Tom Cruise Most Powerful Celebrity: Forbes

His romance with Katie Holmes prompted some bizarre behaviour, but whether you thought his antics were annoying, weird, or just a well-crafted publicity stunt, it got people talking and a financial magazine says it has made Tom Cruise the highest-ranking member of the Glitterati.

The star of the Mission Impossible movie series is the world’s No. 1 star, according to Forbes’ annual “Celebrity 100 Power List”, which rates the stars on their ability to pull in big paycheques and create lots of buzz.

Cruise’s couch-jumping and his verbal attack against Brooke Shields for taking medication to treat postpartum depression made him a tabloid darling over the last year but some of the bad press didn’t affect his ability to earn box office bucks.

He raked in an estimated $67 million last year. This was the second time Cruise had made the top of Forbes’ list.

“It’s what kind of currency does the star’s name have,” editor Lea Goldman said. “It’s increasingly important how they are perceived both in industry circles and commercial circles, and this list represents who has cachet in both arenas.”

Oprah Winfrey, who was ranked first last year, came in at No. 3 in the latest rankings. She earned $225 million, but it’s still shy of the incredible $332 million director Steven Spielberg pulled in. He’s No. 6 on the list.

The self-proclaimed “king of all media” and satellite radio star Howard Stern earned an incredible $302 million and placed seventh. Tiger Woods ranked fifth with an annual income of $90 million.

Rapper 50 Cent made the list for the first time at eighth place thanks to his top-selling ring tones, G-Unit clothing line and record sales of more than $20 million.

Two rock bands also made the list. The Rolling Stones were second and U2 ranked fourth.

The cast of “The Sopranos” made ninth place and “The Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown rounded out the top 10.


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Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List

1. Tom Cruise
2. Rolling Stones
3. Oprah Winfrey
4. U2
5. Tiger Woods
6. Steven Spielberg
7. Howard Stern
8. 50 Cent
9. Cast of The Sopranos
10. Dan Brown

11. Bruce Springsteen
12. Donald Trump
13. Muhammad Ali
14. Paul McCartney
15. George Lucas
16. Elton John
17. David Letterman
18. Phil Mickelson
19. J.K. Rowling
20. Brad Pitt

 

21. Peter Jackson
22. Dr. Phil McGraw
23. Jay Leno
24. Celine Dion
25. Kobe Bryant
26. Michael Jordan
27. Johnny Depp
28. Jerry Seinfeld
29. Simon Cowell
30. Michael Schumacher

 

31. Tom Hanks
32. Rush Limbaugh
33. Denzel Washington
34. Cast of Desperate Housewives
35. Jennifer Aniston
36. Angelina Jolie
37. The Olsen Twins
38. Nicole Kidman
39. The Eagles
40. Rod Stewart

41. Shaquille O’Neal
42. Jerry Bruckheimer
43. David Beckham
44. Jessica Simpson
45. Andrew Lloyd Webber
46. LeBron James
47. Neil Diamond
48. Alex Rodriguez
49. Will Smith
50. Dick Wolf

 

51. Dave Matthews Band
52. Tom Brady
53. Ronaldinho
54. Jodie Foster
55. Ray Romano
56. Paris Hilton
57. Adam Sandler
58. Derek Jeter
59. Jennifer Lopez
60. Rick Warren
 
61. Scarlett Johansson
62. Katie Couric
63. Maria Sharapova
64. Valentino Rossi
65. Halle Berry
66. James Patterson
67. Leonardo DiCaprio
68. Kiefer Sutherland
69. Jim Carrey
70. Cameron Diaz

 

71. Gisele Bundchen
72. Renee Zellweger
73. Carson Palmer
74. Michelle Wie
75. Reese Witherspoon
76. Bill O’Reilly
77. Kate Moss
78. Diane Sawyer
79. Sean (Diddy) Combs
80. John Grisham

 

81. Rachael Ray
82. Dave Chappelle
83. Larry the Cable Guy
84. Tyra Banks
85. George Lopez
86. Regis Philbin
87. Serena Williams
88. Ryan Seacrest
89. Wolfgang Puck
90. Venus Williams

 

91. Annika Sorenstam
92. Matthew Broderick/ Nathan Lane
93. Mel Brooks
94. Emeril Lagasse
95. Nicole Richie
96. Heidi Klum
97. Mario Batali
98. Eric Idle/ Mike Nichols
99. Adriana Lima

100. Ty Pennington

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