TIME
magazine has released its annual list of the 100 most influential
people in the world - and there are some real surprises inside.
Hollywood stars, controversial politicians, celebrated musicians and vicious dictators all featured in the list, which takes account of all 'influential' people - whether that influence is positive or negative.
That's how Hollywood favorite Leonardo DiCaprio and transgender heroine Caitlyn Jenner found themselves hanging out with neon-tinted rapper Nicki Minaj and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
Influential:
TIME magazine picked out Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist
Leonardo DiCaprio (left) and rapper Nicki Minaj (right) as two of the
world's 100 most influential people
Got it
covered: DiCaprio and Minaj received their own covers for the issue,
which was released with a total of six variations. Both were highlighted
as 'Icons' by the magazine
And
each celeb's biography is written by another notable name - which is
how we now know that John Kerry, Secretary of State for the USA (and
another influential person on the list), might have a bit of a man-crush
on Leo.
'Leo’s
talent is limitless, but his secret has always been pretty simple: he’s
real. He does his homework,' Kerry said about the Hollywood star, who
won an Oscar this year for his turn as grizzled mountain man Hugh Glass
in The Revenant.
But
Kerry says he admires the actor even more for his commitment to
environmentalism, claiming that 'Titanic's' 'king of the world' is now
'inspiring many millions more to help save it.'
Rapper
Lil Wayne was tapped to write Minaj's article, saying that the
'Anaconda' star is 'an icon, a boss and a role model to young girls,'
and that her talent puts her ahead of the pack - male or female.
'When
I heard the first two and four bars, it wasn’t even about her rapping
better than any female rapper,' he said. 'It was about, man, she’s
rapping better than other rappers - period.'
And
golf great Jordan Spieth was held up as 'everything that’s great about
sports' by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who praised him for
being 'supremely confident yet incredibly humble.'
'He
is the standard to which all others should be measured,' Romo said of
the golfer, who was put in TIME's 'Icons' section along with DiCaprio
and Minaj.
Leading
from the front: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan
(left) were celebrated, as was Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of
Broadway's Pulitzer-Prize-winning hip-hop history smash 'Hamilton'
Power
players: International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde (left) was
called the 'guardian of the global economy' while 'Quantico' star and
Bollywood alumnus Priyanka Chopra (right) was a highlighted artist
Another
'Icon' was female mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey. Comedian and
'30 Rock' creator Tina Fey said she 'fell in love' with Rousey for
telling women to value what they can do, not how they look.
'Could
Ronda be the one to finally help us understand that as females, we
define the word "feminine" and that it doesn’t define us?' she wrote.
'If we don’t listen, can she dislocate our arms at the elbow?'
Other
sections in the list were 'Leaders,' 'Artists,' 'Pioneers' and
'Titans.' Among those Leaders was Republican presidential candidate Ted
Cruz.
In his write-up, Texas Governor Scott Walker celebrated Cruz's 'efforts to shake up the status quo' in the US Government.
'If
Americans want someone who will stick to their guns and fix the mess in
Washington, Ted Cruz is right on target,' Walker said.
Three
other presidential candidates were also included: 'hard-nosed and
ferocious leader' Donald Trump; 'intense and steadfast' Bernie Sanders
and 'steely and hard-working' Hillary Clinton.
America
was well represented in the list of important politicians - Barack
Obama made yet another appearance in the list this year, joined by
Secretary of State John Kerry, US House Speaker Paul Ryan, and South
Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
And the heads of France, Germany, China, Taiwan and Argentina - among others - also made appearances.
One
notable absence was British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has
suffered from a run of bad press lately, with rebellious colleagues and
financial embarrassments tarnishing his image.
Demands
for his resignation were made after the Panama Papers leak revealed
that he had once held a stake in a Panama-based trust that had not paid
any UK tax - perhaps contributing to his snub by TIME magazine.
Icon: Golfer Jordan Spieth was held up
as 'everything that’s great about sports' in an article written by
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
Pioneer and
leader: Caitlyn Jenner (left) was picked out as a 'Pioneer' for coming
out as transgender in the public eye, while Ted Cruz (right) was one of
four presidential candidates featured in the 'Leader' section
Members
of the Pioneers category included Caitlyn Jenner. Transgender rights
activist Wayne Maines commended Jenner for coming out in the public eye.
'No
matter where you come from, how famous you might be or how much money
you have, letting America see you in such a vulnerable way is daring and
admirable - not self-serving,' said Maines, whose daughter is
transgender.
'I am so pleased that she has fulfilled her dreams and that she is now helping our children do the same,' he concluded.
Positive
contributions to the world were also noted from Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician and philanthropist.
Praise
from fellow tech couple Bill and Melinda Gates - themselves no
strangers to giving to worthy causes -said: 'Priscilla and Mark are
curious. Ambitious. Thoughtful. Open-minded and bighearted.'
They
were lauded for 'committing 99% of their wealth to taking on challenges
like improving education, curing disease, connecting people and
building strong communities.'
But it wasn't all smiles and sunshine. Kim Jong Un, 'Supreme Leader' of North Korea, was also included on the list.
Described
as 'beefy, murderous and quick with a toothy grin' by an expert on the
country, the dictator's 'crimes against humanity' and threats of nuclear
annihilation make him a major influence on the world.
And
Russian President Vladimir Putin was criticized by US ambassador to the
former Soviet states Stephen Sestanovich as 'out of ideas' despite now
'owning Syria.'
TIME says
of its selections: 'The people on the list, each in their own way, have
lessons to teach. We can debate those lessons; we don’t have to endorse
them or agree with them.
'But
the influence of this year’s TIME 100... is that down to the last
person, they have the power to make us think. And they are using it.'
Other
famous faces in the Top 100 include 'Quantico' star and Bollywood
alumnus Priyanka Chopra; 'Beasts of No Nation' actor Idris Elba;
Charlize Theron, who played feminist hero Furiosa in 'Mad Max: Fury
Road,' and singer Adele.
The
print magazine goes on sale Friday. There are six covers available,
featuring DiCaprio, Minaj, Chopra, Pulitzer-Prize-winning Broadway star
Lin-Manuel Miranda, International Monetary Fund manager Christine
Lagarde, and - sharing a cover - Zuckerberg and Chan.
Heavy
hitters: MMA fighter Ronda Rousey (left) was picked for teaching women
to focus on what their bodies can do rather than how they look, while
Zuckerberg and wife Chan (right) got the nod for their charitable works
No comments:
Post a Comment