HOLLYWOOD—The economy is still not where it should be, as unemployment, housing, and construction jobs are still very much where they were a couple of years ago. Nonetheless, Forbes just recently came out with a list of the world’s 1,153 billionaires. At the top of the list is Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim with a whopping $69 billion. He’s followed by Bill Gates with $61 billion and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett with $44 billion. The youngest woman to join the Billionaires Club is the Spanx queen, Sara Blakely. Rolling off the list of billionaires is the mastermind of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling. Generously, Rowling has given away $160 million, reports Forbes, which now makes her just a millionaire - not too shabby.
Not yet a billionaire, Taylor Swift is number one with her “Speak Now" album and tour. Taylor has earned $35.7 million with her tour, publishing royalties and album sales last year, making her the music industry’s biggest moneymaker in 2011, Billboard reports. Coming in second place is U2 with $32.1 million. Rounding out the top five are Kenny Chesney at $29.8 million, Lady Gaga at $25.3 million and Lil Wayne at $23.1 million.
If you haven’t heard of "Kony 2012," you have been living under a rock The 30-minute film which highlights the atrocities of Joseph Kony (an African warlord) has sent the social media into overtime, creating the media buzz that takes the internet by storm. “Kony 2012” has been viewed, as of press time, more than 58 million times on YouTube. Facebook users have “liked” it over 445,000 times, and Twitter has celebrities like J.K. Rowling. Justin Beiber, Will Smith, and P.Diddy tweeting about it. The video has gone viral, so if you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, just Google it.
The filmmaker, Jason Russell, who is in charge of the San Diego organization Invisible Children, introduces Joseph Kony to the world. In the Ugandan jungle, Kony leads the Lord’s Resistance Army. According to published reports, the United Nations and the International Criminal Court say that Kony, backed by child soldiers and comforted by girl sex slaves and fed by a campaign of terror against Ugandan villagers, has abducted, killed, and mutilated tens of thousands of children and adults. Many cynics question the website's, which encourages visitors to buy T-shirts, bracelets and posters or just send donations, as well as purchase action kits. Most of the money is spent on mission, promotion and travel, according to the financial statements.
Rose’s Scoop: Ever since Simon Cowell back in January kicked to the curb judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, he has been frantically looking for replacements. There was talks of Janet Jackson, the late Whitney Houston, and now, it’s Britney Spears, according to theHollywood Reporter. E! News reports she’s been offered a whopping $10 million, but wants to hold out for more.
Entertainment Magazine
