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Cline: Examining the nominees for the Time magazine Top 100

Posted: Friday, April 6, 2012 12:00 am

Time magazine announced on March 29 the 200 nominees eligible to be selected for this year’s “100 Most Influential People." Started in 1999 as a list to recognize the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, Time made the compilation an annual issue in 2004.

The list is broken down into five categories: leaders and revolutionaries, builders and titans, artists and entertainers, scientists and thinkers, and heroes and icons. The 20 most influential individuals (or small groups) from each area are then chosen to create the whole list.

This year’s early ballot is complete with some well deserved nominees and some questionable selections. There are the perennial power players — Oprah Winfrey, the Obamas, Nicholas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and George Clooney, as well as some quirky selections, like SNL stars Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen.

From world leaders to entertainers to athletes, here’s a look at some of the individuals who should be locks, and others that should not make it past the first cut.

Among those that should find a place on the list:

Social Media Innovators: Of course Mark Zuckerberg will make the list, but in the burgeoning social media scene, new trendsetters are continually popping up. Jack Dorsey from Twitter, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Erik Martin of Reddit, who currently leads all voters, are among the internet innovators to likely appear on the list.

Mustafa Abdel-Jalil: The acting Libyan president faces one of the toughest political and civil situations in the world. After being pushed into leadership role, the former judge has shown resiliency and the nation’s make or break state could rest on his shoulders.

Eike Batista and Danny Boyle: One is Brazilian tycoon and the other is most famous for directing “Slumdog Millionaire.” So what do they have in common? The Olympics. Batista used his billionaire fortune to help bring the Summer Olympics to South America for the first time ever; on the other side of the world, Boyle has used his artistic vision into designing the opening ceremonies for this summer’s game.

Chris Christie: Insert any “larger than life” pun. The falstaffian New Jersey governor is one of the biggest GOP names in the country. His stance on gay marriage leaves a lot to be desired, but his boisterous nature has already made him a top candidate for vice presidential candidate this year, or even presidential candidate in 2016.

Suzanne Collins: The writer of the “Hunger Games” series highlights the short list of authors on the list. Her work has created a cultural phenomenon. The books are New York Times bestsellers, and the movie has grossed more than $365 million globally.

Tim Tebow: Love it or hate it, Tebowmania is inescapable. Arguably the most famous athlete in America, the NFL back-up quarterback will reach new levels of stardom in New York. On the surface he may just be a football player, but he has been noted for his strong convictions and integrity, global service work and even gave us “Tebowing.”

Dieter Egli: Under the category of noteworthy work with little notoriety is Egli. A stem cell scientist with the skills to possibly clone a human someday, Egli is a leader in innovating treatments for Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease.

Sergio Marchionne: The bailout cast a dark shadow over the auto industry. Chrysler was one of the car makers doomed for failure, until Marchionne’s Fiat purchased the brand. Since then, the CEO has paid off all of Chrysler’s bailout loans and saved 40,000 jobs.

Salman Khan: Founder of the Khan Academy, the 35 year old education revolutionary has made it his goal to provide math and science education to anyone in the world. His non-profit company provides 3,000 online videos and a bounty of exercises to help people achieve excellence.

Individuals who should be left off the ballot:

Bashar Asad: Time points out that individuals can make the list for being influential, whether it is good or bad. The latter may help Asad make the list. The Syrian president has maintained his rule through threats and violence, and has resisted international pressure to allow more civic liberties and freedom in the Middle Eastern nation.

Sarah Burton: She designed the wedding dress for Kate Middleton.

Jessica Simpson: A number of pop stars made the list of 200, but Simpson may be the least deserving. While peers such as Shakira, with philanthropic endeavors in South America, have earned a claim to the top 100, Simpson seemingly lacks any meaningful potential.

Lana Del Rey: Who?

Eric Cantor: The House Majority leader has a lot of ground to make up before he can be considered. His efforts may deserve acknowledgement, but it’s hard to imagine any congressman being selected with the current nature of stalemate and stagnation in Congress

Roger Goodell: He rules a $9 billion industry and is doing everything he can to destroy it. Goodell has taken away the hitting and aggression that evokes so much passion in football. With the recent suspension levied against the Saints, Goodell is exhibiting signs of his power trip and determination to take away the essence of an empire.

Reed Hastings: Some people may want to give him a mulligan. The Netflix CEO made what could be considered the biggest business gaffe of 2011 by changing the company’s policy on DVD’s and streaming, which lead to higher prices for consumers. Though Hastings backed off the decision, the changes enraged subscribers and significantly damaged the company’s reputation and pocketbook.

Jason Russell: The pioneer behind the KONY 2012 campaign, Russell has become a polarizing figure in the past few months. While his cause is admirable, many skeptics are questioning his motives, believing that Russell is using the campaign for his own ego-driven, selfish desires. Additionally, a very public meltdown and arrest have cast a dark shadow.

Ryan Seacrest: American Idol is slowly fading, and so is Seacrest. His main contribution in the last year has prolonging and producing the Kardashian phenomenon. Seacrest out.

