Best photos in USA TODAY's Life section for 2012

As 2012 draws to a close we take another look at some of the best photographs to appear in USA TODAY's Life section through the the year. Here is the glamour and glitz from the world of celebrities as well as some moments from the rest of the people that make up Life.
George Lucas was photographed looking out a window in his office at the Lucasfilm Big Rock Ranch in Nicasio, Calif. Lucas was the executive producer of the movie
'Red Tails,' a 23-year-long passion project about the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. But Lucas made bigger news when he sold Lucasfilms to Disney for a whopping $4 billion.

Veteran actor Max von Sydow earned a best-supporting-actor Academy Award nomination for his part in the 2011 post-9/11 drama 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.'

Demian Bichir received a best-actor Oscar nomination for his role in the story of a Mexican migrant worker in 2011's 'A Better Life.' Bichir appeared in 'Savages' in 2012.

Glenn Close received a best-actress Oscar nomination for her title role performance in 'Albert Nobbs.' She also continued her popular role as litigator Patricia Hewes on the TV show 'Damages.'

TV cooking queen Paula Deen ran into a buzz saw of bad publicity after announcing that she has type 2 diabetes and was being paid to endorse a prescription drug that treats the disease. Deen's cooking style, with its emphasis on frying and sweets, also came under criticism. Deen vowed to change her ways and to donate part of her endorsement pay to the American Diabetes Association.

2012 was a big year for Elizabeth Banks. She had a starring role in the action film 'Man On a Ledge.' She was also in 'The Hunger Games' and was part of the all-star cast of 'What to Expect When You're Expecting.' On the home front, she and husband Max Handelman in November welcomed second son Magnus, born by gestational carrier. Banks, 38, was frank about having fertility problems.

The Beach Boys, Bruce Johnston, left, Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and David Marks, pose for a photo before the start of a rehearsal for the 2012 Grammy Awards. The group celebrated their reunion and the band's 50th anniversary with a special medley on the show.

On the eve of the Grammys, Whitney Houston died in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel. Funeral services for the troubled singer, held at her childhood church in Newark, were aired on national television. Barber Habib Ahad shaves customer Ali Ferrell's head at A Whole Nu Look barbershop just a few blocks from the New Hope Baptist Church.

Jennifer Lopez, left, and Cameron Diaz demonstrated the importance of a good fit while presenting the Oscars for costume design and makeup at the Academy Awards.

Octavia Spencer composes herself backstage after winning the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her performance in 'The Help.'

Jean Dujardin exults in winning the best-actor Oscar for his performance in the (mostly) silent film 'The Artist.'

CNN's medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, is also a neurosurgeon who works at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. In 2012 he released a novel, 'Monday Mornings' set in a hospital very similar to Grady.

The call to dinner from Nicole May brings James, 10, left, Nicholas, 2, John Jr., 3 1/2, and Dominic, 2, to the kitchen. Life at home in Glen Mills, Pa., is often chaotic for Nicole and her husband, John, because all four of their sons have autism.

'American Reunion' writer/director Hayden Schlossberg, front right, ended up wearing Jason Biggs' slice of pie during a USA TODAY photo shoot along with co-writer/director Jon Hurwitz and cast members Alyson Hannigan, left, Seann William Scott and Biggs. 'American Reunion' is a sequel to the 1999 movie 'American Pie.'

Author Lisa Scottoline published a new book, 'Come Home,' in April. She posed for USA TODAY at her home in Malvern, Pa., with four of her five dogs. Lying in the grass is Penny, a 14-year-old golden retriever. On the lounger with Lisa are Peach, Pip and Little Tony, all Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

John Becklenberg, of Dyer, Idaho, gets a kiss on the cheek from his wife. Mary Ann, as they get ready to call one of their children. Becklenburg is taking care of his wife of 42 years who has had Alzheimer's disease for six years. She's still in the early stages, but he has had to learn how to manage their relationship in a gentle way.

Chris Evans, left, Chris Helmsworth, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, members of the cast of the summer blockbuster 'The Avengers,' posed for USA TODAY in April.

Zac Efron signs autographs for fans at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton while promoting his movie, 'The Lucky One.' Efron played a Marine home from war searching for the woman he believes was his good luck charm.

Ryan O'Neal poses with his dog Mozart at his Malibu home. O'Neal wrote a book about his life with and without Farrah Fawcett, 'Both of Us: My Life with Farrah.' He also revealed that he was being treated for prostate cancer.

Amanda Gooley, 24, and Andrew Faison, 31, walk along a country road on Faison's family property in Zebulon, N.C. When Gooley and Faison got married in August they had been engaged for six years, representing a trend of couples choosing longer engagements.

Charlie Sheen was not quite as omnipresent as he was in 2011 but he still managed to raise eyebrows and landed a new television show on FX, 'Anger Management.' The network has ordered up a whopping 90 future episodes of the show.

Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, released an album of new material in May titled 'Storm and Grace.'

Author Buzz Bissinger and his son Zach ride a roller coaster at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania. Bissinger, the author of 'Friday Night Lights,' wrote a new book, 'Father's Day,' about his relationship with his twin sons who were born 3 1/2 months premature.

The stars of the summer movie 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' Charlize Theron, left, Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart, posed for USA TODAY at Arundel Castle in England. Stewart got a little more publicity from the film than she bargained for when it was revealed that she had had a relationship with the movie's married director, Rupert Sanders.

