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July was a month of escapism punctuated by tragic real-life events, if the month’s list of top trending topics on Twitter is any guide. At a time when kids are out of school and escaping the heat to an air-conditioned theater or a climate-controlled living room, it’s not surprising that entertainment topics dominated the list.

In particular, Nickelodeon’s “The ’90s Are All That” block of programming and the looming movie version of Phineas & Ferb dominated discussion, along with mainstays like Justin Bieber and soccer.

SEE ALSO: Top 25 Most-Shared Stories in July

On the other hand, reality couldn’t be ignored as the shootings and bombing in Norway and the untimely death of Amy Winehouse also made the charts. Somewhat surprisingly, talk of the debt ceiling didn’t make the list, but that discussion got intense just as the month was ending. Latecomer Cowboys & Aliens monopolized a lot of the chatter toward the end of the month.

You can check Twitter trends from the past in our Top Twitter Topics section.

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Top Twitter Trends, July 2011:

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Rank	Topic	Intensity	Description
#1	Soccer/Football	4	July saw both the Copa America football competition in South America and as the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany where Japan was victorious.
#2	Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2	3	The final installment in the Harry Potter film/book series generated a lot of conversation among fans. This was enhanced by the frequent appearance of the other seven Harry Potter films on international TV networks.
#3	Phineas & Ferb	3	Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension hits theaters on August 5. Fans of the old TV show talked about it for weeks.
#4	Norway Explosion/Shootings	3	An explosion in Oslo and a mass shooting at Norwegian Labour Party’s youth camp on island Utoya, Buskerud in Norway prompted a show of support for the victims with a moment of silence.
#5	Justin Bieber	3	Why did Justin Bieber trend? Cause he’s the Biebs! Duh.
#6	Twitter	3	Users talked a lot about Twitter this month with hashtags like #ThingsWeLearnedOnTwitter & #WhenTwitterWasDown.
#7	Nickelodeon	2	The TV channel TeenNick aired a block of programming called “The ’90s Are All That” which contained Nickelodeon shows from the 90s. Some of the trends that came from viewers reminiscing were Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, Doug, Clarissa Explains, Ren & Stimpy and Rugrats & Catdog.
#8	Casey Anthony Trial	2	Many users on Twitter were absorbed by the closing arguments in the murder case against Casey Anthony and later voiced their opinion online when she was pronounced not guilty of killing her 2 year-old daughter, Caylee.
#9	Amy Winehouse	1	Amy Winehouse was found dead in her flat. She was 27 and users noted that this is the same age as Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones and other members of the “27 Club.”
#10	Cowboys & Aliens	2	The genre-blending film was released to theaters on July 29 and got a very positive response on Twitter.

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Data aggregate courtesy of What the Trend.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, 123render

More About: harry potter, justin bieber, List, Lists, Norway, soccer, social media, Top Twitter Topics, trends, twitter

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It appears the hacker group Anonymous has hijacked the Twitter account belonging to Anders Behring Breivik, the man behind the attacks earlier this month in Norway.

The disparaging tweets began Sunday afternoon. They at first were made to look like Breivik himself sent them from prison, but the hackers eventually identified themselves as being part of the loosely affiliated hacker collective.

“This Twitter account has been seized by #NORIA. @AnonymousNorway,” read a tweet.

“We want Anders to be forgotten. Labels like ‘monster’ or ‘maniac’ won’t do either,” read another tweet. “Media should call him pathetic; a nothing. #Forgethim.”

Shortly after, a tweet said the account would be shut down. As of 8 p.m. ET, the account — which was created just days before the attacks — still exists, but all sent tweets appear to have been deleted. The only tweet that was visible previously, and presumably sent by Breivik, was a quote from philosopher John Stuart Mill: “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests.” (Breivik also had a Facebook account, but that disappeared shortly after the attacks in which Breivik killed more than 90 people.)

Anonymous, a group that sometimes undertakes protests and acts of vengeance through hacktivism, announced a campaign last week against Breivik. A Pastebin document titled “Operation UnManifest” instructed people to find and re-write Breivik’s manifesto.

“Let Anders become a joke, such that nobody will take him seriously anymore,” it reads.

[via Village Voice]

More About: anonymous, Breivik, hack, hackers, Norway

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As the death toll mounts in the most horrific violence Norway has seen since World War II, local police have arrested the suspected perpetrator of both the bombing and the shooting at a children’s summer camp. His name is Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old man reportedly spotted at the scene of the bombing. Police believe he was acting alone.

According to multiple news reports in Norway and Sweden, Brievik belonged to Oslo’s extreme right wing. He was a frequent poster in Norwegian right-wing online forums, the accounts said, and had two guns registered to his name. He also appears to have launched a social media presence just days before the attacks.

In Breivik’s Facebook account, now removed, the suspect identifies himself as a Christian conservative. However, that was far from his only interest. Breivik also listed himself as a fan of World of Warcraft, Modern Warfare 2, bodybuilding and stock analysis. The account, which appeared to have only been started last week, was mostly filled with music videos. Breivik, who listed himself as single, said he had completed “3,000 hours of study in micro and macro finance, religion.”

Breivik appears to have started a Twitter account on the same day as he launched his Facebook presence, July 17. The account, which has not been removed, has just one tweet to its name. It’s a quote from the philosopher John Stuart Mill: “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests.”

The attacks may well have been politically motivated. The bombing took place outside a building where the Prime Minister, who wasn’t present, has an office. And the purpose of the summer camp on the island of Utoya was to teach teenagers about politics.

More About: facebook, Norway, oslo, oslo shooting, politics, twitter

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A massive vehicle bomb went off in central Oslo today late afternoon local time, injuring dozens and damaging several government buildings.

ABC News cites a Norwegian news source that says one person has died. The bomb went off near government buildings, including the prime minister’s office. The prime minister is safe.

The Mirror reports that the explosion was enough to set the nearby oil ministry on fire.

Oslo residents in the area have already started to chronicle the situation via Twitter and YouTube. We’ve compiled some of these videos and photos.

Oslo Bombing

Courtesy of VGanders

Outside

Courtesy of Twitpic

Street View

Courtesy of Twitpic

Aerial View

Geir-Olav Goksøyr, Twitpic

Oslo Building

Courtesy of Twitpic

Oslo Blast

Courtesy of Twitpic

Exterior

Courtesy of Twitpic

Windows

Courtesy of Twitpic

Outside

Courtesy of Twitpic

From Above

Courtesy of Twitpic

Inside

Courtesy of Twitpic

Image courtesy of Bruise Pristine

More About: Norway, oslo, politics, terrorism, trending

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