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1
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Stephen Hawking
While just about everyone with a Twitter account thinks they are a genius, the site itself is void of one of the greatest minds of all time and frankly we think that Twitter is falling short of its true potential without Hawking. Though confined to a wheelchair due to his neuro-muscular dystrophy, Hawking - author of the classic A Brief History of Time - continues to publish work and have a major impact in the world of physics. We would have loved to read his tweets regarding his recent comments about the possibility that life on other planets may not come in peace.
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2
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David Sedaris
Sedaris might be the toughest person on this Top 13 to sell on the idea of joining Twitter. Despite giving us rather candid looks into his personal and family life in his five New York Times bestselling collections of essays and short stories, Sedaris still comes across as quite guarded. While Sedaris might think that anyone interested in what he has to say at any given moment would be quite pathetic, we think Sedaris' 140-characters would be fascinating.
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3
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LeBron James
The biggest prize in this year's NBA free agent market, there is no excuse for (arguably) the best basketball player since Michael Jordan to not be tweeting his thoughts on the playoffs and the ongoing "should he stay or should he go" that we will all be asking this offseason. James, one of the biggest brands in the world, surely owes it to us to provide a peek into the day to day life of one of the biggest multi-media stars of this (or any) generation. At the very least, LeBron could use his Twitter presence to push his Cleveland teammate and one of the greatest Twitter personalities of all time @The_Real_Shaq to come out of hibernation.
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4
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Larry David
Larry David the person is said to be exactly like Larry David the lead character of HBO's fantastic Curb your Enthusiasm, which placed first on our list of the Top 13 Comedies of the 2000s. We would love a look into the mind of the creator of two of the funniest shows in television history (David's also responsible for Seinfeld), as well as the cynical quips David has made a career out of. That said, we are pretty sure that Larry would absolutely hate Twitter.
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5
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David Byrne
Not to be confused with the @davidbyrne that already exists on Twitter (A Londoner that points out that he is "not a talking head"), the David Byrne we are after is none other than the photographer/filmmaker/operatic composer/PowerPoint guru/frontman of the Talking Heads. Sure, his oft-updated journal is some of the best blogging on the internet, but we feel like Byrne could also supply us with some of the best "in the moment" content in the entire Twitterverse.
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6
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Manny Ramirez
There's no reason to think we wouldn't get in-game tweets from the same character that has been known to wear sunglasses and listen to his MP3 player while roving the outfield or pop into the bathroom built into Fenway Park's Green Monster between innings. If the NFL doesn't have a problem with two of their most over-the-top whack-jobs (Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens) having Twitter accounts, we see no reason MLB Commissioner Bud Selig would deny Manny his voice.
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7
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Howard Stern
It seems hard to believe the "King of All Media" has little to no presence on Twitter. Sure, his satellite radio show has its own twitter feed, @sternshow, which offers little more than daily scheduling updates, but it seems that Stern is missing the boat when it comes to social media. We think Stern (and his legion of faithful followers) would thrive in this environment, and Stern could have an impact similar to the one Oprah had when she joined Twitter.
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8
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Charles Barkley
One of the most over the top and opinionated athletes of all time all but disappears during the NBA offseason, when his job as in-studio analyst for TNT's NBA coverage is on hiatus. Surely Sir Charles' thoughts on happenings between the months of July and October are as dynamic and conversation-starting as his musings about Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. The oft-rumored Alabama Republican gubernatorial candidate appears to have set up a Twitter account (@charlesbarkley), but there hasn't been a single tweet since it was created.
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9
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Ricky Gervais
Gervais is one of the few people on this Top 13 who has actually tried his hand at Twitter. He created an account last December and declared that he "didn't see the point" with his sixth and final tweet on January 9th. But the creator of the British version of The Office left us in stitches with his only real comedic tweet: "Just saw an old lady in a wheelchair struggling up a hill. Was going to help but it was snowing." We hope he'll return.
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10
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Bill Clinton
Though we worry his tweets might consist mostly of generic political fare, the 42nd President of the United States is without a doubt the politician we think has the charisma and sense of humor to use Twitter to its full potential. We'd love to hear his musings about current events and would be delighted to hear him reminisce about his days in the Oval Office. Indeed, we bet the Twitpics alone would be priceless.
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11
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Gary Busey
We know it's hard to believe that Busey isn't already spewing his whackadoodle nonsense on Twitter. Known more recently for his outrageous antics on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, this successful actor (think Keanu Reeves’ partner in Point Break) is also one of the biggest nut jobs in Hollywood. We'd be excited for a steady stream of "Busey-isms" and, because we value our endocrine systems, we'd be sure to follow him.
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12
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Lenny Dykstra
We know this is the oddest choice on the Top 13, but we think Dykstra needs an outlet for his thoughts. In just over a decade, Dykstra went from being a scrappy Major League Baseball player known as "Nails" to an investment savant with millions in the bank to being accused of fraud. Despite the recent allegations, we've always been big fans of Nails and think Twitter could be just the forum he needs to clear his name while providing us with plenty of comic relief. Dykstra might have a little-followed account, but even if that account is indeed legit, he largely ignores it.
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13
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Tiger Woods
Not only the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger is also his own worst critic. A man of very few words, Tiger would probably thrive in an environment that limits him to 140 character sound bites (and he already has an account set up). Maybe he could use Twitter to tell his - ahem - side of the story or maybe live Tweet the Masters. And if all else fails, Tiger could just use Twitter to meet women.
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stillathreat ★★
Dykstra seems a bit out of place, but there are definitely some I agree with on this list - Sedaris would be at the top of my list. No women at all?
12:42 PM May 05, 2010