Barbara Walters Previews Most Fascinating People List

Who is fascinating Barbara Walters this year?

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Barbara Walters

The ABC News vet has revealed a preview of her annual special, Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year, which is set to air at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12.

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The 20th annual special will feature a wide range of Hollywood celebrities, political figures, athletes and a literary phenomenon.

Among those included this year are Ben Affleck, whose Argo is an awards-season front-runner; Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane; British boy band One Direction; Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who gained national attention when Hurricane Sandy hit his state; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; and EL James, the author behind the steamy phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey.

As is tradition, Walters will announce the No. 1 most fascinating person of 2012 during the broadcast. Previous honorees have included Barack and Michelle Obama, J.K. Rowling, Nancy Pelosi, Paris Hilton, Gen. David Petraeus, Nelson Mandela and the late Steve Jobs.