Forbes magazine has just announced it’s annual World’s Most Powerful Celebrities list for 2012 - so who is the biggest celeb on the planet? Step up, Jennifer Lopez...
Jennifer Lopez tops the list thanks to her job judging American Idol, her own resurrected pop career, renewed film success, some big endorsement deals, and her own clothing and fragrance lines.
"It used to be enough for a celebrity to act or sing really well. Today celebs need to be businesses," say Forbes. "No one embodies that more than our No. 1 celebrity, Jennifer Lopez."
Last year’s Number One , Lady Gaga, slips down to five. The pop diva’s earning have dipped from $90m to $52 because she hasn’t been on the road as much, but her latest album Born This Way performed impressively in the charts, and GaGa remain the queen of social media.
Then there’s teen heartthrob Justin Bieber in third place. the singing sensation raked in an impressive $55million in record and tour ticket sales. But Justin isn’t just earning money, he’s investing it too, the 18-year-old star has turned venture capitalist, having invested in the likes of Spotify and Enflick.
Kim Kardashian also makes the Top 10 – but she might not be entirely happy with the reason why. Of course, the Reality TV star makes plenty of moula from various TV shows. However, her earnings were boosted by that lucrative wedding to Kris Humphries, while her fame was inflated by all the divorce drama.
How do you judge fame?
And now for the science bit… Just how do Forbes compile their list of the World’s Most Power Celebrities? The process takes into account not just money but levels of fame, too.
“With most of our lists we keep it strictly on the money: earnings or net worth. The Celebrity 100 is a little different. This list – which includes film and television actors, TV personalities, models, athletes, authors, musicians and comedians – is based on money and fame,” writes Dorothy Pomerantx on Forbes.com. “We define fame as media visibility in print, television, radio and online, plus social media power, which we measure by looking at each celebrity’s presence on Facebook and Twitter.”
So there you have it.
The 100 Most Powerful Celebrities In The World 2012
Jennifer Lopez
Oprah Winfrey
Justin Bieber
Rihanna
Lady Gaga
Britney Spears
Kim Kardashian
Katy Perry
Tom Cruise
Steven Spielberg
Taylor Swift
Tiger Woods
Angelina Jolie
Donald Trump
LeBron James
Beyonce Knowles
Elton John
Simon Cowell
Rush Limbaugh
Tyler Perry
Paul McCartney
Jennifer Aniston
Glenn Beck
Adele
Bon Jovi
Dr. Dre
Kobe Bryant
Brad Pitt
Ryan Seacrest
Howard Stern
Roger Federer
David Beckham
Manny Pacquiao
Ellen DeGeneres
Michael Bay
George Lucas
James Patterson
Jay-Z
Jerry Bruckheimer
Peyton Manning
David Letterman
Sean "Diddy" Combs
Kristen Stewart
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kanye West
Leonardo DiCaprio
Rafael Nadal
Phil Mickelson
Toby Keith
Lionel Messi
Ashton Kutcher
Floyd Mayweather
Kenny Chesney
Dick Wolf
Sandra Bullock
Johnny Depp
Adam Sandler
Will Smith
Cameron Diaz
Tom Brady
Gisele Bundchen
Mark Burnett
Alex Rodriguez
Jerry Seinfeld
Tom Hanks
Stephen King
Taylor Lautner
Brad Paisley
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Johnson
Maria Sharapova
Ben Stiller
Khloe Kardashian Odom
Seth MacFarlane
Charlize Theron
Sofia Vergara
Serena Williams
Alec Baldwin
Janet Evanovich
Julia Roberts
Eva Longoria
John Grisham
Meryl Streep
Tiesto
J.K. Rowling
Sarah Jessica Parker
Li Na
Hugh Laurie
Reese Witherspoon
Jeff Dunham
Larry The Cable Guy
Skrillex
Tina Fey
Kate Moss
Ray Romano
Zooey Deschanel
Bethenny Frankel
Tim Allen
Melissa McCarthy
Adriana Lima