Time Magazine Rates Top 100 Influential

Time Magazine likes to rank. They rank events, books, people, and more. This past week they ranked the top 100 most influential. Sadly, I failed to make the list...again. None the less there are several interesting characters that made the list and it makes for interesting reading.

The list is too long to go into here, so pick up the magazine or visit the website. Here's a quick preview of the categories and notables:

Leaders and Revolutionaries

The Dalai Lama, Vladimir Putin, and the US Presidential candidates lead the list. What was funny to me about the list is that virtually all of these "revolutionaires" are anything but revolutionary. They tend to be very establishment indeed.

Heroes and Pioneers

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (no, I'm not joking), Oprah Winfrey, Oscar Pistorius lead this list. Many meet Hollywood's odd criteria of heroic, but Oscar is definitely worthy for the list. I do believe Oprah is a pioneer and has revolutionized media.

Scientists and Thinkers

Michael Bloomberg, Craig Venter, and Jill Bolte Taylor were the top three. I actually liked the section better than mosts. Time actually looked for serious thinkers and not merely the easiest names to draw from. Sure, they had their politically correct choices, but there were also some heady people on this list.

Artists and Entertainers

Lorne Michaels, Miley Cyrus, and Robert Downey, Jr. lead this list. I found this disappointing. Downey has largely been a disaster for years -- a brilliant and talented disaster -- but a disaster none the less. Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live has stumbled on a good year with the elections -- his first in years (if not decades), but the 100 most influential? Right.

Builders and Titans

Indra Nooyi, Ali al-Naimi, and Rupert Murdoch are the tops of this list and many on here (Murdoch is an exception) are people you haven't heard of before. Why? According to Time and other major media, the US has begun to decline in influence.

Check out the list, it is interesting reading. I would love to hear from others who have views on this list.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.