Do you ever wonder if you’ve been snoozing with Rip Van Winkle in Sleepy Hollow? That’s the way I felt after turning to pages 14 and 15 in the latest edition of Forbes magazine. Scanning the “Celebrity 100 Most Powerful Stars,” I had to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I wondered: “Who are these people?”
I guess that’s what I get for not watching TV or studying the grocery-store-check-out-line tabloids. But in scanning two pages in the business/financial magazine, I was surprised how uniformed—make that ignorant—I was about the celebrity world.
Who’s J.J. Abrams?
He made $28 million last year as a film/TV producer.
Gordon Ramsay?
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| Pharrell Williams |
Gordon pulled in $47 million as a chef and reality TV star, among other things.
Avicii?
The Swedish music newcomer needs just one name to make $28 million.
Pharrell Williams?
I didn’t have a clue, until I read Pharrell made $22 million singing and songwriting.
One Direction?
Hmmmm. I guessed they sang. I was lucky, but the English-Irish pop boy band members are luckier with $75 million in their pockets.
Zooey Deschanel?
Uhhh, I was stumped—again. Poor Zooey reported only $6 million as an actress, musician and singer/songwriter.
Bryan Cranston?
He’s in Zooey’s earnings league, cashing in $7 million as an actor in things like Breaking Bad. Sorry, Bryan, my bad.
Seth MacFarlane?
Well, he made five times—$35 million—more than Bryan while singing, acting and making people laugh.
