2008's Top Ten Celebrity Meltdowns: Sex Scandals, Scuffles & Simple Stupidity

LOS ANGELES – There is no business like show business, but it looks as though more mayhem went down away from the lights and camera in 2008 as some of our greatest stars and starlets took turns for the worse. It was a year of sex scandals, scuffles, shot guns, stealing and for some, just plain and simple stupidity.

Even though career-wise Amy Winehouse scored a whooping five Grammys this year, the sad songstress still managed to top Pop Tarts Annual List of Celebrity Meltdowns.

In June 2008, Winehouse's publicist reported that she had developed early signs of emphysema, while her father relayed reports of an irregular heartbeat and stated that these conditions were brought on by smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine. It was also revealed that the "Rehab" songstress had sex with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil before he was sent back to prison.

"Blake made a dramatic bid to see his wife by breaking out of rehab and dashing to see her at The London Clinic where he claimed her seduced her," Celebrity Life Coach & Human Behavior Expert Patrick Wanis Ph.D told Tarts. "But for Winehouse, time for real help is running out."

Taking the silver medal is Plaxico Burress who pretty much shot his career as an NFL star dead when he decided to take a gun into a New York City nightclub and accidentally shoot himself in the leg. Burress was hit with two counts of illegal weapon possession and could face up to three years behind bars.

And while so much attention was given to Obama and McCain in 2008, other political powers decided to play up and thus third place is awarded equally to John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer and Tim Mahoney.

Former Democratic Senator John Edwards had dreams of being the next U.S. President, but instead he was forced to 'fess up to having repeatedly lied about an extramarital affair with a 42-year old campaign employee (while his wife Elizabeth is struggling with incurable breast cancer). Still, he denied being involved in paying the woman hush money or fathering her newborn child. While Elizabeth is reportedly still standing by her man, the wife of Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney filed for divorce a week after Mahoney admitted to "numerous" affairs this year.

Definitely not the last or the least, New York's former Governor Eliot Spitzer said he was going to rid the Big Apple of corruption, but it turned out he was part of it. Details of him being linked to a prostitution ring emerged in March and he admitted to having call-girl of his very own, the now infamous Ashley Dupre.

On the note of sex scandals, actor David Duchovny takes fourth place after entering rehab with a sex addiction in August.

"Truth is stranger than fiction and David Duchovny revealed similarities to his to his TV role as sex-obsessed writer Hank Moody in Showtime's Californication when he admitted to sex addiction," Wanis said. "Just like his TV role, Duchovny engaged in self-destructive behavior. The irony is that Duchovny is back for a third season playing Hank Moody in Showtime's Californication and this could just reignite his sex-addiction."

Next in the line when it comes to falling out of line is the Hogan family. Hulk's 17-year-old son Nick was sentenced to eight months of jail last May in relation to a car accident, wife Linda filed for divorce which was followed by claims that she was having a romantic relationship with a teenager.

Speaking of rocky relationships, having one of Hollywood’s leading ladies as his girlfriend couldn’t save Anne Hathaway’s (now ex) beau Raffaello Follieri from downsizing his $37,000 a-month 5th Ave apartment to a seven-by-eight prison cell. Follieri was charged with 11 counts of fraud and money laundering for getting wealthy clients to invest in nonexistent real estate deals.

Taking 7th, 8th and 9th spots respectively are a famous trio who became all too familiar with their fists throughout the year. While filming the Oliver Stone biopic "W" in July, Josh Brolin was arrested for getting into a bar fight in Shreveport, La. and was consequently charged with a misdemeanor for interfering with police.

Life also got a little darker for the "Dark Knight" star Christian Bale earlier this year when he was arrested in London after allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. The charges were later dropped.

Meanwhile rapper Kayne West was arrested in the U.K after yet another scuffle with a photographer. This incident took place just a couple of months after he was taken in by the cops from the Los Angeles International airport for the same offense.

"West makes it clear on his blog about his fear and loathing of the paparazzi but his greatest fight is to sell his latest musical release which has only sold half of his last one," added Wanis.

Finally, Heather Locklear rounds out the top ten thanks to her rendezvous into rehab. First there was the 911 call claiming that she was trying to commit suicide, and then she admitted problems with anxiety and depression. The former "Melrose Place" starlet was arrested in September and was charged with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence of prescription medications.

Overall, the downfalls of 2008 were dominated by the Tinseltown boys and their bad behavior which is quite a change from 2007’s list in which Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan rounded out our top three.

It just goes to show what a difference one year can make - just as quickly as a star falls from the sky, fame and a little fortune is still a strong enough asset to build oneself back up again.