Rueben's Ramblings

Time Magazine came out with its 100 Most Influential People list this week and while the prerequisite politicians, doctors, advocates and military members were in abundance on the list, the following artists (actors, writers, filmmakers and the like) were among the 100. I felt that these folks should be spotlighted whether I completely agree with their being on the list or not because after all it’s not MY list but Time Magazines. If you wish to see the full list of 100, please visit here:

NOTE: Each spotlight was written by someone who knows the influence maker and those statements are provided verbatim along with a link to their individual spotlight page at Time Magazine:

Colin Firth
Actor
By Helen Mirren

There are two Colin Firths, who live symbiotically within each other. First is a man of principle, action and compassion, who fights for the powerless. Second is a beloved actor in Britain and an international film star. The two sides of Colin, 50, inform each other. He can be the glamorous celebrity, but look closely at photos of him on the red carpet: there is a kindness in his eyes, an introspection and consideration. He actively pursues a deeper understanding of the world around him, and his humanitarianism gives a depth and wisdom to his performances. As Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Colin underplayed the attractiveness of that character. Here was a man locked away within himself but with great personal standards and morality. It was a performance that made women of all ages swoon. As George VI in The King’s Speech, he revealed the vulnerability and sense of inadequacy that can be found even in the high and mighty. Colin’s innate decency, self-discipline and self-deprecation make him into the archetypal Englishman. His kind, thoughtful, passionate soul makes him into Everyman.

Mirren won an Oscar for The Queen.

See Colin’s page here.

Jennifer Egan
Writer
By Curtis Sittenfeld

There is, apparently, no story that Jennifer Egan can’t tell. Her five books of fiction range from an achingly gorgeous coming-of-age novel (The Invisible Circus) to a gothic tale of betrayal (The Keep) to a multi-decade kaleidoscopic depiction of the music business (A Visit from the Goon Squad, this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction). Uniting disparate settings and characters is Egan’s ferocious intelligence; she writes with the clarity and sharpness of a pane of glass. For the past 15 years, she has also brought her distinctive lucidity to journalism, writing pieces about subjects such as gay teenagers and homeless families. No matter what the topic is, I know if Egan wrote the article, I’ll want to read it. I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with Egan, 48, over the years (yes, her cheekbones really are as magnificent as they look in the picture), and once at a reading I heard her say something I’ve thought of often since: that she wouldn’t want to start writing a book she knew from the outset she was definitely capable of pulling off. Her ambition and innovation inspire me as a writer and delight me as a reader.

Sittenfeld’s most recent novel is American Wife.

See Jennifer’s page here.

Blake Lively
Actress
By Baz Luhrmann

Every now and then, an actor or actress manages to somehow channel the vitality of youth — that indefinable, natural, unprocessed glamour full of possibility and filled with anticipation for an endless future. I’ve known Blake the actress, and I’ve known Blake the person, who would surprise many with her down-to-earth coolness. She makes you feel that she, and life, (is) going to go on forever.

Luhrmann’s next project is The Great Gatsby

See Blake’s page here.

Oprah Winfrey
Television Pioneer
By Ted Turner

This September, the show that has transformed daytime TV and inspired, improved and changed the lives of people around the world will wrap its 25th and final season. I have always admired independent thinkers, those with the courage, faith and intuition to forge their own ways. In business, these pioneers take calculated risks; care less about bottom lines and more about ideas and innovation; and are intent on bettering the world along the way. Oprah, 57, defines this approach. She has not only made it to the top with the cards stacked against her, but she has also made extraordinary contributions to our global community through her philanthropic efforts. CNN revolutionized the news based on a good idea, good people and a lot of inspired guesswork. Under Oprah, the OWN channel is primed to combat the tabloid programming we’ve become accustomed to with smart, enlightened, informative content. I have often said that if women ruled the world for the next 100 years, we’d all be better off. I have a feeling that with the possibilities at Oprah’s fingertips, we may be one step closer.

