Many were loathed in 2011; these are the ones we call our own. This is not a list of the world's most loathsome characters. This is (with apologies to the NY Press) a list of Gawker's most loathsome characters. Learn them. Love them. Loathe them.

The "Christmas rush" is over. The final, last-ditch hope for our flailing economy has come to an end. The gifts have all been purchased. The free-spending desperate trips to our nation's big box retailers have all been taken. And now, America asks itself: did it work?

Sinead O'Connor's most recent manic episode seems to be winding down: Over the holidays she announced that her recent "Cock. In. Mouth." marriage to therapist Barry Herridge had ended. The beginning of the end began "within 3 hours" of the duo's paparazzi-strewn Las Vegas ceremony, which took place in the back of a pink Cadillac outside the chapel where Elvis and Britney Spears married various significant others*:

This actor got a Lady Gaga tattoo somewhere "private." Let's hope it's his ass and not his actual privates. This actress' boyfriend pocketed the money she gave him to buy her Christmas presents. At least he didn't end up with a new tattoo.

If you've been too busy celebrating the holidays to keep track of the doings of internet blimp magnate Ron Paul, you might have missed the 50 scans of Paul's various, unbelievably hateful newsletters, published on Mr. Destructo last week. But as pleased as that made us, we're even more pleased to discover @RP_Newsletter, an enterprising new Twitter account that's re-Tweeting the best of those newsletters, 140 characters at a time!

"Police were looking for a motive in a shooting in which they believe a man dressed as Santa Claus killed six family members in a Fort Worth, Texas, suburb on Christmas day before shooting himself." It's not known whether this is connected to Santa's string of roofie attacks in Germany.

This year, television gave us some incredible moments, from Charlie Sheen's on-camera meltdown to Oprah and Regis stepping off the stage to, the year offered plenty of highlights and lowlights. This compilation video brings them everything together: the hilarious residents of Pawnee, Indiana and the half-faced drug kingpins of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Christine O'Donnell walking off Piers Morgan's show and Louis CK sucking up to Dane Cook. If you weren't watching enough TV this year, here are all the moments people were talking about and all the spoilers you were warned about (including a NSFW clip near the end).

2011 has been quite a year, and there has been lots of news, scoops, leaks, exclusives, scandals, internet explosions, sexts, and one very very famous dead guy. So, here are the most-read posts on Gawker for the entire year—take a moment to remember what passed.

We know how it is on the morning of the 25th, when you tear into your packages, there is always at least one crushing disappointment. "How could someone buy this for me?!" Well, we're going to let you turn those awful presents into cash!

The conspiracy theories are happening so fast now that they're basically resolved before they even start, but let's not let this one escape the eternal clutches of the Gawker Archives: Did the Portuguese water dog Bo Obama — who's already been under heavy Christmas card scrutiny this week — fly out to Hawaii with Michelle Obama and the kids, and then fly back just to Washington for a photo-op with President Obama? Imagine the cost to taxpayers! Congress, please get back to town for a quickie impeachment.

Hangover 2 is having all sorts of trademark issues! After being sued by a tattoo artist over a fake Mike Tyson tattoo, now they're being sued by Louis Vuitton for using fake luggage and claiming it's the real thing. What are they going to sue every tourist who has ever been to Chinatown too?

Insane GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons was last seen in Internet Outrage Land killing and butchering an elephant in Africa. But that's nothing compared to the nerd backlash sparked by his company's support of the Stop Online Piracy Act.

First it was the racist newsletters. Now it's the direct mail advertising them. In a signed appeal to potential subscribers in 1993, Ron Paul urged people to read his publications in order to prepare for a "race war," military rule, and a conspiracy to use a new $100 bill to track Americans.

Quiet, everyone, Sen. Chuck Schumer's going to tell us about the latest consumer product he doesn't like. Is it Four Loko? No, he already ruined that. Now he's onto inhalable caffeine.

The funniest thing about Bel Ami the new period pic starring Twilight Mr. Potato Head Robert Pattinson is that it shares the name of a popular gay porn company. Tee-hee! But Mr. Pattinson shows he knows how to make sexy with all the ladies!

Every month, Leo Laporte delivers technology advice to millions of people who download his podcasts and tune in to his syndicated radio show. He is, as one of his programs bills him, "The Tech Guy" whose digital savvy was recognized, near the dawn of the web, with an Emmy Award. But for all his expertise, Laporte still managed to clumsily broadcast an explicit Google chat with his lover, exposing the affair he's apparently been carrying on with his CEO.

Christmas weekend is upon us, and if you're not already drunk you probably should be soon. But how? The Wall Street Journal's Wine section has some recommendations. But so do we! Try some of these great selections for a perfect holiday

This actor is absolutely obsessed with Tijuana donkey shows and this actor has a thing for strippers. Oh, and gossip Michael Musto dumped a ton of blind items on us. Merry Christmas and happy guessing.

This metal space ball fell from the sky onto Namibia in mid-November, prompting authorities to call NASA for help. What? Why are you laughing? This space ball is a serious national security issue.

Anyone who knows anything about anything knows that birds, of all animals, are not to be trusted. Have you seen a bird, recently, doing its little bird things (pecking?), acting as though its brain is the size of a Sno-Cap? Well, guess what: birds can do math. Higher math.