From Beyoncé to Blake Lively, 5 Hudson Valley celebs who had a memorable 2012

Friday December 28, 2012 7:10 PM By Kirthana Ramisetti

Beyoncé, Jimmy Fallon and Rosie O'Donnell

2012 has been memorable for a number of Hudson Valley celebrities, but five in particular had a truly noteworthy year. Here’s our countdown of the Hudson Valley stars who made the biggest news this year.

5. Blake Lively: The “Gossip Girl” actress had an eventful year, starting with purchasing a home in Bedford with Ryan Reynolds. The couple have been spotted out and about throughout northern Westchester County, most recently at a TRUCK restaurant. And then of course there was her surprise wedding to Reynolds in South Carolina in the fall, which fellow Bedford resident Martha Stewart helped plan.

Lively bids adieu to 2012 by saying goodbye to “Gossip Girl,” the show that launched her to A-list status. With the series finale having aired in December, look for Lively to devote more time to films in 2013.

PHOTOS: Top celebrity quotes of 2012 | 12 best films of 2012 | Top 12 TV shows of 2012
MORE: Top 10 local celebrity tweets of 2012 | Top 10 HV celebrity Twitter accounts

4. Jimmy Fallon: The former Saugerties resident has had a banner 2012. His popular talk show, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” spawned a Grammy-nominated comedy album, “Blow Your Pants Off,“ consisting of the show’s most memorable music moments. Fallon also produced the new NBC sitcom “Guys With Kids,” a show that has been a modest hit for the network.

And to top it off, at this year’s Emmy Awards, his talk show received its second nomination for Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series, and Fallon himself scored an Emmy for hosting “Saturday Night Live.” No doubt Fallon will keep the laughs rolling into 2013.

3. Local reality stars: Let’s hear it for the Hudson Valley for producing three talented performers who dominated TV’s hottest reality shows this year. Harriman resident Jermaine Paul won “The Voice” this spring, and his new album is due out early in the new year. Stony Point comedian Tom Cotter earned second place on “America’s Got Talent” and emceed the "AGT" variety show at in Las Vegas this fall. And 13-year-old Mamaroneck resident Carly Rose Sonenclar won celebrity fans and a devoted fan base along the way to runner-up status on “X Factor” earlier in December. Hopefully, 2013’s local crop of reality contestants will be just as successful as this year’s.

2. Rosie O’Donnell: The Nyack resident’s past year has been quite a roller-coaster experience – and she detailed each major event on her blog. In August, she revealed that her fiancee, Michelle Rounds, had developed desmoid tumors earlier in the year. The revelations didn’t stop there: Two weeks later she announced she had a near-fatal heart attack, and then one week later disclosed that she and Rounds had privately gotten married in June.

Despite her health scare, O’Donnell has kept busy. This fall, she discussed her heart attack during an appearance on “Dr. Oz” and also held a gala to benefit her nonprofit Rosie’s Theater Kids. And of course there’s her Twitter account, where she regularly tweets thoughts and photos about her life in Nyack, including during Hurricane Sandy. We sincerely hope that 2013 is less eventful for O’Donnell and her family (and that she keeps us posted on her and Rounds’ health).

1. Beyoncé: The music superstar, who owns a home in Scarsdale with her husband, Jay-Z, started the year strong with the birth of daughter Blue Ivy in January. But being a new mom didn’t slow her down.

The singer, who will perform during the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show, dropped out of the Clint Eastwood-helmed remake of “A Star is Born” after Eastwood infamously mocked President Obama at the Republican National Convention. She recently announced that she's directing an HBO documentary about herself, slated to premiere in early 2013. Oh, and she and her husband just earned Grammy nominations to boot.

And to top it all off, Beyoncé made headlines earlier in December by inking a new $50 million spokesperson deal with Pepsi. So not only did the superstar kick off 2012 on a positive note, she concluded it in the same fashion. Congrats to Beyoncé, our top Hudson Valley celeb of the year!  

Tags: Bedford , Saugerties , Harriman , Stony Point , Mamaroneck , Nyack , Scarsdale , Blake Lively , Jimmy Fallon , Jermaine Paul , Tom Cotter , Carly Rose Sonenclar , Rosie O'Donnell , Beyonce , 2012 , celebrities