Forbes LIst: World's Most Powerful Women

Forbes Magazine has released their picks for 2010's Most Powerful Women in the World -- and the First Lady is at the head of the class.  Michelle Obama was ranked as the world's No. 1 most powerful woman, while the queen of daytime, Oprah Winfrey, snagged the No.3 spot.

Women in entertainment scored big this year, with pop superstar Lady Gaga taking the seventh spot and music mogul/designer Beyonce ranking ninth. Comedian and talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres rounded out the list at No. 10.

The U.S. was the list's clear winner -- eight of the10 coveted spots were filled by American women, while Chicagoans dominated the mighty top three. In addition to Windy City natives Obama and Oprah, Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods and another Chicago resident, was ranked No. 2. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (originally hailing from the Chicago suburb, Park Ridge) rang in at No. 5.

2010 Forbes Most Powerful Women In The World top 10:


1. Michelle Obama, US First Lady
2. Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive Kraft Foods
3. Oprah Winfrey, media mogul
4. Angela Merkel, German Chancellor
5. Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State
6. Indra Nooyi, chief executive, Pepsi
7. Lady Gaga, singer
8. Gail Kelly, chief executive, Westpac
9. Beyonce Knowles, singer and fashion designer
10. Ellen DeGeneres, talk show host




Source: Forbes; OMG.Yahoo.com

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Most Hated Sports Figures

Image via Wikipedia

Right now, LeBron James is one of the most polarizing figures in sports. Even Michael Jordan in talking smack about him, which must be humiliating. Barry Petchesky ‘s blog Deadspin comments on James’ Q Score citing that just 14 percent of the general population has a favorable impression of LeBron James, compared with 39 percent “who think he's a big selfish jerk who drove a stake through the heart of Cleveland”. (Petcheskh’s words, not the poll's.)


That's bad. In one survey, he's the sixth most hated athlete in the country, behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant. Most impressively, James didn't earn his infamy by committing some horrible transgression, like killing dogs, breaking up a marriage, or starring on a VH1 show.

But LeBron is far from unique in the pantheon of hated sports figures. Here's a look at  others who are possibly hated more than Lebron.  

Last year, quarterback Mike Vick topped a Forbes poll of the most hated persons in sports.
This year, he walks off with that "honor" for a second straight year.

The rest of the 2010 top five consists of Raiders owner Al Davis, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, golfer Tiger Woods, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

You'll discover that there are many list available and the names of hated sports figures vary from list to list. There have been people who have stolen elections and started illegal wars. Ask some Iraqi civilians shredded by cluster bombs if Michael Vick is the worst person. It's sad someone can rape someone and get away with it, and he's not the most hated guy in sports. It's funny where we put our time and our energy.  Why waste your time on hating someone.  Love is the answer and it's much more fun.

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World's Richest Rappers in 2010

Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter

Rap star Jay-Z came first in a list of the richest rappers in 2010, earning more than double that of runner-up Sean "Diddy" Combs. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter took in $63 million US in personal income between June 2009 and June 2010, according to Forbes.com. Diddy took in $30 million, followed by Senegalese-American rapper Aliuane "Akon" Thiam at $21 million. Despite beginning a jail sentence in March for weapons charges, New Orleans-born rapper Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter came in fourth, earning $20 million, ahead of California rap icon Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, who took in $17 million.


The real money isn't in record sales, said Zack O'Malley Greenburg, a Forbes writer who compiled the list.
Almost all stars at the top of the list all share a common strategy -- diversification. The top-earning rappers pulled in cash from alcohol sponsorships, clothing lines, nightclub properties and film appearances, in addition to concert tours and record sales.  Jay-Z co-owns the 40/40 nightclub chain. Diddy promotes Ciroc vodka and appeared in the feature film Get Him to the Greek. Dr. Dre and Lil Wayne have record labels. Akon appeared in a Pepsi World Cup ad campaign.


"Eminem tied at number 14, even though he's sold more records than any artist since 2000," Greenburg said.
Eminem earned $8 million this year, despite the release of his album Recovery which sold 741,000 copies in the first week of sales.

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World's Richest Best Selling Authors

Despite the financial woes of some print sources, Forbes announced that a select few bestselling authors from making big bucks. Coming in at the No. 1 spot on Forbes magazine’s list of highest-paid authors—with $70 million—is the thriller writer James Patterson, up from the second-place spot two years ago. The 63-year-old Patterson has written more than 50 bestsellers and sold more than 170 million books worldwide, creating a franchise that expanded into Hollywood, television, comic book and gaming deals.

Following him is vampire romance writer Stephenie Meyer, whose Twilight series earned her $40 million, despite her not releasing a new book in 2009. Stephen King ranks third with $34 million; his 51st novel, Under the Dome, sold 600,000 copies, according to Bookscan. Others on the list include romance novelist Danielle Steel ($32 Million), British writer Ken Follett ($20 million), Dean Koontz ($18 million) and Janet Evanovich of Stephanie Plum fame ($16 million).

Legal thriller writer John Grisham, romance writer Nicholas Sparks and prolific British author J.K. Rowling, who made $10 million -- a smaller sum for the billionaire after she did not release a new book in the past year -- rounded out the top 10.

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World's Most Powerful Celebrities

The Celebrity 100 is a measure of power based on money and fame. Earnings estimates, which include income from films, television shows, endorsements, books, and other entertainment ventures, are calculated between June 2009 and June 2010. This year’s top five celebrities are:

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Beyonce Knowles
3. James Cameron
4. Lady Gaga
5. Tiger Woods

Take a look at the Forbes List and get additional information about elements in the ranking.

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/the-worlds-most-powerful-celebrities/43057?nc