The Person Of The Year that Time magazine picks every year is always someone who matters in current events, even if it's a person that the world doesn't like. There's always speculation on who could be the next to make Time's cover.

Bodog compiled a list of folks most likely to be on this year's cover, and any one of them could make a case for being the Person Of The Year:

J.K. Rowling (3/2): Look, as someone who spent her summer with Sci-Fi/Fantasy writers with both a Harry Potter movie and book that came out one after the other, I've had enough J.K. Rowling to last me a good long while. Not to mention the fact that I've been over her pretty much from day one. Or I may just be hating because I want to be as rich as her from writing a fantasy book and making millions from the merchandising. Boo, man, boo. But her chances are pretty good for being on the cover. Not that we need to be seeing her anymore, anyway.

Al Gore (4/1): I'm not exactly sure why Al Gore has not as good odds as J.K. Rowling, because he already won the Oscar and the Nobel, and is pretty much at the point where he's telling people "I told you so." Like, I'm not surprised he's said it yet. And also, if his recent interviews suggest, he may end up running for President again, just not in '08. It's a strange, polluted world, folks.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (5/1): I like Mahmoud's chances. One, because he said "There are no gay people in Iran." And second, Saturday Night Live got one of it's best songs/skits out of it with the classic line "You're like a very hairy Jake Gylenhaal to me.":






Condoleeza Rice (11/2): You know, Condi did do a lot for the country this year, going all around the world trying to make peace and get some deals done. But even as her career has been historic, much of her media attention has been muted at best, just because she's been talked about by the usual media outlets. And, joked about all over the place for so many things, things I won't get into here because I don't want to get picked up by an unmarked van and taken somewhere to be waterboarded-- wait, I mean, interrogated in an enhanced sort of way.

General David Petraeus (15/2): A storm of controversy surrounded General Petraeus when he released his report on the Iraq War over the summer. Not only was the report controversial, the media attention on him was mixed, as was the media's jump onto the Moveon.org full-page advertisement in the New York Times added more fuel to an already raging fire. But as far as lasting impressions, General Petraeus seems to be more of a blip on the radar after it's all said and done.

Steve Jobs (8/1): Speaking of blips on the radar, Steve Jobs is pretty much one as well, only because of the picture there on the right. The iPhone was the only thing Apple did this year that was noteworthy, and most of that noteworthiness was based on the phone's high price, the inability of its users to be able to download third party applications, and the fact that it was only available to AT&T customers. Boo on you Stevie.

Vladimir Putin (11/1): The President of Russia has made some controversial remarks this year toward the United States, making some in the media speculate of another Cold War. And not to mention those pictures of him shirtless on vacation-- what was that all about? I don't think he's got much of a chance at the cover.

Hu Jintao (11/1): In case his name isn't all that familiar to you, Hu Jintao is the President of China. He's been making his own deals peacefully around the world while still maintaining some controversy in his own country over the treatment of Tibet and Taiwan. Did I mention he's a Communist? But in the media, he's been getting attention by being more open to foreign powers, and his outlook on China's growth is different from leaders past. Many wonder if he's going to bring China to a new leader in the global economy.

2 or More People (5/1): While it could include any one of the people listed above, there are any number of prominent figures both peaceful and controversial that could make Time's cover of Person Of The Year. Who knows?

Labels: al gore, Bodog, Condoleeza Rice, David Petraeus, Hu Jintao, J.K. Rowling, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Steve Jobs, Time Magazine, videos, Vladimir Putin

posted by Kari at 3:06 PM