NEW YORK, June 17: Oprah Winfrey is the world’s most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes magazine which placed the talk show queen at the top of its annual ranking of the 100 personalities with the biggest pull.
Although her 225-million-dollar income over the past 12 months was less than that of George Lucas, Winfrey’s media presence was deemed far greater than the reclusive Star Wars creator, who raked in 290 million dollars thanks to his sci-fi blockbuster “Star Wars III — Revenge of the Sith.”
“After 21 years, her daytime chat-fest still rules the airwaves, minting new celebs — and hundreds of millions of dollars in profits,” the magazine said.
Winfrey’s talk show pulls in around 30 million viewers a day and reaches 112 countries.
Despite leading the money list, Lucas only made it to fourth place in the power rankings, below golfer Tiger Woods, who was runner-up for the second year in a row, and actor-director Mel Gibson, still minting megabucks from “The Passion of the Christ.”
Woods pulled in 87 million dollars, while Gibson earned 185 million dollars, mainly from “the Passion” DVD sales.
The annual Forbes list gives most weight to annual earnings, but also takes into account the celebrity’s presence on the Internet and in the media.
Fifth behind Lucas was basketball star Shaquille O’Neal who slam dunked 33 million dollars, while Hollywood director-producer Steven Spielberg took the number six spot with 80 million dollars in earnings.
Next in line was actor Johnny Depp, while perennial top lister Madonna outshone the only other pop star in the top 10, Elton John. The Material Girl packed her pockets with 50 million dollars compared to John’s 44 million dollars.
Rounding out the top 10 was newly-engaged Hollywood heart throb Tom Cruise with a personal take of 31 million dollars over the past 12 months.—AFP
