Oprah No. 1 on List of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities

Oprah Winfrey remains No. 1 on Forbes’ list of the Celebrity 100, a power ranking based on both earnings and fame. Despite weakening television ratings and magazine circulation, Ms. Winfrey earned $275 million before taxes in the past 12 months, and she remains one of the most famous faces in the world. Ratings for the self-made billionaire's flagship production, The Oprah Winfrey Show, may have diminished, but her earning power appears bulletproof. She will debut the Oprah Winfrey Network in partnership with Discovery Communications next year. She also has a three-year, $55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio. Her Harpo production company helped create Dr. Phil and The Rachael Ray Show.

The Celebrity 100 is Forbes' list of the world's most powerful -- and best-paid -- celebrities. To generate the list, Forbes estimates celebrity earnings, then factors in media hype like Google hits, press mentions, TV/radio mentions and the number of times an A-lister appears on the cover of more than 50 consumer magazines. Earnings estimates are for June 2007 to June 2008 and consist of dollars earned solely from entertainment-related income.

Golf star Tiger Woods retained the No. 2 spot on the list, raking in $115 million. Tiger chalked up another monster year on and off the course in 2007. He won his ninth PGA Player of the Year award and a seventh Vardon Trophy (given to the PGA Tour's leader in scoring average) and was the top money winner for an eighth time. He added $10 million by winning the inaugural FedEx Cup. Off the links he parted ways with American Express after a decade together. He still has big contracts with Nike, Accenture, Buick and Gillette. His latest endorsement: a five-year agreement for his own line of Gatorade drinks.

Beyonce Knowles was No. 4 and husband Jay-Z was No. 7. Beyonce had a monster year, pulling in $80 million ($50 million in tickets sales alone) between a highly successful concert tour, private shows, a fashion line, endorsement deals with L'Oréal, American Express and others. Jay-Z left Def Jam Records to sign a $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation. The deal provides the rapper and entrepreneur with money for recording, tours and other entertainment endeavors for the next decade. He also released a second platinum comeback CD, American Gangster.

Will Smith, ranked 11th, is the highest paid actor in Hollywood, bringing home $80 million, including an estimated $20 million for his role in the upcoming anti-superhero flick "Hancock."

Hip-hop star 50 Cent was the third-highest earner on the list (he ranked 26th overall), taking in $150 million before taxes. Last summer Coca-Cola paid $4.1 billion for Glaceau, the beverage company that owns Vitamin Water. Fifty owned a small stake in the company.

50 Cent and Universal Sued for Pushing "Gangsta" Life

Rapper 50 Cent, Universal Music Group and several of its record labels were sued on Wednesday for promoting a "gangsta lifestyle" by a 14-year-old boy who says friends of the rapper assaulted him. The lawsuit which was filed by James Rosemond and his mother, Cynthia Reed, says Universal Music Group and its labels Interscope Records, G-Unit Records and Shady Records, bear responsibility for the assault because they encourage artists to pursue violent, criminal lifestyles. The lawsuit also names 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, Violator Management, Violator CEO Chris Lighty, rapper Tony Yayo, a member of 50 Cent's G-Unit hip hop group, and Lowell Fletcher, an employee of Yayo.

Young Rosemond says he was assaulted on a Manhattan sidewalk in March 2007 by four men including Yayo and Fletcher. The lawsuit claims Rosemond was targeted because he was wearing a T-shirt by Czar Entertainment, a management company that represents The Game. The Game is a former G-Unit rapper who fell out with the group and became a rival rapper. Tony Yayo, whose real name is Marvin Bernard, pleaded guilty to harassment in February, and was sentenced to ten days of community service. Fletcher pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and was sentenced to 9 months in jail.

"The members of G-Unit, including defendants Yayo and 50 Cent, encouraged, sanctioned, approved and condoned its members threatening violence, and or engaging in violent acts in furtherance of its business," the lawsuit said. “The attack on Rosemond was intended to "promote and maintain Yayo and 50 Cent's 'gangsta' image," which was "promoted, marketed and advertised" by record labels.”