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Review 2011

Top six comebacks of 2011

Who made a comeback this year? From politicians to pop stars, we take a look at the top six.

WHO DID WE think was consigned to the dustbin of fame, but made a comeback in 2011?

Who got a second chance to do what they do best, and who surprised us with their latest actions?

2011 saw a number of comebacks, from politics to pop music. We take a look at the most entertaining, surprising and unexpected.

  • Stone Roses

Mani, Ian Brown, John Squire and Reni once were the toast of Manchester, but fizzled out in 1994 after the release of their second album Second Coming. Despite the members going on to feature in bands such as Primal Scream, and Brown carving out a successful solo career, they’ve decided to get back on the road again. The band will play the Phoenix Park in Dublin on 5 July 2012 and tickets, contrary to expectations, didn’t sell out immediately – still, we think they won’t have a problem filling the outdoor venue. Watch part of the press conference on their reforming thanks to their official Youtube page.

  • Newt Gingrich

American politician and author Gingrich was named Man of the Year in 1995 by Time magazine, but had resigned in 1998 following a poor Republican showing in the 1998 Congressional election. So when he announced he was going to seek the Republican nomination in the US presidential race in 2011, people didn’t think he was going to end up being a frontrunner… and yet, as of now he is leading in the national polls.

  • David Norris

In March,  Norris announced he would run for the presidency. But when it was revealed he wrote a letter of clemency for a former partner accused of statutory rape, he stood down from the race. Norris made the comeback of comebacks on 16 September when he announced that hot on the heels of receiving 10,000 signatures to a petition asking for him to re-enter the race, he was going to try, try again. In the end, he was not successful, but his comeback will be remembered as one of the defining moments of the 2011 Irish presidential race.

  • Bosco

Bosco is back… but not quite how you remember him. RTÉ’s Republic of Telly resurrected the mop-haired puppet this month, as a gun-toting, alcohol-supping avenger. Children of the 80s were left shocked by the new Bosco and his violent ways…

  • Michael Noonan

It took him more than a decade, but Noonan came back from the Hepatitis C scandal in the late 1990s and the disastrous result for Fine Gael in the 2002 general election by being appointed Finance Minister this year. One of his toughest tasks in 2011? Announcing the details of the 2012 Budget.

  • Steps

This smiley pop group disbanded the day after Christmas in 2001 – almost 10 years later, Lee, H, Claire, Lisa and Faye  tearfully got back together. Naturally, the proceedings were captured on video, and they made the official announcement by performing live (yes, live) on the This Morning TV show. Will they last long? The jury’s out on that one…

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