Lady Gaga Is Our Top Newsmaker Of 2011!

From Parisian fashion shows to presidential powwows, Gaga was everywhere in 2011 — and MTV News followed her every step of the way.
By James Montgomery


Lady Gaga
Photo: Getty Images

As 2011 draws to a close, it's difficult to look back over the past 12 months and not remember all the headlines made by one Lady Gaga.

Unlike some of her pop contemporaries, Gaga never seemed to take a day off. Hers was an unending, 365-day news cycle, a constant stream of tabloid speculation, Twitter missives, high-gloss fashion shoots, globe-spanning promotional appearances, red-carpet escapades, super-secret video projects, television specials and political stunts. On top of all that, she somehow also found time to release Born This Way, not only the year's most anticipated album, but one of its most thought-provoking and forward-thinking too. At the end of the third year of her reign, it's no longer a question of when she sleeps, but if she does at all.

So it's little wonder that, as MTV News counts down our Top Newsmakers of 2011, Lady Gaga sits at #1. Bringing you every aspect of her every whim was practically a full-time job, one requiring its own team of tireless reporters, editors and producers ("MTV News: Special Gaga Unit"). And they were in overdrive from the very beginning of the year, when Gaga premiered the first Born This Way track at a Thierry Mugler fashion show in January, then followed that up by debuting the album's title track and arriving at the Grammys encased in a space-age egg (of course).

By the time the calendar read May, she had unveiled a pair of big-budget music videos (for "Born This Way" and "Judas"), both of which were prologue to the release of the BTW album itself, a massive, multi-pronged promotional masterstroke that saw her appear everywhere from "Oprah" to "Ellen" and partner with everyone from Amazon to Zynga. She also guest-edited several publications, premiered an in-depth documentary, "Inside the Outside," live on MTV and greeted fans on the eve of BTW's debut in New York City.

In short, she was everywhere, and her hard work (and 99-cent Amazon pricing plan) paid off, as Born This Way sold 1.1 million copies in its first week, the most of any album since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005. The album held on to #1 on the Billboard albums chart in its second week, too, making it one of the only releases this year to (temporarily) displace Adele's 21 from the top spot.

Once her album was out, if anything, Gaga only ramped up her schedule, premiering even more music videos, announcing a photo book and opening the 2011 Video Music Awards as her alter ego, Jo Calderone. As 2011 entered the home stretch, she met with President Obama to discuss the bullying epidemic, announced she was already working on the follow-up to Born This Way and basked in the glow of her three Grammy nominations, including a nod for Album of the Year, and plotted a massive 2012 world tour.

And, with that last bit of news, she basically assured that she very well be next year's Top Newsmaker too. Don't worry, we're already clearing our schedules.

Over the past 12 months, Gaga not only continued her rule as the most-famous person on the planet, she expanded her empire. Her fame was hard-earned, and she doesn't show any signs of relinquishing it anytime soon. Because above all else, Gaga is our most tireless superstar.

MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our Best Artists, Best Songs, Best MTV Live Performances and Best EDM Artists of 2011.

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676271/top-newsmaker-2011-lady-gaga.jhtml

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Storm, floods in south Philippines kill over 200

Residents are rescued by volunteers following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Erwin Mascarinas)

Residents are rescued by volunteers following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Erwin Mascarinas)

A resident rummages through debris following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

Police rescue trapped residents following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

Police carry the body of a victim by a flash flood that hit Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

Trapped residents, perched on rooftops, are rescued to safety following a flash flood in Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)

(AP) ? Pounding rain from a tropical storm swelled rivers and sent walls of water rushing through the southern Philippines while people were asleep, killing more than 200 with scores missing, officials said Saturday.

Some of the dead were swept out to sea from the worst-hit coastal cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the Mindanao region, which is unaccustomed to the typhoons that are common elsewhere in the archipelago nation.

Cagayan de Oro city councilor Alvin Bacal said 107 people had died in the flooding in his city alone, citing military figures.

In Iligan, 79 bodies were recovered in the city after more than 12 hours of continuous rain from Tropical Storm Washi overflowed a river and sent muddy floodwaters cascading from nearby mountains, Mayor Lawrence Cruz said. About 250 people are unaccounted for in Iligan, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang.

A man in Cagayan de Oro said he heard a cry for help around 10 p.m. while the floodwaters were still low.

"Suddenly, there was a very strong rush of water," the man, who was not identified, told a local TV station.

Ayi Hernandez, a former congressman, said he and his family were resting in their home late Friday when they heard a loud "swooshing sound" and water quickly rose ankle deep inside his home. He decided to evacuate to a neighbor's two-story house.

"It was a good thing because in less than an hour the water rose to about 11 feet (3.3 meters)," the height of the ceiling of his house, he said.

Civil defense administrator Benito Ramos said 18 drowned in floodwaters in central Negros Oriental province, whose southern tip was nipped by the eye of the storm later Saturday.

The floodwaters were waist-high in some neighborhoods that do not usually experience flooding. Scores of residents escaped the floods by climbing onto the roofs of their homes, Cruz said.