Kristen Powers, 18, of Chapel Hill, N.C., gets a hug from her father, Ed, after learning that she tested negative for Huntington's disease, an incurable neurodegenerative illness that claimed her mother's life in 2011.

After the massive success of his 2010 album, 'My Kind of Party,' Jason Aldean released a new record, 'Night Train,' in November.

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield co-starred in the summer blockbuster 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' and along the way became Hollywood's cutest couple.

Penelope Cruz was director Woody Allen's latest muse for his most recent film, 'To Rome With Love.'

Mark Wahlberg traded in his action-movie star status to star in the comedy 'Ted,' the story of a grown man whose best friend is his childhood teddy bear. But he still poses tough for photos.

Good friends Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg co-starred in 'Celeste and Jesse Forever.' Jones co-wrote the movie about a divorcing couple who try to maintain their friendship.

Pop star Katy Perry put a new spin on concert films with the more documentary style of 'Part of Me.' The movie combined concert footage with behind-the-scenes moments from Perry's life on the road and at home.

Anne Hathaway displayed the wide spectrum of her talent in 2012 taking on the action role of Catwoman in 'The Dark Knight Rises,' singing live on camera for her part in 'Les Miserables' and voicing a character for an episode of 'The Simpsons.' She also married Adam Shulman in September.

Zoe Kazan wrote and starred in the quirky indie film 'Ruby Sparks.' The movie is about a young novelist (Paul Dano) who creates the perfect woman on the page and is stunned when she turns up on his couch a week later.

Pink returned with a new album, 'The Truth About Love.'

Real-life couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell co-starred in 'Hit and Run.' Shepard wrote, produced and co-directed the action/comedy.

2012 was the 25th anniversary of the carry-on roller bag! A passenger rolls one of the ubiquitous pieces of luggage through the terminal at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.

Babysitter Samantha McLeod plays with Brian Quayle, 5, who was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. McLeod is one of a growing number of skilled babysitters nationwide who are experienced at working with children with special needs.

Katie Couric walks off the set after completing the taping of an episode of her new daytime talk show at the ABC studios in New York in August.

Christina Miller's daughter Nora, 17 months, plays with a lace curtain at their home in Brookville, Md. Christina Miller is battling breast cancer while raising Nora and two other young children.

Electronic dance music DJ DeadMau5, he of the giant mouse heads, released a new collection of his music in September titled 'Album Title Goes Here.'

Lilla Crawford, 11, was cast to play the part of Little Orphan Annie for the revival of the Broadway musical 'Annie.' She posed in costume for USA TODAY at a New York rehearsal studio before the show opened.

Shia LaBeouf switched from roles in blockbusters like 'Transformers' to grittier indie films. First stop: 'Lawless,' a Prohibition-era gangster film.

Trading in on the success of 2011's 'Bridesmaids,' Lizzy Caplan, left, Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher starred in the raunchfest 'The Bachelorette.'

Ben Affleck directed and starred in the well-received movie 'Argo.' Based on a true story, the movie tells how a second group of hostages was freed during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

Amy Adams was busy in 2012, starring in both 'The Master' and 'Trouble with the Curve,' as well as appearing in the movie adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel 'On The Road.'

Oscar winner Helen Hunt starred as a sex therapist who helps a quadriplegic lose his virginity in the film 'The Sessions.'

John Hawkes starred opposite Helen Hunt as the quadriplegic in 'The Sessions.'

Tom Hanks and Halle Berry each played six different characters in the time-shifting motion picture 'Cloud Atlas.'

The members of Aerosmith, Brad Whitford, left, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, reunited to release a new album, 'Music From Another Dimension,' in November.

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller 'Killing Kennedy.' O'Reilly also debated Jon Stewart on the politics of the country in what they dubbed 'The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium.'

Giancarlo Esposito, left, acknowledges a shocked-looking best-supporting-actor Emmy winner Aaron Paul. Esposito had also been nominated for the award. The two men co-starred on 'Breaking Bad.'

Julianne Moore demonstrates the reaction Sarah Palin had to Moore's portrayal of her in HBO's 'Game Change.' Moore won the best actress in a miniseries/movie Emmy for her part in the TV movie.

Uggie, the adorable dog from Academy Award-winning film 'The Artist,' retired and released his autobiography, (as barked to an author). The book is titled 'Uggie, My Story.'

Ang Lee directed the movie, based on the novel, 'Life of Pi.'

Ang Lee cast a young unknown actor, Suraj Sharma, as the lead in 'Life of Pi.' Sharma had never acted in a movie before.

'Lincoln' director Steven Spielberg poses for a portrait at his Amblin Entertainment offices in Los Angeles.

Bruno Mars released his second album of original songs, 'Unorthodox Jukebox,' in December.

Shania Twain rehearses her hit song 'Man! I Feel Like A Woman' as she prepared for the start of her two-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Brad Pitt posed for USA TODAY while promoting his movie 'Killing Them Softly' in November. Pitt and his partner, Angelina Jolie, announced their engagement in 2012 and have hinted that a wedding could be coming soon.

Paul Rudd, left, and Leslie Mann co-starred in the semi-autobiographical comedy 'This Is 40,' directed by Mann's husband, Judd Apatow.