2012's best pop culture moments

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.

Credit: Vintage Books