14 DAY TRIAL // The fact that Oprah has somewhat retired from the spotlight to do more work behind the camera at her OWN network is translating into a drop into how influential the public perceives her to be. She’s just been replaced by Steven Spielberg as America’s most influential celebrity, Forbes magazine reports.
The publication has released its annual list of influential celebrities and, obviously, the big surprise is having the “Lincoln” director on the top spot and Oprah on the second. Spielberg ranked 47 on the popularity scale, which, Forbes explains, means that 47% of the US population regards him as influential.
“A celebrity’s ‘Influential’ score represents how that person is perceived as influencing the public, their peers or both. If anyone doubts that Steven Spielberg has greatly influenced the public, think about how many will think for a second before going into the water this summer,” says Gerry Philpott, president of E-Poll Market Research, referring to Spielberg’s cult classic “Jaws.”
His most recent film, last year’s “Lincoln,” not only scored 12 Oscar nominations, but also took home 2 of these much coveted statuettes and made a fortune at the box office, especially in territories outside the US, which would have been a bit more resistant to buying into the American historic drama.
Oprah’s popularity has taken a slight hit, of about 4 points on the popularity scale, Forbes notes. That’s because she’s investing most of her time and energy into making OWN a successful network, after a very rough and rushed start.
The rest of the top 5 influential celebrities are all filmmakers: on the third spot, we find George Lucas, who sold the rights to the “Star War” franchise along with Lucas Films to Disney. He might no longer have an active part in the franchise, but his name will forever be tied to it.
At number three is director Ron Howard, a very esteemed filmmaker who, unlike these other two mentioned above, didn’t really encounter box office success with his latest project, “Rush,” which was praised by critics but failed to make an impression on regular moviegoers.
The top five is rounded up by Martin “Marty” Scorsese, who, even though critics say of him he’s no longer as brilliant as he once was, judging by his latest films, is still a major draw for audiences. His “Wolf of Wall Street” with Leonardo DiCaprio is a major contender in this year’s Oscars.
Dr. Oz, Barbara Walters, Bono, Stan Lee, and Rush Limbaugh are the other celebrities considered influential by Americans.