The 200 honorees are "America's most outstanding and outrageous personalities" according to VH1's press release. The criteria for "icon" status include one or more of the following:
Do they pass the one-name test? Can you dress up as them for Halloween? Did they blaze a trail in pop culture? Did they create a signature character in pop culture? Can you quote them (or their character) in 10 seconds or less? (Do they have a catch phrase?) Did society imitate their sense of fashion? Hairstyle? Did "SNL" create a sketch satirizing them? Did someone write a song about them? Was or is there merchandising/paraphernalia that bears their image? Can they be connected to Kevin Bacon? Many chosen actors who rose to fame on television but also donned the boards include Lucille Ball (Wildcat), Mary Tyler Moore (Whose Life Is It Anyway?), Carroll O'Connor (God and Kate Murphy), Carol Burnett (Once Upon a Mattress), Jackie Gleason (Take Me Along), Bob Hope (Red, Hot and Blue), Dick Van Dyke (Bye Bye Birdie).
Other theatre-related icons include Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn (Gigi), Madonna (Speed-the-Plow), Katharine Hepburn (Coco), Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl), Paul Newman (Our Town), Al Pacino (Salome), Whoopi Goldberg (...Forum, Ma Rainey's...), Woody Allen (Writer's Block) and ABBA (Mamma Mia!, Chess).
The complete schedule breakdown for VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons" is as follows: (all times are ET, check your local listings) # 200-161 - July 21 (9-11 PM) # 160-121 - July 22 (9-11 PM) # 120-81 - July 23 (9-11 PM) # 80-41 - July 24 (9-11 PM) # 40-1 - July 25 (9-11 PM) PEOPLE magazine will also publish a book celebrating the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons." The special collector's item is available on newsstands now through Labor Day.
For more information, visit VH1's website at www.vh1.com.
