�BARBARA WALTERS PRESENTS: THE 10 MOST FASCINATING PEOPLE OF 2006,� AN ABC NEWS SPECIAL AIRING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12

�Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006,� an hour-long ABC News special highlighting some of the year�s most prominent names in entertainment, politics, sports and business, will air TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Hosted by Barbara Walters, the special includes interviews with retired tennis great Andre Agassi, legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour, hip hop superstar Jay-Z, �Grey�s Anatomy� star Patrick Dempsey, Pastor Joel Osteen, �Crocodile Hunter� widow Terri Irwin and Jon Benet Ramsey�s father, John Ramsey. The special also includes �Borat� star Sacha Baron Cohen and megastars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The # 1 Most Fascinating Person of 2006 will be announced on the program.

�All of our subjects have achieved great success, and this year all have dominated the public�s attention, making them fascinating to watch, listen to and admire,� says Barbara Walters.

Tennis great Andre Agassi was 16 when he turned pro and had a career full of brilliant victories and terrible slumps. After 21 years of playing tournaments, Agassi retired this year after his loss at the U.S. Open. He speaks openly with Ms. Walters about his personal life, its ups and downs, and what his charitable foundation means to him. Agassi says, �What I brought to tennis is what I feel like I bring to everything I do. I try to actually do something that makes a difference and connects and resonates in people�s lives.�

Vogue editor Anna Wintour has reigned over the Vogue magazine empire for two decades. This year Meryl Streep gave a tour de force performance in the hit film �The Devil Wears Prada� as a tough fashion editor � a role supposedly based on Wintour. She sat down with Ms. Walters in her New York office and didn�t quite see herself as the Streep character, but says, �Anything that makes fashion entertaining and glamorous and interesting is wonderful for our industry. So I was 100% behind it.�

Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z hadn�t released a CD for three years until this month, when he released �Kingdom Come.� This multi-talented musician and entrepreneur talked honestly with Ms. Walters about his upbringing, his life as a drug dealer, his music and his current relationship with superstar Beyonce Knowles. Jay-Z tells Ms. Walters about the secret to his success: �Truth� that transcends race, age, anything. People understand truth.�

Patrick Dempsey is the sexiest neurosurgeon on the # 1 show on television, portraying Dr. Derek Shepard on ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy.� His vulnerability, sensitivity and boyish innocence made him a star almost 20 years ago, when he became a teenage heartthrob. He admits to Ms. Walters that he prefers his sex symbol status today because, he says, �I don�t think you care as much. I�ve had the alternative and that is not any fun at all.�

Pastor Joel Osteen is the head of the largest church in America the author of a bestselling book, and the inspirational leader of a weekly television show that draws over seven million viewers. This 44-year-old preacher was never interested in preaching. Working behind the scenes of his father�s television show, his life changed dramatically when his preacher father died seven years ago and Joel

Osteen took over the pulpit. With no formal religious training, Osteen steers clear of controversial subjects and tells Ms. Walters, �I don�t feel like that�s my main thrust, and sometimes I think if you get away from what you�re called to do, it�s more of a distraction.�

Terri and �Crocodile Hunter� Steve Irwin were soulmates. They lived an exotic life together until Terri�s world tragically changed when Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray that pierced his heart. An emotional Terri Irwin reveals to Ms. Walters, �I�ve lost my prince.�

Jon Benet Ramsey was six years old when she was murdered. Her father, John Ramsey, found her dead, bound and gagged, in the family�s basement the day after Christmas in 1990. Although a grand jury refused to indict the Ramseys for lack of evidence, suspicions about them never went away. John Ramsey sat down and talked to Ms. Walters about his life, the death of his wife, Patsy, and the arrest and release of John Mark Karr. Ramsey revealed to Ms. Walters: �I didn�t want to get my hopes up, even though it was easy to let that happen. Ironically, at the some point, I started to feel sorry for the guy� he was being convicted, basically, as we were early on and I thought, boy that�s a funny emotion to have.�

Sacha Baron Cohen may not be a household name but his character, �Borat,� has become a cultural phenomenon, grossing over $100 million. He has offended nearly every social group and continues to leave audiences wondering what�s real, what�s staged and who is the mysterious Sacha Baron Cohen?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie went public with their relationship after Pitt�s divorce from Jennifer Aniston. Their combined star power set the media world ablaze. In an effort to protect their privacy, Jolie and Pitt retreated to Africa to keep the press away while they waited for the birth of their first child. Their daughter, Shiloh, was born in May and they sold her baby pictures for a reported $4 million, donated to charity. There was no couple more fascinating this year than the Jolie-Pitts.

The # 1 Most Fascinating Person of 2006 will be announced on the program.

�Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006� is executive-produced by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie. Bill Geddie also directs the program, with is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning.