One Direction, 'Fifty Shades' Writer Among 2012's 'Most Fascinating People'

In a sea of pop-culture sensations that launched this year, Barbara Walters had narrowed down who she thinks owned the last 12 months for her annual special "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012." And, among a group of politicians and an Olympian, one floppy-haired boy band also made the list.

That's right, Walters has deemed One Direction one of the biggest things to happen this year, according to ABC. The special will air next month, and for it Walters will also sit down with "Fifty Shades of Grey" writer EL James, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Olympian Gabby Douglas, "Argo" director Ben Affleck, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Seth McFarlane, who will not only host the Oscars in 2013 but also stormed the box office with his comedy "Ted."

How did 1D find themselves on the "Most Fascinating" list in just two years? Find out here!

Walters will reveal the final three, including her most fascinating person, when the 90-minute special airs on December 12 on ABC at 9:30 ET. Last year, Katy Perry, the Kardashians and 1D's mentor Simon Cowell all made the cut.

Now's as good a time as any for Walters to highlight the accomplishments of One Direction. When they aren't sitting in front of the mirror practicing their swoon faces, they're busy melting teenage girls' hearts and setting "Today" show records.

One Direction teach us the art of the swoon face: Watch now!

They just dropped their sophomore album, Take Me Home, and it's set to sell upwards of half a million copies in its first week. Additionally, they have several shows slated for the end of this year before they kick off their 2013 world tour. They also will begin work on their 3-D film with director Morgan Spurlock, slated to hit theater next August.

And while Walters might have a lot of questions for the boy band, MTV News has already learned which one is most likely to cry in a movie and why Liam Payne is so afraid of spoons. "I'm not so much afraid of them, I just don't know what to use them on," Payne explained. "I'm a hygiene freak. I can't share a drink with people."

Your move, Walters.