15 Celebs Who Went From 'Whatever' to 'Wow' in 2010

Even Gwyneth Paltrow's appeal is up

By Evann Gastaldo

Posted Dec 9, 2010 10:54 AM CST

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15 Celebs Who Went From 'Whatever' to 'Wow' in 2010 — Cast member James Franco arrives at the premiere of "127 Hours" in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

It's hard to believe that last year, James Franco was just, as the Daily Beast puts it, "that guy from Freaks & Geeks." He joins 14 other celebs on the Beast's list of the most-improved stars of 2010:

Jennifer Grey: Truly, no one puts Baby in a corner. After years of near-invisibility (her 1993 nose job didn't help), she came back to win Dancing With the Stars.
Perez Hilton: Once the purveyor of nasty gossip and upskirt photos, Hilton pledged to take a kinder, gentler tone following Tyler Clementi's bullying-related suicide.

Gwyneth Paltrow: The actress everyone loves to hate managed to wow even her critics with a Country Music Awards performance and a Glee guest stint.
Paul Reubens: He overcame a past marred with an indecent exposure arrest and a child porn scandal to stage The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway, which earned $3 million in advance ticket sales.
Russell Brand: His past struggles have included bulimia, self-mutilation, arrests, and stints in rehab for sex addiction and heroin addiction. But now he's clean and settled into a happy marriage with Katy Perry, and had a couple of box office successes to boot.
Betty White: A hilarious Super Bowl ad, a much-touted Saturday Night Live appearance, a new series ... what can't this 88-year-old do?

Click for the complete list, or here for more of 2010's best.

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