People Magazine has its Most Beautiful People. Barbara Walters has her Most Fascinating People. TIME magazine has its Person of the Year. So why can't Stargazing have its Most Beautiful, Fascinating, Talented, Charming and All-around Swell People of the Year?

Actually, I can. That said, here is part one of Stargazing's Most Beautiful, Fascinating, Talented, Charming and All-Around Swell Jacksonvillians of the Year, all of whom I've actually met and can personally attest to their beauty, fascination, talent, charm and all-around swellness...

Around these parts, Sharon Wilbur is best known as "the girl with the dog" from American Idol season 8. In addition to being a talented singer, she's also an extremely gifted songwriter who just released her first full-length CD, Mercy Calling. And even if she weren't so talented, Sharon is someone you'd want to know because she's one of the sweetest and most genuine people you will ever meet in your life. Can I get an amen?!?

To the uninitiated, Hall "Hoover" Hunt's gig as a competitive eater may seem like nothing more than a disgusting hobby (and as someone who has seen him compete in person, I will agree that it's not exactly appetizing). But the mild-mannered engineer turned professional gurgitator is a highly disciplined athlete who takes an intellectual approach to the sport. Hunt is currently ranked seventh in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating, but I'm predicting that 2010 is the year he breaks into the top five.

You may think you know what JoEveritt is going to sound like by reading some of the band members' musical influences—Nirvana, Green Day, the Beatles, Blink 182, the Beach Boys, Queen, Weezer, Tenacious D and Spinal Tap. In all fairness, you wouldn't be that far off. But what will surprise you is: 1) Leroy (aka "the songwriter") and Billy Jo ("the timekeeper") are the only ones in the band; and 2) that a band with such fun, catchy songs ("Death of the Sun" on their latest CD Just Listen is a prime example) isn't on permanent rotation on the local radio stations. Fortunately, it can be on your iPod.

Part two coming tomorrow...