Move over, Donald and Kim, for my top 10

Tonight on ABC, Barbara Walters reveals her "Ten Most Fascinating People of 2011." If you can't wait until then (hint: Donald Trump and the Kardash"Fascinating" doesn't (necessarily) mean "good" or "wonderful" or "thank heavens this person has blessed our presence with his or her presence." It just means that they're interesting.

10 Nick Offerman, "Parks and Recreation" Sure, Ron Swanson and his mustache were interesting last season, too, but his intrigue grows. Journeyman Offerman has one of the breakout roles of TV.

9Taissa Farmiga, "American Horror Story" Who the heck is this kid? Why is she -- as Violet Harmon -- so good on this twisted, sicko, sadistic series so hard to stop watching?

8 Damon Wayans Jr., "Happy Endings" Chip-off-the-old-block Damon was so in demand that "New Girl" wanted him, but he was already signed up to do "Happy Endings," if it got picked up. It did, and he arguably saved the show from an early grave.

7 Lara Logan, CBS News Brutally attacked in Tahrir Square while covering the Egyptian revolution, she returned stateside; remains CBS' chief foreign correspondent, with less foreign travel.

6 Ralph Macchio LI's "Karate Kid" danced to near victory on "Dancing With the Stars" until he was judo-chopped by judges.

5 Scott Wilson, "The Walking Dead" Classic character actor ("In the Heat of the Night") who ends up on a hot zombie show as a farmer, Hershel Greene, who thinks "walkers" should almost be accorded the same dignity as the living? Now that's nutty -- but fascinating.

4 Keith Olbermann / Glenn Beck An ironic alignment of the stars linked the career trajectories of two of cable's most ideologically opposed talking heads. Olbermann left MSNBC early this year, moving to Current TV in June -- the same month Beck left Fox News, where he helped galvanize the tea party. Both have also pretty much disappeared from the national conversation they once so noisily dominated.3 Ray McKinnon, "Sons of Anarchy" Maybe the best actor you've never heard of, McKinnon has had many brilliant roles ("Deadwood"), but his turn as wiggy eccentric Linc Potter, the assistant U.S. attorney trying to bring down SAMCRO and the IRA, was just plain intriguing.

2 Claire Danes, "Homeland" She was the hotheaded, neurotic, back-stabbing Carrie Mathison in this season's breakout Showtime series. Verrrrry interesting.

1 Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Has mused about running for mayor after his show ends. . . . Currently making movies with Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman, Woody Allen. . . . Gets thrown off plane by a flight attendant he essentially compares to Sue Sylvester. Baldwin's either crazy or interesting -- maybe crazily interesting. Either way, he's the most fascinating of the year.