2012's best pop culture moments

In January 2012, HBO started airing Lena Dunham's "Girls," a meditation on the awkwardness of being female and 20-ish in New York. By year's end, actress-director-writer Dunham, at 26, gathered so much buzz -- even appearing naked at the Primetime Emmy Awards -- that she was on her way to becoming what her character, Hannah Horvath, can only dream of being: "The voice of my generation. Or at least, A voice. Of A generation."

Sixty-two-year-old actress Meryl Streep (seen with best actor winner Jean Dujardin) wins her third Oscar at a ceremony that seems a little bit vintage with Billy Crystal returning as host and "The Artist," a throwback to the days of silent movies, winning best picture.

Madonna and M.I.A. perform during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show at Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 5, 2012, in Indianapolis. Not only did Madronna score big with that performance, but by year's end, her MDNA global tour was the second- highest grossing of 2012, just behind Bruce Springsteen.

156667954.jpg_RED.jpg — Kevin Winter/Getty

Country singer Taylor Swift started the year as Billboard's top moneymaker for 2011. At year's end, she was featured on the soundtrack for "The Hunger Games," one of the year's hottest movies, and her album "Red" had the biggest sales week for any album in a decade. Swift also got cozy with a Kennedy (18-year-old Conor Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) and began dating a member of the year's hottest boy band, One Direction.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games." — Lionsgate

Speaking of "The Hunger Games," that hit movie made a star of Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of Suzanne Collins' wildly popular trio of novels. She will reprise the role in three upcoming sequels to "The Hunger Games," one of which is currently being filmed.

Louis Vuitton's fall catwalk in Paris featured models dressed in their very best traveling clothes stepping off a reconstructed retro steam train. Valets carried the vintage-inspired hat boxes and vanity cases,showcasing a refined modern look by Marc Jacobs. It had the industry buzzing for the rest of the year.

When 2012 dawned, no one had heard of Carly Rae Jepsen, but by May, her catchy tune "Call Me Maybe" was ingrained on the national consciousness. By June, it had hit the top of the Billboard charts and in December, it earned her a Grammy nod.

The year's worst-kept secret was the popularity of the steamy "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy among suburban soccer moms. Sales for E.L. James' "mommy porn," which started out as "Twilight" fan fiction, topped 10 million, making it among the fastest-selling series of all time. Even a ban on the books at some public libraries failed to dampen sales. So lucrative was the book that publisher Random House gave all of its employees a holiday bonus this year.

148396382.jpg_HRC.jpg — BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

It is usually a slip-up that puts a politician on the pop culture radar, but Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made the cut with sunglasses. Swearing in Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Mike Hammer, a lover of all things the color purple, in June, Mrs. Clinton wore purple Mardi Gras beads, some amethyst cocktail rings and green-and-purple cat-eye sunglasses.

The year in viral video: Music — YouTube

South Korean singer Psy's "Gangnam Style" video emerged on YouTube in July and the rest is history. Everyone from the U.N. Secretary General to a group of prison inmates has been filmed trying out "Gangnam" moves.

Dead for 50 years, blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe made a comeback this summer. Around the world, '50s retrospectives marked the anniversary of her death, and the glamour icon of a generation was copied by such modern-day stars as Madonna, Taylor Swift, Lindsay Lohan, Rihanna and Nicole Kidman.

Actor and director Clint Eastwood usually comes across as coolness personified, but he made a major stumble -- and became a pop culture sensation -- in August when he spoke to an empty chair while addressing delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Former President Bill Clinton, known as a policy wonk, found his coolness factor skyrocket after he rocked the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., in September with an energetic speech that showed he can still inspire the masses.

But the stars of the convention were Malia and Sasha Obama who appeared onstage with their parents after President Obama accepted he nomination during the final day of the Democratic National Convention, Sept. 6, 2012. Who knew they had grown up so much?

Hunky British actor Daniel Craig gave Ian Fleming's fictional spy James Bond a classy and modern look for his 50th anniversary. And critics said Craig's "Skyfall," which hit theaters in November, is the best movie of the 007 franchise.

During 2012, Lohan came off supervised probation, posed for Playboy magazine, tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate her career with a "Saturday Night Live" appearance and a Lifetime movie about Elizabeth Taylor, was involved in several auto mishaps, was taken by from her hotel room to the hospital, was involved in several New York altercations and had her probation revoked by a California judge. She could be headed back to jail when hearings on her case resume in 2013.

2012 was a great year for statistician Nate Silver, who writes the New York Times' 538 blog, which offers probabilities on election victories. He correctly predicted this year's presidential race winner in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Then, his book "The Signal and the Noise," jumped to the top of bestseller lists and was named Amazon's best non-fiction book of the year.

Britain's Prince William stands next to his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, as she leaves the King Edward VII hospital in central London, Dec. 6, 2012. — AP Photo

Suddenly in December, the term hyperemesis gravidarum was on the tip of everyone's tongue, thanks to a yet-to-be-born British heir. The rare ailment is an acute form of morning sickness and made headlines when Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, was admitted to a London hospital for treatment of it.

Joy over the impending arrival of a royal baby was marred by a radio hoax in which two Australian DJs, posing as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, made a phone call to the hospital to get information about the duchess' condition. One of the nurses who handled the call later took her own life.

Long-dead President Abraham Lincoln is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, thanks to the summer's fantasy horror film "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter" and Daniel Day Lewis, pictured here, who portrays the Civil War president in Steven Spielberg's biopic "Lincoln." Awards season has just started but already the movie and the Oscar-winning actor are picking up a number of honors.

12-12-12, concert, madison square garden, new york city, Mick Jagger — DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

Aging rockers, like Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, came to the aid of superstorm Sandy victims at "12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief" on Dec. 12, 2012, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The nearly-seven-hour program also featured Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, The Who, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi and Billy Joel among others, and raised $50 million for storm victims.