In these tough economic times, it's reassuring to know that a 17-year-old with big dreams, a raspy voice and a penchant for skimpy stage outfits can pull in more cash than most small countries.
Yes, Forbes magazine has announced its list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in the world, and the usual suspects, many of whom are so culturally omnipresent they go by a single name, are all there: Oprah (No. 1), Beyonce (No. 2), Bono (U2, No. 7), Madonna (No. 10). This year's crop is especially notable, however, for the new faces that made the list -- with Lady Gaga landing at No. 4 and 'Twilight' stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart debuting at Nos. 50 and 66, respectively.
Forbes weighs money earned with the amount of press coverage a star receives when compiling its list of the year's most powerful stars. So it's really no surprise that O takes the top spot again -- her third time atop the list in the last four years. In the last year, she earned $315 million and announced the expansion of her media empire with the upcoming launch of OWN -- The Oprah Winfrey Network.
With album sales at record lows, every musician in the top 20 earned the vast majority of their income from touring revenue. Beyonce pulled in $87 million with her 'I Am' world tour and multiple endorsement deals. Madonna, whose 'Sticky & Sweet Tour' is the top grosser ever for a solo artist, earned upwards of $58 million from the road show's 2009 summer leg. Britney Spears ranked No. 6 this year on the strength of her 'Circus' world tour, which grossed $130 million and was 2009's fifth biggest show.
Like pop mama Madge, Gaga earned most of her cash ($62 million) on the road. Combined with intense media coverage of her every move and a slew of lucrative endorsement deals, the pantless one came in at No. 4, the highest debut on the list.
Also making their first appearances, Pattinson and Stewart, who earned $17 million and $12 million, respectively, and saw themselves become prime tabloid fodder courtesy of a rumored romance. Expect both to appear on the Forbes list for some time: The final book in the 'Twilight Saga,' 'Breaking Dawn,' will be split up into two separate films, and the franchises latest flick, 'Eclipse,' hits theaters tomorrow.
After what was undoubtedly a rough year personally, Sandra Bullock can take comfort in her enormous professional successes. Bullock ranked at No. 8, having scored two hit movies, 'The Blind Side' and 'The Proposal,' and an Oscar win. Last year, she came in at No. 98, making hers the biggest jump on the list.
As for the aforementioned 17 year old, Miley Cyrus, she came in at No. 13 with $48 million earned. Like Gaga -- and Madonna and Britney and Beyonce -- we assume she did not spend much of it on pants.
And just how much did the lowest earner on the list, No. 99's Jennifer Love Hewitt, rake in from June 1, 2009, to June 1, 2010, you ask? A mere $6.5 million. Somehow we imagine she'll manage just fine.
Celebrity earnings appear to be unaffected by the world financial crisis, as the stars on the Forbes list banked about $4.7 billion this year, up from $4.1 billion last year. This also marks the first year the mag has included a social media ranking, which reflected each celebrity's involvement with Facebook and Twitter.
See full list of Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Celebrities :
Rank Name Pay ($mil) Money Rank TV/Radio Rank Press
1 Oprah Winfrey 315 1 1 5 5 11
2 Beyonce Knowles 87 11 9 13 2 15
