A former Def Jam exec, Liles is executive vice president at Warner Music where he reports to longtime boss Lyor Cohen.

Clive Davis's longtime right-hand man, Charles Goldstuck was ousted as president of BMG in 2008 following the appointment of Barry Weiss as the company's chairman and CEO.

Rob Stringer

Steve Gottlieb

Antonio "L.A." Reid is a record executive, songwriter, and record producer best known for introducing us to the likes of Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, and many more.

The former CEO of the Capitol Music Group, Flom is the man who brought you Kid Rock and snaggletoothed Alaskan chanteuse Jewel. These days, he's focusing on his Lava Records imprint, home to the likes of Jessie J.

The Brooklyn-based author is best known for his debut novel, the 2000 critical hit Chang and Eng. He followed up in 2002 with The Real McCoy, a story inspired by the life of boxer and bigamist "Kid" McCoy, which earned Strauss a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Cohen is the CEO of Recorded Music at Warner Music Group. He's better known, though, as the former president of Def Jam and partner of Russell Simmons.

Crouch is a prominent black intellectual, MacArthur "genius," and vocal opponent of afrocentricism, gangsta rap, and Toni Morrison's writing. And if you disagree with him, he'll happily punch you in the mouth.

Novelist Peck was America's harshest book critic before he retired from disemboweling his peers' literary efforts. He's now focused on writing books, most lucratively a forthcoming alternative history trilogy on which he's collaborating with Heroes creator Tim Kreig.

Considered one of the city's best heart surgeons, Smith heads up the cardiothoracic surgery department at New York-Presbyterian. His most famous patient? That would be Bill Clinton.

One of the city's top orthopedists and sports medicine specialists, Norm Scott served as team physician for the New York Knicks for nearly three decades. Formerly affiliated with Beth Israel, Scott now heads up the Insall Scott Kelly Institute at Lenox Hill.

Sean McDonald

Charles S. Hirsch

Dan Barber

Son of real estate developer Charles Kushner, owner of The New York Observer, and Ivanka Trump's husband: Jared Kushner is, suffice it to say, well-rooted in the New York social scene.

Berendt is the author of the mega-hit true crime tale Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and a follow-up about Venice, The City of Falling Angels.

Located somewhere on the literary axis between Ernest Hemingway and Truman Capote, Junger is the best-selling author of The Perfect Storm and Death in Belmont.

A staff writer at the New Yorker since 1963, Calvin "Bud" Trillin is the author of more than 20 books, including 2001's Remembering Danny, Tepper Isn't Going Out, and About Alice, a memoir of his wife who died of complications from heart surgery in 2001.

Green is a frequent (if infrequently victorious) Democratic candidate for local political office. He's now the president of liberal radio network Air America. His brother is real estate honcho Stephen Green.