12 BREAKOUT stars of 2012
<
>
-
breakoutstars_collection_1355446710147-10946.JPG
Gabby Douglas, PSY, Jennifer Livingston and Honey Boo Boo were among the year's top breakout stars for grabbing big headlines. -
GABBY DOUGLAS-10946
As a member of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics Gabby Douglas won gold medals in both the individual and team all-around competitions. -
HONEY BOO BOO-10946
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is a reality show on TLC that features child beauty pageant participant Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson. The spin-off to Toddlers and Tiaras rated higher than the third night of the Republican National Convention. -
PHILLIP PHILLIPS-10946
Phillip Phillips won the 12th season of American Idol in May 2012 and his first single, "Home" reached No. 1 on the iTunes pop charts and stayed in the top 5 for 8 weeks. -
You may not know her face, but E.L. James had a breakout year as the author of this year's bestselling erotic novel "50 Shades of Grey."
-
JEREMY LIN-10946
In February 2012, Jeremy Lin unexpectedly led a winning streak after he was promoted to the New York Knicks' starting lineup. His performance generated a global following known as Linsanity. -
ONE DIRECTION-10946
If you have a teenage girl or a tween in your house, you have no doubt heard of the boy band One Direction. -
-
Colorado high school senior Missy Franklin made her Olympic debut this past summer as a 17-year-old, winning 4 gold medals and 1 bronze.
-
Paul Ryan became a household name this year after he was chosen by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to be his running mate.
-
These are the stars of Duck Dynasty, an A&E TV show about the family that runs the duck call fabrication business. Yeah, they're millionaires.
-
Jennifer_livingston_email_1355446705719-10946.JPG
Television news anchor Jennifer Livingston gained prominence this year when she responded on-air to a viewer's e-mail that criticized her for being overweight.
