Lady Gaga

Who knew a few finger taps could give you the shivers...

Most of us don't get to choose our names, but celebrities do -- and when they start out with a snark-worthy or tongue-twisting real name, it makes the decision to abandon it even easier. With that in mind, here are five stars with given names that probably wouldn't have gone up in lights, and the stories behind the stage names they chose instead...

Considering Twitter is the easiest medium for which celebs to communicate with fans, the press and one another, it's no surprise that a lot of famous folk are sort of addicted to it. So much so that when they leave, they come right back.

It's Hump Day (September 18) but thankfully no one seemed to notice that much. In fact, some stars didn't even realize it was September as they were busy filming a Christmas episode of their reality show. We'll just let that sink in a bit. For the rest of us, it's mid-September.

The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, were a harrowing, heartbreaking moment in history -- but they also inspired, strengthened and further united the United States in rebuilding not only the rubble, but the patriotism and spirit that define the nation.

NYFW 2013 took over NYC over the past several days. The models walk the runways while the celebs, actors, pop stars and more line the seats and watch the fashions come down the catwalk. Since Fashion Week is about, well, fashion, your fave celebs have to keep pace and turn up in their best, most stylish threads...

Lady Gaga will reportedly appear on 'Saturday Night Live' for the third time come this fall, but unlike her past appearances, Mother Monster will be acting as both the host and the musical guest during an episode of the long-running comedy program.

Celebrities are known for being able to go where they want, when they want, but that's not always the case. Criminal records, political views, or even the way they dress can make some stars persona non grata in countries outside their own -- whether it's in the form of an outright ban or just stern public words from government officials.

Lady Gaga opened the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards with a bang -- and we bet she shut up a lot of her naysayers (we're looking at you, Perez Hilton) in the process.

When Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years for espionage, theft and fraud, the world was abuzz with terror (what else don't we know?) and dread (what else can we get into trouble for?). When Bradley Manning came out as a transgender woman named Chelsea Manning, the world was abuzz with shock. And for both life-changing events for Manning, Lady Gaga was there to support her.

Today is Aug. 21, and it's also hump day. The stars weren't so much interested in hump day, but they were talking about political topics, celebrity birthdays and announcements about their various careers. Maybe next Wednesday, Twitter.

It all started innocently enough, with a Lady Gaga fan getting super excited that celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton was spotted in the lobby of Gaga's apartment building. Until Lady Gaga took this news and freaked out, calling security and then raging against Hilton on Twitter in all caps, going so far to accuse him of stalking her.

Lady Gaga may not have won her war on the charts with Katy Perry (yet), but she came out on top elsewhere: in court. Mother Monster was victorious in a suit from her former assistant, who sued her for unpaid overtime hours, in terms of email evidence.

Lady Gaga really wants 'Applause' to top the charts -- and so do her Little Monsters. When Mother Monster offered a chance to meet her to the fan who showed the most proof of purchasing copies of her comeback single, some devotees took it way too far.

Lady Gaga has had fluctuating weight for a while, both before and after her hip surgery -- and she's scared that the focus will be on her body and not her new album, 'ARTPOP.'

In this week's naked Lady Gaga news, Mother Monster has moved on from hugging crystals in the nude to promoting her upcoming album, 'ARTPOP,' by covering V Magazine -- also in the nude.

It's Wednesday, Aug. 14, so of course Twitter is abuzz with plenty of Hump Day jokes and even one Bump Day joke. Sadly, none of them were from Fergie.

Lady Gaga is not about to be one-upped by Katy Perry. The two pop stars were both victims of hackers and leakers who released their highly anticipated music to the masses early, so Gaga responded to the hype by sharing her song in full on her own to her beloved Little Monsters -- who were trying to steal the thunder from Perry's 'Roar' as best they could.

Lady Gaga is known for being the Queen of Weird, and she just added to her title by going on a three-day retreat to upstate New York with performance artist Marina Abramovic to film this video. You may also know Abramovic from the Jay Z 'Picasso Baby' six-hour performance art lip sync.

Little Monsters, your paws may be up, but they better not be out. No one knows exactly what Lady Gaga is hiding, and it's going to stay that way. A court ruled that documents containing information that could severely harm the 'Judas' singer's reputation and well-being have to be sealed from the public forever. Speaking of paws, her family's restaurant may want to seal their walls a little bit bet