IT JUST GETS NUTTIER A NEW CENTURY GETS OFF TO A SHAKY START.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer

Sometimes events are weirder than anything a novelist (or scandal-rag journalist) could make up.

Here we give you a few of the news items that drew headlines during the year - worthy or not. So here's 2001 in a nut (or nutty) shell:

Most Hyped Duet: After weeks of angry protests organized by right-wing and gay-rights groups opposed to the four-time Grammy nomination of Eminem, it was the openly gay Elton John who came to the reportedly homophobic rapper's rescue. He sang Dido's part on Eminem's obsessive fan melodrama ``Stan'' during the Grammy Awards telecast. It was a real crowd-pleaser. Hand in hand, the two artists took their bows and Eminem flashed his middle finger.

Biggest Courtroom Drama: A New York jury acquitted rapper Sean ``Puffy'' Combs of any involvement in the December 1999 shooting incident at a midtown Manhattan nightclub. Combs had faced five counts of weapons possession and bribery charges. After the trial, Combs declared himself a changed man. He asks that people now call him P. Diddy.

Most Wanted Celebrity: ``Gladiator'' star Russell Crowe fell under the protection of FBI agents after they informed the Oscar-winning actor that he was the target of a possible kidnapping scheme. But Crowe didn't let the threat hold him back. He was later seen touring U.S. clubs with his bar band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.

Stupidest Catch-Phrase Since ``Is That Your Final Answer'': ``You ARE the weakest link - goodbye.''

Biggest Hollywood Breakup: Nicole Kidman and hubby Tom Cruise called it quits after more than a decade. Shortly after the breakup, a cheerful Kidman let slip on Letterman that ``at least I get to wear heels now.''

Most Embarrassing Faux Pas: After one too many underage-drinking busts, first daughter Jenna Bush was sentenced to six hours of alcohol-awareness classes and eight hours of community service.

Scariest Make-over Since Tammy Faye Baker Discovered Mascara: Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil' Kim morphing into drag queens in the video to their hit cover ``Lady Marmalade.'' Gitchie, gitchie, ya, ya, yikes!

Biggest Unsolved Hollywood Murder: Bonnie Lee Bakley, wife of ``Baretta'' star Robert Blake, was fatally shot as she sat in a parked car waiting for her husband to return from the Studio City restaurant where the couple had just dined.

Most Hyped Execution: Timothy McVeigh's May 16 execution date was delayed when FBI officials revealed they had failed to disclose thousands of pages of documents to his defense attorneys before his 1997 trial. A petition by McVeigh's lawyers for another delay was later rejected. On June 11, six years after setting off a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people, Timothy McVeigh was put to death.

Strangest Animal Encounter: San Francisco Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein was hospitalized when he was bitten by a Komodo dragon during a private tour of the L.A. Zoo. The visit had been arranged by his famous wife, Sharon Stone, as a Father's Day surprise. Boy, was he surprised when the Indonesian lizard's jaws crushed his big toe and severed tendons in his foot.

Most Anticipated Tour of the Summer: So she didn't dig into her grab bag of pre-electronica favorites. People still turned out in droves to see Madonna's Drowned World Tour, which found the 42-year-old pop star playing punk rocker, urban cowgirl, ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' and senorita all in one night. She even played guitar.

Most Public Celebrity Meltdown: People began to realize not all was well with Mariah Carey in December 2000. The diva's Web site (www.mariahcarey.com) showed pictures of Carey frolicking in the snow, wearing only a bikini. After her distasteful striptease on MTV's popular teen show, ``Total Request Live,'' it was revealed that Carey had suffered an ``emotional and physical breakdown.'' It only got worse. ``Glitter,'' the first of her $118 million, five-CD deal with Virgin Records and her motion picture of the same name, both tanked. The record company is now looking to drop her.

Biggest Debut: Alicia Keys came out of left field with her first album, ``Songs in A Minor,'' which debuted at the top of the Billboard charts.

Saddest Days in Music: The Ramones' led singer Joey Ramone died after a six-year battle with lymphatic cancer. The blues lost one of its pioneers, John Lee Hooker. The Cessna that carried multiplatinum r&b singer Aaliyah went down in the Bahamas after take-off, killing all nine people on board. Cancer claimed the life of Beatle George Harrison.

Most Sensationalized Non-Scoop: Connie Chung went one on one with Rep. Gary Condit, who said little about the missing intern Chandra Levy except ``We had a close relationship'' and ``I liked her very much.'' Yeah, right.

Biggest Media Buzz: When the World Trade Center towers collapsed, MSNBC news anchor Ashleigh Banfield was right there in the thick of it. The 33-year-old Canada-born correspondent's coverage has created a buzz ever since. She had even been touted as Katie Couric's heir apparent on NBC's ``Today'' show, before Couric recently signed a megabucks deal. But for now, the cable channel's perpetual star-in-waiting can be seen hosting her own program, ``A Region in Conflict,'' which airs weeknights at 9 from Pakistan.

Most Sensational War Correspondent: Geraldo Rivera, the man who opened Al Capone's empty vault, went to Afghanistan to cover the war. So far, he's generated more news than he's managed to cover.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(1) Alicia Keys' first album, ``Songs in A Minor,'' surprisingly debuted at the top of Billboard charts.

(2) The blues lost one of its pioneers, John Lee Hooker, who died peacefully in his sleep at 83 after a 60-year career.

(3) George Harrison, the Beatle most devoted to mysticism, died at 58 in Los Angeles after a long battle against cancer.