President Barack Obama continues to make history. As the first black President of the United States, he is now also the first ruling Head of State to make it to the Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List.
Listed at no 49 on the list, President Obama is ranked among celebrities based on their earnings and media mention. Obama received $2.5 million last year from two best-selling young adult readers books, Dream From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Already placed under contract for a non fiction book when he leaves the white house, Obama will join the ranks of other presidents. Clinton received $15 million for the book ‘My Life’.
Speaking from Forbes Magazine, Lacey Rose says “There is a very real interest in President Obama, both as a president, a family man and a celebrity".
After leaving office in 2001, Bill Clinton, former President, made the Forbes list in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007.
History was also made as the top four spots of power in the 2008 list, are held by women. Superstar actor Angelina Jolie and humanitarian advocate, has dethroned talk show host Oprah Winfrey, after leaping from just third position in 2008. Winfrey may have earned 10 times more income than Jolie, but Angelina is the most searched for celebrity on the Internet. She has been involved in an endless sea of media buzz and appeared on the cover of 35 magazines, as well as starring in several blockbuster movies.
Singers Madonna and Beyonce Knowles followed Jolie and Winfrey on the list. Golfer Tiger Woods took out the No. 5 position, chased by Bruce Springsteen, director Steven Spielberg and actor Brad Pitt in positions numbers 6, 7 and 8. David Letterman has come in at 14th place while Sarah Palin is nowhere to be found. Appearing at No. 25 is Simon Cowell, owner of Britain’s Got Talent.
The writers of Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List analyze the earnings, as well as the media hype produced by an individual, in order to decide which personalities have both fame and fortune. The list considers celebrities from TV, the movie world, to politics, models, athletes, authors and musicians.
In a year of financial meltdown the earning power of the Celebrity 100 list has remained amazingly stable. The joint earnings of the group totaled $4.1 billion, which is a fraction up on last year’s $4 billion. The major reason for this, is that many of the movie stars are locked into long-term performance and endorsement contracts. There may be some catch-up from the downturn in the world economy next year.
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Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO's of YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org) providing high school education grants for children who are without hope. A chance to fulfill their dreams at whatever level they chose to.
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