Star Dollars Star Power

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Mar 04, 2001 Source: Forbes Submitted By: Zakkerbutt Star Dollars Star Power Edited by Peter Kafka, Forbes Magazine, 03.19.01 Celebrity is the ultimate asset. In this frantic age of nanosecond attention spans, fame is fortune-not just for the pampered stars but also for the businesses that bank on them. The combined wattage of Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis and Adam Sandler helped launch Joe Roth's new movie studio last year. The worldwide appeal of Britney Spears, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys gives low-profile mogul Clive Calder powerful leverage in the music business. Derek Jeter isn't the highest-paid player in baseball, but he is the most valuable, given his starring role in the world's hottest media market. Our Celebrity 100 list (p. 144) seeks to quantify such intangibles. We begin by totaling up the top earners in 14 different categories, then factor in media attention and other metrics of fame. That's why Tom Cruise-though he ranks a mere 13th in pay-is number one when magazine covers, media mentions and Internet presence are also tallied. Hollywood stars and athletes dominate the rankings, but celebrity enriches lesser lights as well: chefs, models, authors and even the newest arrival, the noncelebrity celebrity, courtesy of reality television. Celebrity 100 List (first 10) Power rank Name Money rank Earnings Web hits Press clips Magazine covers Tv/radio hits 1 Tom Cruise 13 43.2 139,000 11,715 11 136 2 Tiger Woods 7 53.0 363,000 47,149 5 235 3 Beatles 3 70.0 1,430,000 26,142 1 166 4 Britney Spears 16 38.5 981,000 19,607 5 18 5 Bruce Willis 4 70.0 125,000 8,841 2 74 6 Michael Jordan 17 37.0 261,000 28,350 1 228 7 Backstreet Boys 20 35.5 619,000 11,666 3 80 8 'N Sync 14 42.0 391,000 12,506 5 9 9 Oprah Winfrey 2 150.0 104,000 9,495 0 108 10 Mel Gibson 24 31.8 262,000 9,591 4 84 Comment on this item. Next Item: Major pop stars to appear on lenticular motion Prev Item: SOMH to be featured on Now 6