Photos: (Getty)
'Tis the season for list-making, amiright? Naughty lists, nice lists, wish lists, gift lists, grocery lists, guest lists. To-do lists get a special charge this time of year. Resolution lists get their annual dose of ambition. Year-In-Review lists? We're all over them.
We've rounded up the top actions taken on MTV Act in 2012, zooming in on who and what made the biggest splash this year. The year's top five actions were all powered by some of your fave pop culture leading ladies. Here are those causes you took action on most and our top-lessons-learned!
If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, then let's just say it: Lady Gaga is gaga for Madge, indeed! Gaga takes a cue from that other Queen of Pop -- or so they say -- showing fans that self expression, self-love and good times are worth celebrating! Baby, she was born this way, and after opting to support the Born This Way Foundation over Madonna's Raising Malawi this January, 763 of you are proud to say the same. She may not have topped the support Madonna received (more on that later...), but landing at this year's no. 5 slot is quite the achievement. LESSON LEARNED: Everyone wins when it comes to good deeds.
Back when a Bieber-Gomez split was practically inconceivable -- (remember those days? sigh ...) -- we staged some phony tension with our all-in-good-fun Act-Off. In that benign battle, Selena took the trophy, drawing 936 votes for her UNICEF work. Will they reunite 4-eva and eva? Who knows. But at their age, a few solid years is a relationship win regardless, if you ask us, and his charity:water work makes Bieber a winner, too. Did their philanthropic mindsets add to their still-intact (we insist) chemistry? We're gonna go with yes. LESSON LEARNED: Altruism is a tie that binds.
Did you ever think you'd see the day when our favorite Jersey girl topped the charity list? Well, here it is, friends. Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised. After all, motherhood seem to have given Snooks a whole new POV -- one that radiates love conquers all. With her Valentine's Day efforts to promote love and service, Snooki shot straight to fans' hearts, drawing charitable entries from 1,212 of you! LESSON LEARNED: Giving back is romantic.
We wanted to know: Which pop queen is your fave? With 2,434 actions from readers like you, Madonna swept our Act-Off against the aforementioned Lady Gaga. Though she first hit her stride decades ago, Madge is clearly the real deal, still guiding pop culture -- from fashion to dance moves to affected accents and, thank goodness, charitable impact. She is committed to strengthening her Raising Malawi organization and will likely be gyrating to empowering lyrics for decades yet to come. LESSON LEARNED: Consistency rules.
And this year's number one Action...
What a year for Demi! She took home the 2012 MTV VMA Best Video With a Message Moonman. We've seen her shake down magazine meanies. She got Katie Couric talking about her own struggles with body image. She got us thinking about how to make things easier for new generations of young girls. She did it all with grace, kindness and honesty -- never talking bad about her bullies and never sensationalizing her own struggles. She put in the work, and as role modeling goes, the work has paid off. Some 3,848 of you have taken action with Demi, vowing to carry the torch she lit in her MTV News special doc, "Stay Strong." LESSON LEARNED: Nice girls do finish first.
The very bottom line from the lessons collected in 2012's Action brigade? Every action counts! Let's go out with a bang -- add your Act to the mix by taking action at the end of every single post on MTV Act.
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