Forbes is known for having its own unique type of clout and power.They rank not only celebrities, but also powerful business and political figures on their respective top lists.
But this week their focus was on celebrities.
The Celebrity 100, which includes actors, Television personalities, models, athletes, authors, musicians and comedians, is a measure of showbiz related income and media visibility over the last twelve months.
Forbes also measures social media power by looking at each celebrity's presence on Facebook and Twitter. The criteria for being included on the list do NOT fall solely on money.
Today they released their “World’s 100 Most Powerful Celebrity” list and the results… well, aren’t as surprising as you might think - at least for the top 10.
But how powerful are the top 100? The combined earning power of celebs on this elite list tops $4.5 billion in earnings from record sales, concert tours, movies, endorsements, advertising, product sales, playing sports, and modeling.
Lady Gaga came in at #1 with $90 million in earnings and bumped Oprah Winfrey into the #2 spot. But don’t feel bad for Winfrey – she made over $250 million the last 12 months.
Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber came in #3 earning well over $50 million over the last twelve months and an estimated $150 million over the last three years. Bieber’s command of social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pushed him onto the list for the first time in the 17-year-old’s career.
U2 came in as #4. The Bono centric band is well known for their worldwide social awareness and charity work. Singer and AIDS activist Sir Elton John came in #5.
A summary of the top 10 spots is below and you can see the entire list on the Forbes web site.
1 – Lady Gaga - $90 M
2 – Oprah Winfrey - $250 M
3 – Justin Bieber - $53 M
4 – U2 - $195 M
5 – Sir Elton John - $100 M
6 – Tiger Woods - $75 M
7 – Taylor Swift - $45 M
8 – Bon Jovi - $135 M
9 – Simon Cowell - $90
10 – LeBron James - $48 m
A complete list can be seen on the Forbes site here.
There were a few surprises this year including Glenn Beck, Adam Sandler, and Jay Leno. I guess we don’t see exactly how they are among the most powerful, but who are we to argue with Forbes?
And Donald Trump made the list but Charlie Sheen didn’t. Go figure.
It seems the farther down the list you go things become a bit more of a popularity contest, but we congratulate all of them for their efforts and input into the industry.
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