30 People More Interesting Than Paris Hilton

What is with everyone being obsessed with Jessica Simpson? She's interesting for about the amount of time it takes to read a news headline. There are so many people working hard every day being great, horrible, absurd, brilliant...a million different adjectives and I would love to hear about any of the following people over Miss Jessica Simpson...or Brittany Spears...or Lindsay Lohan...or Paris Hilton (even if she is in jail).

In no particular order:

1. Bill Gates: Seriously, he is totally geeky but absolutely interesting. He's one of American's most famous business men, corporate leaders, household names. He's twitchy, intelligent, and bizarre. To some, he is a symbol of all that is evil with capitalism and to others, he is a symbol of of corporate responsibility and someone who uses his money for good. Good or bad, Bill Gates is simply interesting and I'd rather read about him in the tabloids any day.

2. Ross the Intern (aka Ross Mathews): I think Ross the Intern is hilarious! He's that completely spastic intern that Jay Leno has embraced on The Tonight Show. You can view some of his clips on the Ross the Intern Myspace page. He battles alligators with the late Steve Irwin. He fights fires while flirting with firemen. He tries his hand at being a weatherman. He's hilarious and outrageous. There's a reason the E! Network voted him as one of the 30 most outrageous celebrities.

3. Al Gore: Who knew he would actually be so ambitious and interesting after losing the presidential election? Here's a man who seems to really be trying to spend his life doing good in the world the best way he knows how and it's refreshing to watch him. He cares about what he's doing and it really seems like he's making a difference with all of the work he's done regarding global warming and the environment. He gives a ridiculous number of presentations, produced a great documentary and book. He has spoken in front of congress. He's just great.

4.Eddie Izzard: He's smart and funny whether he's dressed as a man or dressed up as a transvestite. He was just on the Tony Awards presenting the "Best Theatrical Events" in a nice tuxedo. But really, he's his best when he's in heels and makeup doing one of his stand up comedy acts where he pokes fun at Americans, Queen Elizabeth, and squirrels. Yes, even squirrels.

5. J. K. Rowling: How does she do it? Here is this amazing woman who came out of nowhere with this children's book series that has captured unprecedented attention throughout the world. She has created a magical enthralling world in her Harry Potter books. She is one of the wealthiest women in the world. And yet, she is still down to earth and has a great sense of humor. She's simply one of a kind.

6. Barack Obama: Liberals (and others) half-jokingly called for Obama to run for the presidency during the last election in 2004. Who really knew he'd actually listen and run, especially this soon? Whether people like his politics or not, he is always an engaging persona and it's interesting to see how America reacts to not only a man of color running for office, but watching him run against his closest competitor, Hillary Clinton, a woman. This is something new in American politics and its exciting to watch is happen.

7.Regina Spektor: She's so great at what she does! Her family emigrated from Russia, but almost decided not to because of her piano abilities (she'd have to leave her piano studies and her piano behind). Her style is so eclectic; another one that you just have to hear to understand.

8. Miranda July: What is she going to come up with next? She's is a performance artist, director, musician, actress, writer, story teller, all-around jack of trades. She's so quirky and funny. Just watch her movie Me and You and Everyone We Knowand you'll want to know what she's going to come up with next.

9. Antony Hegarty: He calls himself a "nationality confused bender". His voice is so beautiful and unique. The Antony and the Johnsons' Carnegie Hall concert in New York drew out some of the city's most famous stars: David Bowie, Bette Midler, Lou Reed, and Rufus Wainwright.

10. Neil Gaiman: He's such a fun imaginative writer. And he writes so much! And so well! Fantasy, graphic novels, short stories, screenplays...isn't there anything this man can't write?

11. David Blaine: His endurance is rather superhuman and for reasons that I don't quite understand, he tends to invoke strong feelings of either inspiration or intense disdain in people. I find him slightly amusing, but what is even more fascinating is watching the way people react to him.

12.Martha Stewart: She's a bit crazy. But again, I love to find out what she's up to! I don't love her aesthetic, but I can't deny that her know-how, business demeanor, and the way she handled that whole prison sentence has earned a certain amount of respect and intrigue from me.

13.Alexis Stewart: First of all, what is like being the daughter of Martha Stewart? Secondly, what is the deal with her new show "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer"? And why does she want to have a child via a sperm donor? And what is the story behind the cameraman that she admitted to having a sexual relationship with during The Apprentice? She's such a fabulous mystery.

14. Ted Haggard: Eh, the story regarding his rise and fall is awesome...although I have to admit, I can't stand his smile. Now that he claims to be "completely heterosexual", I want to see what he makes of the rest of his life.

15. Mike Jones: He's the "massage therapist" who outed Haggard's hypocrisy. Now he just published a book called I Had to Say Something: The Art of Ted Haggard's Fall. The title is hilarious; I'm just wondering about the rest of the book.

16.Michael Moore: He's fearless, funny and in my opinion, very smart. I love him.

17. Hillary Clinton: I just love the fact that a woman is running for president and has a serious chance of winning.

18.Ann Coulter: Does anyone actually take her seriously? Her diarrhea of the mouth is always something to either laugh or cry about.

19. Jennifer Hudson: Wow, talk about rising to fame quickly!

20. Paula Abdul: Drunk? Sober? Is she actually mad at Simon or is it a love/hate thing?

21. Harvey Fierstein: That voice!

22. Rupert Murdoch: He's kinda creepy; what doesn't he own now? I'd feel more comfortable if he received as much public attention as the blonde bombshells, because people really need to keep an eye on this one.

23. Oprah Winfrey: She's such a super star! Besides her TV show, magazine, and book club; she's also doing some awesome work in Africa.

24. Stedman Graham: Come on, he's Oprah's partner. We hear so much about him and yet I never actually see the man! I want to know more about Stedman!

25.Anderson Cooper:Besides being beautiful, he's a great reporter. He was especially awesome during Hurricane Katrina and he comes from one of New York's wealthiest families.

26. Tony Kushner: Writer of Angels in America, one of the best pieces of theatre ever. He's done a ton of other stuff too.

27. Al Sharpton: You have to love that James Brown hair! He's always outspoken; gotta love him.

28. Steve Jobs: Because Apple is taking over the world.

29. Conan O'Brien: His snappy one-liners, self-deprecating humor, and the fact that he is going to take over Jay Leno's job in a few years makes him endlessly entertaining.

30. Jon Stewart: He should be taking over Conan O'Brien after he leaves for The Tonight Show. Actually, no. He should just run for president. I'd vote for him based on his Crossfire appearance alone.