| New leader on 'Celebrity 100 Power List'; British rate high
Thursday, June 15, 2006; Posted: 9:22 p.m. EDT (01:22 GMT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Never mind the couch-jumping and the depression-dismissing. Tom Cruise is the world's No. 1 star, according to Forbes' annual "Celebrity 100 Power List," which ranks famous folks based on earnings and buzz.
The less-than-scientific ranking tracks the highest-paid stars from the worlds of television, film, music and sports, said editor Lea Goldman -- with this year's rankings including a particularly strong showing by British stars.
"It's what kind of currency does the star's name have," 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."
Cruise is the only celebrity to top the list twice, she said. He was also No. 1 in 2001.
"He's one of the few guaranteed bankable stars," Goldman said. "No one in Hollywood can negotiate the kind of salary he gets."
With an estimated income of $67 million (€53 million) last year, Cruise was not the top money-earner, but his couch-hopping antics on "Oprah," his dismissive comments about Brooke Shields' postpartum depression and whirlwind romance with Katie Holmes made him one of the most talked-about stars of the year. He ranked 10th on last year's list.
The British scored high, with the Rolling Stones coming in second; "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling in 19th place; and Paul McCartney and Elton John at 14th and 16th.
"American Idol" big shot Simon Cowell joining the list as No. 29; David Beckham fell from 26th to 43rd; and Kate Moss clocked in at 77th.
Ireland's U2 came in at No. 4.
Others from outside the United States included German racing driver Michael Schumacher; Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova; Brazilian football player Ronaldinho; supermodels Heidi Klum, of Germany, and Gisele Bundchen, of Brazil; and Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam.
Perennial Forbes-list favorite, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who claimed the No. 1 spot last year, dropped to No. 3 in the latest rankings. The $225 million (€178 million) she pulled in, according to Forbes, should ease the pain.
Winfrey's windfall pales next to Steven Spielberg's take of $332 million (€263 million). The director-producer was the year's highest-paid celebrity. He ranks sixth on Forbes' list.
Satellite radio star and self-proclaimed "king of all media," Howard Stern, was the second highest-paid celebrity, with $302 million (€239 million). He placed seventh on the list, up 20 spots from last year.
Tiger Woods, who pulled in $90 million (€71 million) in earnings, ranked fifth, besting fellow golfer Phil Mickelson, who placed 18th.
Rapper 50 Cent never made Forbes' list before but this year he captured eighth place thanks to his top-selling ringtones, G-Unit clothing line and record sales of more than 20 million. No other rapper made the list.
"There's a lot of fluctuation," Goldman said. "It has to do with what (celebrities) are doing and how much they're getting paid for it."
The cast of "The Sopranos," which earned a total of $52 million (€41 million) for their seventh season, placed ninth. Author Dan Brown, whose mega-bestseller "The Da Vinci Code" sold a staggering 61 million copies and inspired the year's most anticipated and controversial film, rounded out the top 10.
Brad Pitt, who ranked 11th last year, dropped to 20th place, despite his high-profile relationship and resulting offspring with Angelina Jolie.
Jolie, not surprisingly, made the list, too, tying for 35th place -- with Pitt's ex, Jennifer Aniston.
Mel Gibson, who topped the list in 2004 and ranked third last year, didn't make it this time. Neither did Madonna, who ranked eighth last year.
Lance Armstrong, Will Ferrell, Julia Roberts and Lindsay Lohan all placed prominently last year but dropped off the latest list.
New to the "Celebrity 100": pop psychologist Phil McGraw (22), actor Kiefer Sutherland (68) and ubiquitous American TV and radio personality Ryan Seacrest (88).
Nothing in Hollywood is complete without Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Hilton was No. 56 and Richie No. 95.
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