Those missing included prominent radio broadcaster Enie Alsonado, who was swept away while trying to save his neighbors, Cruz said.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro said that about 20,000 residents of the city had been affected and that evacuees were packed in temporary shelters.

Television footage showed muddy water rushing in the streets, sweeping away all sorts of debris. Thick layers of mud coated streets where the waters had subsided. One car was shown to have been carried over a concrete fence.

Authorities recovered bodies from the mud after the water subsided. Parts of concrete walls and roofs, toppled vehicles and other debris littered the muddy streets.

Rescuers in boats rushed offshore to save people swept out to sea by the raging floodwaters. In Misamis Oriental province, 60 people were plucked from the ocean off El Salvador city, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Cagayan de Oro, said disaster official Teddy Sabuga-a.

About 120 more were rescued off Opol township, closer to the city, he added.

He said an island in the middle of the Cagayan de Oro river was inundated, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or people missing.

Cruz said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea.

An 80-year-old woman drowned after being trapped in the first floor of her flooded home in Zamboanga del Norte province. A 30-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy also drowned, said provincial disaster officer Dennis Tenorio.

Washi, the 19th storm to hit the Philippines this year, came ashore in eastern Mindanao and blanketed the region with thick rain clouds 250 miles (400 kilometers) in diameter.

It quickly cut across the region overnight and was over the Sulu Sea by midmorning Saturday. It was then headed for Palawan province southwest of Manila and was expected to cross the narrow province before dawn Sunday, said forecaster Leny Ruiz.

Ruiz said the weather bureau's records show that storms that follow Washi's track come only once in about 12 years.

Lucilo Bayron, vice mayor of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, told ABS-CBN television he has already mobilized emergency crews but local officials have not ordered an evacuation "because it's not raining and the weather is still fine here."

Ramos, a former army general, said by law two army divisions ? about 20,000 men ? in Mindanao and part of the central Philippines are supposed to help with rescue and relief work, backed up by hundreds of local police, reservists, coast guard officers and civilian volunteers. However, he could not give an estimate of how many are actually involved.

Col. Leopoldo Galon, military spokesman for the eastern section of Mindanao, said 420 soldiers have been assigned for disaster duties. There was no immediate comment from the western Mindanao military spokesman.

Ramos said the high casualties in Mindanao could be attributed "partly to the complacency of people because they are not in the usual path of storms" despite four days of warnings by officials of an approaching storm.

He also said heavy rains fell on nearby Bukidnon province's vast pineapple plantations, which sit on a plateau that drains rainfall through a river system that runs through Cagayan de Oro. Mountains near Iligan were denuded, also causing the flash floods and mud flows that swamped the city, he said.

Storms and typhoons that normally pass through the northern and central Philippines are pushed farther south of the country by cold winds during the northern hemisphere's winter season late in the year.

Back-to-back typhoons in September left more than 100 people dead in the northern Philippines.

____

Associated Press writer Hrvoje Hranjski contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-17-AS-Philippines-Storm/id-468285dda1a94976bbc20dd4f4c16465

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Comparison of House, Senate payroll tax cut bills (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Highlights of legislation renewing payroll tax cuts, jobless benefits approved by the House and Senate:

House bill, approved last Tuesday:

_Price tag over $180 billion.

_Keeps this year's 4.2 percent Social Security payroll tax rate paid by 160 million workers through the end of 2012, instead of rising to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1.

_Extends expiring benefits for the long-term jobless through 2012, but at a maximum of 79 weeks coverage, less in some cases, well below this year's 99-week limit. Revamps program to require beneficiaries without high school diplomas to seek an equivalent degree; lets states test applicants for illegal drug use.

_Prevents 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors for 2012.

_Blocks Obama administration rule curbing pollution from industrial boilers; extends tax break for businesses buying equipment for 2012.

_Requires President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline within 60 days unless he declares the project would not serve the national interest.

_Paid for by extending current pay freeze on civilian federal workers another year through 2013 and requires them to contribute more toward their pensions; raises fee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge for insuring mortgages; raises Medicare premiums paid by higher-income elderly; cuts some health care overhaul law programs; sells part of broadcast spectrum; prevents illegal immigrant parents from collecting child tax credit refund checks; bars food stamps, unemployment benefits for the wealthy.

Senate bill, approved Saturday:

_Price tag $33 billion.

_Extends 2-percentage-point cut in Social Security payroll tax through Feb. 29.

_Renews benefits for the long-term unemployed at current levels through Feb. 29, no other changes in program.

_Prevents 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors; extends other health care fees through Feb. 29.

_Same provision on Keystone as House.

_Paid for by increasing home loan guarantee fees charged to mortgage lenders by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration by one-tenth of 1 percentage point. The fee is passed on to home buyers and will apply to many new purchases and refinancings starting Jan. 1.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_rdp_bill_comparison

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Use the Valsalva Maneuver to Prevent Ear Pain When Flying [Flying]

Use the Valsalva Maneuver to Prevent Ear Pain When FlyingEar-popping pain is one of the hazards of flying. For some, especially kids or those with colds, Pain In The Ear or Airplane Ear can be quite severe. Mun Fitness Blog suggests several tips for preventing this condition, including the "Valsalva maneuver."

