12:36 . 17/05
Last year on the annual FORBESCelebrity 100 list, a ranking of the most powerful people in entertainment, Jennifer Lopez came in at No. 50, official Forbes website informs. This year, she climbed to No. 1, besting media mogul Oprah Winfrey and pop singers Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. How did the 42-year-old become the nation’s hottest and most sought after celebrity with an estimated income of $52 million in the last 12 months? Smart positioning and whole lot of hustle.
After a career slump defined by box-office flops (Gigli, Jersey Girl) and disappointing CD sales (Brave, Como Ama una Mujer), the Latina triple threat parlayed her position as a judge on American Idol into hit singles, an upcoming international music tour, a revitalized movie career, new product lines and a growing portfolio of endorsements.
Her fans (12 million on Facebook and 6 million on Twitter) will get even more access to her on the just-launched website JenniferLopez.com, where she writes promotional blog posts and streams video announcements and extras.
The only Russian appeared in the top 100 of Forbes celebrities is Maria Sharapova. She is the 71st in the list. The ratings of the known people is calculated based on how frequent they are mentioned in mass media as well as the money earned by them during the year.
