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 had said in the 1980’s that the hip hop genre would produce some of the richest recording artists and producers in the world then you would have been laughed at. Back then, the genre was seen as an outlet for the lower income groups and minorities to express themselves. Today, however, this genre has grown by leaps and bounds and its influence can be seen not only in the music industry but in fashion, games and has spurned a few reality television shows.

People admire them and many of us would like to be them, the successful hip hop artists of today rake in millions in record sales, clothing and fragrance lines. These artists are very successful in business as well - here is a list of some of the richest hip hop artists of our time:

• “50 Cent” Curtis Jackson and Brian “Birdman” Williams
• “Dr Dre” Andre Young
• “Jay Z” Shawn Corey Carter
• “P Diddy” Sean Combs

In joint place for fourth and fifth and in no particular order we have “50 Cent” Curtis Jackson and Brian “Birdman” Williams.

50 Cent was discovered by Eminem and, in conjunction with Dr Dre, quickly became one of the highest grossing hip hop artists. The bulk of his fortune, however, came from the sale of his shares in Vitamin Water.

In 2003 50 Cent founded record label G Unit Records. This label is also responsible for artists like Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Adding to 50 Cent’s accomplishments in the music industry, he was noted as the third best rapper of the decade 2000-2009 following Eminem and Nelly. 50 Cent has also stared in numerous movies like Get rich or Die Trying in 2005, Home of the Brave in 2006 and Righteous Kill in 2008.

Brian “Birdman” Williams is the one half of hip hop duo Big Tymers as well as co founder of the record label Cash Money Records. All of this was a spin off from his solo career in the 90’s. Along with his record label, Birdman has also dabbled in oil and gas exploration.

In third place goes to a big name in the industry, “Dr Dre” Andre Young. Dr Dre made his fortune from his solo career at record label Death Row Records. His label is responsible for launching top selling artists like Eminem, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. In 1993 Dr Dre launched a solo album “The Chronic” that went on to become one of the biggest selling albums.  In 1996 Dr Dre went on to start his own record label aptly named Aftermath Entertainment. Dr Dre, as with many other hip hop artists, also starred in various movie roles including Set it Off, The Wash and Training Day”.

In second place we have Shawn Corey Carter otherwise known as Jay Z. He is rumoured to be worth an estimated $450 Million. Jay Z is touted as being a shrewd businessman as, along with his rapping, he made his fortune as a club owner as well as through a fashion label and advertising. His accolades in the music industry include sales of more than 50 million records and 13 Grammy awards.

As a businessman, Jay Z is the owner of the 40/40Club, owner of clothing label Rocawear as well as part owner of the New Jersey Nets. He is also the founder of the record label Roc-A-Fella Records and music publishing and entertainment company Roc Nation, which has hit artists Rihanna, Mark Ronson and The Ting Tings as part of their stable.

At number one we have the charismatic Sean “P Diddy” Combs. Diddy, as he is now known, is by all accounts a highly acclaimed musician and businessman with an estimated worth of $475 million. His wealth stems from an accomplished music career that netted him three Grammy awards and two MTV Video Music awards. Diddy is the owner of successful clothing line Sean John Clothing, worldwide record label Bad Boy Records, a movie production company and two restaurants.

These artists bear testament to the fact that hard work and a shrewd business acumen will ensure that the sky is the limit.

Nathan Johnston is an online content writer who enjoys writing about various topics from the supreme comfort of his air conditioned office. Currently he's researching wedding rings and Engagement rings for content on his latest article.

And what a smashing night it was! Fans who purchased tickets to Wednesday night’s concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, were more than satisfied with the 29-year-old’s show.

She even brought a few friends along for the ride. Beyoncé surprised the crowd when she came out to perform “Put It In A Love Song” with Alicia Keys.

Jay-Z was also there to perform their massive hit duet, “Empire State of Mind.”

Other guest singers were Robin Thicke (above) and Jermaine Paul (below) who serenaded the crowd with their singles.

Did you catch the concert? What did you think?

Who says you can’t raise funds for Haiti while hitting the clubs? Last week Hollywood celebs and their friends clinked glasses and danced the night away at The Eldridge in New York City for a Haiti benefit party.

Hosted by Matt Levine, Solange Knowles, and Kevin Barnes, the party’s proceeds went straight to Yele, singer Wyclef Jean’s charity organization for Haiti earthquake victims. Guests included Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles, who did a semi-reunion of Destiny’s Child when she sang with Michelle Williams. Solange played DJ the whole night, as she spun Michael Jackson and Prince tracks.

Check out the party photos here.

Easy for you to say, pal, you weren’t the one being dissed. PLUS, perhaps it didn’t hurt that it was his girl that Kanye was rooting for!