Jon Stewart Claims #1 Spot on AskMen's Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2010

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- AskMen today announced the results of their annual reader survey: the Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2010, with Jon Stewart from The Daily Show claiming the No. 1 position after over half a million votes were cast.  Now in its fifth year, the Top 49 Most Influential Men challenges AskMen's 16 million monthly readers to determine which male figures have made the biggest impact, and ultimately, shaped what it means to be a modern man in 2010.

The 2010 list of influencers honors men who have broken convention across the worlds of business, politics, technology, media, entertainment and lifestyle.  These are not men who have chosen the traditional path to success, but who have nonetheless redefined the way we live today – and have clearly impacted the fans who voted for them.  

"It seems that this year in particular, our readers have chosen unlikely influencers; guys who don't always play by the rules, and in many cases, created their own norms in opposition to the current times," comments James Bassil, Editor-in-Chief of AskMen. "Jon Stewart earned his title by speaking frankly, and in the process, successfully engaging millions of ordinary citizens in politics. This year's top 5 - Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Kanye West are more than that – all found success in their fields by taking unconventional paths… by breaking the rules of their industries."

The men honored on this year's Top 49 Most Influential Men list demonstrate a rule-breaker ethic that has transformed their respective industries. Mark Zuckerberg's social network has profoundly changed the way the world interacts with one another and James Franco proved that he is more than just a movie star by enrolling in four graduate programs, publishing a book, alongside making a series of experimental short films. This year's list even includes Steven Slater, the JetBlue employee turned folk hero who had the gumption to say enough is enough.

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

Notably missing from this year's list are Tiger Woods (previously ranked No. 30) and Simon Cowell (previously ranked No. 5), while some returning honorees, such as President Barack Obama have experienced significant shifts in ranking, dropping from No. 4 in 2009 to No. 21 in 2010.

"It's an honor to be in the company of such distinguished gentlemen…although it would be nice to have the company of some ladies as well!" – Richard Branson (No. 14)

"It's a real honor to be recognized; anyone who knows me will verify, that despite their best efforts, I will not be ignored." – Mad Men Creator Matthew Weiner (No. 20)

"It is an honor to be considered amongst such celebrated company in the Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2010. Thank you to all the fans who have voted for me." – Mark Webber (No. 34)

"I am honored once again to be a part of this list and thank all the readers at AskMen that voted for me." – Sidney Crosby (No. 37)

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, a unit of News Corp. Digital Media, is the world's leading men's lifestyle web site. An online resource for men with daily features on subjects such as fashion, fitness, dating, money, and entertainment, AskMen has the widest online audience reach in the "Men's Lifestyle" category in comparison with all other websites, attracting 12 million unique visits from the U.S. per month, and 14 million monthly visitors globally, according to Omniture. A foremost content provider with an archive of more than 60,000 articles available for free online, AskMen updates daily and publishes over 300 new features a month. AskMen has content partnerships with the likes of Yahoo!, Cosmopolitan.com, SportsIllustrated.com and more.

SOURCE AskMen