
'Gangnam Style' —
The video for Psy's "Gangnam Style" has racked up more than a billion hits on YouTube, becoming the most-watched entry of all time.

Honey Boo Boo —
Honey Boo Boo and her rural Georgia family became TLC's latest breakout hit -- and prompted some observers to rend their garments in frustration.

Lindsay Lohan —
O, LiLo! Lindsay Lohan's rough year included arrests, antics and "Liz & Dick," a widely roasted TV movie in which she plays Elizabeth Taylor. Comparisons to the legendary La Liz were unflattering.

Jennifer Lawrence —
Jennifer Lawrence hit box-office gold with "The Hunger Games" and may earn Oscar recognition for "Silver Linings Playbook."

'The Dark Knight Rises' —
"The Dark Knight Rises" concluded director Christopher Nolan's trilogy on Batman.

'The Avengers' —
Marvel's "The Avengers" was the top-grossing film of 2012 and continues the success of the Marvel universe on the big screen.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' —
"Fifty Shades of Grey" and its two sequels may have been formally released in 2011, but all three dominated the best-seller lists in 2012, inspiring parodies, an album of classical music and talk of a film adaptation.

Rihanna —
Whether considered mysterious, shallow or simply perplexing, Rihanna's musical and romantic escapades -- including a reunion with Chris Brown -- made entertainment headlines.

Whitney Houston —
Whitney Houston died in February on the eve of the Grammys.

Carly Rae Jepsen and 'Call Me Maybe' —
Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" hit No. 1 on the pop charts and inspired several parodies of its ubiquitous video.

Lena Dunham —
Lena Dunham and her HBO series "Girls" made the former indie-film darling a talked-about star.

'Homeland' —
"Homeland," starring Claire Danes, dethroned "Mad Men" as the winner of Emmy's best drama award.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert —
Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart had a series of fat targets thanks to the election campaign -- and seldom missed their marks.

'The Artist' —
"The Artist," a silent film, won the Oscar for best picture in February. So far, it hasn't killed off sound.

'Somebody That I Used to Know' —
Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" and its creative video were inescapable in 2012.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise —
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorced in 2012 after five years of marriage and one child, Suri.

One Direction —
One Direction, a Simon Cowell creation, became the latest boy-band breakout.

Justin Bieber —
Justin Bieber's power to inflame teenage hearts remained undiminished, even if his 2012 album "Believe" did little to convert skeptics.

Taylor Swift —
Taylor Swift's "Red" sold more than a million copies its first week, and her song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" became Swift's first No. 1 pop hit.


