In Hawaii on vacation since Friday, Obama was dressed in dark khaki pants and a short-sleeve blue shirt Sunday. His wife Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha were wearing sundresses. Read: Remember When: 30 Years of The Hottest Toys The Obama’s started their day early to exchange gifts, the White House said. After breakfast, they sang Christmas carols and left for church. After church, the first family spent a few hours at the rental home, and then the president and Michelle Obama went back to the base to meet hundreds of service members and their families, repeating a tradition Obama has followed since 2008. Read: Obama’s Favorite Late Night Joint The Obamas joined the service members for Christmas lunch, which included roast beef, salad and apple pie. A highlight of the president’s visit was an eight-month-old son of a service man, who got closer to Obama than everyone else. He grabbed Obama’s face and then stuck his fingers in the president’s mouth. Obama joked saying the baby perhaps liked his “big nose.” Watch the President’s Weekly address below: Make sure that you are following us on twitter and chatting with us on facebook. We enjoy hearing from you.
A Fox News guest said that “you might want to say” President Obama looks like “a skinny, ghetto crackhead.” Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : TPMmuckraker Discovery Date : 23/12/2011 15:17 Number of articles : 4
American Crossroads salutes Barack Obama – the 4th best president eveh! 13 million out of work. 15 trillion in debt. And, 34 straight months of unemployment above 8%. Simply the best. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Gateway Pundit Discovery Date : 22/12/2011 19:10 Number of articles : 2
Band broke through to the big time in 2011 with ‘Pumped Up Kicks.’ By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias Foster the People’s Mark Foster and Cubbie Fink Photo: MTV News Foster the People were one of 2011’s biggest breakouts, first scoring a massive crossover hit with “Pumped Up Kicks,” then nabbing a pair of Grammy nominations and finally, landing current single “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” in a high-profile ad campaign (and accompanying it with a really excellent video, starring Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe). So, as the year comes to a close, we asked the guys in Foster to try and sum up the past 12 months, which saw them rocket from little-known L.A. rock outfit to internationally famous buzz band. And, as you can probably expect, for a band that’s basically lived on the road in 2011, most of their milestones have to do with the size of the stages they’ve played on … and the audiences they’ve played for. “It’s funny, in January we started a residency at the Echo, which is this club in L.A., and we played every week for about a month, and that kind of kicked it off. The first week, it was half full … it only holds 300 people, I think there was like 125 people there,” frontman Mark Foster laughed. “And then cut to four months later, doing Coachella in front of 15,000 people, and then cut to three months after that, playing Lollapalooza in front of 50,000 people. It’s just been wild man, seeing the world and seeing the progression of things. … It’s crazy to think about. I feel like we have 10 years of memories packed into this one year.” While they’ll continue to tour in earnest in 2012, most of the year will be dedicated to writing and recording the follow-up to their Torches debut. Not surprisingly, Foster said the band’s new stuff has been heavily influenced by their time away from home. “We’ve gotten to write some stuff on the road so far, but haven’t really gotten to dive into it too much yet,” he said. “We’ve just been kind of throwing everything against the wall, idea-wise, like, ‘We should try this and we should try this,’ all these different boundaries to work within, because sometimes it can be really daunting I think, if you don’t have certain boundaries when writing a song. “There’s definitely musical elements that we’ve talked about — you know, really leaning on the percussive nature of what our live show has turned into this year, and bringing that more out into the second record — just kind of experimenting, doing some different, weird studio tricks; just having fun with it. But you never really know until you get under the hood, so we’ll see what happens when we start.” Are you looking forward to the next FTP album? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Foster the People
