James Bond Ranks #1 on AskMen's Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2012

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, AskMen, the leading men's lifestyle website with 17 million monthly readers, announced the results of their 7^th annual Top 49 Most Influential Men, as determined by more than 500,000 votes. James Bond, the fictional character whose namesake film franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary this month as well as the highly anticipated release of Skyfall in November, takes the No. 1 position after a month-long public voting process which began in early September. The Top 49 Most Influential Men challenges AskMen's readers to determine which male figures have made the biggest impact and, ultimately, shaped what it means to be a man of influence in 2012. Kanye West at No. 31 holds the new record as the only man to be named to the Top 49 for all seven years (George Clooney previously held this record but is missing from this year's list).

Bond is joined by Usain Bolt, Bill Clinton, Seth MacFarlane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to round out the top 5 positions on the 2012 list. According to AskMen editors, the results of this list illustrates a "new era" of men emerging with 27 out of the 49 nominees making the list for the very first time including Frank Ocean, Snoop Lion, Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Fassbender, Tim Tebow, and Alec Baldwin.  Media makers including Michael Phelps, LeBron James, and Prince William also made the list.

With a presidential election coming up, voters elected Bill Clinton to the No. 3 position, Barack Obama to No. 11, and Mitt Romney to No. 24.

Another trend from this list is men in the public eye who recently "reinvented" themselves to adjust with the changing times. This includes: No. 1 James Bond who has transformed over a period of 50 years and 23 different movies; Snoop Lion who went from being one of the most celebrated rappers in history to becoming one of the most anticipated reggae artists; and Howard Stern who went from radio personality to TV personality this year.

Referring to recent conversations about the "end of men" James Bassil, Editor-in-chief of AskMen says: "Despite the regular reminders that our gender has reached its end, AskMen's Top 49 list offers up plenty of examples of men who have sustained success -- and others who found it anew through reinventing themselves, just as many of our readers have had to in recent years." He continues, "Through 2012, Top 49 staples like Kanye West and Jose Mourinho have kept building on what they've always been good at, while new arrivals like Snoop Lion have yielded their influence through new paths. We're especially excited to see adventurers like Elon Musk and Felix Baumgartner on the final list -- bring on the new space age!"

The complete roster of this year's Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2012, including profiles of each honoree, can be found at http://www.askmen.com/specials/top_49_men/. In order, the Top 49 are:

1. James Bond
2. Usain Bolt
3. Bill Clinton
4. Seth MacFarlane
5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
6. Jimmy Kimmel
7. Elon Musk
8. Frank Ocean
9. Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger
10. Ryan Gosling
11. Barack Obama
12. Michael Phelps
13. Christian Grey
14. The replacement refs
15. Christopher Nolan
16. Liam Neeson
17. Riad Al Assad
18. Joss Whedon
19. Peter Higgs
20. Price William
21. Bryan Cranston
22. Jay-Z
23. Jeff Bezos
24. Mitt Romney
25. Neil deGrasse Tyson
26. Billy Reid
27. Michael Fassbender
28. Quentin Tarantino
29. Felix Baumgartner
30. Jose Mourinho
31. Kanye West
32. Lebron James
33. Andy Murray
34. Drake
35. Markus Persson
36. Snoop Lion
37. Howard Stern
38. Neil Patrick Harris
39. Psy
40. Jonah Peretti
41. James Cameron
42. John Maynard Keynes
43. Adam Driver
44. Tim Tebow
45. Gotye
46. Harvey Weinstein
47. Tony Horton
48. Tom Hardy
49. Alec Baldwin

Notably missing from this year's list are George Clooney (ranked No. 14 in 2011) Tom Brady (ranked No. 15 in 2011), and Justin Timberlake (ranked No. 47 in 2011), while some returning honorees, such as Jimmy Kimmel, has experienced significant shifts in ranking, rising from No. 26 in 2008 to No. 6 in 2012. Seth MacFarlane also jumped from No. 27 in 2009 to No. 4 in 2012.

"It is an honor to be named one of AskMen's Top 49 Most Influential Men. I would like to thank everyone who voted for me," remarks No. 2 Usain Bolt of his top position.

"If I'm really influential, I'd convince the owners of AskMen to buy me a new car. No? Damn. Thanks for the votes anyway," says No. 21 Bryan Cranston.

"I'm honored, but it was not a goal of mine. I am happy to serve the cosmic curiosity that exists within us all. And, for some people, that needs to be reawakened. To the extent I do this, if I am counted among the 49 most influential, I'm happy to be there. Because that influence may help reawaken people to the splendor of the universe," says No. 25 Neil deGrasse Tyson.

"Good looking for nominating me as one of tha 49 influential men. It's an honor and a pleasure to be in tha presence of fellow Ranked 1s in tha nation, ya dig?!?" says No. 36 Snoop Lion. 

"I've spent 30 years developing ways to help people look and feel better through whole foods and regular exercise. I learned early on that variety, consistency, intensity, purpose and a plan were the foundation to getting fit and healthy and staying that way for a lifetime. It's a formula that is working for millions of people around the world. This recognition is a validation that my techniques change lives for the better. To be on this esteemed list of men is a true honor," remarks No. 47 Tony Horton.

To see exclusive videos, photos and comments from this year's honorees, visit www.AskMen.com. Further coverage of the Top 49 Most Influential Men will also be available on AskMen's Facebook and Twitter pages.

About AskMen
AskMen (www.askmen.com), a unit of News Corporation, is the world's No. 1 lifestyle site for men. Dedicated to helping readers become better men on subjects such as fashion, health, dating, career, fine living and entertainment, AskMen has the widest reach in the men's lifestyle category, attracting 20 million monthly unique visitors, worldwide. A foremost content provider with an archive of more than 100,000 articles.

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SOURCE AskMen