World’s most powerful celebrity

NEW YORK, June 18(Online): Who says you can't achieve fame and fortune with an indie, filmed entirely in Aramaic and Latin? The movie "The Pa**ion of the Christ" did just that for actor-director Mel Gibson.




Gibson, the director, producer and screenwriter for the "Christ" flick, was named the world's most powerful celebrity by Forbes magazine on Thursday, dethroning "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston from the No. 1 spot she held last year.




The magazine said the "Christ" film helped Gibson earn an estimated $210 million during the past 12 months.




Although the film opened amid a firestorm of controversy in February, "Christ" has grossed $370 million domestically and more than $600 million worldwide.




Aniston, who topped the list last year, came in at No. 17 on the list this year. The popular NBC sitcom that paid her a staggering million dollars per episode came to an end earlier this year.




But Aniston and her hunky husband Brad Pitt have now earned the new title of Hollywood's most powerful couple. Pitt took the No. 37 spot on the list because of the success of his epic film "Troy."




Britney Spears, the most powerful celebrity in 2002, failed to make this year's list. The pop princess was forced to cancel her summer concert tour because of a severe knee injury she suffered while shooting a music video earlier this month.




Spears also wasn't on the top 100 list in 2003.




Rounding out this year's top 5 were golf champion Tiger Woods, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, actor Tom Cruise and rock group The Rolling Stones.




The 2004 list quantified celebrity by combining earning power with star power, including press clips, TV and radio mentions, magazine cover stories and Web hits, the magazine said.





Top 10 From the Celebrity 100 List

1- Mel gibson

2- Tiger Woods

3- Oprah Winfrey

4- Tom Cruse

5- Rolling Stones

6- J.K. Rowling

7- Michael Jordan

8- Bruce Springsteen

9- Steven Speilberg

10- Johnny Depp