Upstage Baba Wawa

[filkertom]

The completely useless Ultimate Fangirl, Barbara Walters, is teasing her list of the ten most fascinating people of 2005. Her idea of the #1 most fascinating person will be revealed! on a prime-time TV special Nov. 29.

Now, I could go into a long snarling about how Baba Wawa is, in fact, damn near single-handedly responsible for the dumbing down of the American TV audience. But what would be the point? The only reason she is a celebrity is that she fawns on other celebrities. And her idea of "fascinating" (including Tom Cruise, Teri Hatcher, and Michael Jackson's lawyer) only overlaps with mine where I pray to a god I don't even believe in that said overlap (Condoleezza Rice) will one day end up in the Hague for her crimes.

But it does lend to a fun game. Your choices for the ten most fascinating people celebrities.

Here are mine, and why....

1. Karl Rove, because we still aren't quite sure to what depths he'll lower himself and America.
2. Condoleezza Rice, because she is obviously smart as hell but just as obviously is incompetent at both the high-level positions she's held and is a lousy liar. Her tell-all book is gonna be something, if it ever exists.
3. Seymour Hersh, a journalist's journalist.
4. Frank Rich, the best damn general political columnist today.
5. Arianna Huffington, maybe number five on that list, but who also got there the hard way -- starting out Republican -- and has wrangled together one hell of a blog lineup.
6. George Clooney, a pretty good actor and, from the look of things, a very good man who cares about America deeply. If he ever decides to run for office, watch out.
7. Patrick Fitzgerald, who seems to be channeling a kindlier, gentler version of my favorite legal pit bull, Vincent Bugliosi.
8. Bill O'Reilly, who seems determined to become The World's Biggest Asshole in public.
9. Keith Olbermann, who was trained in sports reporting but has been, for much of the past ten years, one of the most reliable and beatifully snarky liberal voices on TV.
10. Jon Stewart, for being willing and able to confront the Corporate Media and kick their asses again and again.

Your turn.

Comments

[per_solo]

TELL me you're paying attention to the news and now have a new addition to this list. :-)

I HATe getting my hopes up.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Who did you have in mind? To me, it all depends on what you mean by "fascinating". If you mean either Miers or Alito, neither fascinates me, because they're so damn transparent. Same thing with "Scooter" Libby: He's an obsequious toady, trying to Come Up With The Plan. He'd be played by Peter Lorre. Dubya is as fascinating as an empty beer bottle, and has nearly as much substance.

[per_solo]

I'm referring to..is it Reid that has "shut down" the senate? Hence, the hoping. :-)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Harry Reid is pretty fascinating. Mostly, he does the right thing, and he's finally figuring out that we want him to go for the throat, hit 'em with the chair, etc., etc., etc. He'd absolutely make a top 20, possibly a top 15.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Oh, Pamela Anderson, Jessica Simpson, Nicole Kidman...

(Duck and run)

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

(tries to think of some celebrities)

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Ten, huh?

Okay...

1. The Rock
2. Howard Dean
3. Johnny Depp
4. Tim Burton
5. Matt Groening
6. Stan Freberg
7. Genndy Tartakovsy
8. Peter Jackson
9. John Kricfalusi
10. Dennis Kucinich

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Yay! Stan Freberg. (So many people don't seem to know who he is, which is really sad.) Have you read his autobiography?

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Got it autographed a couple weeks ago.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

Of 2005? Whurf. Gonna have to think a second. Not ordered; I'm no good at ordering lists like this. Let's go with...

• Jon Stewart. Who says news has to be dull? God knows I'll listen to his reports before I will CNN.
• Markos Moulitsas Zúniga. Better known to the world as the Daily Kos.
• W. Mark Felt. It's not that we need another Deep Throat to uncover the seamy things being done by the Idiot-In-Chief's regime... it's that we need another Woodward and Bernstein to bloody well listen and report.
• Cindy Sheehan. As if you needed more proof as to how arrogant and evil the Idiot-in-Chief is.
• Howard Dean. Why is it that every election year, you hear complaints about how 'alike' everyone is, and as soon as someone genuinely different shows up, you hear complaints about how too different he is? Long live the "I have a scream!" speech--and for the love of God, wake my party up!
• Karl Rove. 'Nuff said.
• Patrick Fitzgerald. Compare his investigation with Witchhunter General Starr's. Tell me which one was really looking for the truth.
• Al Franken. Hell, all of Air America, for that matter. For surviving and thriving, and telling the truth. Professional right-wing hypocrites Rush et al. wouldn't know the truth if it bled to death on their collective front lawns.
• Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. A voice from the sane center. If she could have only hung on for another three years... Christ, even Rehnquist looks like a moderating influence compared to Alito and Roberts and Miers.
• Nick Park. For the best damn G-rated movie ever. :)