Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton Top 2005 Most Annoying List; Gene Hackman, Pope John Paul II, Christopher Walken Not Annoying!

 

Millions of Internet Users in 2005 tell AmIAnnoying.com who's annoying and who's not on its addictive and interactive Web site

 

NEW YORK, December 28, 2005 -- AmIAnnoying.com announced the results of their fifth annual Most and Least Annoying poll, tallying over 10 million votes cast by millions of visitors throughout the world. Visitors were given the opportunity to vote on over 16,500 different public figures, sharing their opinions on who they found annoying and not annoying. The addictive and interactive features on the site have continued to gain popularity, registering a staggering 750 million hits, with over 10 million votes and millions of unique visitors in 2005, up from 650 million hits in 2004.

 

Enjoying top billing as the Most Annoying personality of 2005 is actor Tom Cruise. Cruise spent the year making headlines with his high-profile relationship with pregnant fiancé Katie Holmes and controversial public comments related to his support of Scientology. In 2005, Cruise, once a media darling and fan favorite, annoyed many by using Oprah’s best furniture as a trampoline and publicly belittling both Matt Lauer and Brooke Shields for not knowing what time it was regarding psychiatry; a glib public expressed its annoyance with its votes on AmIAnnoying.com.

 

Securing the number two spot, and making his third consecutive appearance in the top five Most and Least Annoying annual list, is Michael Jackson. Following Jackson is socialite heiress, Paris Hilton, who spent most of 2005 getting wasted in her usual glittery public fashion. Pop star Britney Spears ranked number four, a mild improvement from her number two ranking on the 2004 Most Annoying list. Spears gave birth to her first child in 2005 but her marriage to K-Fed and their rumored problems were year-long tabloid fodder. Al-Qaeda figurehead Osama Bin Laden made his second consecutive appearance at the number five slot, although in real life he is still nowhere to be found.

 

Topping the Least Annoying list for 2005 is actor Gene Hackman, followed by the late Pope John Paul II, actor Christopher Walken, actress and pop star Mandy Moore, and British thespian Ewan McGregor. With the likely exception of the former Pontiff, each will have the opportunity to improve their ranking and become more annoying in 2006.

 

AmIAnnoying.com features a massive index of celebrities and public figures, each complete with a profile that includes a photo, occupation, credentials and reasons why the celebrity or group may be or not be annoying. Visitors are able to search for their favorite celebrity or view randomly selected celebrities and cast their vote. A popular feature on the site is the grouping of celebrity profiles into collections, such as Academy Awards Hosts, Maxim's Cover Girls, Women who Dress like Whores, and I Died in 2005. AmIAnnoying.com now contains over 5,500 collections. The Most and Least Annoying rank page, which is updated in real time, is an easy and fun way for visitors to track those currently ranked in the Top 100. Visitors can also keep tabs on rankings in each of the unique collections.

 

Current events continued to influence voters throughout 2005. Newsmakers such as Michael Jackson (Ranked: 2nd on the Most Annoying list) and Terrell Owens (Ranked: 15th Most Annoying) appeared frequently in the vote count. Every week, the top 15 rankings were recorded. These records were used to determine the final rankings at the end of the year.

 

The Most and Least Annoying lists were compiled using a unique point system that rewards longevity on the list as opposed to a single appearance. "The points system allows a celebrity who spends four weeks at #10 to receive more points and rank higher than someone who spent a single week at #1," says AmIAnnoying.com co-founder Bruce.

 

"2005 was no different from previous years: public figures and their antics continue to annoy people. The Most and Least Annoying list gives a glimpse at the public figures that annoy millions of people around the world. Stars in the media spotlight continue to prove themselves annoying, while fan favorites, mostly low key figures, are recognized as least annoying." added Marc, co-founder of AmIAnnoying.com.

 

AmIAnnoying.com

AmIAnnoying.com was launched in December 2000 by Marc, Keith, and Bruce. The founders' original objective was no loftier than to good-naturedly pick on a small handful of celebrities that "annoyed" them. You know, folks such as Keanu Reeves, Penny Marshall, Star Jones and Bruce Vilanch. The site found a large audience almost immediately. While they suspected there was universal appeal in poking fun at the rich and famous, the AmIAnnoying.com founders were shocked by the initial response. Since 2000, their database of celebrities has grown to include over 16,000 profiles. Thousands of people visit the site daily to share their opinion on who’s annoying and who’s not. Along the way, a loyal community also sprung up around the site. Some 2,200 die-hard members participate in the AmIAnnoying.com discussion forum and many submit extensive user-edited profiles for publication. Escapeway, Inc. is the current publisher of AmIAnnoying.com. AmIAnnoying.com is available via http://www.amiannoying.com.

 

Press Contact

The creators of AmIAnnoying.com are available for interviews by any interested parties. They are located in the New York City metropolitan area. Interview requests and questions about the annual 100 Most and Least Annoying list or AmIAnnoying.com website can be sent via e-mail

 

Top 25 of the 100 Most Annoying of 2005

1. Tom Cruise (Actor)

2. Michael Jackson (Vocalist)

3. Paris Hilton (Heiress)

4. Britney Spears (Vocalist)

5. Osama Bin Laden (Terrorist)

6. Al-Qaeda (Terror Network)

7. Dr. Phil (McGraw) (Talk Show Host)

8. Tara Reid (Actress)

9. Kobe Bryant (Athlete)

10. Jessica Simpson (Vocalist)

11. Karl Rove (Political Advisor)

12. Star Jones (Talk Show Host)

13. George Steinbrenner (Sports Franchise Owner)

14. Ashlee Simpson (Vocalist)

15. Terrell Owens (Athlete)

16. Joan Rivers (Comedian)

17. Scientology (Cult)

18. Rush Limbaugh (Talk Show Host)

19. Bill O'Reilly (Talk Show Host)

20. Saddam Hussein (Deposed Dictator)

21. Ashton Kutcher (Actor)

22. Kevin Federline (Dancer)

23. Adolf Hitler (Dictator)

24. Barry Bonds (Athlete)

25. Alex Rodriguez (Athlete)

 

 

For the complete list and previous lists, visit: http://www.amiannoying.com/2005

 

 

Top 25 of the 100 Least Annoying of 2005

1. Gene Hackman (Actor)

2. Pope John Paul II (Religious Figure)

3. Christopher Walken (Actor)

4. Mandy Moore (Vocalist/Actress)

5. Ewan McGregor (Actor)

6. Johnny Carson (Actor)

7. Green Day (Rock Group)

8. Lisa Kudrow (Actress)

9. Will Ferrell (Actor)

10. Jennifer Connelly (Actress)

11. John Goodman (Actor)

12. Cate Blanchett (Actress)

13. Anthony Hopkins (Actor)

14. Lance Armstrong (Athlete)

15. Vince Vaughn (Actor)

16. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Civil Rights Activist)

17. Morgan Freeman (Actor)

18. Albert Einstein (Scientist)

19. Michelle Pfeiffer (Actress)

20. Dustin Hoffman (Actor)

21. Leonardo Da Vinci (Artist)

22. Michael Schumacher (Race Car Driver)

23. Evangeline Lilly (Actress)

24. Taye Diggs (Actor)

25. Steve Carell (Actor)

 

For the complete list and previous lists, visit: http://www.amiannoying.com/2005