TIME magazine has revealed its 2013 annual list of the world's 100 most influential people and every person on the list is praised by special guest contributors.
The American weekly news magazine, TIME, has revealed its annual list of 100 most influential people around the world, which includes artists, leaders, icons, titans and pioneers. TIME also features seven different covers this year which include artists from the list like Jay-Z, Jennifer Lawrence and Aamir Khan. Other covers feature activist Malala Yousafzai, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk, Tennis champion Li Na and U.S. Senator Rand Paul. Each of these members was praised by other renowned guest contributors.
Many people on the list of 2013 TIME 100 have managed a repeat, making it to the list again this year. However, U.S. President Barack Obama has set a new record for being chosen for the eighth time. Joe Biden, Chris Christie, Mario Draghi, Gabrielle Giffords, LeBron James, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Kate Middleton, Elon Musk, Michelle Obama, Shonda Rhimes, Sheryl Sandberg, Aung San Suu Kyi, Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Ren Zhengfei are among the ones to repeat on the list again this year.
Among the well-renowned people who praised the members of the TIME 100, a few are listed below.
Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, sure had some appraisal for Sen. Rand Paul.
"Senator Rand Paul is a voice of reason awakening the public to what must be done to restore our prosperity and preserve the blessings of liberty for future generations," Palin wrote. "His brand of libertarian-leaning conservatism attracts young voters, and recently he inspired the nation with his Capraesque filibuster demanding basic answers about our use of drones."
Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group, wrote about Elon Musk. Technically, Branson's Virgin Galactic and Musk's SpaceX are competitors, but the British entrepreneur thinks of it otherwise.
"We share the belief that when you want something, you have to go do it yourself - even if DIY in this case means plowing your personal fortune into industries so unwieldy, complex and unknowable that most people think they can be steered and owned only by government," Sir Branson said. Writing about Musk's extraordinary efforts to build the best for the future, he said, "whatever skeptics have said can't be done, Elon has gone out and made real."
"It's a paradox that Elon is working to improve our planet at the same time he's building spacecraft to help us leave it. But true vision is binocular - and Elon Musk is clearly a man who can see many things at once," Sir Branson concluded.
Jay Z, on the other hand, was penned by mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. He wrote how Jay Z was determined to achieve his dream despite all the difficulties he had to face initially.
"When no one would sign him to a record contract, he created his own label and built a music empire - before going on to design clothing lines, open sports bars and, most recently, represent professional athletes," Bloomberg wrote.
Malala Yousafzai, young school-girl activist, who also appeared in one of the covers of TIME 100 magazine, was praised by NBC correspondent Chelsea Clinton. She wrote how the young girl fought for her rights even though she was almost killed for doing so. Clinton noted how Yousafzai inspired millions of children to go to school.
Aamir Khan, Bollywood Film Star and activist, was among the other artists who made a difference in the world to be recognized as the most influential people by TIME. A.R. Rahman, Oscar award winning music composer wrote about Khan.
"In a world of false diplomacy and evasiveness, Aamir is a straightforward man. A man of his word. His movies are commercial successes - Lagaan was nominated for an Academy Award - but they also display a sense of social responsibility: they tackle important themes, like poverty and education.," Rahman wrote.
Every influential person on the list was praised by a well-known artist, leader, activist or a colleague. Jodie Foster praised Jennifer Lawrence for her amazing acting skills and wit, Chris Evert, a tennis commentator for ESPN, wrote about Li Na, Shonda Rhimes by Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Fallon by Justin Timberlake, Mindy Kaling, by her Office co-worker Ed Helms and many more.
