Adele, Caitlyn Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicki Minaj are among the 2016 honorees.
Trump made the list. Of course he did. Moving on …
See where getting attacked by a bear gets you? Leonardo DiCaprio was praised by John Kerry not just for “The Revenant,” but for devoting his time and money to ocean conservation. Oh, and he got an Oscar too.
After Adele topped the charts again with “25,” Jennifer Lawrence had this to say about her: “Adele is a gift, an international treasure, but she’s also sweet, funny, intelligent and beautiful. Bitch.”
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is now bedecked with Oscars and has been crowned the patron saint of Mexican cinema.
“The principles and the deep humanity that animate his filmmaking also animate his day-to-day interactions,” wrote Guillermo Del Toro
Nicki Minaj slithers onto this year’s list for being, in the words of Lil Wayne, “an icon, a boss and a role model to all these young girls out here on how to do it the right way.”
Despite getting KO’d out of her UFC title, Ronda Rousey‘s impact on sports and pop culture hasn’t diminished. “Could Ronda be the one to finally help us understand that as females, we define the word feminine and that it doesn’t define us?” Tina Fey asked.
Lee Daniels says that long before “Empire,” African Americans were hailing Taraji P. Henson as “our Meryl Streep.” Now she’s leading the charge for Hollywood diversity through her work, alongside …
… Ryan Coogler, who has gone from indie darling with “Fruitvale Station” to blockbuster auteur with “Creed” and the upcoming “Black Panther.” Ta-Nehisi Coates praised him for being a filmmaker that “confers humanity and beauty on people told they are innately without it.”
Charlize Theron became the ultimate feminist action hero last year, but the South African star made the list this year for her outreach projects in her home region, teaching kids about HIV awareness and protection.
Lin-Manuel Miranda has made colonial history cool and helped kick a madman off the front of the $20 bill by creating the hottest Broadway show in years. “It can safely be said that ‘Hamilton’ is one of the best things—not just theatrical events—you’ll ever see,” J.J. Abrams said.
Newly-minted Oscar winner Mark Rylance was honored by his cinematic BFF, Steven Spielberg: “From ‘Boeing-Boeing’ to ‘Jerusalem’ to ‘Twelfth Night,’ the impact he’s had on classical and contemporary theater is the stuff of legend.”
Who knew playing video games in front of a camera could put your name next to the likes of Obama and Putin? Yet Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg makes the list for, as “South Park” creator Trey Parker says, “turning passive gaming into active, enjoyable entertainment.”
