Don Imus

Radio's pioneering shock jock has spent a career exploring the frontier just beyond the line of good taste. This year, the pathfinder went too far, packing racist and sexist lingo into a single unfunny joke at the expense of the Rutgers women's basketball team. Forced off the air, the I-man earned his way back by taking the blame and going light on excuses—and his stable of celebrity authors and ambitious pols welcomed his return.