LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Whether it was courtrooms, premieres, nightclubs or behind bars — Lindsay Lohan had a year chalk full of ups, downs, highs, lows and everything in-between!

As AccessHollywood.com counts down The Top 12 Headlines Of 2012, we continue with one of the year’s biggest headline makers, but was this year the start of the actress’ comeback or her continued downward spiral? The jury is still out on the 26-year-old’s future.

The year started out with Lindsay in a familiar place — the courtroom. The actress appeared to be back on track with getting her life in order and was praised by the judge overseeing her probation case, which she eventually completed after a series of classes and various community services projects.

There might have been a shortage of red carpet events for Lindsay earlier in the year, but the actress made the best of it, sporting hits (and misses) in front of the judge. See her courtroom couture looks, HERE!

The actress’ next step in her attempted comeback came with landing the role of the late Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime’s “Liz & Dick,” but not everyone was happy with the casting. Find out who slammed the decision, HERE!

Lindsay was back in the headlines during the filming of her TV movie when the paramedics were called to her hotel room, for an incident her rep told Access was due to “exhaustion” and “dehydration.” Read what Lindsay had to say about the incident, HERE!

The casting news for Lindsay continued with a role in “The Canyons,” a film by “Less Than Zero” author Bret Easton Ellis, co-starring adult film star James Deen.

More good news came for Lindsay in May, when she was spotted having dinner with director Woody Allen, but was she being considered for a role? Find out what Woody told Access about their meeting, HERE!

The actress returned to the headlines in August, this time with a bit of a hiccup, after she was reportedly banned from staying at Chateau Marmont.

Getting the boot from the famed Hollywood hotspot was followed by an arrest in New York City for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident, which she called “unfair and unjust.” The charges were later dropped.

Lindsay’s busy year also included a fair share of drama with her mother, Dina, and father Michael. Dina and Lindsay had a blowout fight in the back of a limo (more on that incident, HERE!) and it was revealed that Michael is the father of a 17-year-old girl, who Lindsay was not aware of.

In November, Access caught up with Lindsay at the premiere of “Liz & Dick,” where she told us that she was excited about getting back to work. The TV movie was generally panned by critics, but pulled in a fair of amount of viewers. Hear what her co-star Grant Bowler had to say about working with Lindsay, HERE!

If you missed the star’s TV comeback, check out shots of Lindsay as Elizabeth Taylor, HERE!

The year wound down with a series of possible legal setbacks for the actress. In late November, Lindsay added third-degree assault to her legal laundry list after allegedly assaulting a woman inside a New York City club along with new charges being filed in connection with her June Pacific Coast Highway car accident — all on the same day!

The latest Lindsay legal woe was followed by a not-so-public spat with her assistant and friend, Gavin Doyle, who urged the actress to “get the help you so desperately need.”

More from our Top 12 Headlines of 2012: #4 — Kristen Stewart’s cheating scandal and the end of “The Twilight Saga” Click HERE to read.

(On Monday, our countdown continues with #2 — the year’s biggest celebrity breakups, splits and divorces.)

-- Jesse Spero

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