The Cool Kids of 2011
Check out which celeb was named Most Popular and more.
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Best Dressed Male-Amar'e Stoudemire - Moving to New York did more for star Knicks player Amar’e Stoudemire than boost his NBA profile, it also turned him into a dapper dandy. From sitting front row with Anna Wintour during Fahion Week and gracing the pages of Wintour’s fashion bible, Vogue magazine, to sporting perfectly tailored suits to every red carpet event this year including this photo of him at the 70th Annual Father of the Year Awards, the 7-foot power forward has urged men everywhere to step-up their fashion game. (Photo: John Lamparski/WireImage)
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Best Dressed Female-Kerry Washington - Kerry Washington is just as well-known for her stunning red carpet looks as she is for her acting chops. This high cheekbone beauty has been a red-carpet favorite for years, always landing on all the gossip and fashion rags “Best Dressed” lists. At this year’s Glamour Woman of the Year Awards, she wowed in a Marchesa gown. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Glamour Magazine)
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Class Clown — Kevin Hart - Who didn’t love the Real House Husbands of Hollywood skits on the 2011 BET Awards? Kevin Hart was hilarious as host, so much so that MTV followed-suit asking the Philly native to do some co-hosting at their Video Music Award show later in the summer. And on top of all that, Hart released a full-length theatrical version of his comedy tour, Laugh at My Pain and broke Eddie Murphy’s longstanding record as the first African-American comedian to surpass over $1.1 million for two-day live comedy show ticket sales. (Photo: Dario Cantatore/PictureGroup)
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Most Likely to Succeed — Elle Varner - This BET Music Matters artist made quite the impression at this year’s Black Girls Rock ceremony and even scored J. Cole, one of the hottest young emcees, to do a guest spot on her first single, “Only Wanna Give It to You.” Her debut album, Perfectly Imperfect, is set for release sometime next year. (photo: John Ricard / BET)
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Biggest Gossip — mediatakeout.com - Fred Mwangaguhunga and his team at MTO must drive celebrities crazy with their outrageous stories of who’s dating who, leaked nude photos and more. The gossip blog, which claims to be the “Most Visited Urban Website in the World,” may tout many salacious tales, but it also regularly breaks headline news, like Michael Jordan’s divorce and Amber Rose’s racy nude pics. (Photo: Mediabistro.com)
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Most Likely to Win an Oscar — Viola Davis - Despite much criticism of this year’s hit film The Help, lead actress Viola Davis said she was proud of her work. And if box-office sales are any indication — the movie was number-one for three weeks in a row — she has every reason to be. And although Oscar nods won’t be announced until mid-January, Davis seems like a shoe-in. The Academy still owes her one for her missed nod in 2008 for her small but powerful performance in the film Doubt, co-starring Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. (Photo: Dreamworks)
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Most Likely to Win a Grammy — Nicki Minaj - The Queen of pink received not one, but three Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance with labelmate Drake for their hit single “Moment for Life.” Nicki was nominated last year for her guest spot on Ludacris’s “My Chick Bad,” but went home empty handed. However, 2011 has been her year to shine and we think she’ll definitely be starting off the year with at least one golden gramophone. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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Trendsetter — Solange - Beyoncé’s baby sis stepped out of her superstar sibling’s shadow this year as a rising fashion icon. From rocking edgy natural hair trends and adding her personal flair to high-end designer looks, Solange Knowles has influenced a new generation of fashionistas. From her red-carpet looks to her casual cool ensembles when she DJs parties for the cool crowd, she’s got all the hot girls clocking her style. Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images for Rimmel)
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Best Athlete Male — Derrick Rose - Though Derrick Rose may not have won the NBA championship with his Chicago Bulls, the young star did earn the league's MVP trophy. Carrying his hometown on his back, Rose was this year's leading scorer on the league's winningest team. And with endorsement deals with Adidas, 2K Sports, Skullcandy headphones, Powerade and Force Factor sports drinks, Rose is set to be the NBA's next big thing. (Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Photo By Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
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Best Athlete (female) — Serena Williams - Though the tennis champ with the killer bod had a few setbacks this year with the break-up with her boo, Common, Serena remained poised. She not only won her first Wimbledon title since her hospitalization last year, but she also made guest appearances on her BFF La La’s reality series La La’s Full Court Life and looked fab at every red-carpet event she attended. (Photo: AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Best Hair-Rihanna - Rih Rih’s been the go-to starlet for hot hair for more than a few years now. From her signature asymmetrical bob circa “Umbrella,” her retro half-shaved ‘do to the bright red locks she wore early this year, Rihanna’s hair game stays tight. It’s no wonder that a story surfaced reporting that her stylist, Ursula Stephen, earns $22,000 per week. Sounds like money well spent. (Photo: Tom Donoghue/PictureGroup)
Photo By Tom Donoghue/PictureGroup
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Coolest Freshman — J. Cole - The North Carolina “Rookie of the Year” proved he was much-deserving of all the hype, selling over 200,000 copies of his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, in its first week. He also appeared on Beyoncé’s single “Party,” which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. We’re expecting great things from this budding rap star. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)
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Soundtrack of 2011 — Watch the Throne - Jay plus Kanye, need we say more? From the first single, "H.A.M.," which added a new phrase to the urban dictionary, the summer banger, “Otis” (and the much-talked about chopped up Maybach in the song’s video), to the album's current chart-topping track “N---as in Paris”, W.T.T. was a true hip hop masterpiece. These heavy weights put everyone on notice that Jigga and Ye are still running this town. (Photo: Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records)
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Drama Queen — Tami Roman - What a comeback for reality TV star Tami Roman! After not having seen her for more than a decade since her stint on season 2 of the Real World Los Angeles, Roman returned with a vengeance. After two kids and a divorce, Roman appeared on VH1’s Basketball Wives: Miami and gave the ladies hell. From her beef with Evelyn Lozada to the slap heard round the world doled out on castmate Meeka Claxton — Roman solidified her place as the grand dame of reality TV drama. But she’d better watch the throne, Chrissy Lampkin on Love and Hip Hop is definitely vying for her spot.(Photo: Paras Griffin /Landov)
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Drama King — Chris Brown - C Breezy started the year off with the successful release of his highly-anticipated fourth studio album, F.A.M.E. — his first album to debut at number one. But then while promoting the record, Brown had a fight with a chair in his dressing room at Good Morning America, which he quickly apologized for a day later on 106 & Park. Then he had a vicious Twitter beef with R&B newcomer Frank Ocean and his crew Odd Future but the fellas quickly squashed their squabble and Chris again apologized to fans for his behavior. Then Chris battled his neighbors who went on record saying he was loud and obnoxious and eventually had him kicked out of his complex — for this Chris has offered no apology. Through it all his fans have stuck to him like glue, voting him Fandemonium champ at this year’s BET Awards. And of course the boy's got undeniable talent, hence the...
Photo By Photo: Kevork Djansezi
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