MTV News’ #5 Newsmaker of 2011 tells ‘Home for the Holidays’ audience in Toronto that the tune might appear on his next album. By James Dinh Justin Bieber performs during his “Home for the Holidays” concert special in Toronto Photo: George Pimentel / WireImage Much like Lady Gaga , Justin Bieber is treating his crew of Beliebers to some new music right in time for the Christmas holiday. On Wednesday night, the pop superstar debuted a new track called “Be Alright” to a jam-packed crowd during his Toronto-based TV concert special, “Justin Bieber: Home for the Holidays,” which airs Thursday night (December 22) on MuchMusic and CTV. “You might hear this on my next album, you might not, but it’s a song I’m working on. I still haven’t really finished it,” Bieber told the screaming crowd, before unveiling the acoustic tune. “Basically, the concept is: Even though when times get hard with your girlfriend or boyfriend, when times get hard, you gotta just let them know that in the end, everything’s gonna be alright.” Sitting beside his guitarist, MTV News’ #5 Newsmaker of 2011 crooned to the slow jam as the audience clapped their way through his performance, and later on, helped the star sing along to the simple hook. “Across the ocean, across the sea/ Starting to forget the way you look at me now/ Over the ocean and across the sky/ Starting to forget the way you look in my eyes,” he sang. After the holiday special, the teen singer took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the memorable evening, writing, “Tonight was special. No rules. Music, family, friends, fans, charity, and music. Thank you. #HomeForTheHolidays.” “Be Alright” is just a taste of what may come from the singer’s next album release. MTV News recently spoke with JB’s longtime vocal producer, Kuk Harrell , who discussed his thoughts about the pop star’s transition into adulthood. “The only conversation we’ve had about Justin’s album that we’re about to do is it’s really important that it’s the proper transition because we’ve seen him [with] ‘Baby,’ now we’re watching him grow up,” Harrell told us. “And we can’t just throw him into the adult game right away. It has to be the proper transition. There’s a record in between.” What do you think of JB’s new tune? Share your reviews below! Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Photos Justin Bieber, President Obama And More Celebrate ‘Christmas In Washington’ Related Artists Justin Bieber
December 11th was hands down the best day of my life. At first, I went to the DC Buyout where I met Scooter Braun. He was so nice and took pictures with everyone! After, I was running around DC in the freezing cold. We were looking for a bus to take us to the Georgetown Four Seasons (where Justin was staying) but it was on the other side of town. Then, we got a call saying Justin was on his way to the National Building Museum where he was performing for Christmas in Washington . We took a cab to the building and walked around for hours. At 5, we realized Justin had already went inside the building and we had missed him. We decided to wait until he came back out because he has to leave sometime, right? We talked to so many secret service agents and asked what time the special was over and none of them knew. They kept saying, “When you see all these cops and flashing lights disappear, the President is gone and people can start leaving.” And that’s what we were waiting for. All at the same time, all the helicopters, police cars, motorcycles, and everything else for the President disappeared and that meant we could get closer to the gate! At 7:45, I tweeted on my personal account something about hopefully meeting Justin and 10 minutes later, I did! First, Scrappy came out and he took a couple pictures with fans, but right when I was going to take a picture, Alfredo comes out with Kenny and Justin and the whole crew! Scooter called Justin over and he started taking pictures with fans. There was about 10 girls there and they were sort of crowding around him . I saw Alfredo off to the side, putting something inside the trunk of their car and I had a really good feeling that I’d get my picture with Justin so I went for it and asked Alfredo for a picture. He said “Yes” and we got super close and took a picture. After, he said “Thanks for everything you guys do!” and ran into the car. Justin was being swarmed and I somehow squeezed my way into the crowd so I was in front of him. He moves over and says, “Wait, let me get a picture with her.” His arm was halfway around my shoulder but I was confused so I was like “Wait, me?” and he says yes and we took a picture. Then Justin was getting ready to walk away and I asked for a hug and he said sure and we hugged. I somehow found myself in front of Pattie where I said hi and she smiled. I was going to ask for a picture but they were running late and I didn’t want them to miss their plane so I backed off. My mom said I look really shocked in all my pictures but I seriously don’t care because it was a great day and Justin was so sweet. Standing out in the freezing cold was 100% worth it! -@beliebinfomva Original post: December 11th was hands down the best day of my life. At first,…
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 “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 Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside Best Artists Of 2011 Debate MTV First: Lady Gaga Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Best Artists Of 2011 Related Artists Lady Gaga
Not so fast, Times Square ball. Before we celebrate the beginning of 2012, it’s time to raise a glass to the year that was. At THG, we’re doing that by counting down the 10 most newsworthy celebrities of 2011. First, there was the arresting centerfold Lindsay Lohan at #10; then the newly-divorced reality show judge Jennifer Lopez at #9; then the singing sensation Selena Gomez at#8; then those hilarious viral video stars at#7 spot; then everyone’s favorite California Gurl Katy Perry at #6. Now, at #5, who else? Justin Bieber himself! 2011 was the year Justin Bieber went from floppy-haired niche favorite to mainstream teenage icon. He met the President, he made wishes come true for family members of 9/11 , he even proved infallible to the classic celebrity scandal. Seriously. Nice try, Mariah Yeater . Coming into this year, we all knew Justin could sing. But 12 months later, we know now he can also play basketball , give back to charities and dominate the box office as much as he can the music charts. “Never Say Never” made millions across the U.S. and was actually applauded by most movie critics . Bieber can also rap, act (hello, CSI guest starring-spot!) and almost take down Twitter single-handedly by merely getting a haircut. Justin went public in February with Selena Gomez, but that relationship has not slowed down his popularity. To the star’s credit, he’s been nothing but open about his feelings and his connection to this pretty artist. The only drawback of their courtship? How Bieber has made every other boyfriend in the country look horrible by comparison, thanks to stunts such as this . A crossover star, Bieber sang duets in 2011 with everyone from Chris Brown to Mariah Carey, Usher to Boyz II Men. We’re looking at our generation’s next Justin Timberlake here, a singer who can step across genres, on to the big screen, really succeed anywhere across the entertainment spectrum. The guy is seriously talented. Justin concluded an incredible year by releasing a Christmas album that shot to number-one on the charts, to no one’s surprise. He made the media round in promotion, dazzling David Letterman and singing live for Today Show viewers. You name the medium and Justin Bieber has controlled it over the past few months. So congratulations on your number-five ranking, JB. We have a feeling you’ll be a mainstay on this countdown for many years to come.
President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign released a new ad Thursday hailing the end of the war in Iraq. Titled, “Ending the War in Iraq: A Promise Kept,” the nearly three-minute video features… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 16/12/2011 04:25 Number of articles : 2
On December 11th 2011, is the day I FINALLY met my idol Justin Bieber. I have been wanting and trying to meet him for 3 years, I’ve entered every contest to meet him and I didn’t win. On 11.11.11 at 11:11 I made a wish to meet Justin, and exactly 1 month after, my wish came true. On, December 9th, I heard that Justin was coming to Washington, DC for Christmas in Washington and freaked out thinking that this might be my chance to actually meet him or at least get close to him. Justin got to DC on Saturday, and me and my friends went down there to try to find him, and we heard that he had rehearsal in the National Building Museum. So we went down and stood outside of the museum for maybe 45 minutes before him and Selena came out! We were so excited that he came out, and then Justin started walking towards us and we thought he was going to come over and take pictures with us, but then he stopped 10 feet away from us and was talking to his DJ and then went right back to his Escalade. He got in the car and drove off, right past me on the sidewalk, I could see him and Selena in the car and I thought that’s as close as I’ll ever be to Justin. We didn’t know what hotel he was staying at so, we just went home because we didn’t know where they were off too. Right as we were on our way home, I got a tweet from Justin saying that he was at the Children’s Hospital. I knew the next day (Sunday) was going to be 10x harder to meet him or even see him because that was the day he was singing for the President and doing Christmas