Gaga, Miley and Beyonce Among Forbes Magazine's Most Powerful Celebs

By John Mitchell Posted Jun 29th 2010 01:00PM

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.

Tags: beyonce, bono, britney spears, jennifer love hewitt, KristenStewart, Lady Gaga, madonna, MileyCyrus, oprah winfrey, RobertPattinson, sandra bullock

Comments

(11)

Tuesday 29 June

By mtfreak14er

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sick

By Hi. I am a monster!

Why is Miley on this list?

By loveyouhotmiley

Miley is on the list because she made 48 MILLION DOLLARS and is the hottest teen on the planet! That is what the list is, you can't be on it unless you earn big bucks and have a lot of fans willing to spend the cash on you.

By Linney

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I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SMOKING TO SAY THAT GAGA, MILEY, AND BEYONCE ARE AMONG THE MOST POWERFUL CELEBS BUT THAT IS A FRIGGIN JOKE IF I EVER HEARD IT! GET REAL! SICK IS RIGHT. JUST SICK!

They are not smoking anything. These are just the facts. Did you even read the article? It's all there in B&W. These stars made the most money and have the biggest fans where it really counts, in financial clout. That is world power. Don't fret, Oprah made number 1 by a landslide

I Love Miley! See, she is an empowered woman after all. And hey, she looks more dressed than those other women. Go Miley!

By Nico Toscani

Anybody looks good next to Lady Ga-Ga the shemale.

By Kim

EMPOWERED WOMAN YOU SAY? HAHAHA, THAT IS FUNNY AS HECK!!! MILEY IS NOT A "WOMAN" INCASE YOU CANNOT FIGURE THAT OUT. SHE IS A KID STILL. A TEENAGER YES, BUT SHE IS NOT A WOMAN YET. SHE IS NOT EVEN 18. GET REAL WOULD YA. SHE IS NOTHING. IF NOT FOR HER DADDY DEAREST SHE WOULD BE A NOTHING! AND, SORRY BUT THE GIRL LOOKS LIKE A CHIPMUNK WHEN SHE SMILES! NASTY!

Well ladies, now you know why you'll always garner less respect and earn less money than your male counterparts. The only way to get ahead in life is by dressing like a hooker.

Wednesday 30 June

By Andrea

So, if you're a powerful celeb you don't need to wear pants??

By sleepyhead

Hey, there's "A Party in the U.S.A", and "I think I'm in Love with my Radio" and you "Can't read my Poker Face", and "I'm Kinda Busy" with "The Climb" & "All The Single Ladies" "Can't Be Tamed" when in a "Bad Romance". Rarr Rarr Ra Ra Ra, Rarr Rarr!

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