10. Quvenzhané Wallis
Faces don't get much fresher than that of this small girl with a big name and even bigger screen presence. As the star of this year's breakout indie feature Beasts of the Southern Wild, the now-9-year-old Wallis is the effortless engine that drives a strange and spellbinding allegory set in the flood-threatened bayous of Louisiana. Her future roles may be less fantastical, but we're betting they'll be just as luminous.
9. Ryan Lochte
The record-breaking swimmer wasn't content to hoard medals during this summer's Olympic games. He also snatched up shares of the pop culture zeitgeist and more than 1 million Twitter followers to become a bona fide media phenomenon. Praised for his chiseled physique and occasionally derided for his bro-next-door musings, he even went so far as to trademark his signature catchphrase "Jeah."
8. Y.N.Rich Kids
PSY's "Gangnam Style" may have been the year's most explosive viral-video smash, but it'd be a mistake to overlook these young Minneapolis rappers and their snack-obsessed summer anthem "Hot Cheetos & Takis." Cracking the 4 million mark in YouTube views ain't too shabby for an afterschool music project, and while PSY's lyrics have a surreal kind of who-cares-what-the-words-mean appeal, these kids' irresistibly bouncy tribute to their own chili-dust-caked fingers is as real as it gets.
7. Samantha Barks
When your first feature film role finds you in the company of heavy hitters like Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper, you'd better know what the H you're doing. Thankfully for Barks, her first movie gig was playing Eponine in Les Miserables—a role she'd already been nailing on the London stage. She's a stunner in Hooper's epic film, and whether or not she herself gets a nod from the Academy in the coming weeks, it's a sign of magnifique things to come.
6. Rita Ora
She's only on her first album, but this British pop powerhouse already has the pipes, the charisma and the fearless fashion sense to run alongside reigning divas like Lady Gaga and Rihanna (who shares her status as a stunning Jay-Z protégé). Ora has already gone No. 1 in her native UK, and with the seductive thump of tracks like "How We Do (Party) and "Radioactive," she's rightly won a growing army of fans on this side of the Atlantic, too.
5. Stephen Amell
Stare at Amell long enough and you'll wonder what you ever saw in schlubs like Ryan Gosling and Chris Hemsworth. The supernaturally handsome Canadian has put in plenty of time on network TV, from one-off roles in crime dramas like CSI: Miami and NCIS: Los Angeles to a softer stints on 90210 and New Girl. But 2012 was the year he stepped up to the big league, bringing timeless DC Comics hero Green Arrow—aka Oliver Queen—to life in the CW's new Arrow. At a time when serious acting chops have become a prerequisite for playing a comic book icon, Amell has the skills and the ripped abs.
4. Richard Ayoade
Brits have known about Ayoade for years thanks to his intrepid work as a writer, actor and music video director. It wasn't until his face started showing up alongside Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn on U.S. billboards and buses—in ads for the summer comedy The Watch—that Americans began to truly take note of his talents. In the New Year, keep your eyes peeled for The Double, which stars Jesse Eisenberg and flaunts Ayoade's formidable skills behind the camera as writer/director.
3. Lil Bub
Internet memes come and go, but LOLcats as a collective force are still pretty unstoppable. And if they had to choose a leader, odds are it would be this striped "perma-kitten" with buggy eyes and a toothless, tongue-flopping mug. In spite of—or because of—his unorthodox cuteness, Bub has become a minor media darling, even outside of crazy-cat-person circles (a VICE-produced documentary about him is on the way). In his own(er's) simple words: "Falling for me is just about the best thing you can do. Let it happen, you won't regret it."
2. Frank Ocean
If you still haven't taken the time to check out Ocean's Channel Orange LP, consider yourself asleep at the musical wheel. From Yeezy's own iPod to the secret volcanic island where Grammy voters dwell, his smooth yet forward-thinking brand of modern R&B provided a sublime soundtrack throughout the back half of 2012. Expect more deliciousness from this 21st-century soul man in years to come.
1. Aidy Bryant
With every new crop of SNL cast members come the waves of predictions about who'll survive and who'll soon be back on the semi-pro improv circuit in flyover country. Second City alum Bryant has proved herself not only a survivor among the new blood, but a fresh and reliable funnymaker on NBC's weekend comedy staple. Foremost in our minds this holiday season is her raunchy take on Mrs. Claus during a recent Weekend Update, inviting rapper 2 Chainz to see how her booty shakes like a bowl full of jelly.