Who has more muscle in Hollywood — Johnny Depp or Sandra Bullock? Does Robert Pattinson have more clout than Simon Cowell? What about Brad and Angelina — who’s on top in that relationship?
This week’s EW cover story brings back The Power List, our rankings of the most influential people in the entertainment business. We started doing these rankings way back in 1990 — when names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Madonna were up high — and have come back to it from time to time in various forms (in 2007, it was The Smart List). This year, we’re freshening things up again, by focusing exclusively on on-screen talent — in other words, folks with recognizable faces only, no agents or studio suits need apply. As usual, we based our calculations on a formula that included both hard, crunchable numbers (box office grosses, TV viewers, albums sold) with less tangible factors, like a star’s influence within their industry or general command of the pop cultural stage. We’ve come up with some nifty new sidebars, too, such as EW’s first international edition of the Power List (take a bow, Golshifteh Farahani, the Julia Roberts of Iran!).
We aren’t going to tell you who ended up as this year’s No. 1. You’ll have to buy the magazine (on newsstands now). But here’s a hint: It’s not Arnold Schwarzenegger or Madonna.
For more on Hollywood’s most influential stars, pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Oct. 8.
Glad to see the Power List return, but I didn’t mind the agents and studio suits being included. I always found that interesting.
I am so bored by this article that I find myself yearning for faux-comment about the dating agency….
@ stickittotheman: LOL. I was waiting for that comment too, and so was my wealthy black boyfriend!
Katy Perry has no business on this list.
jiad…you’re late!
Dead right. EW has become a joke. None of these people have shown they are popular beyond four years or outside of a young market. Not my definition of powerful.
you guys would be surprised how many people of all ages buy Katy Perry albums. I’ve been arguing with my father-in-law about why she is over-rated, but he loves her music.
@hypeman… none? really? None is just silly, especially since HALF are established stars (I included Ryan Reynolds in there because he has been around for any years now). You cannot have a power players list without some fresh blood.
@KaratePants – VERY funny, although most of the people on this site probably won’t get it.
Note, if you want that, see the Vanity Fair Establishment 100 Issue. It’s the one with Lohan on the cover.
This is really more of a “50 Most Well Known People That We Can Put On Our Cover And Hopefully Some 16-25 Year Olds Will Buy It Off The Newstand Because They Buy Everything That Has Gaga or Robert Pattinson In It, And Hopefully Become Subscribers So That We Can Maintain Our Advertising Base.”
This!
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Why would anybody BUY EW? Just a casual glance online is more than enough to satisfy any very guilty and dubious pleasure.
Hopefully Some 16-25 Year Olds Will Buy It Off The Newstand Because They Buy Everything That Has Gaga or Robert Pattinson In It, And Hopefully Become Subscribers So That We Can Maintain Our Advertising Base.”
And their wealthy boyfriends they found online.
This list lost any kind of legitimacy when they included the twilight boy. This is laughable.
So true. Any power list with R Patz on it is a joke.
Nice!
love Johnny, Sandra and R-Pattz
Johnny, Angelina and Rober Pattinson >3
I vote Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Bullock. They have to be mojor Clout-ers.
RDJ is love!
I like Katy Perry and Rpatz too.
No doubt RDJ rules. I mean, look at the guy.
Sandra Bullock is the shoo-in for #1.
Why? Because of her undeserved Oscar win for what was a Lifetime-Movie-of-the-Week role or because of all of the pity she got for her crappy personal life?
ugh, so true. so very true.
Lady Gaga is No. 2
Johnny Depp in No. 1
Lady Gaga got me back into drinking Campari, so that’s a good thing. Every company wants in a Lady Gaga video right now (though I still would not buy her daft Monster headphones no matter how many times she wears them).
Lady Gaga has Campari in one of her videos? Sigh, arrivederci Campari, douche bags are drinking you now b/c of Lady Gaga. . .
I used to drink Campari and orange, as well as Campari and soda, and half the time no one stocks it… so imagine my surprise to see it in 2 or 3 of her videos, and it reminded me I like it. Oh and shark honey, how do you know I am a douche bag?
Why the crappy picture of Pattinson? He’s a good looking guy who DOES photograph well – heck, EW should have a treasure trove of their own RP pics to choose from! Surely they could have drawn on those. Sigh.
lol I know right?
He’s pretty and there are plenty of good pictures of Robert.
every pic of him is crappy. sorry.
Oh, don’t apologize. I was sure someone like you would come up with something like that. Laaaame.
@Amy
you must be blind. sorry.
Amy, every one sees people differently and you certainly have the right to your opinion, but to some of us, usually those that have done their homework on him beyond what he does with Twilight, we see a gorgeously handsome sexy man. He’s getting older now too, more mature, more manly.
Truthfully, I think he is the most beautiful man in Hollywood right now. There’s something about him, and he never fails to make me swoon.
Gurl, no.
I am not twihard but I find him very good-looking.
also his personality freaking hilarious.
I have to agree with you Amy, I think Robert is ugly. I dont care how many “women” like him. They only like him because of crappy Twilight. To me he and Kristen look like drug addicts who dont shower.
You are blind. You want to see some great sexy pix of RPatz, go to Robsesed. He is gorgeous and deserves the awards and being number 5 on this list
They always choose the worse possible picture of him!
Yea, they always choose a bad picture of him. It’s definitely not his face that’s the problem. Right…right?
You have to face the facts. Without the Edward makeup, he’s just plain….well…not attractive at all. No one paid the least bit of attention to him before he was Edward. They would have run off a cliff for ANYONE chosen for the part…Twilight lemmings….Twemmings.
I miss the Pop Culture Quiz issue- what happened to it!!
I remember that! I’d almost say that I wanted one, except now I think about 50% of the questions would be about Glee, Twilight, American Idol, Lost and Dancing With the Stars. And thanks to EW’s slavish, obsessive coverage of all of those, one not need actually watch/read those things to answer all the questions correctly.
I wouldn’t have a problem with Lost, but yeah I do without the others.
I miss those issues too. I used to love them.
I like a power list with just actors and other recognizable faces. Thanks EW. You have also chosen the most awesome celebrities for the cover.
My favorites are Johnny Depp, Sandra Bullock, Robert Pattinson and Lady Gaga. Leo D is not on the cover but he should be on the list because he came in two box office hits and two great movies this year.
Agreed.
Um, not on the Bullock and Pattinson, but the omission of Leo.
I was so hoping this was the Power Bottom List. Disappointed again!
LOL! Well, Kanye IS on there…
I know, right… apparently the ability to stir hatred and contoversy = “power”
Well..that’s not..um, never mind. heh
LOL!
All my faves appear to be on the cover, except Leo. I would have to agree with Emma on that one. I would think that Leo could pretty much get any movie role he wants at this point and people, young, old, whatever race, whatever gender, would go see it in droves.
…and I’m glad to see Robert Pattinson is here. I am rooting for him to do really well in this industry beyond Twilight. I see true star ability there and I hope that Bel Ami and Water For Elephants will showcase his talent next year.
Agreed.
I am looking forward to see all his new movies.
WOW — If Robert Pattison was doing a Bel Ami video, now THAT I would watch! Google “Bel Ami video” and you will see what i mean….
LOL, I definetely know what you mean… yummy!
I’ll just take your word for it …
Johnny Depp, Lady Gaga, Robert Downey JR and Rob Pattz.
What the hell does lady gaga have to do with hollywood? Circus maybe, but not Hollywood.