Lady Gaga apologizes for R-word use

From US Weekly:

Lady Gaga's got yet another bold statement to make: An apology.

The pop star came under fire after she dropped the "R bomb" -- calling plagiarism accusations against her "retarded" -- in an interview.

Following the fracas, the "Judas" singer told Perez Hilton: "I consider it part of my life's work and music to push the boundaries of love and acceptance. My apologies for not speaking thoughtfully. To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional. An honest mistake requires honesty to make," Gaga, 25, said.

Quoting her smash hit "Born This Way," she concluded: "Whether life's disabilities left you outcast, bullied or teased, rejoice and love yourself today."

In her expletive-laded chat with NME, Gaga (real name: Stefani Germanotta) complained of speculation that "Born This Way" was a rip-off of Madonna's "Express Yourself."

"I'm a songwriter," she said. "I've written loads of music. Why would I try to put out a song and think I'm getting one over on everybody? That's retarded. What a completely ridiculous thing to even question me about." ( LOL! Weird Al spoofs Gaga)

The term "retarded" is "extraordinarily offensive and inappropriate," Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc (a nonprofit advocacy group for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities), told Us Weekly last August, after Jennifer Aniston made a similar quip.