Women rule Forbes� celebrity power list

 Lady Gaga performs during the 21st birthday celebration of the Rainforest Fund at Carnegie Hall in New York on May 13, 2010. The singer has made her first entry on the Forbes list

Women claimed three of the top five spots in Forbes� magazine�s 2010 Celebrity power list, with singer Lady Gaga making her first entry and Oprah Winfrey retaking her No.1 position.

Talk show host Winfrey earned an estimated US$315 million (RM1 billion), putting her atop the annual Forbes� Celebrity 100 list for the fourth time. Winfrey reclaimed the No. 1 spot from 2009 winner Angelina Jolie, who fell to 18th in the latest ranking.



Grammy-winning R&B singer Beyonce rose to second with an estimated US$287 million from a tour and album sales, together with deals in fashion, fragrance and other endorsements.

Despite the worldwide recession, Forbes said that celebrity earnings remain �remarkably resilient, with this year�s stars having earned a collective US$4.7 billion during the past year, up from US$4.1 billion in 2009.�

Forbes� ranking is a measurement of entertainment-related earnings over the past 12 months as well as exposure in print, television, radio, online, and social media.

�Avatar� director James Cameron jumped back onto the Forbes list for the first time since 1999, landing at No. 3 after his movie earned a record US$2.7 billion at worldwide box offices.

Glam pop star Lady Gaga made the list for the first time, taking fourth place with estimated earnings of US$162 million.

Golfer Tiger Woods is the world�s fifth most powerful celebrity, despite a sex scandal that took him out of golfing for five months and lost him several lucrative endorsements.

�He managed to earn US$105 million during the past year, even as his revenue streams have diminished and his golf course design business struggles in the global economy,� said Forbes.

The top five on the Forbes� 2010 Celebrity 100 list are:

1. Oprah Winfrey, US$315 million

2. Beyonce Knowles, US$287 million

3. James Cameron, US$210 million

4. Lady Gaga, US$162 million

5. Tiger Woods, US$105 million