Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008

There aren’t many surprises on this year’s list of The 10 Most Fascinating People.But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe for this 16th annual edition, host Barbara Walters has rounded up the logical choices.For instance, who’s gonna quarrel with including Olympic superswimmer Michael Phelps?

Or the country’s most famous hockey mom, Sarah Palin (who also happens to be governor of Alaska, a former vice presidential candidate and, some say, the future of the Republican Party)?Or what about Will Smith and Tom Cruise, who, to put it simply, are Will Smith and Tom Cruise?“This was almost the easiest year that we’ve ever had, because we had so many naturals,” says Walters, summing up the selection process for her special, which airs tonight at 9 p.m. on ABC. “Some of the people you just know you have to do.”

Like 30 Rock star Tina Fey, who helped define Palin to a national electorate with her hilarious impersonation on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Or Rush Limbaugh, the powerful conservative pundit who is now getting ready to take on a new Democratic president.Or like 16-year-old singer-actress Miley Cyrus. Though wildly popular as star of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, she’s become “a new Miley Cyrus,” says Walters. “She’s growing up.” (Cyrus also hit a bumpy patch this year due to arguably racy photos by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz that were published in Vanity Fair.)

Maybe not so obvious: Thomas Beatie, who will be interviewed as a representative of what Walters calls a larger subject — the emergence of transgender couples.Frank Langella is yet another name on her list. Why? After decades as an acclaimed actor, the 70-year-old Langella has the buzz of a latter-day breakout star thanks to his new film, Frost/Nixon, Walters says.By now, she has the winnowing process down to a science — including how she handles those who didn’t make the final cut.“If a celebrity’s press agent calls, we say, ‘You were right there, you were the 11th! Maybe next year, Walters jokes.

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Tina Fey On Cover Of Vanity Fair

Superstar funny woman Tina Fey is getting even bigger this month with a Vanity Fair cover shot and interview, to release in January 2009. Still riding the success of her stint as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, she dishes on what it was like in her early years at SNL, what married life is like, and how “30 Rock” is going.If we learn anything from Tina Fey’s Vanity Fair interview, it’s that she is a rules girl. She plays by the book, and she works hard. When asked what the wildest thing she has ever done is, she answers, “Nothing”. And that time her husband went to a strip club? It didn’t go over so well. In fact, he’s still hearing about it years later. The fact that he used to smoke is “disgusting”. Her husband agrees that they’re boring, but in a good way.

As for the Sarah Palin impersonation, Tina had to have seen that coming as soon as the vice presidential announcement was made. As Vanity Fair explains:“There had not been such a unanimous national casting decision since Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind.”And her uncanny character gave SNL its highest ratings since 1994, when a recently healed Nancy Kerrigan hosted. But Tina didn’t look forward to meeting the vice presidential candidate,

“It’s my job to sort of go after this person in a way, but at the same time I know when I meet her, she’s a human being and a mom. She’s not the Devil incarnate or Antichrist.”When Lorne Michaels first wanted to take Tina from behind the scenes to the front lines of comedy, agent Sue Mengers told him not to because, “She doesn’t have the looks”. In fact, Mengers thought the whole idea stemmed from an affair between the two. Now Tina is a mega success, starring in her own show “30 Rock”, which after being critically acclaimed for two years has finally got the ratings to back it up.

So where does she go from here? Tina doesn’t want to be anywhere else. She is enjoying her work, enjoying being a mother to Alice, and enjoying her marriage. Where else would she want to be?

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John McCain Appeared On "Saturday Night Live"(SNL)

John McCain began “Saturday Night Live” with a mock infomercial, which touched on Barack Obama’s 30-minute spot earlier this week. See John McCain in the monologue and three other videos from SNL below.

It is pretty cool of John McCain to appear on SNL this close to the election to actually do a parody of his campaign’s standing in the current polls, Palin’s wardrobe expense, and speaking of his term “Maverick”.“These final days have been the most essential,” McCain stated. “Barack Obama purchased air time on three networks. We, however, can only afford time on QVC.

“I would rather be on three major networks. But I’m a true maverick, a Republican without money.”John McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain even made a cameo on SNL showing off jewelry the Arizona Senator hawked as “McCain’s fine gold,” alluding to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.Of course Tina Fey returned as Sarah Palin, at one point turning to the camera and whispering, “I’m going rogue so keep your voices down.” She then holds up a Palin ‘12 T-shirt and says she’ll either run or be a “white Oprah.”

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Tina Fey Returns To SNL

On this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey returned to her old stomping ground to play host. And she blew the place up, sending ratings through the roof.It was the first show since the writers strike put the improv comedy show on hold, and Tina Fey brought SNL back with a bang, giving the show its highest ratings in two years. Or perhaps there were so many great stories saved up from the last three months that there was an abundance of brilliance to choose from.

My personal favorites, one of which starred Tina Fey, were the Weekend Update spot where Fey promoted Hillary Clinton, saying “bitch is the new black!” The other was “I Drink Your Milkshake” - that 2 minute skit made sitting through 2 and half hours of “There Will Be Blood” worth it.Next week the show hopes to continue the hype with Oscar nominee Juno Page.

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