Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell’s celebrity status and entertainment industry influence may have started relatively small in the UK, but he’s definitely spread his wings of late. The TV producer, entrepreneur and showbiz judge was the brainchild behind talent show The X Factor, which has now gone stateside in a massive way. As one of the main judges on the show he’s got the power to make people’s careers.

Oprah Winfrey

Few people in the entertainment industry have had as long and as influential a career as Oprah Winfrey. Her show has been nationally aired since 1986, her support for Barack Obama was significant enough to be considered a contributor to his Presidency and her fortune weighs up in its billions.

Kim Kardashian

Though Kim hasn’t really done a great deal of note or been around for that much time, she has suddenly propelled herself into more celebrity magazine shots than Marilyn Monroe. With 37.5 million results showing up in Google, clearly she’s one of the entertainment industry’s most influential celebs right now.

Rihanna

Like Kim, Rhianna has also thundered to the top of the pile when it comes to paparazzi attention of late. While she’s definitely got the musical success to back this up, it’s probably fair to say that some of the attention comes more as a result of her personal life than her music.

Jay-Z & Beyonce

Everywhere and seemingly doing everything, Jay-Z and Beyonce come as a pair these days with a supersized celebrity influence to boot. Everything they produce turns to gold and anywhere they go they are trailed by a band of hardened photographers.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (Brangelina)

Though their influence seems to be on a downward spiral, as a combo they’re just about keeping a hand in the mix. Their film output has slowed of recent years, but they still attract a lot of celebrity magazine attention. However, you know you’ve got a lot of clout when the media has to come up with a unified name for you as a couple.

Johnny Depp

In terms of cinema, has any other man been as culturally influential as Johnny Depp. Starring in both hugely successful and massively quirky roles he has helped to redefine the male acting world. His films have grossed more than $7 billion worldwide and he has been listed in the 2012 Guiness Book of Records as the highest paid actor. If that isn’t enough, when Disney execs initially criticised his portrayal of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean he told them to either trust him or kick him off the film. The outcome was obvious.

Jennifer Lopez

Not really much of an obvious choice, however, as well as a career in music and film, she has also recently been confirmed to return next year as one of the judges of American Idol. She’s also been linked with a role in Glee, so expect J.Lo’s influence to rocket over the next year or so.

David Letterman

Surely a no brainer. David Letterman’s show has been going since before the Cretaceous period and his show has been watched by more people than the moon landing. If that’s not enough, appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman have been enough to make careers skyrocket.

Justin Bieber

While Justin Bieber’s influence with anyone over a certain age is slim to non-existent, when it comes to kids and younger teenagers he’s pretty much their entire world. With sneaky conversations with the like of Rhianna and David Beckham at LA Lakers games, he’s definitely got the kind of influence to pull in the celebrity attention too. However, to cap it all, the video to his single Baby is the most viewed and talked about video on YouTube.

This guest post was written by Tuppence Magazine, dedicated to bringing the best entertainment news to the web.

If you’ve been following the NBC late night comedy shuffle crisis, then you probably already heard that Conan isn’t happy. For those who aren’t familiar with the O’Brien-Leno-Fallon hullaballoo, then here’s a news clip that sums it up:

And funnyman Conan has a lot to say about the matter. In fact, he released a lengthy statement for the world to see. Taken from The Hollywood Gossip, here it is:

People of Earth,

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future.

It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.

The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,
Conan

David Letterman is never going to hear the end of his extortion case, is he? After Jay Leno cracked his own joke, SNL followed suit. Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers had something to say; he said that it was a "stupid human trick." I guess it's funnier if you actually watch the show.

Rival David Letterman has been "enjoying" a lot of extra publicity because of his extortion case. Jay Leno just couldn't let that one go, and said in his own show that he is also a victim of extortion. How do? He poses this question: "How do think NBC got me to do a 10 o'clock show?"
Now it is kinda funny, isn't it?

Who would have thought? The late night show host has finally gotten married, after being with his girlfriend for the past 23 years! He broke the news in his show, to the delight of many. Congratulations, old guy!