Picking America's Best

By James Kelly, Managing Editor

Jan Simpson, our arts editor, is no stranger to lists. Every December she oversees our 10 Best selections of movies, books, CDs and the like, and three years ago she came up with the artists-and-entertainers contingent for our TIME 100 series on the 20th century's most influential people. But little of that prepared her for this week's cover, the first installment of our America's Best series. "We had to come up with people we were sure were not just one-year wonders, but we also weren't interested in handing out Lifetime Achievement awards to folks whose best work was behind them. We wanted to catch people at the top of their form."

We also had to sort out for ourselves what the word best means in 2001. Since its founding in 1923, TIME has always tried to balance its commitment to quality with its fascination with popular culture. On one hand, we seek to be authoritative, even elitist, in our critical judgments. On the other hand, we realize that popular taste is often at odds with what we define as excellence.

You may argue with our choice of Best Novelist or Best Singer, but no one doubts each is a legitimate category. Where the debate gets trickier is whether some categories even merit inclusion, such as Best DJ. We ultimately decided yes, and music critic Chris Farley defends that decision in his story.

And then there is our main cover image, Julia Roberts. Some readers may be taken aback to see her in the company of Philip Roth and August Wilson and Ang Lee. But by picking her as America's Best Movie Star, we tried to explore how a performer can transcend her roles and exert such a powerful appeal to audiences that tens of millions are as moved by what happens to her off the screen as on. In an age saturated with celebrities, where a White House intern not only becomes world famous but whose emotional life is laid out for all to see, Julia Roberts still manages to connect with moviegoers in ways that few other actors have. Possessing so much information about her, and especially about her blithe but wayward romances, audiences feel they know her intimately in all her vulnerable charm; they feel protective and affectionate; and these feelings in turn invest her screen performances with a special immediacy and resonance.

In coming installments of America's Best, we will focus on Science and Medicine; Culture and Society; Business and Technology; and Politics and Community. We trust some of those choices will stir up as much debate as this issue's crop of high achievers. And, as always, I welcome your thoughts on our selections.

James Kelly, Managing Editor