Britney Spears: The 3 Most 'Amazing' Things About My Year

By Marisa Laudadio 12/20/2012 at 01:45 PM EST It was a very big year for Britney Spears, who's been named one of PEOPLE's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2012.For starters, Forbes put the pop star at the top of its list of the top-earning female musicians (with $58 million), and her new single with will.i.am, "Scream...

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AP IMPACT: Steroids loom in major-college football

WASHINGTON (AP) — With steroids easy to buy, testing weak and punishments inconsistent, college football players are packing on significant weight — 30 pounds or more in a single year, sometimes — without drawing much attention from their schools or the NCAA in a sport that earns tens of billions of dollars for teams.Rules vary so widely that, on any given game day, a team with a strict no-steroid...

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Man molests boy at fast-food restaurant, police say

An Orange County man was convicted and sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison for molesting an 8-year-old boy in the parking lot of a Santa Ana fast-food restaurant, prosecutors said.Pedro Castillo-Sanchez, 35, pleaded guilty to one felony count of lewd acts with a child under 14, with a sentencing enhancement of substantial sexual conduct with a child, according to a statement...

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State Department Rebukes Israel Over Settlement Activity

The State Department accused Israel on Tuesday of engaging in a “pattern of provocative action” over the country’s plans to proceed with new settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Victoria Nuland, a department spokeswoman, said settlement activity only put the goal of peace “further at risk” and urged both Israel and the Palestinians to halt all provocations and take...

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Shooting renews argument over video-game violence

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the days since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., a shell-shocked nation has looked for reasons. The list of culprits include easy access to guns, a strained mental-health system and the “culture of violence” — the entertainment industry’s embrace of violence in movies, TV shows and, especially, video games.“The violence in the entertainment culture...

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It's a Boy for James Marsden

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 12/19/2012 at 01:30 PM ET Christopher Polk/Getty; Courtesy Rose Costa James Marsden is a father for the third time.Brazilian model Rose Costa delivered a son, William Luca Costa-Marsden, on Friday, Dec. 14 in Los Angeles, PEOPLE has learned.The 30 Rock star,...

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Experts: Kids are resilient in coping with trauma

WASHINGTON (AP) — They might not want to talk about the gunshots or the screams. But their toys might start getting into imaginary shootouts.Last week's school shooting in Connecticut raises the question: What will be the psychological fallout for the children who survived?For people of any age, regaining a sense of security after surviving violence can take a long time. They're at risk for lingering...

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Scarlett Johansson: Hacker who stole nude photos 'perverted'

Actress Scarlett Johansson said she was "truly humiliated and embarrassed" by a Florida man who hacked into celebrity email accounts and procured naked images of her, actions she called "perverted and reprehensible."Johansson, whose then-husband Ryan Reynolds' email was hacked, videotaped a statement that was played in U.S. District Court on Monday as Judge S. James Otero sentenced Christopher...

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World Briefing | Mideast: Chief Public Prosecutor in Egypt Quits After One Month

Lynsey Addario for The New York TimesSupporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt fought outside a courthouse in Cairo on Monday. The chief public prosecutor appointed last month by President Mohamed Morsi stepped down Monday after a demonstration by district prosecutors accusing him of political bias. The district prosecutors accused the new...

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Survivor Winner Denise Stapley: 'I'm in a Daze'

TV Watch By Steve Helling 12/18/2012 at 01:10 PM EST Denise Stapley Nate Beckett/Splash News Online Denise Stapley shattered Survivor records by being the only player in the show's 25-season history to go to every tribal council – including the final one, where...

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