2. Kristen Bell

Bell rose to fame and became best known for her lead role in Veronica Mars, a detective drama where Bell plays the impossibly smart daughter of a private eye that solves crimes Nancy Drew-style. Trust me, it’s a lot better than it may sound. The first season in particular is very compelling television. Bell parlayed that success into some movie parts and a role on Heroes as the electric Elle Bishop. She also provides the narration to the teen hit Gossip Girl. With her Heroes future up in the air, Bell may soon crossover into feature films full time.

Major Television Roles: Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars (2004-2007); Heroes, Elle Bishop (2007-present); Gossip Girl, Narrator (2007-present);

Select Filmography: Bell’s greatest film success came this year for her role in the Judd Apatow comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She had previously starred in the horror remake Pulse, and for a real treat of a movie check of her brief role in David Mamet’s Spartan. Bell fans may also want to know that the long awaited and long delayed Fanboys should finally be released in February next year. Fanboys is about a group of Star Wars fans that travel to Skywalker Ranch to steal an early copy of Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1997.

Upcoming Project: Serious Moonlight, a high-powered attorney duct tapes her husband to the toilet right before their home is invaded by burglars.

1. Katherine Heigl

Heigl started at age nine as a model before breaking into films in smaller roles. Her real breakthrough, however, was her role on the teen cult hit Roswell. It introduced her to a younger audience and got her noticed in Hollywood circles. After Roswell was cancelled, she took a role on the uber-popular medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. In a weird twist, her characters on Roswell and Grey’s both are named Isabel (although spelled differently). Heigl won a Emmy last year for her work on Grey’s and also broke out in movies with her role in the Apatow helmed comedy Knocked Up. Her choice for number one on this list may be a bit boring due to the fact she’s already sewing the seeds of a Hollywood breakout. However, she can’t be ignored and seems primed to become a major star very soon (and she’s nearly already there).

Major Television Roles: Roswell, Isabel Evans (1999-2002); Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Isobel ‘Izzie’ Stevens (2005-present)

Select Filmography: In addition to Knocked Up, Heigl starred this year in the modest hit 27 Dresses. She also starred in The Ringer, a Johnny Knoxville comedy about pretending to be retarded that has a surprising amount of heart to it.

Upcoming Project: The Ugly Truth, where Heigl stars as a romantically challenged morning show producer who gets caught up in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent, played by Gerard Butler.

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