NEW YORK – Before 2010, Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old co-founder and CEO of Facebook, was primarily known as a mysterious, sweatshirted figure, a Silicon Valley wunderkind familiar mainly to those in tech circles.
But this year, Zuckerberg has been thrust into pop culture ubiquity, appearing on screens of all shapes and sizes, from “Oprah” to one of the year’s most acclaimed films.
Additional Photos
On Wednesday, his public ascent was solidified by Time magazine, which named him its “Person of the Year.” He’s the youngest selection for the honor since the first one chosen, Charles Lindbergh in 1927.
In a posting on his Facebook page — where else? — Zuckerberg said being named Time’s “Person of the Year” was “a real honor and recognition of how our little team is building something that hundreds of millions of people want to use to make the world more open and connected. I’m happy to be a part of that.”
It caps a remarkable year for Zuckerberg and Facebook, which has more than 500 million users worldwide and market valuations that go into double-digit billions. In countless redesigns and new features, Facebook has been pushing toward becoming not just a social media hangout, but also the underlying, connecting fabric of the Internet.
“I’m trying to make the world a more open place,” Zuckerberg says in his “bio” line on Facebook.
Queen of Soul recovering at home, making holiday plans
NEW YORK – Aretha Franklin is home from the hospital and alreaady making plans for the holidays.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Queen of Soul said she’s been home for three days and her family and friends are taking great care of her. She’s hoping to see a play about Sam Cooke in her hometown of Detroit soon, and to see the production of “Dreamgirls” there before it closes.
Franklin had surgery for an ailment she has not disclosed. She says her doctors deemed the operation “highly successful.”
Diamond, Love and guy named Alice nominated for the rock hall of fame
NEW YORK – Neil Diamond had been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for several years, but never got a nomination to join music’s prestigious club. Yet he was never really worried about it.
“I kind of figured they’d get around to me at some point,” he said in an interview.
That point came Tuesday as the 2011 class for the Cleveland hall was revealed. Diamond, whose hits include “Sweet Caroline,” made the list along with the Alice Cooper Band, New Orleans musician Dr. John, Darlene Love and singer-songwriter Tom Waits.
Piano man Leon Russell was honored with a musical excellence award, previously the sideman category. Executives Jac Holzman and Art Rupe were given the Ahmet Ertegun Awards.
It took three tries before Love, best known for hits such as “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry” and her work with producer Phil Spector and the Blossoms, was approved for the hall. When reached on Tuesday, an excited Love said: “I can actually breathe.”
The excitement will have to wait for some others: Bon Jovi, nominated for the first time, was turned away from the hall, as was LL Cool J, the J. Geils Band, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and more.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.