Readers can vote on the magazine’s website for which individuals they view as the most influential. Fan votes will be accepted until April 6, and the magazine will release their top 100 on April 17

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]The Time 100 began in 1999, after a group of cultural elite (including CBS news anchor Dan Rather, former New York governor Mario Cuomo, and the politically infamous Condoleezza Rice) assembled to debate the most influential people on the planet. The famed magazine has been publishing their definitive list ever since, and this year's entry is just as accurate and unexpected as one would suspect.

Among the entertainment-inclined entries are Viola Davis, Louis CK, Adele, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain, Harvey Weinstein, Rihanna, Stephen Colbert and Tilda Swinton — making the Time 100 the most ragtag list of performers and Hollywood types since Cannonball Run. To make the affair even classier, there are write-ups from equally-famous faces; some are painfully true (Johnny Depp on Harvey Weinstein: "He can be your most frightening nightmare and your closest friend."), some are unexpectedly elegant (Joan Rivers on Louis C.K. "He's Steven Spielberg without the beard and with humor."), and some are just straight from the gut (Pink on Adele: "I am so relieved that Adele possesses the kind of beauty that she does, that she's crass and funny and that she sings live — and incredibly."). All justified, all curious.

Influence is a hard thing to define, let alone judge, but 2012's Top 100 gets it mostly right. You may not like Rihanna's tunes, but you can't deny her reach — with every move and choice she makes under public scrutiny, her lifestyle is practically a metaphor for her generation. But with only a hundred slots, Time's scientific voting process is bound to miss a few biggies. No worries — Hollywood.com is here to help. Here are five that are hard to overlook:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]George Clooney
Tilda Swinton deservedly receives Time's praise for being a versatile actor, but how about her Michael Clayton costar? While he's easily one of the biggest names in Hollywood (making him a bit of an obvious choice), Clooney's influence extends past his day job of writing, acting and directing. He's a political and human activist — and isn't afraid to take a stand, public image at stake. Need proof? Just last March, Clooney was arrested for joining a Washington D.C. protest. Any publicity is good publicity, and Clooney attracts a ton of publicity.

• Jeremy Lin
  
• Christian Marclay
  
• Viola Davis
  
• Salman Khan
  
• Tim Tebow
  
• E.L. James
  
• Louis CK
  
• Rihanna
  
• Marco Rubio
  
• Ali Ferzat
  
• René Redzepi
  
• Kristen Wiig
  
• Anthony Kennedy
  
• Novak Djokovic
  
• Ben Rattray
  
• Jessica Chastain
  
• Yani Tseng
  
• Raphael Saadiq
  
• Elinor Ostrom
  
• Samira Ibrahim
  
• José Andrés
  
• Ann Patchett
  
• Dulce Matuz
  
• Henrik Schärfe
  
• Freeman Hrabowski
  
• Maryam Durani
  
• Manal al-Sharif
  
• Anjali Gopalan
  
• Rached Ghannouchi
  
• Barbara Van Dahlen
  
• Ron Fouchier
  
• Donald Sadoway
  
• Hans Rosling
  
• Asghar Farhadi
  
• Sarah Burton
  
• Anonymous
  
• Pete Cashmore
  
• Cami Anderson
  
• Ali Babacan and Ahmet Davutoglu
  
• Ai-jen Poo
  
• Marc Andreessen
  
• Preet Bharara
  
• Robert Grant
  
• Andrew Lo
  
• Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
  
• Alexei Navalny
  
• Ray Dalio
  
• Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani
  
• Chelsea Handler
  
• Harvey Weinstein
  
• Chen Lihua
  
• Warren Buffett
  
• Alice Walton
  
• Harold Hamm
  
• Sheryl Sandberg
  
• Sara Blakely
  
• Tim Cook
  
• Eike Batista
  
• Daniel Ek
  
• Virginia Rometty
  
• Barack Obama
  
• Goodluck Jonathan
  
• Xi Jinping
  
• Fatou Bensouda
  
• Christine Lagarde
  
• Mario Draghi
  
• U Thein Sein
  
• Ayatullah Ali Khamenei
  
• Mitt Romney
  
• Juan Manuel Santos
  
• Timothy Dolan
  
• Portia Simpson Miller
  
• Mario Monti
  
• Wang Yang
  
• Maria das Graças Silva Foster
  
• Andrew Cuomo
  
• Iftikhar Chaudhry
  
• Mamata Banerjee
  
• Walter Isaacson
  
• Ron Paul
  
• Benjamin Netanyahu
  
• Dilma Rousseff
  
• Erik Martin
  
• Cecile Richards
  
• Angela Merkel
  
• Lionel Messi
  
• Tilda Swinton
  
• Hillary Clinton
  
• Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Pippa Middleton
  
• Adele
  
• Matt Lauer
  
• Oscar Pistorius
  
• Claire Danes
  
• Stephen Colbert
  

• Kim Jong Un
  
• Mullah Mohammed Omar and Sheik Moktar Ali Zubeyr
  
• Bashar Assad
  

• From 100 to Eternity
  
• The All-Time TIME 100 of All Time
  

• A World of Possibilities
  

April 9, 2012, 2:46 pmby Emily Goodin

George Clooney is returning to Washington — this time for the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

The actor and his girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, will be the guests of Time magazine, The Hill has learned.