Forbes Magazine Lists the Richest Americans

Forbes Magazine recently released it annual list of the 400 richest people in America and the amount of money that these people earn is absolutely staggering. It's no surprise that Bill Gates finds himself at the top of the list with a net worth of $59 billion. You'd think with that kind of cash at his disposal he could come up with a piece of software that doesn't regularly crash your computer or make all those little hardware add-ons that you have unusable each time he releases a new version.

As I scanned the list of the other 399 people, I realized very quickly how out of touch with the business world I really am as only a couple f the names on there rang any sort of bell with me. So, ignoring all those corporate fat-cats I'm instead going to focus on the top 20 celebrities, based on power rankings, and their earnings. Let's face it, its human nature to want to know how much everyone is making. Even in our own normal little worlds we freak out if we think that someone is make an extra 25 cents per hour more than us. So let's take a look at the list and I'll tell you who I think deserves, or better yet, doesn't deserve what they made. The amounts listed are what they earned from June 2006 to June 2007.

1. Oprah Winfrey - $260 million. Maybe it's just me but I simply don't understand the draw with Oprah. I find her to be a pompous name-dropper for the most part but have to concede that she does do a lot of good with her money. What helped boost her earning was the popularity of her lap dogs Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray as she owns both of their shows.

2. Tiger Woods - $100 million. I really can't argue with his earnings as he is a perennial rainmaker for just about everything he associates himself with. Viewership and interest in golf is at an all time high, purses are way higher now that he is around making even the average player on the tour very wealthy, and TV networks audiences hinge on whether or not he is appearing in a tournament or not. As Tiger goes, so does the golf world.

3. Madonna - $72 million. I gotta say that this one took me by surprise. Most of the money came from her "Confessions" tour as well as a large up-front payment from NBC to televise one of the shows, which bombed. I have a feeling that her stay at the top will not last much longer.

4. Rolling Stones - $88 million. Here is a band that hasn't had a bona fide hit song in years yet continues to pack in audiences around the world and rake in the dough from touring. By all accounts they still put on a great show and if you can be that active and energetic in your 60's then you are welcome to the money.

5. Brad Pitt - $35 million. Yet another surprising one given that he hasn't really been in a major blockbuster in a while and has pretty much relied on the money he makes off the back end of the "Oceans" movies to make his money. This is a guy in need of a hit soon if he wants to keep justifying his bloated salary.

6. Johnny Depp - $92 million. Another guy who, in my mind, deserves every penny. A truly gifted actor whose turns as Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates" movies were nothing short of spectacular. Made them almost bearable to watch.

7. Elton John - $53 million. Most of his earnings came from his Las Vegas extravaganza show "The Red Piano", as well as from Broadway where his music is featured in a number of theaters hit shows including "The Lion King", and "Aida".

8. Tom Cruise - $31 million. Despite being dumped by Universal and taking a bit of time off with his new family, Cruise still managed to make in a nice chunk of change. It'll be interesting to see if he can return to Planet Earth and continue to be a success away from Universal Studios.

9. Jay-Z - $83 million. The hip hop mogul announced his retirement from performing but still maintains his role as head of Def Jam Records which is where the brunt of his earnings comes from. Has a share in the New Jersey Nets and recently sold his clothing label Rocawear for an estimated $200 million plus.

10. Steven Spielberg - $110 million. Although not directing much recently he had been involved in the producer role in a number of releases for which he earns a very large chunk of the receipts. With new installments of "Jurassic Park" and "Indiana Jones" on tap, I think it's fair to say that we'll be seeing him up near the top of the list again next year.

11. Tom Hanks - $74 million. The worldwide box office success of "The Da Vinci Code" (grossing an estimated $750 million) accounted for most of Hanks earnings this year. Hopefully it'll be enough money to find himself a decent hairdresser who can fix that garish do he had in the code.

12. Grey's Anatomy Cast - $33 million. This is one that I don't think should be in here. It should be based solely on individual earnings and not the combined power of 10 or 11 cast members. If they are going to continue with this rule then expect to see them here again next year as a few of the cast members are in the middle of re-negotiating their contracts which will, once again, drive up that total.

13. Howard Stern - $70 million. The shock jock boosted his earning with a big money move to satellite radio company Sirius and, in my opinion, the show has never been better. Stern is way more talented and intelligent than he is given credit for. Sure there are a lot of gas jokes but a lot of great stuff in between.

14. Angelina Jolie - $20 million. If you can put aside all the personal issues that seem to follow her around then this is a lady I really respect. She does a lot of charity work around the world and is fully committed to raising her family and has in fact announced that she will be taking a year off from acting to do just those things.

15. David Beckham - $33 million. The soccer poster boy made most of his coin courtesy of a big money move to the LA Galaxy of the MLS. It's been a bit of a bust so far as he has spent a bunch of time injured but a ton of the money paid out has been recouped in jersey and ticket sales. This is one move that may actually end up paying off if he can ever get that ankle fixed.

16. Phil Mickelson - $42 million. Has finally managed to remove the monkey from his back by winning a couple of majors but, like all other pro golfers, still lives in the shadow created by Tiger Woods.

17. David Letterman - $40 million. On top of his late night salary Dave rakes in a bunch of money from his production company "Worldwide Pants" which owns the right to "Everybody Loves Raymond" which has now gone into syndication where the real money is made.

18. Bon Jovi - $67 million. It's amazing to me that music artists who would be considered somewhat irrelevant at the moment by many are in the top 20. It says something for the staying power of their songs as well as the fact that they can still pack people in for live shows where most bands make the majority of their earnings.

19. Donald Trump - $32 million. The Donald is in freefall and will probably disappear from this list next year due to the cancellation of "The Apprentice" which seriously tanked last time out. I think that with all his other business propositions he should be okay though.

20. Celine Dion - $45 million. This year marks the end of her successful run at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas where her show "A New Day" has been a huge success. Fans of the waifish Canadian singer need not fret though as she has a new album coming out later this year.

So there you have it, the 20 most influential people in celebritydom. A few surprises and a couple of deserving souls but still, in my mind, way too much money for one person to earn unless, of course, I become an overnight sensation in which case the huge amounts will be absolutely justified.