What can you say about a year in which the biggest star was a newborn child—at least, that is, until Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was upstaged by Suri Cruise, who was later upstaged by Britney Spears’s repeatedly exposed loins? Or in which a fabricated, racist, naked-man-wrestling Kazakhstan reporter ignited the biggest cultural debate—unless you count the actual racist rantings of Mel Gibson and the former Cosmo Kramer? Thankfully, there was plenty to celebrate as well, be it very highbrow (Meryl Streep times two!) or totally lowbrow (Mr. T is back!) or all points in between.

• More:
• Approval Matrix
• From the Dec 18, 2006 issue of New York