Entertainers of the '00s: YOUR Top 10!

The Entertainer of the Decade is obviously Harry Potter — a franchise that covers all the cultural bases, selling books, movie tickets and merchandise. Fans whip up butterbeer batches, obsess over John Williams’ iconic score, even listen to ”wizard rock.” College students actually play Quidditch (and when someone comes up with the right jet-propulsion technology, they can play it for real). Millions of people all over the globe watched J.K. Rowling answer questions about Deathly Hallows on television. Unlike anything else, Harry Potter has literally taken over the entire world.

Heck, Harry Potter has actually inspired new entries into the Oxford English Dictionary! Muggle is now an actual, accepted word. If that doesn’t point to influence, I don’t know what does. And unlike the vast majority of names suggested by EW readers for this list, Harry Potter has actually been around (and consistently popular) for the entire decade. —James

Pixar takes the Entertainer of the Decade title hands down. The company’s creativity over the last decade is unmatched. From Up to Wall·E to Cars to The Incredibles to Ratatouille to Finding Nemo, Pixar has revolutionized filmmaking in ways no one thought possible. They hit a home run with every single at bat. Who else can say that? —Larry

Lost has become a greater part of my life than a television show ever should. I started watching during my senior year of high school, and by my senior year of college I’d introduced it to dozens of people. You know a show is awesome when you can lend someone two seasons’ worth of DVDs, and two days later they’re knocking on your door for season 3. No other show is as intricate or intelligent as Lost. The fact that my friends were researching Egyptian culture to figure out parts of season 5 (as opposed to researching for our senior thesis) surely means something! And you’ve never seen a group of grown men cry more than my friends did when Juliet threw that rock at the hydrogen bomb. —Jen

Name one other device or person that — since only 2001 — has changed our lives; become a worldwide household name; appealed to children, teens, and adults; and gotten better over time. —SparkyAZ

Britney Spears of course. No comparison. She’s kept us intrigued, pissed off, excited, aroused, confused and curious the whole time she’s been famous. She deserves this title. —Classy: If You Seek Amy!

The world has managed to be completely infatuated with Britney Spears for the last 10 years. She took over our radios, televisions, computers, and magazines each year. Whether she was falling apart or making a comeback, she was constantly entertaining us. This one seems like a NO BRAINER! —John

Not only does Depp have the three Pirates films under his belt this past decade, but also Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, From Hell, Blow, Spongebob, and more. What’s more, he’s scored five Golden Globe nominations (1 win) and three Oscar nods in the last 10 years. No entertainer can match the quality and quantity of great work Depp has achieved this decade. —Josh

Even though the Internet is more than 10 years old, this was the decade when it changed our entertainment focus with YouTube, Facebook, Fancast, Hulu, EW.com, TMZ, IMDb, Netflix, etc. —amj

YouTube: Um, hello! It’s the home to TV shows, ridiculous viral videos, music clips, etc., etc., etc.! —JACKjack

Nothing/no one had a bigger impact on entertainment. American Idol is the most popular show on TV and a huge game-changer in music. Without it, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks and now Kris Allen and Adam Lambert wouldn’t be making hit music. Plus, the show has been running for eight seasons, yet hasn’t lost its ratings dominance, and arguably just completed its buzziest off-season ever. AI FTW. —Joslyn

I think my husband and I have now seen each of the Lord of the Rings movies about 40-50 times! Peter Jackson made the perfect trilogy this decade. —amj

You’ve got to be street smart and savvy to become head writer for America’s greatest comedy program (SNL), write the greatest movie about Queen Bees there ever was and will be (Mean Girls), and get your own show (30 Rock). And by ”get your own show” I mean writing, producing, and starring in a multiple Emmy-winner; giving Alec Baldwin a great career resurgence; and, thanks to self-confidence and a proper sense of self-irony, becoming an icon of the waning third-wave feminist movement. —Jul