Melissa McCarthy
There's something very heartwarming about Melissa McCarthy's success this year. For those of us who loved her as Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls for seven years — only to have her fade away after the show went off the air — her awesome rise to stardom this year feels like she's finally getting what she's long deserved. It's hard to think of any actress who had a bigger year. She starred in one of 2011's most popular movies, Bridesmaids, alongside fellow funny gals Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph. The film grossed more than $169 million, in part because of McCarthy's genius performance. Next came her Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in the hit sitcom, Mike & Molly. (When she won, beating a bevy of talented comediennes, she blurted out, "Holy Smokes!") Before the year was over, she hosted Saturday Night Live and found her mug on the cover of Entertainment Weekly behind the headline, "Melissa McCarthy: The New Queen of Comedy." Long may she reign.