usatoday.com/life/people/20...ople_x.htm By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY
Everybody loves lists. The richest 400. The 50 most beautiful. Hollywood's 100 power players. The FBI's 10 most wanted criminals.
Now three self-described "rowdy philosophers" from New Jersey — Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter — have ranked the 101 "most influential people."

With an asterisk.

These cultural icons exist only in the imagination. Folks like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (No. 44), Batman (No. 60), Cinderella (No. 26), Santa Claus (No. 4), Luke Skywalker (No. 85), Mickey Mouse (No. 18), G.I. Joe (No. 48) and Barbie (No. 43). The subtitle to The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived (Harper, $13.95, paperback original) says it all: "How characters of myth, legends, television, and movies have shaped our society, changed our behavior, and set the course of history."

Topping the list at No. 1: "The most famous killer of the last two hundred years," The Marlboro Man. The cowboy of death is followed by "Big Brother" of George Orwell's 1984,a symbol of totalitarianism, intrusive government control and surveillance. "That's as close to politics as we get," says computer program/technical writer Karlan, 55.

"The point of the book is to entertain," says retired physician Lazar, 75. Whittling down the final 101 icons from 500 possibilities provoked "a whole lot of battles," Karlan adds.

They got the idea for the book three years ago while looking at Michael Hart's The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. In their book, each icon is accompanied by a short essay about its impact, good or bad. Choices include:

• Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (No. 57). "He is held up as a role model," Karlan says. "People admire his integrity, honesty and open way of dealing with his children."

• The Ugly Duckling (No. 55). "By presenting beauty as the highest attribute, Hans Christian Andersen insults 99% of the population," Lazar says. And he thinks no better of Cinderella (No. 26). "The story degrades stepmothers and encourages people to rely on magic, not themselves."

• Bond, James Bond (No. 51). The spy 007 lives into the new century (as Daniel Craig) because he combines intrigue, sex and British suavity with "the highest technologies of our modern age," they note.

The trio has launched a website (www.101influential.com) so readers can contribute their thoughts on the list.