Last year, I shared to you the 2011 Forbes Celebrity Top 100. Yesterday, Forbes revealed its annual Celebrity 100 list and do you have your guesses as to who made the Top 10 this year? Your guesses are as good as mine so let's start the roll call... But first, let me tell that the list is calculated by these criteria: income and fame.
"Forbes compiles its annual Celebrity 100 list by looking at both the pretax income (from May 1, 2011 to May 1, 2012) and fame of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars -- meaning how often we see their names and faces on TV, in movies and online, as well as their social media following."
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| It can be said that American Idol saved Jennifer's career as her salary formed almost 50% of her total earnings last year (US$52M). Her stint as a judge of the show has launched numerous hit singles, increased album sales and just the week over week presence in tabloids, the web and television. She also just recently launched a clothing line and added another fragrance in her growing list of perfumes. |
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| Oprah Winfrey had the most earnings thanks to her syndicated shows (Rachael Ray, Dr,. Phil, etc), her magazine, own TV network among others. She is now actively reviving her struggling cable network OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). |
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| Justin Bieber is the youngest in this list at 18 years old. He has a whooping 21 million Twitter followers and earned US$55M last year with a world tour to top it off. He's venturing in stocks as well. Wise kid! |
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| Last year was Rihanna's year to say the least. Her heavy tours propelled her in this list. She also snagged a few endorsements and her perfume is amassing sales. Not to mention her singles that have been party anthems. |
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| Lady Gaga was #1 in last year's list. She did not tour as much as compared to the previous year but her social media presence was felt so she's staying in the Top 10 list this year. Not too bad for the world's most popular Twitter user with over 24 million followers. |
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| With over 75 shows in the last 12 months, Britney is back in the list. Her endorsements and fragrance line contributed a lot to her spot. |
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| Kim Kardashian's much publicized divorce has caused her to be in countless magazines in the past 12 months. Her family also signed a deal with E! for their reality TV show (KUWTK). She also has a fragrance and clothing line and a family boutique. She's all over the place. |
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| Katy Perry also had to go through divorce last year. Her California Dreams tour contributed a lot to her earnings and she's the only music icon in this list who had 5 #1 songs all in one album (Teenage Dream). Oh yes, she has a fragrance as well. |
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| Thanks to Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise took this spot in this list. His star power cannot be underestimated as he still has his own set of following. |
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| Thanks to The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse who both made it to the Oscar's, Steven Spielberg made it to this list. |
For the entire list, including more newcomers, stars to watch, most powerful actors, and stars who didn't make the cut this year, head over to Forbes.com.
