Not the best farewell gift for the long time talk show host. Lady Gaga has recently been revealed as number one on the Forbes list for Celebrity 100. It doesn’t come to much surprise though since Lady Gaga earned a total of $90 million in the past twelve months from her Monster Tour alone.
The Forbes Celebrity 100 was first publish in 1999 and has since gone on annually. Forbes factors income but a major component of celebrity is influence. Magazine covers, Google hits, and now social media presence on Twitter and Facebook are affecting the way these celebrities are ranked. Lady Gaga has 9.5 millions Twitter followers and 32 million Facebook fans.
Oprah has held the number one spot multiple times, for consecutive years. Her influence on consumers and audience has been unmatched…until now? It seems as though Lady Gaga may have the Midas touch and everything she endorses turns to gold. She is now collaborating with Mac cosmetics, Virgin mobile, Zynga’s Farmville and Monster headphones. Like Oprah though, she upholds her power through her ability to influence the public. Watch this spoof on 30 Rock, Tina Fey and the cast play on how immediate and trusted Oprah’s word is.
So what is it about Gaga that makes people go…well…gaga?? The entertainer is a 24/7 walking performance. A recent article in the NY Times explains how even in rehearsal Gaga is Gaga. Beyond her ability to shock and awe, Lady Gaga has always been grateful of her fans and has never been afraid to express these feelings. Her fans are loyal and because of that Forbes has ranked her the most powerful celebrity.
“I’m itching like a heroin addict trying to get back on stage. I can’t wait. I’m planning on launching a new tour by the end of this year, if not, the beginning of next. I’ll never do a smaller show. It’s got to be bigger, bigger, more epic, more of an opus. I don’t care where I am in the world; theatrics are part of who I am. I don’t do it big for the sake of it. It will always be more me and more of an extension of what I’ve created. I always want the crowd to feel more liberated than when they first walked in,” said Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga is a notorious performer and it seems as though she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Keep a look out for when tickets go on sale for her next tour because they will definitely be selling out fast!
Wonder how the Forbes Power Women of 2011 will turn out? Do you think Gaga will top Oprah on this list too?