Forbes just released its list of 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. Unexpectedly, the list turns out to be somewhat a display of girl-power with six out of the top 10 being women. It also has some of the most popular and selling musicians today taking top spots. Not surprisingly, the Queen of Daytime Oprah Winfrey reclaims the number 1 spot in the yearly ranking of money and fame.
Taking the number 2 spot is Lady Gaga, who, according to Forbes, earned a whopping $80 million over the past 12 months. Her Born this Way Ball Tour grossed $180 million though cut short due to a hip injury. Her phenomenal social media reach of 38 million Twitter followers and 58 million Facebook fans have secured her a position in number 2.
Securing the number 4 spot is Beyonce who out-ranked husband Jay-Z who sits at number 32. Beyonce is now busy with her Mrs. Carter World Tour, and is said to have received paychecks totaling $53 million over the past year.
Another power musician landing a top spot at number 6 is Taylor Swift. Her album "Red" sold a massive 1.2 million copies in its first week of release. This success was even made sweeter by several quality endorsements with brands like Covergirl, Diet Coke, and Sony.
Though other musicians were obviously receiving higher pay, like Madonna who sat at number 5, Forbes' list measures the celebrity's over-all fame and wealth including standing with press and social media, thus explaining the ranking.
In the Forbes Celebrity 100 report, the magazine explains, "The Celebrity 100 measures money and fame, which includes estimated earnings over the last 12 months, and how often each celebrity is mentioned in print and on TV. Our formula also considers marketability and social networking strength across 11 social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Earnings consist of pretax income between June 1, 2012 and June 1, 2013, before taxes and fees for managers, agents and attorneys."
Others landing spots at the top 10 are: #3 Steven Spielberg, #7 Bon Jovi, #8 Roger Federer, #9 Justin Bieber and #10 Ellen DeGeneres.