In the Valsalva manuever, you close your mouth and pinch your nose shut and exhale forcibly through your nostrils. You'll hear a "popping" sound and the pressure should be equalized in your ears. (Unequal pressure in your ears when the plane takes off or lands is the cause of Airplane Ear.)

Besides several other suggestions for preventing ear pain when flying, Mun Fitness Blog also offers a great tip for preventing ear pain that happens when driving:

Ear pain also happens while sitting in a car which come down from a steep mountain quickly with the window rolled up. Leave a crack in the window when descending or climbing a steep mountain will help.

I've always just chewed gum when flying. What's your strategy?

How to prevent pain in the ear when you are in the plane? | Mun Fitness Blog

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/-8aSieJoc_I/use-the-valsalva-maneuver-to-prevent-ear-pain-when-flying

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10 Amazing Peripherals You Didn't Know You Needed [Peripherals]

You're a veteran tech geek. Your friends and family always look to you for advice when buying PC gear or gadgets. Yet there's still stuff you don't own, and don't realize you need. Now, it's true that many of you may have a couple of the items on this list. But there's likely gear here you don't have, and didn't realize you could use. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Mv4Lw3nAeHw/10-amazing-peripherals-you-didnt-know-you-needed

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World's smallest frog is tinier than a penny

Smaller than a penny, two newly discovered frog species are considered the smallest ever found. The pipsqueaks live in Papua New Guinea and run about 0.4 inches (8-to-9 millimeters) in length.

The two species, Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa, are not only the smallest frogs ever discovered, they are also the smallest of a group of animals called tetrapods (four-legged animals with backbones). The duo rounds out the Paedophryne genus, which already contained two other, slightly larger, frog species first described in 2002.

The name P. dekot derives from the word for "very small" in the local language, Daga, noted study researcher Fred Kraus; P. verrucosa was named from the Latin for "full of warts," due to its distinctively lumpy skin.

P. dekotinhabits the lower ranges, below about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) of the western slope of Mount Dayman, in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, and P. verrucosalives on the southeastern slope of ?Mount Suckling, near a region that joins Mt. Dayman.

"Miniaturization occurs in many frog genera around the world," Kraus, of the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, said in a statement. "New Guinea seems particularly well represented, with species in seven genera exhibiting the phenomenon. Although most frog genera have only a few diminutive representatives mixed among larger relatives, Paedophryne is unique in that all species are minute."

The frogs are so small they seem to have hit the lower limit of body size for frogs and toads, so it's unlikely that researchers will find anything much smaller. The frogs are brown or red-brown in color, with camouflaging flecks of brown and blackish triangles on their sides.P. verrucosa has lots of wartlike protrusions on its skin, along with some yellow splotches.

Because of their tiny size, their fingers and toes are too small to allow much climbing, so they have found a niche on the forest floor, where their tiny body size allows them to hide among leaf litter and moss. The author suggests they might eat tiny arthropods, such as mites.

They are so small that females of both species can have only two eggs, limiting their ability to reproduce. Most frogs have lots of eggs per litter, so this small number is very rare. They also lose moisture very quickly, restricting them to very wet tropical forests.

  1. More science news from MSNBC Tech & Science

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      Physicists are closer than ever to hunting down the elusive Higgs boson particle, the missing piece of the governing theory of the universe's tiniest building blocks.

    2. Alexander Graham Bell speaks from the 1880s
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The four known Paedophryne species inhabit small ranges in the mountains of southeastern Papua New Guinea and its offshore islands. Until their DNA is analyzed, researchers can't be sure who their closest froggy relatives are.

Kraus recorded the call the male P. verrucosauses to attract females, which he notes sounds like "a quick drag of a finger over a comb." It makes its calls at dusk until the sky turns dark, and also before dawn.

The study of these tiny frogs was published Monday in the journal ZooKeys

One of the headlines on an earlier version of this report incorrectly suggested that the frogs are reptiles.

You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45661141/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Sony Tablet S update lets you play with PS3 controllers, cable adapter required

We've got some good news for gamers that were willing to plunge into the PlayStation-certified world of Sony's tablets. The latest update to the company's divisive Tablet S will let you connect your PS3 controllers with those 32-bit games of yesteryear. The update is available now in Sony's homeland of Japan and the company is also rewarding its tablet faithful with a free download; an Ape Escape-themed mini-game collection. It's not all good news, however. The clamshelled Tablet P doesn't get the controller hook-up and you'll need to buy an additional USB adapter cable to connect a controller to the monoscreened Tablet S. A briefly worded, vaguely translated release awaits after the break.

Continue reading Sony Tablet S update lets you play with PS3 controllers, cable adapter required

Sony Tablet S update lets you play with PS3 controllers, cable adapter required originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/16/sony-tablet-s-update-lets-you-play-with-ps3-controllers-cable-a/

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