in Washington. We got to DC around 2pm and we saw Justin again, 10 feet away going into the Museum for dress rehersal. We ran around behind were the entrance was, but we didn’t think we could go any farther because we didn’t want to get in trouble. But then, a little girl comes around the corner (which we were standing next to her until we ran) says that Justin gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Right then I thought, that was my chance to meet him and it was gone because he wasn’t coming back out until Christmas and Washington was over which wasn’t until 7:30 or 8:00pm. We didn’t think that our friend’s mom was going to let us stay until then because it was 6-7 hours away. She said no at first, but then she finally said yes and let’s find something to do until then. We walked around and went to Burger King to get warm and get some food. Then we met these girls and snuck in the gate, we were talking and then all of a sudden a black car pulls up, and the back door opens and it’s Pattie Mallette! Justin’s mom! I couldn’t believe it, I was so excited to see her. We asked her if we could take pictures with us, and she said yeah, sure! She was so sweet and gorgeous, she gave us all individual hugs and we told her to tell Justin we said hi and she said ”Okay! I will.” Later that night, we met up with these two girls and they were so nice to us, we walked around with them for a while and we got information about Justin that we didn’t know. We kept asking the security guards and the cops what time Justin was coming back out, and they all gave us different times so we were really confused. At this point, I was thinking “I’m never going to meet him” I was freezing cold, and I was getting exhausted. We went to the museum around 7:30 when the president left, and we waited out by the gates where they would walk out. We were standing there for about a half hour and I was thinking, “When Justin comes out he’s not going to take pictures with us.. he’ll be too tired and he’ll be rushing trying to get to the airport.” First to come out, was Cee Lo Green and then a couple minutes after came out Justin in his black and white suit and Selena right next to him. I was so excited, my heart was pounding with joy. We didn’t scream because we didn’t want to cause a scene and get Justin scared, we asked “Justin can we please get a picture?!” I was thinking, “Is he going to get in his car with Selena, (because she had already gotten in the car) or is he going to take pictures with the 15 fans he had left.” We were the only girls out still waiting for him at 8:00 at night, he went out the gate and said yeah, we can take pictures. MY HEART WAS POUNDING BY NOW AND I WAS SHAKING because he was like 3 feet away from me and he was walking closer. He took pictures with the other girls we were with, and then my friends. I found an opening and I went through it, and before I knew it I was standing right next to Justin, like less than a foot away. I asked him “Can we take a picture?” he said “Of course!” and smiled. He put his arm around me and I put my arm around him for the picture, after my friend took the picture he rubbed my back and tensed up on my shoulder, I said “Thank you so much Justin!” he looked at me, smiled and said, “Your welcome, your welcome!” I was still standing next to him after we took the picture then one of the body gaurds pulled him back and said, “Come on we got to go” he said “I’m sorry, I have to go!” I was the happiest girl in the world at that moment, being face to face with Justin Bieber. The one who, I have been trying to meet for 3 years, the one who’s music I listen to whenever I’m upset or mad. I would always tell my parents “I’m going to meet him this year” then they would always say “no your not” or ”yeah, right” but I proved them wrong. After Justin left, his crew started coming out, Alfredo, Dan, Scrappy, and even his mom came back out again. I said hi to her, and she smiled and said hi again! She remembered me! Dan came out, I asked him for a picture. He was so nice, he was talking to us and was telling us that they were on their way to L.A. to be on the X-Factor. We were exchanging laughs, and he was just so nice to us. Scrappy, came out and I asked him for a picture and he said “Yeah, sure real quick thought cause I gotta leave” we took the picture and then after Dan said to me, “Did you see that?! I photo-bombed that!” and started laughing. I felt like I knew them, they were all such nice people and I loved them! That day was the best day of my life. If anyone tells you, you can’t. YOU CAN, just believe in yourself. Dreams really do come true, and never say never. I love you Justin! Continue reading here: On December 11th 2011, is the day I FINALLY met my idol…
