First Look: Most Fascinating People of 2012
Email
Credit: Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC
Who are the most fascinating people of the year?
From influential world leaders to A-list celebrities, some of the year’s biggest names in entertainment, sports and popular culture are sitting down with ABC’s Barbara Walters for her annual special, “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year.”
The 90-minute-long program, now in its 20th season, will air Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The special features a wide-ranging list of eclectic figures, including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, outspoken New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas, the British boy band sensation One Direction, Academy-award winning actor/director/writer Ben Affleck, the 2013 Oscars host and creator of the cult classic, “Family Guy,” Seth MacFarlane, and one of the most famous authors in the world, EL James, the woman behind the steamy literary phenomenon, “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
The Number One Most Fascinating Person of 2012 will be announced on the program.
Over the past two decades, Walters has picked an diverse group of people for the honor of “Most Fascinating Person.” Last year, she chose former Apple CEO and tech innovator, the late Steve Jobs. Past choices have included J.K. Rowling, Nancy Pelosi, Camilla Park Bowles, Paris Hilton, Laura Bush, Gen. Tommy Franks, Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and more.
David Bowie: New Song Shocks Fans 
GMA LIVE! (01.08.13) 
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
My hero is Angelina Jolie…she represents the best of Hollywood today….smart, talented, an Oscar winner, a director, a United Nations goodwill ambassador, a Mom with beautiful children and Brad…some people have all the luck!
Posted by: Rita | November 20, 2012, 10:41 pm 10:41 pm
Barbra and the “untalented” After years on the “View” she lost all creditability. Of course can’t say nothing bad about Gabby Douglas, she’s a real winner.
Posted by: imthegrumpyone | November 21, 2012, 2:39 am 2:39 am
I got a list of the most disgusting people in the world topped by the muslin obama cur and all the thugs in his regime.
Posted by: Larry | November 21, 2012, 2:43 am 2:43 am
I just saw the commercial for this and I question anyone’s sanity who tries to tell me E.L. James and Honey Boo Boo are in the list of the 10 most fascinating people of 2012. The James book was garbage and crappy writing and Honey Boo Boo…. HONEY BOO BOO?? REALLY? Is that all you can come up with Barbara?
I hope the commercial was joking and these are not your real pics.
Posted by: D W W | December 7, 2012, 11:51 pm 11:51 pm
If Barbara Walters has actually selected the burping, swearing, gas passing (the other end!), multi-fathered, slobbering, foul-mouthed family of/and including Honey Boo Boo herself, as one of the most fascinating people of 2012, you can all rest assured I will NEVER watch her or any of her specials again. I cannot believe that she could not find someone more suitable and influential to fill that spot and serve as a positive role model to our children and the viewing public, as a whole. If this hot mess of a family is all Barbara could come up with to fil the slot, she should have called me! My Shih Tzu, Laci, was/is available and would be much less offensive! Ugh… So very disappointed in Barbara for perpetuating this negative thing that has become reality television and using the “bottom dwellers” to do so.
Posted by: Donna Owens | December 12, 2012, 12:52 am 12:52 am
Hillary doesn’t seem to understand that her appearance is important. The interest now about her hair is not the usual criticism about her lack of stylishness. The decline in her appearance implies a decline in her capabilities. It is embarrassing to see an old woman in a pony tail, or inappropriately long messy hair, to be representing the USA in foreign countries. It indicates to me that she is physically and/or mentally incapable of being considered for further service, let alone the presidency years from now. Her appearance does not have to be stylish (although she certainly could afford help), but it does need to project competence, which has been more and more declining for some time now.
Posted by: Bob G | December 12, 2012, 10:04 pm 10:04 pm
I’m appalled that in an interview with Chris Christie, who has spent the past several weeks trying to put his community back together after Hurricane Sandy, that Barbara Walters would feel that it is necessary or even remotely appropriate to comment on his weight. There are simply no words for that lack of class or diplomacy.
Posted by: Nicki | December 12, 2012, 10:09 pm 10:09 pm
OMG… Barbara Walters needs to hand this show down to someone that is more in tune with what the definition of fascinating is.. No one has said anything positive about Honey Boo Boo being on the show… Even the girls on the VIEW make comments about this pick….
And to make it worse, how could she rate her higher than Gabby, Seth, Chris, 1 Direction and Harry. WTH…….
Doesn’t Barbara realize that the only reason people watch the HBB clan is cause they are a train wreck. And as for the people watching the child pageants are about 95% pedophiles. Yea don’t kid yourself 95%…
I am not fans of some of the other picks this year, but at least those people made an impression whether good or bad. Mitt Romney, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Lopez or even Nancy Grace would have been good.
Barbara; hang it up
Posted by: Lisa G | December 13, 2012, 2:03 am 2:03 am