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Summary Jennifer Lopez moved up to the top of the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful celebrities.
Jennifer Lopez has topped the annual Forbes magazine list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in the world, taking over from fellow pop singer Lady Gaga and beating out media mogul Oprah Winfrey.The 42-year-old singer, actress and dancer, who rose up through the entertainment world ranks from her humble birthplace of the Bronx, New York, surprisingly jumped from 50th place on last years list that measures power by entertainment related earnings, media visibility and social media popularity.Forbes estimated Lopez earnings in the past 12 months at $52 million, and her top ranking is powered by her lucrative gig as a judge on popular television show, American Idol, a new clothing line at Kohls, a top-selling fragrance and millions of Twitter and Facebook followers. She also just announced her first upcoming world tour, joined by Enrique Iglesias.Winfrey, who has admitted struggling with her OWN TV network after ending The Oprah Winfrey Show syndicated TV chat show last year after 25 years, kept her No. 2 slot from last year, earning an estimated $165 million.Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 18, also stayed at No. 3 where he debuted last year, earning $55 million, with Forbes reporting he has become a serious investor whose portfolio includes music streaming service Spotify.Pop star Rihanna landed on the list for the first time with estimated earnings of $53 million due to hits in the past year such as We Found Love, and Talk That Talk, while also landing lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of Nivea and Vita Coco, Forbes said.Dropping four places from last year, Lady Gaga was ranked No. 5, earning $52 million, while new The X Factor judge Britney Spears returned to the list after a one-year hiatus landing at No. 6, earning an estimated $58 million helped by a successful tour.British singer Adele entered the list at No. 24 after a record-equaling six Grammy haul and returning to live performing after surgery on her vocal chords.Among big names to drop off the list was Charlie Sheen after his Two and a Half Men exit. His replacement on the show, Ashton Kutcher debuted on the list at No. 51.The collective earnings power of the top 100 dropped slightly in 2012, with this years crop earning a collective total of $4.4 billion, down from $4.5 billion in 2011.
