“It’s about the ideas and actions of people who inspire others,” the magazine’s managing editor Rick Stengel, told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Thursday. “It’s not about the influence of power, but the power of influence.”
Along with expected political figures like President Barack Obama (appearing for the eighth time; wife Michelle also holds a slot) and Vice-President Joe Biden, Time also singled out power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z, Oscar winners Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis, musicians including Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Frank Ocean, television stars like “The Mindy Project’s” Mindy Kaling and “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston, and entertainers from other countries such as Bassem Youssef, dubbed the Egyptian “Jon Stewart,” who is under investigation in that country for his political satire.
For the first time the magazine features select names from the list to feature on different covers; Lawrence, Jay-Z and Sen. Rand Paul are just three of those whose black-and-white portraits are set to appear.
But the list wasn’t just about entertainers — Pope Francis made the list, as did Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un, writer Hilary Mantel and skiier Lindsey Vonn (though not her beau Tiger Woods). Activists include 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in an assassination attempt last October for her blog writings, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader.
The list is truly a who’s who of the names that have flavored the discussion around the U.S. over the past year, and who continue to be influencers in culture, innovation and political spheres.
The authors of the 100 profiles, however are almost as interesting as the profiles themselves — Time commissioned well-known names to write about their peers and friends: President Obama took on Sen. Tom Coburn, Timberlake wrote about Jimmy Fallon and Sarah Palin wrote about Paul. Stengel said that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s profile “says that Jay-Z is a kind of deputy mayor of New York,” while New York Yankee Derek Jeter wrote about Miami Heat’s LeBron James and Ted Nugent noted that executive VP for the National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre is “a sledgehammer for truth.”
according to nbcnews.com