Turner is a philanthropist and the founder of CNN.

See Oprah’s page here.

Mia Wasikowska
Emerging Star
By Glenn Close

I met Mia Wasikowska in Dublin this past winter when the snow fell for days and sheets of treacherous ice covered the city’s walkways. She was wearing what I soon realized was her signature outfit: a peaked knit hat with earflaps, a black cloth coat, skinny black pants and fabulous, very hip brogues. Her gaze was open and direct, although her smile was shy and sweet. I found her instantly intriguing. Mia, 21, is a sun, not a satellite. She generates her own energy. She’s seductive because she’s not compelled to reveal everything. Her shyness has made her an acute observer. At the same time, she loves a good joke, loves to laugh and can suddenly have the boisterous physicality of a teenager. Mia will be many things in life and will defy expectation because she’s brilliant and curious and not fooled by what most people define as success. I will relish her journey and only hope she will be in my life for a very long time.

Close co-stars with Wasikowska in the movie Albert Nobbs.

See Mia’s page here.

John Lasseter
Filmmaker
By John Ratzenberger

If any of us had the good fortune to choose our neighbors, we would ask for John Lasseter. He and his wife Nancy have raised a posse of boys who look you in the eye when they speak, say “please” and “thank you” and are Olympians in the sport of childhood. Not surprising when their father is the master fabricator of joy. As head of Pixar, John, 54, gathers the raw material of life, puts it in the giggle-laugh-tear-goose-bump forge and shapes it into a product that leaves an imprint on civilization equal to that of the locomotive, the compass or the brick. John’s style never reaches below the belt for the cheap laugh. He is John Lasseter because of a high standard of art, perception and fun that everyone in every language can relate to and enjoy. He surrounds himself with people who share the values and work ethic necessary to maintain that standard — now recognized worldwide as simply Pixar. Audiences expect greatness from the elves of Emeryville, and they have yet to be disappointed, as they reward each film with their laughter, tears and patronage. It’s been an honor to have been invited into John’s sandbox these past 17 years.

Ratzenberger has played a voice role in every Pixar feature.

See John’s page here.

Chris Colfer
Song-and-Dance Man
By Dianna Agron

Chris has wanted to be an actor, as he says, “since I was an embryo,” which gave him the determination to say, “Yes, I can,” despite the many who had said no. Chris, 20, lives by extreme truth, speaking out against the epidemic of bullying that he, too, faced in high school. The honesty that he infuses into his Glee character, Kurt, leaves you reeling. Our cast is blessed to hear things like “Your character has helped me through this, or helped me do that,” but none more so than Chris. To witness the power he gives to his audience firsthand? It’s wonderful.

Agron plays Quinn Fabray on Glee.

See Chris’s page here.

Bruno Mars
Artist
By B.o.B.

There are a lot of people in this world who can sing and play the piano and guitar. Hell, I sing and play the piano and guitar. But there’s something different about Bruno Mars. He has a musicality, a presence in his voice that I’ve never heard from anyone else. Bruno, 25, is part of this new wave of musicians who can do everything: sing, play, write, produce. When he performs live, nothing is prerecorded or fudged. It’s a straight-up, classic performance. That’s so rare these days. We needed only two sessions to record “Nothin’ on You.” But when we perform live is when you really see our chemistry in action. And I can’t even tell you how many times he’s made my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Bruno is hilarious. You can see it in the hit song “F— You,” which he wrote for Cee Lo Green. That’s him; that’s his sense of humor. Bruno has so many things open to him now, so many doorways he can walk through. Even I don’t know what he’ll be up to next.

B.o.B. is a rapper, singer, musician and record producer

See Bruno’s page here.

