Yesterday evening, two back-to-back shows were filmed in part of the series of final episodes of the Oprah Winfrey show. Filmed at the United Center in Chicago, more than 20,000 attended the four hour taping.
The theme of the two shows that were filmed yesterday was “Surprise Oprah” and basically involved everyone who’s everyone in Hollywood joining together to honor the living legend that is Oprah.
The first hour long show was hosted by Tom Hanks. It involved appearances by Tom Cruise, Beyonce, Halle Berry, Madonna, Josh Groban, Dakota Fanning and many more.
The second show was hosted by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. It included appearances by Michael Jordan, Stevie Wonder, Jerry Seinfeld, Simon Cowell, Maria Shriver and Maya Angelou among many others.
So if you are a celebrity, you were in Chicago last night.
The Hollywood Reporter has a very detailed play-by-play of the taping. The two “Surprise Oprah” shows will air on May 23rd and 24th
Here’s how the people involved in the shows have discussed the experience on Twitter:
LOS ANGELES -- The men and women on our annual Celebrity 100 list--the most powerful people in the entertainment business this year--earned $4.5 billion over the last 12 months by starring in films, playing basketball, walking the catwalk and more. But they also rose to the top by garnering influence.
These days that means mastering social media. Lady Gaga topples Oprah Winfrey from her No.1 spot on our list, which she's given up for only the third time in seven years. Gaga is there not just because of the $90 million she earned with a monster tour, but also because of her 32 million Facebook fans and 9.5 million Twitter followers--aka Little Monsters--who helped move 1 million digital downloads of her recent single "Born This Way" in only five days. They're also happy to buy the MAC makeup, Monster headphones and Virgin Mobile phones she features in her videos.
Oprah doesn't fall far though. The daytime talk maven, who earned $290 million last year, comes in second. Winfrey's earnings sank $25 million partially due to a reduced payday at SiriusXM. She still earns big from her syndicated show and from the stars she's spawned, including Dr. Phil (No. 18) Rachael Ray and Dr. Oz. Winfrey's earning power will take a bigger hit next year, when her syndicated show ends and she concentrates all her efforts on the struggling OWN network.
Maybe it would help if Oprah took a lesson from No. 3 Justin Bieber. The Biebs debuts on our list at the tender young age of 17, with $53 million earned over the last 12 months thanks to concerts, music sales and a 3-D documentary movie that grossed $100 million at the global box office. If this were 10 years ago Bieber would still be paying his dues in small clubs and schools, but thanks to the Internet, he's a sensation. His first hit song, "Baby," has been viewed 500 million times, a YouTube record.
Slideshow: The Forbes Celebrity 100
Reality TV it girl Bethenny Frankel is another newbie worth noting. Famous for her newest hit show, Bethenny Ever After, she's used the small-screen platform to promote her Skinnygirl brand, helping her earn $55 million this year. She joins our list in 42nd place. Her entrepreneurial prowess--she sold her Skinnygirl Cocktails to Fortune Brands and nabbed a $100 million cut of the deal paid out over multiple years--also put her on the cover of our magazine this week.
The Celebrity 100, which includes film and television actors, TV personalities, models, athletes, authors, musicians and comedians, is a measure of entertainment-related earnings and media visibility (exposure in print, television, radio and online). We also measure social media power by looking at each celebrity's presence on Facebook and Twitter. The earnings consist of pretax income between May 1, 2010, and May 1, 2011. Management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted. Forbes has been publishing the list annually since 1999.
Despite problems on and off the golf course, Tiger Woods still makes the top 10, ranking sixth with $75 million in annual earnings. Woods hasn't won a tournament since the revelation of his marital infidelities in 2009, and he recently withdrew from The Players Championship. But he still commands $3 million a pop for overseas appearances, and collects money from his remaining sponsors, Nike and Electronic Arts.
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