVIN FEDERLINE separated in late 2006, there was no indication of the turmoil to come. Britney was spotted out on the town regularly after their break-up, and in February, she checked into rehab in the Caribbean island of Antigua, checking out after only 24 hours. A day later, back in the U.S., she spontaneously shaved her head in Tarzana, CA. After that incident, she checked back into rehab in Malibu, CA, but left the facility and wielded an umbrella against photographers, before returning to treatment, where she remained for a month. A custody battle over her two young sons ensued, and she was ordered by the court to take random drug tests, amongst other requirements. The custody battle continues.

5. The beginning of 2007 was not kind to fellow young starlet Lindsay Lohan. The actress checked into rehab in West Hollywood, CA, in January. In May, the 'Herbie: Fully Loaded' star was arrested for DUI after a car accident, subsequently returning to rehab. She exited rehab in July, but then was arrested on another DUI charge after allegedly chasing her former assistant's mother in her SUV. She then went to rehab again, this time in Utah, staying well into the fall. During her rehab stay, her attorneys made a plea bargain and she later served just over an hour in Los Angeles County Jail on November 15.

6. And who can forget the image of PARIS HILTON's tearful face as she was taken in a police car to serve her own prison sentence? The actress was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating probation and she checked in after attending the MTV Movie Awards on June 3. After serving only a few days, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department released her to house arrest to vocal criticism. But only a day after her release, a judge ordered the tearful heiress back to jail, where she served almost three more weeks in jail before being released on June 26.

7. Paris' "Simple Life" co-star, NICOLE RICHIE, spent her own time in jail last summer related to a 2006 DUI arrest (a whopping 82 minutes behind bars). The actress served her time while about five months pregnant -- she announced in July that she was expecting a bambino with boyfriend JOEL MADDEN.

8. ISAIAH WASHINGTON may have talked himself out of his role on hit ABC show "Grey's Anatomy" after reports that he referred to fellow cast member T.R. KNIGHT by a defamatory slur. In January, he told reporters backstage at the Golden Globes that he had never used the slur, but Knight later told ELLEN DeGENERES on her show that Washington had, in fact, said the word. Although it's unclear whether it was related, at the end of the season, his contract was not renewed with the show.

9. Boxing's Golden Boy OSCAR DE LA HOYA found himself to be the subject of controversy when photos surfaced on the internet that appeared to depict the prize-winning boxer in fishnet stockings and high heels. De La Hoya insisted that the photos had been digitally altered, and even appeared on ET, telling our MARK STEINES, "These are fake."

10. DAVID HASSELHOFF was no stranger to scandal this year either -- a videotape surfaced online over the summer in which the "Baywatch" star lay drunk on the floor of a hotel room, shirtless and eating a cheeseburger. The tape was taken by his daughters, as Hasselhoff is in recovery for alcoholism, and he had instructed his girls to videotape him if he ever became intoxicated. Hasselhoff responded to the tape by saying, "I have learned from it and I am back on my game. I thank God for the love and concern from my daughters." Although he temporarily lost visitation with the girls, he won full custody later in 2007.