She's not yet a woman, but Forbes magazine ranks pop princess Britney Spears as the world's most powerful celebrity, dethroning movie star Tom Cruise from the No. 1 spot he held last year.
The seemingly ubiquitous 20-year-old singer from Louisiana tops Forbes' annual 'Celebrity 100' list, which combines earnings with media exposure to calculate the relative status of entertainers, athletes and other famous people.
Spears, who heralded her own coming of age in the recent hit 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,' actually ranked No. 25 in terms of money-making clout, earning an estimated $39.2 million during the past 12 months. 'Star Wars' director George Lucas was the leading breadwinner on the list at $200 million.
But what she lacked in pure dollars, Spears more than made up for in terms of magazine cover stories, television and radio appearances, Web hits and overall media coverage.
Cruise, who was No. 1 on the list last year and stars in the much-anticipated Steven Spielberg sci-fi action film 'Minority Report,' did not even make the cut this year.
Forbes managing editor Dennis Kneale said that was due in part to Cruise deferring his payment for the film beyond the 12-month time frame measured by the magazine for this year's list.
Cruise's ex-wife, actress Nicole Kidman, however, ranks No. 27 on this year's list.
Rounding out the top 10 were golf champion Tiger Woods, director Steven Spielberg, pop superstar Madonna, Irish rock group U2, boy-band sensation 'N Sync, songstress Mariah Carey, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, basketball star Michael Jordan and actor Tom Hanks.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton also figures prominently on the list, at No. 18. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ranked No. 43.
Reported by Dana Bennett Source: Reuters - Posted by Ruben
updated: 06-20-2002 21:26
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