The World Most Powerful Celebrities: FORBES
10. Steven Spielberg 
Spielberg’s DreamWorks moved into television in a big way this year with four new shows including Terra Nova and Smash. On top of that, the prolific producer stepped back into directing with two movies that hit theaters last Christmas, The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. Both films were nominated for Oscars. His earnings as at May 2012 $130M.
- Director/Producer
- Age: 65
- Source of Wealth: movies, self-made
- Residence: Pacific Palisades, CA
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Education: Bachelor of Arts / Science, California State Long Beach
- Marital Status: Married
- Children: 7
9. Tom Cruise
Thanks to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Cruise landed in the Top 10 of our Celebrity 100 this year. Cruise was all but written off after a string of incidents in 2005 including jumping on Oprah’s couch and the subsequent “poor” performance of Mission: Impossible 3. This year proved that you should never underestimate Cruise’s star power. Ghost Protocol earned $700 million at the global box office. His earnings as at May 2012 $75M.
- Actor
- Age: 49
- Source of Wealth: Movies
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Marital Status: Married
- Children: 3
8. Katy Perry
Quick question, who are the only two musicians in history to have five No. 1 singles from the same album? Michael Jackson and Katy Perry. The latter accomplished that feat with 2010 smash Teenage Dream, which continues to garner considerable airplay, and dollars, for the “Firework” singer. Her California Dreams Tour grossed nearly $60 million. Perry also got plenty of attention from the media for her personal life this year. She split from comedian husband Russell Brand in December. Her earnings as at May 2012 $45M.
- Musician
- Age: 27
- Source of Wealth: Music
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Marital Status: Divorced
7. Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian walked down the aisle in August, 2011 and more than 10 million viewers tuned in on October 9th when E! aired its over-the-top 4-hour wedding special. Just three weeks later Kardashian filed for divorce and a media frenzy ensued. As a result, her famous face was on the covers of more than 63 magazines in the last twelve months. But it wasn’t all bad press for Kim: the family signed a $30 million deal with E! for three more seasons of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and her namesake fragrance earned more than $6 million in retail sales. With sisters Kourtney and Khloe she designed a clothing line, Kardashian Kollection for Sears, opened a new location of the family boutique, DASH, and celebrated the launch of Kardashian Khaos, a specialty store in Las Vegas’ Mirage hotel. Her earnings as at May 2012 $18M.
- Actress, Personality
- Age: 31
- Source of Wealth: Reality Television
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Marital Status: Divorced
6. Britney Spears 
Conspicuously absent from our 2011 list due to limited touring, Britney blasts back to the top this year with over 75 shows in the past 12 months. She also earns millions from endorsements and a fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden. Her latest album, Femme Fatale, earned platinum certification in the U.S. The pop princess still attracts plenty of tabloid attention, especially in the wake of her December 2011 engagement. Her earnings as at May 2012 $58M.
- Musician
- Age: 30
- Source of Wealth: Music
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Marital Status: Engaged
- Children: 2
5. Lady Gaga
Last year’s top celeb slides from N
o.1 on our list due to a lack of touring, but stays near the top because of her tremendous social media influence. With over 24 million followers, she’s the world’s most popular Twitter user; her 50 million Facebook fans are more than any other celebrity aside from Eminem and Rihanna. Thanks to multiple older hits as well as her latest album, Born This Way, the singer-songwriter still makes plenty of money off of music sales. Her earnings as at May 2012 $52M.
- Musician
- Age: 26
- Source of Wealth: Music
- Residence: New York, NY
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Education: Drop Out, New York University
- Marital Status: Single
4. Rihanna 
The Barbados-born diva lands on our list for the first time thanks to hits including “We Found Love” and “Talk That Talk,” as well as endorsements with the likes of Vita Coco and Nivea. Her fragrance, Reb’l Fleur, adds millions more to her coffers, as does her heavy touring schedule that included over 85 shows in the past 12 months. With over 53 million Facebook fans, she’s second only to Eminem. Her earnings as at May 2012 $53M.
- Musician
- Age: 24
- Source of Wealth: Music
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: Barbados
- Marital Status: Single
3. Justin Bieber 
The Canadian crooner has sold over 12 million albums since his 2009 debut and boasts 21 million Twitter followers, second only to Lady Gaga. With 750 million views, his breakout ballad “Baby” is the most-watched video in YouTube history; his 43 million Facebook fans are more than Mitt Romney and Barack Obama’s followers combined. If that’s not enough, he’s also becoming a venture capitalist, amassing stakes in startups including Enflick, Tinychat and Spotify. Her earnings as at May 2012 $55M.
- Musician
- Age: 18
- Source of Wealth: Music, self-made
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: Canada
-
Marital Status: Single
2. Oprah Winfrey
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey this year saw her earnings fall by a staggering $125 million, down 43% from an estimated $290 million last year. However, even with the drop, she remains the highest earner on the list, just inching out director Michael Bay. It’s been a challenging year for Winfrey, who signed off from her 25-year syndicated show and immediately turned her attention to struggling cable network OWN. The bulk of the earnings dive comes from lost income on The Oprah Winfrey Show, but her diversified portfolio includes O: The Oprah Magazine, spin-off shows like The Dr. Oz Show and a radio deal with Sirius. She does not earn a salary at OWN, which has faced ratings disappointments and financial issues since it premiered in Jan. 2011. As chairman and CEO of the joint venture with Discovery Communications, she hopes a recent restructuring, new programming and a distribution deal with Comcast will turn the network around. Her earnings as at May 2012 $165M.- Entrepreneur, Personality
- Age: 58
- Source of Wealth: Television, self-made
- Residence: Chicago, IL
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Education: Bachelor of Arts / Science, Tennessee State University
- Marital Status: Single
1. Jennifer Lopez
The Latina triple threat parlayed her positio
n as a judge on American Idol into hit singles, increased album sales, an upcoming world tour, three new movies and a growing portfolio of endorsements. In September, she also launched a clothing and lifestyle collection for Kohl’s, In May she added an 18th scent to her successful fragrance line, Glow. A newly-single mother of 4-year-old twins, Lopez continues to work with her ex, Marc Anthony, on the Latin talent competition show, Q’Viva: The Chosen.
- Actress, Musician, Personality
- Age: 42
- Source of Wealth: Television
- Residence: Los Angeles, CA
- Country of Citizenship: United States
- Education: Drop Out, City University of New York Baruch
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Children: 2
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