Oprah 'most powerful celeb'
2005-06-17 22:30
New York - 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 $225m income in 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 $290m, 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," said the magazine.
Winfrey's talk show pulls in about 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 $87m, while Gibson earned $185m, 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 $33m, while Hollywood director-producer Steven Spielberg took the No 6 spot with $80m 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 $50m compared to John's $44m.
Rounding out the top 10 was newly-engaged Hollywood heart throb Tom Cruise with a personal take of $31m in the past 12 months.