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I just finished watching Barbara Walter’s hour long special, Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008, and I thought I would share my notes. I am typing notes furiously while I watch, so this might look a little rough when I read it in the morning. Here are my notes:

10: Will Smith. The biggest star of the box office of the past decade, Will’s movies grossed over $5 billion total and well over $100 million each for his last 8 movies: Men in Black II, Bad Boys II, I Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, and Hancock. What is the secret to his success? Will cares about people, and because he cares so much, all he wants to do is to create something special, something that that makes people feel good. The values that permeate Will Smith’s life and work started at home, where he acquired both a desire to do good and strong sense of discipline. He does not tolerate anything less than 100% from himself. Barack Obama told him that if ever there would be a movie about Barack, he would want Will Smith to play him. Will admitted to saying that he could be president himself if he chose to, but added the caveat to Barbara Walters that he would never, ever choose to. Making movies and making people feel good is way too much fun.

9. Michael Phelps. To what does Michael Phelps attribute an astounding record eight gold medals in a single Olympics? Hard work and dedication. We have heard that before. Walters added that a great body doesn’t hurt. Phelps started out as an awkward nerdy kid with ADHD growing up, but being in a pool made him feel comfortable and at home. He dreamed of winning an Olympic medal. In the 2004 Olympics, he won six gold medals, but he wanted to beat Mark Spitz’s record of seven. Needing to be nothing less than perfect, Michael Phelps broke seven world records in the 2008 Olympics, and even swam blind with leaky goggles to win an eighth gold medal and achieve his dream. Becoming a pop culture hero, Phelps hosted Saturday Night Live, saying it was the “ninth best moment of my life.” Barbara ponders, what does it really takes to cross line from good to great? It is still a mystery.

8. Miley Cyrus. TV star, movie star, music star, seven figure book deal, and still only 16 yrs old. This star was born as Disney’s Hannah Montana, which has already grossed over $1 billion. When did Miley first want to perform? She was singing before she could talk. Her father, country musician Billy Ray Cyrus, got her the first gig, and then Miley returned the favor when Billy Ray played her father on Hannah Montana. Breakout is Miley’s first album as herself rather than the Disney character Hannah Montana. Released in July 2008, Breakout debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.

7. Tina Fey. She struck gold when Sarah Palin was nominated as the Republican vice presidential candidate. But Tina doesn’t think she really looks like Palin, but was close enough to land at the center of a “strange perfect storm.” The former head writer for Saturday Night Live and then the writer, producer and star of her own sitcom 30 Rock, Tina clearly had a sense for timing and for the moment. The first thing Tina noticed about Sarah Palin was that she was so full of pride when she talked about Alaska. Tina noticed how she talked, and learned to practically channel Palin’s particular confident but at times sardonic northern drawl. The tougher the things she was saying about the campaign the bigger her smile was. Asked if she was too hard on Palin, Tina pointed out the very strange double standard when a woman portrayed another woman in politics. With Bush, they were always portraying him in the most unflattering terms and no one complained. Part of the roots of the double standard is that women of comedy are very different than their bad boy male counterparts: Women of comedy are usually basically good kids—the only act of rebellion was to become a comedian.

6. Rush Limbaugh. Despite being on the losing side of the election, Rush came out as a big winner. Twenty million people listen to Rush each week, making him by far the most successful conservative talk show host. Rush listens to his audience through a Cochlear implant, and he has had some ups and downs. Asked if he was worth his $38 million a year contract, Rush says “of course” and “it’s the result of hard work.” Asked about the recession, he retorts “What recession? I choose not to participate.“ The future of conservative politics? “I just love Sarah Palin. She represents the battle between the elite and everyone else.” Rush feels a kinship with Palin—he never would allowed into any elite club, and didn’t graduate college. Rush defended his comment that “the country doesn’t want to watch a woman politician get older on a daily basis” as taken totally out of context: His intention was to lament how unfair our culture is to women. An incredulous Walters switched topics. What did you learn in rehab? Rush described how he came from a prominent family in small town, and a culture that to him meant, “don’t embarrass the family.” That meant, don’t be who you are but be someone you aren’t really like. In rehab, he learned to be himself, which he claimed to Barbara to be the most unthreatening, tolerant, lovable guy you could ever meet. Barbara took the bait and challenged Rush to say something nice about our new president: Rush said that he is sincere and genuinely nice person, but Rush thought that what he was sincere about might not be the best things for the country, but he will see and hope for the best.

