Novelist
So what if he's not the most likable man who ever lived—a bit grizzly, a tad arrogant, oddly immune to Oprah's charms—
Jonathan Franzen is a
genius. His latest,
Freedom, provoked such
slobbering from critics as to detract from its basic appeal. But it is, to quote many, a "masterpiece." In an era when authors must all be spit-polished, multiplatform media whores, it's nice to see someone with genuine talent unafraid to be his crusty self.
Governor
Can a fat man be president? What about a fat man prone to eruptions of aggressive candor, such as telling off old people and teachers? If William Howard Taft is ever to have a bathtub-size heir in the White House, it may well be
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who found outsize fame this year—and won our affection—for his tendency to tell it like it is. Christie has boldly taken on everyone from political bigs to
Snooki. We may not agree with every last thing he says, but compared to all the mealy-mouthed pols in Washington, we like him.
Writer
Even before his cancer diagnosis, Christopher Hitchens was staggeringly prolific. After the terrible news, Hitchens has only amplified his intensity, hammering out a near-constant series of pieces for Vanity Fair, Slate, and other outlets. The man, in short, is a national treasure. You don't have to like everything he says, but you must admire his sheer stamina. Add to that the unblinking honesty with which he's
faced down his disease, and there's hardly a more crush-worthy individual alive and kicking today.
Actor
Does he have a tricky past? Yes. Would we want to be his mother, his wife, or a member of the crew on one of his films? Hell, no. But you don't have to like a man personally to admire him as an artist, and that's how we feel about
Christian Bale. After seeing
The Fighter, it's pretty hard not to love the strapping British actor, or at least admire his remarkable ability to morph into an emaciated crack addict with a thick Boston accent.
Pitcher
Call him "The Freak" or call him "The Franchise," but you most certainly will call him a World Series champion. The 26-year-old phenom with Gumby's physique pitched lights-out baseball deep into October, giving the San Francisco Giants their first World Series in more than a half-century. For his dapper style (check out the
bow tie) and for his
Jeff Spicoli spirit, Lincecum won our heart in 2010.
Guitarist
After a half-century of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n' roll, you'd think that Keith Richards wouldn't remember anything or have anything left to say, but this year he shocked all of us and made our hearts flutter with the most
compelling, honest, and just funny rock memoir ever written. Sure, Mick's still the lead, but Keith's throaty laugh and Dada way of telling anecdotes reminded us about why our parents fell for him 40 years ago—and why we did again.
Actor
The only thing better than watching
Jesse Eisenberg play the emotionally challenged Marc Zuckerberg so convincingly is the knowledge that in real life, he couldn't be a nicer guy. Since he popped up in
The Squid and the Whale back in 2005, he's been one of the best young actors on the block, capable both of great comic timing and also complete seriousness. Next year, he teams up with Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride in
30 Minutes or Less, about a pizza boy who gets kidnapped and forced to rob a bank.
Crime Fighter
A mathematician turned politician and crime-fighting superhero,
Sergio Fajardo won our hearts with his heroic efforts to reduce gang violence in his native Colombia. During his four-year term as mayor of
Medellin, he transformed the city's public spaces, formerly hotbeds for crime, into community centers. He put a library in Medellin's most dangerous neighborhood and supported many other public works projects designed to steer kids away from violence and toward productive activities, like a youth symphony.
Miner, Marathoner
The
New York Post may have scoffed at Edison Pena's distaste for hot dogs and his disappointment at the
Statue of Liberty, but we have nothing but love for the freed Chilean miner who ventured north this fall to run the New York marathon and take in the scenery. Pena, a 5'5", 145-pound powerhouse, ran up to six miles a day during the 69 days he spent trapped underground. He
finished the marathon in just under six hours and ran straight into the
arms of his wife. What could be sweeter than that?
