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Out's Power 50: Who knocked Ellen DeGeneres from No. 1 and topped Anderson Cooper?
It's the accounting of the most powerful and influential gay figures in America and this year Out magazine unveils a shocker with the person who snagged the top spot on its 5th Annual Power 50 list.
"[It's] the first year that the list has been topped by someone from the tech world," explains Out Editor in Chief Aaron Hicklin. "In the shape of Apple's COO, Tim Cook, who has helped turn his company into one of the world's most influential."
Cook has never been on the list before, yet being Steve Jobs' right-hand man has its privileges.
Out explains its choice:
Each time Steve Jobs takes medical leave it's Cook--"soft-spoken [and] intensely private," to quote The New York Times -- who steps up to lead the world's most valuable tech firm. While it is Jobs's prescience that has kept the Cupertino, Calif., company at the cutting edge of technology, it's Cook who made sure Apple could deliver as demand rocketed. Leader-in-waiting? Most definitely.
Talk show maven Ellen DeGeneres falls from her top spot last year to second and silver fox journalist Anderson Cooper (though to our knowledge, he has never publicly identified himself as gay) takes this year's third place spot. To see the rest of the list, visit Out.com.
Do you think Out got it right?
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Photo/Video credit: Joshua Scott, Out; Getty Images
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According to Gayle King, when Andy Cohen was on "The Gayle King Show," she said that a prominent newscaster will be releasing a book in June, in which he or she will officially reveal himself or herself as gay. Subsequently, she said that he or she will appear on her show. Whether the book release is still on, I don't know, but I certainly think that Anderson Cooper ranks pretty high on that list of possible people.
Regardless of who that person may be, I know I'll support him or her. They deserve nothing less.