The 2010 TIME 100 Poll

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators and icons who you think are the most influential people in the world. Though official voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list has now closed, with Mir-Hossein Mousavi having won the honor, users can continue to vote for their favorites until the list is revealed on Thursday, April 29th

2010 Candidates

Simon Cowell

By TIME STAFFThursday, Apr. 01, 2010
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Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Age: 50
Occupation: Talent-show creator and judge
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 1

It speaks volumes about Cowell's global influence on popular culture that numerous other candidates for the 2010 TIME 100 (Susan Boyle, Cheryl Cole, Adam Lambert) owe their careers to the sardonic talent-show judge, hitmaker and media mogul. The creator of American Idol and America's Got Talent and equivalent shows in many other countries, Cowell revealed to Jay Leno that he once turned down dinner with President Obama: "Our diaries didn't quite match."

Next Cheryl Cole