Lady Gaga Topples Oprah, Clinches Top Spot in Forbes' Celebrity 100 List
by Richard Sharp
The Forbes Celebrity 100 List came out this week, and it looks like the soon-to-retire Queen of Daytime TV Oprah Winfrey has been dethroned in her position as the most powerful celebrity in the entertainment world by Lady Gaga.
You'd thinking kicking it up a notch from TV host and publishing magnate to buying your own damn network would keep you in the top spot, but the times they are a changin'. What power means to Forbes has as much to do with social influence as it does with cash or business ventures.
"Gaga is there not just because of the $90 million she earned with a monster tour, but also because of her 32 million Facebook fans and 10 million Twitter followers--aka Little Monsters--who helped move 1 million digital downloads of her recent single 'Born This Way' in only five days. They're also happy to buy the MAC makeup, Monster headphones and Virgin Mobile phones she features in her videos," according to the magazine.
Oprah easily crushed Gaga from a revenue perspective, raking in $290 million from her soon-to-be-shuttered show and additional business ventures. Forbes gave extra weight, though, to Gaga's ability to connect with fans online.
"Our Celebrity 100 Power Ranking is based on an algorithm that includes earnings, press clippings, magazine covers and TV/Radio mentions. In a world of social media, we’ve added Twitter followers and Facebook fans to the mix," said Forbes writer Lewis DVorkin (yup that's how you spell it).
According to Forbes editor Dorothy Pomerantz, Gaga is "the best example of how celebrities will need to manage their careers in the coming years."
Justin Bieber, U2 and Elton John make up the rest of the top 5 on the list. Other notable new additions include Bethenny Frankel, who debuts at No. 43 on the list.
"She’s turned her Reality TV fame into a big business with the recent sale of her Skinnygirl drinks to Fortune Brands for $100 million. Her ultimate goal? Billionaire stardom, of course," says DVorkin.
Tell us something we don't already know, brother.
In addition to musicians, filmmakers and TV stars, 19 athletes, including Tiger Woods and the dastardly Lebron James made the list.