14 DAY TRIAL // At the end of last year, Oprah Winfrey announced that, after more than two decades on the air, she would no longer be hosting the legendary and universally popular The Oprah Winfrey Show, since she had other projects to pursue. Of course, said announcement did little in terms of diminishing her popularity – on the contrary actually, as it brought her again at the top of Forbes’ most powerful celebrities list, People magazine informs.
Last year, screen siren Angelina Jolie took up the top spot, but Oprah is back with a vengeance. Generating a profit of over $300 million this past year, the one whom they call the Queen of Television is again Forbes’ most powerful celebrity. Oddly enough, Angelina Jolie went down 17 spots, while Beyonce became the second biggest earner in showbiz. Lady Gaga also landed a position in top 5, though that comes as no surprise, given how her Monster Ball Tour is selling out in all locations and how everything she touches seems to turn into gold.
“Oprah is back on top. A year after slipping to No. 2 on Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 list, the media queen regained her crown as 2010’s most powerful star worth an estimated $315 million. Last year’s title holder, Angelina Jolie, fell 17 spots while Beyonce climbed to No. 2 with $87 million in earnings (husband Jay-Z landed the No. 15 spot),” People magazine says of Forbes’ annual list of the industry’s biggest players.
“The list – determined by a celebrity’s earnings and fame – placed Avatar director James Cameron, who pocketed $210 million, at the No. 3 ranking. Lady Gaga and Tiger Woods rounded out the top five. It was also a good year for Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift, who jumped up to No. 12 from 69, and Twilight stars Robert Pattinson (No. 50) and Kristen Stewart (No. 66). The popular franchise also helped author Stephenie Meyer earn a No. 59 ranking,” the magazine further says.
That “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer also made the cut is again no big surprise, since she’s still reaping the fruits of her labor with the four novels in the series. Not only that, but her latest book, a novella that is actually an “Eclipse” spin-off called “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner,” is already proving a major draw for Twi-hards, having just clocked in at 1 million sales in the US alone.