George R.R. Martin
Storyteller
By John Hodgman

I had two missions last summer. One was to watch The Wire because I was tired of admitting I hadn’t seen it. The other was to read George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. The experiences turned out to be surprisingly similar. Both kidnapped me to intimately drawn worlds with stories of a grim conflict and characters so achingly human that you end up rooting, tragically, for both sides. And neither one has dragons in it — at least, not at first. Martin, 62, is as fine a researcher as he is a storyteller, and he packs in enough miserable fact about the meanness of medieval life that it occasionally echoes Baltimore in its harshness. With HBO’s adaptation and Martin’s long-awaited fifth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series about to be published, my endorsement isn’t necessary. But I’ll still feel compelled, like all those fans of The Wire, to pull you aside and tell you that Tyrion Lannister is the best character in fiction since Stringer Bell and that if you have not read these books, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Hodgman, a humorist, is the author of The Areas of My Expertise and the forthcoming That Is All.

See George’s page here.

Sting
Musician
By Esperanza Spalding

When I was 11, my older brother was really into Sting. I used to steal all of his CDs out of their cases, sneak them to my room and listen to them. I remember hearing “Seven Days” for the first time — the song is in 5/4 time — and thinking, Who is this pop star who writes in such a hip time signature? I didn’t yet know that Sting, 59, played jazz or worked with jazz greats like Kenny Kirkland. Sting’s songwriting is what I’m most inspired by when I think about my own endeavors. He’s found the perfect balance of being able to write very avant-garde songs that are accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise consider themselves jazz fans. My music doesn’t sound like Sting’s, and it never will. But I hope to have his bravery when it comes to writing songs that mainstream audiences can access.

Spalding, a jazz bassist, won the Best New Artist award at the 2011 Grammys.

See Sting’s page here.

Mark Wahlberg
Actor, Producer
By Amy Adams

I have to admit that as I made my way to meet Mark for the first time, I didn’t really know what to expect. We were meeting for a business lunch to discuss working on a project together. As he entered, he seemed pretty much as one would assume: good-looking, a commanding presence, and a casual swagger that can only be associated with true confidence. But what began to unfold as I talked to him was a sincere conversation that brought forth his deeper character. He was insightful, instinctual and extremely funny. My favorite thing about Mark, 39, is that he is genuine. He shares his true self through his work, through his philanthropic efforts and through his commitment to all of his endeavors. Mark never shies away from the truth. I have seen firsthand the way he puts people at ease with his honesty, because people will always respond to truth. Mark is a powerhouse. He has a work ethic that is incomparable. He is where he is because of his hard work, his talent and his sheer force of will. I have no doubt that he can and will accomplish anything he sets his mind to. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Adams starred with Wahlberg in The Fighter.

See Mark’s page here.

Rebecca Eaton
TV Producer
By Gillian Anderson

I was introduced to Rebecca Eaton while doing a PBS Masterpiece event for Dickens’ Bleak House. First impression: shock of silver-white hair, brassy American gumption and a personality that enters the room before she does. You instantly know she means business, which in Rebecca’s mind is what she enjoys most in the world. Rebecca, 63, has been the executive producer of Masterpiece for 25 of its 40 years. She has a passion for great drama, for great stories, beautifully told, that showcase extraordinary actors. Under her watch, Masterpiece has brought the American public some of television’s most popular and enduring dramas, including Prime Suspect, Bleak House, Sherlock and the new Upstairs Downstairs. Things weren’t always so rosy. Masterpiece Theatre, as it used to be called, went through a very tough patch, with public funding barely able to sustain its existence. Then, in 2008, Rebecca had a vision to revitalize and increase its appeal. The show — now officially known as Masterpiece — was split into three different sections aimed at a new and younger generation. This year Downton Abbey, which launched Masterpiece’s 40th-anniversary season, was seen by about 13 million viewers over its four-week run. As Masterpiece, still on a publicly funded network, celebrates this remarkable anniversary, we Americans are fortunate to have Rebecca at the helm: someone committed to bringing great television drama to the widest possible audience, week after week.

Anderson recently appeared in Masterpiece’s Any Human Heart.

See Rebecca’s page here.

Congrats to these artists for this honor!!