3 James Cameron 210 2 21 9 20 81
4 Lady Gaga 62 22 13 4 1 1
5 Tiger Woods 105 7 7 6 35 34
6 Britney Spears 64 20 15 24 3 2
7 U2 130 3 54 18 11 28
8 Sandra Bullock 56 25 6 21 17 62
9 Johnny Depp 75 14 34 22 16 21
10 Madonna 58 24 16 3 4 33
11 Simon Cowell 80 12 20 20 46 64
12 Taylor Swift 45 38 8 27 8 3
13 Miley Cyrus 48 32 17 26 6 20
14 Kobe Bryant 48 32 22 16 21 22
15 Jay-Z 63 21 45 29 23 26 Hip-
16 Black Eyed Peas 48 32 42 36 18 37
17 Bruce Springsteen 70 16 48 32 47
48 Musicians
18 Angelina Jolie 20 76 19 30 10 41
19 Rush Limbaugh 58.5 23 10 45 41 78
20 Michael Jordan 55 26 38 31 38 27
21 Dr. Phil McGraw 80 12 3 68 94 45
22 Steven Spielberg 100 8 71 40 49
23 Ellen Degeneres 55 26 31 58 50 5
24 David Letterman 45 38 3 25 33 76
25 Tyler Perry 125 4 56 76 82 36
26 Jennifer Aniston 27 67 40 41 22
27 Pink 44 43 35 35 14 18
28 Lebron James 43 45 23 11 39 31
29 Roger Federer 43 45 28 1 44 13
30 Brad Pitt 20 76 25 15 12 73
31 Floyd Mayweather 65 19 47 62 77
32 Michael Bay 120 5 90 71 70 97
32 Donald Trump 50 30 26 57 59 75
34 Jay Leno 35 54 2 28 29 65
35 Coldplay 48 32 86 47 26 4
36 David Beckham 44 43 64 10 31 19
37 Jerry Seinfeld 75 14 51 80 86 89
38 AC/DC 114 6 88 100 83 24
39 Howard Stern 70 16 57 92 63 84
40 Jonas Brothers 35.5 53 32 56 15 7
41 Tom Hanks 45 38 49 44 42 46
42 George Lucas 95 10 94 81 67 82
43 Glenn Beck 35 54 12 50 28 39
44 Ryan Seacrest 51 29 41 83 75 14
45 Phil Mickelson 46 37 24 19 88 90
46 Ben Stiller 53 28 72 61 68 23
47 Jerry Bruckheimer 100 8 94 88 89
48 Cristiano Ronaldo 36 51 97 2 19
49 Alex Rodriguez 36 51 11 14 73 83
50 Robert Pattinson 17 86 53 37 7
68 Actors
51 Conan O'Brien 38 50 5 46 93 30
52 Shaquille O'Neal 31 61 27 33 60
53 James Patterson 70 16 98 84 97 57
54 Kenny Chesney 50 30 70 89 91 40
55 Manny Pacquiao 42 47 52 52 64 60
56 Tom Cruise 22 73 43 38 25 43
57 Adam Sandler 40 48 65 74 66 10
58 George Clooney 19 83 14 12 24 53
59 Stephenie Meyer 40 48 85 59 32 87
60 Cameron Diaz 32 59 61 54 36 79
61 Serena Williams 20 76 18 8 57 32
62 Rascal Flatts 45 38 69 90 90 42
63 Charlie Sheen 30 62 29 70 55 70
64 Derek Jeter 30 62 36 34 79 67
65 Lance Armstrong 20 76 33 7 62 12
66 Kristen Stewart 12 92 62 53 9 69
67 Toby Keith 48 32 81 93 95 99
68 Sean (Diddy) Combs 30 62 63 75 30
56 Hip-hop impresario
69 Stephen King 34 57 82 63 40 51
70 Sarah Jessica Parker 25 68 55 55 56
71 Leonardo DiCaprio 28 65 67 42 48
72 Judge Judy Sheindlin 45 38 77 96 100
80 Personalities
73 Robert Downey Jr 22 73 60 39 45
74 Lil' Wayne 20 76 76 67 13 6
75 Reese Witherspoon 32 59 79 82 61
76 Keith Urban 27.5 66 50 73 78 50
77 Julia Roberts 20 76 58 49 37 72
78 Steve Carell 34 57 78 72 84 54
79 Meryl Streep 13 91 30 23 43 59
80 Akon 21 75 92 77 27 16 Hip-
81 Maria Sharapova 25 68 87 43 80 29
82 Daniel Radcliffe 25 68 90 66 58
83 Venus Williams 15.5 88 39 17 81 38
84 Ray Romano 35 54 82 91 99 98
85 Gisele Bundchen 25 68 93 94 69 55
86 Heidi Klum 16 87 74 69 51 49
87 Drew Barrymore 15 90 73 64 52 44
88 Alec Baldwin 8.5 98 37 48 54 93
89 Sutherland Kiefer 20 76 80 86 76
90 Tina Fey 7.5 99 46 60 74 66
91 Kate Moss 9 97 89 51 34 63
92 Eva Longoria Parker 12 92 65 79 65
93 Jeff Dunham 22.5 72 99 98 96 25
94 George Lopez 18 85 68 87 87 35
95 Katherine Heigl 15.5 88 75 78 71 96
96 Danica Patrick 12 92 44 65 85 95
97 Kate Hudson 11 95 58 85 53 99
98 Chelsea Handler 19 83 84 97 92 17
99 Jennifer Love Hewitt 6.5 100 96 95 72
100 Mariska Hargitay 9.5 96 100 99 98
Source: PopEater
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