5. Thomas Beatie. This is the man who recently gave birth to a baby. Thomas was born female, but took testosterone, had his breasts surgically removed, and was legally declared a man. But he kept some of the female parts. From his appearance on Oprah to the gossip tabloids, Thomas has challenged people to ask what gender really means. How did he become pregnant? Barbara Walters wanted to know. “I Used my reproductive organs to become a father.” What is a man and what is a woman? According to Thomas, those are just social terms. Thomas believes that gender identity is how you feel on the inside. And yes, Tomas is pregnant again.

4. Frank Langella. After starring as Dracula in the 1979 hit, Frank was projected to be the Next Big Thing. According to Frank, there were a number of those predictions. Have you been overlooked? Barbara wanted to know. “I overlooked myself,” Frank cleverly responded. Now, in the movie Frost Nixon, Langella plays the former president Nixon in the role of a lifetime that is sure to earn an Oscar nomination. Langella wanted the role, but didn’t think he could do it: He didn’t feel any empathy for character of Richard Nixon. But as he studied the Nixon tapes, he began to “feel an extraordinary compassion for the man…Once the inner life took hold, my feelings became very strong.” Does Frank Langella hope for an Oscar? Very few people win them, and Langella admitted that it would be absurd for any actor to say he did not hope for it.

3. Sarah Palin. She would become the biggest American celebrity that no one knew just six months ago. The conservative everywoman electrified the Republican base for the same reasons hat she horrified the left. She came across as extremely self-confident in her conservative views, but she was unpretentious. She grew in a small town, hunting and fishing, competing in a beauty pageant for the scholarship money. From PTA mom, to mayor, to Governor, to Vice Presidential candidate. She would be the savior of the party, but not for long. Sarah Palin experienced the entire celebrity lifecycle, from instant stardom, to becoming derided as a disaster, to the big comeback.

2. Tom Cruise. Weathered and wiser than just a few years ago, Tom prefers to let his work speak for himself. With the press, “there is truth and there is perception.” Any regrets? Barbara wanted to know. Jumping on the couch with Oprah, for example? Tom wanted to see the list—it should be a long one. In the latest movie Valkarie, Tom Cruise plays Klaus von Stoppenberg, the man who dared to plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Inspired by the story, Cruise took the role and won the German film Bambi award for courage, over opposition from the German government. Germans view von Stoppenberg as a national hero and didn’t want it being played by the world’s most famous scientologist. Tom wasn’t going to talk about religion: “you can go to the website.” Cruise has been famous for 25 years. “You are older but are you wiser?” asked Barbara. Tom didn’t reveal much, saying that you go through experiences, have successes, make mistakes, you learn. At 46, Tom is no longer the Hollywood boy wonder, but “I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.”

1. Barack Obama. Who else could Barbara Walters possibly pick? Barack invoked all of the best ideals of America on election night. Supporters spanned every group, every divide. Obama became a symbol of hope. Are we hoping for too much? Walters asked. Many expect miracles. How do you deal with such high expectations? Obama responded: One of the things that happened this election is that the American people grabbed a hold of our Democracy. The expectation that he can and will meet is the expectation that government should be responsible, competent, honest, will work every day to make things better. What did you think you were going to be as a little boy? For a while, he wanted to be an architect, to build things. Then a basketball player, then a judge, but he soon knew he would become too restless sitting on a bench. He never expected to be president. In becoming president, Barack Obama redeemed the American promise, that any individual can make something of himself or herself. “Out of many we are one, while we breathe we hope.”