RedEye thought we’d make our own most influential list of celebrities who hail from Chicagoland or are based here. For continuity, we stuck with OK!’s categories — the winners are below.
The beauty queen
JENNY MCCARTHY
Our former Playboy pinup made a name for herself not based solely on her looks, but on her loud mouth and boorish antics too. The gross-out girl proved to have a big personality and the ability to elicit laughs.
Style setter
JEREMY PIVEN
His fast-talking Ari Gold on “Entourage” is funnier than he is crass, and he always looks as if Armani dressed him. It comes as no surprise he’s been tapped to host the Fashion Rocks concert in New York later this year.
Entertainer
KANYE WEST
Love him or hate him, this guy can entertain. Whether he’s on stage killing it or just walking down the red carpet, Kanye keeps us interested — hence the hype around his new album, “Graduation.”
Body shaper
JENNIFER HUDSON
A voluptuous woman from Chicago makes the cover of Vogue? And her name isn’t Oprah? In a time when the average Hollywood actress looks like an eerie bobblehead, we love us some curves (and an Oscar winner).
Survivor
OPRAH
OK, it’s an obvious choice. You’ve heard it before — she was raised in poverty, survived abuse as a child and became the queen of daytime TV.
Newsmakers
BARACK OBAMA/HILLARY CLINTON
Two of the leading Democratic candidates for president are from the Chicago area: Clinton grew up in the ‘burbs, and Obama resides here now. Both are likely to be in the news through the primaries.
