“People” magazine has put out its annual list of the 25 “most intriguing” people of the year. And you KNOW it has to be good, because if anyone is the authority on people . . . it’s “People”, right?
Here’s the list, along with quick takes on why each one is intriguing:
1. Michelle Obama . . . because within days of publication, her memoir, “Becoming”, became the best-selling book of the year.
2. Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie . . . because they’ve done so well in the ratings in the wake of the firing of Matt Lauer.
3. Chip and Joanna Gaines . . . because they retired “Fixer Upper” last year to recharge, but are already planning to return to TV on their own network.
4. Melissa McCarthy . . . because she’s getting Oscar-buzz for a serious role in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, where she plays a mean-spirited literary forger.
5. Idris Elba . . . He was probably chosen to hype their own choice to make him their ‘Sexiest Man Alive,’ but they also note that he can do so many acting genres, including comedy and musicals.
6. Aly Raisman . . . because she came forward to testify against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused her.
7. Meghan Markle . . . because she went from being on the show “Suits” to marrying Prince Harry and becoming a member of the Royal Family.
8. The Parkland Teens . . . because they went from everyday students to nationwide activists for school safety after surviving a deadly mass shooting.
9. Ariana Grande . . . because she broke up with Mac Miller . . . had a wildly off-the-rails relationship with Pete Davidson . . . then, after Mac’s death, she broke up with Pete, and released the hit “Thank U, Next”.
10. Julia Louis-Dreyfus . . . because she’s back after a breast-cancer treatment that required three rounds of chemo, which she documented on social media.
11. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga . . . because, well, “A Star Is Born”.
12. Cardi B . . . because she released a double-platinum debut album . . . gave birth to her first child . . . and threw a shoe at her nemesis Nicki Minaj.
13. Chadwick Boseman . . . because his Black Panther was arguably the superhero of the year.
14. Carrie Underwood . . . because she struggled through three miscarriages since 2017 . . . had a scary tumble that required stitches to her face . . . and put out the heavy album, “Cry Pretty”.
15. Julia Roberts . . . because she embraced the streaming phenomenon, and starred in the Amazon’s thriller “Homecoming”.
16. Ruth Bader Ginsberg . . . because she was celebrated in two movies, the documentary “RBG” and the upcoming “On the Basis of Sex”.
17. Constance Wu . . . because she was the “perfect modern Cinderella” in “Crazy Rich Asians”.
18. Jamie Lee Curtis . . . because she returned to “Halloween” again, 40 years after doing the original, and opened up about her 10-year opioid addiction.
19. Jada Pinkett Smith . . . because she’s dropping all kinds of bombs about her personal life on her Facebook show, “Red Table Talk”.
20. Serena Williams . . . because she almost died while suffering serious blood clots while giving birth, and then spent the year fighting sexism in tennis.
21. Busy Philipps . . . because she wrote a bestselling memoir and launched her E! talk show “Busy Tonight”.
22. John Krasinski . . . because he directed a horror hit, “A Quiet Place”, and landed a big action role on “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”.
23. Meghan McCain . . . because at the funeral for her father John McCain she delivered a eulogy that didn’t shy away from criticizing President Trump, who’d mocked his heroism.
24. Shawn Mendes . . . because he now has three #1 albums, and just seven months ago, he had a fling with Justin Bieber’snow-wife Hailey Baldwin.
25. Jennifer Garner . . . because she’s become a fun social media star, and has a Facebook series where she simplifies other people’s recipes for kids.
