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ACTOR
Kristen Schaal, 29

WHO SHE IS: The treble-voiced mainstay of New York's underground comedy scene and a character on HBO's Flight of the Conchords and AMC's Mad Men.

WHY SHE'S RADICAL: After years of shaking up open mikes with her peculiar sense of humor—"I wanted to create moments where my character seemed to be on the wrong stage," she says, "so I would read random poems as if I were under the impression that it was a different kind of open mike"—she finally got her big break auditioning for Conan O'Brien scouts. She bombed. "I played this character who can't articulate a single word but really loves to act out movies. People hated it so much that I didn't really get invited to do stand-up afterward."

WHERE YOU'LL SEE HER NEXT: On the viral video Penelope: Princess of Pets, which will be forwarded to you at some point in the coming months.

WHERE YOU WON'T SEE HER NEXT: Having recently burned bridges with Trey Parker and Matt Stone ("They decided my ideas were too weird for them") and having been rejected by Comedy Central ("They said they weren't interested in shows with a female lead"), Schaal has recently resolved to independently produce her best ideas and bury them in her backyard. "Then in 20 years I'll be an underground legend. 'Cause the mole people will be watching them."

Photo: Emily Shur; Dress: Couture Couture; Necklace: Roundtree and Richardson