It's been a not-so-great year for Carrie Prejean. After earning the very public scorn of openly gay gossip blogger Perez Hilton for her stance against same-sex marriage and inelegantly worded support of "opposite marriage" during the 2009 Miss USA competition in April, the Miss California contestant took to the airwaves to defend herself against "liberal" backlash and to decry the death of free speech in America. In May, after nude photos of Prejean surfaced online, the 22-year-old found herself once again defending her conservative credentials: "I am a Christian, and I am a model," she insisted. Then came the revelation that she had received breast implants courtesy of the Miss USA Organization, followed by her dismissal in June for treating people "like s___," according to pageant owner Donald Trump. Flash forward to November, when a disgruntled Prejean ex-boyfriend released a homemade videotape of her pleasuring herself, which prompted yet another round of media interviews that culminated in an unfortunate appearance on Larry King Live, during which Prejean threatened to walk off the set. Perhaps Miss California's 15 minutes of fame haven't been fleeting enough?
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists