It was the 10th anniversary of Forbes’ ranking of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” and it came as no surprise to see Oprah Winfrey emerge as the front-runner from the entertainment sector. The media mogul came in at number 14 on the list. She also has the honor of being one of only eight women to have appeared on the first list in 2004, and still rank in the Top 100.
Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal is another of those eight. This year, she made it to number 28 on the strength of both Sony’s feature-film projects, like “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” and her work overseeing Sony Pictures Television.
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It was a big year for Beyonce, who made the list at number 17 with earnings of $53 million. Her surprise album in December was a massive hit, as was her Spring tour. Beyonce also gained a lot of attention for her role as an outspoken icon for women’s empowerment.
According to Forbes, determining factors for the Top 100 included money, media, impact and spheres of influence. Angelina Jolie (No. 50) made the list in part for being the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, but it was also her extensive philanthropic work for the United Nations that raised her profile.
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There were plenty of other familiar Hollywood names who made the list for their complete body of work, including charitable, social and political endeavors, including Sofia Vergara (No. 32), Ellen DeGeneres (No. 46), Arianna Huffington (No. 52) Shakira (No. 58), Lady Gaga (No. 67), Chinese actress Yao Chen (No. 83), model Gisele Bundchen (No. 89), and Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren (No. 100).
German Chancellor Angela Merkel came in at the top of the list for the fourth year in a row, and while she doesn’t have a Hollywod presence per se, she has been getting a large screen presence on “Saturday Night Live,” thanks to Kate McKinnon’s impression of her.