Britney Spears #1 on Forbes List

The Forbes "Celebrity 100" calculates an entertainer’s rank based on their annual income and their pop-culture exposure. Last year’s number 1 was Tom Cruise, but he didn’t even make this year’s list. Britney ranked 25 in the income category, raking in $34 million last year. That was a far cry from George Lucas, who ranked number 1 in income with $200 million. But it was the pop-culture exposure component that vaulted Britney to the top of the list.

Every where you turn, Britney is in the headlines. She has graced the covers of almost every magazine on the newsstand, she is Pepsi’s latest spokesperson, she had a much publicized break-up with boyfriend Justin Timberlake of *Nsync, she made her movie debut, and she became a restaurateur, all in the last year. Even negative press, such as reports of her drinking, smoking, and hard partying and its impact on her status as a role model have only increased her popularity and her public appeal.

There have been many reports that the public is no longer buying into her good girl image, and that may certainly be true. But what we’re learning is that the public is even more interested in a "bad girl" Britney, than a wholesome one. The bottom line is that Britney Spears is one of the most successful pop artists and entertainers in history, and she is still a very young woman with much to learn about herself and what she wants to do with her life. If this is the beginning of the end of Britney’s 15 minutes of fame, you would have to agree that she’s made the most of them.