Madonna

Madonna crisscrossed the globe last year for her tour, 'Confessions,' which drew over 1 million fans and grossed $194 million, making it the top-earning tour by a female artist in history. NBC cut the Material Girl a hefty check to broadcast the 'Confessions' tour live last November, though ratings proved disappointing. In March, the always-fashion-forward singer linked up with retailer H&M for her own clothing line, M. (Rhinestones a-plenty, but no cone bras.) Generated a maelstrom of negative publicity last year for her adoption of a baby in Malawi.

Cast of Desperate Housewives

Cast of Desperate Housewives
Cast of Desperate Housewives

Pay $14 million
Power Rank 34
2005 Rank: 25





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Actors


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ABC's Sunday night anchor suffered a major ratings hit in its sophomore year. That didn't hamper the ladies of Wisteria Lane from snagging handsome new contracts, guaranteeing the stars an estimated $440,000 per episode. Felicity Huffman increased her artistic cred in acclaimed indie film "Transamerica," for which she received an Oscar nomination, while cast mate Eva Longoria opted for a small role in the big-budget turkey "The Sentinel."

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington

Pay $38 million
Power Rank 33
2005 Rank: 31




E-Score Rank 5

Top Attributes
Talented, Intelligent

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Actor


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One of Hollywood's highest paid and bankable actors, he is the only actor on the list to have been paid twice for the same movie. In 2004 Washington was paid to appear in "American Gangster," but the project was scrapped before filming began. As part of a pay-or-play agreement, Washington kept the cash. The project was recently revived, and Washington was paid again to play the role of a Harlem drug lord. Last year he scored big with Spike Lee's well-received heist flick "Inside Man" and pocketed a big paycheck for the upcoming movie "Deja Vu."

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh

Pay $30 million
Power Rank 32
2005 Rank: 28




E-Score Rank 73

Top Attributes
Aggressive, Influential

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Talking head


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Despite settling allegations of prescription drug fraud in April 2005, the conservative talkmeister remains one of talk radio's biggest draws. His syndicated show, heard by as many as 20 million listeners per week, can be heard daily on 600 radio stations nationally.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks

Pay $29 million
Power Rank 31
2005 Rank: NR




E-Score Rank 1

Top Attributes
Talented, Funny

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Actor


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The 51-year-old actor earned a huge payday last year for his starring role in the "The Da Vinci Code," the film adaptation of Dan Brown's best seller. Though the film was critically panned, it raked in $224 million at box offices worldwide over its opening weekend, crowning it the second-largest debut in cinematic history. (It was the biggest international opening ever.) Next up: Hanks plays a scandal-plagued congressman in "Charlie Wilson's War," rumored to co-star Julia Roberts in her return to the big screen.

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher

Pay $58 million
Power Rank 30
2005 Rank: 17




E-Score Rank 63

Top Attributes
Talented, Physically Fit

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Athlete


© AP Photo/Bernd Kammerer


After five straight World Championships (seven in total), Schumacher came back to earth last year, finishing third in the year-end standings. After winning 12 races the previous year, Schumi reached the top of the podium only once in 2005. Much of the blame went to inferior Bridgestone tires. Schumacher remains the highest-paid racer in Formula One, with a nearly $40 million salary from team owner Ferrari.

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell



Pay $43 million
Power Rank 29
2005 Rank: NR




E-Score Rank 76

Top Attributes
Rude, Mean

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Personality


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The snarky judge on TV's top-rated show, "American Idol," reportedly makes $36 million a year thanks to the rich contract renewal he inked this year. He is also the brain trust behind three other reality shows, including NBC's upcoming "America's Got Talent." Cowell frequently sells his show concepts abroad, and recently re-upped his contract for the U.K. hit show "X Factor." His Syco music label is responsible for such blockbuster acts as Il Divo.

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld

Pay $100 million
Power Rank 28
2005 Rank: NR
E-Score Rank 23
Top Attributes
Funny, Talented

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Comedian


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His hit series about nothing just entered its third round in syndication. While most old hits lose steam over the years, "Seinfeld," which went off the air eight years ago, still generates substantial ad revenue for cable. In addition to a piece of syndication, Seinfeld also pockets a cut of the show's DVD sales. Seinfeld was plenty busy this year--not that there's anything wrong with that. He wrote, produced and stars in a DreamWorks animated film "Bee Movie," set for release next year. And, of course, he periodically returns to the stage to ply his original craft, stand-up comedy.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp


Pay $29 million
Power Rank 27
2005 Rank: 7
E-Score Rank 10

Top Attributes
Talented, Interesting

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Actor
© Kevin Winter/Getty Images
He wowed audiences worldwide with his quirky, if somewhat creepy, portrayal of Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which grossed almost $500 million worldwide. The one-time indie film prince has emerged as one of Hollywood's biggest draws and is set to star in this summer's highly anticipated sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan



Pay $32 million
Power Rank 26
2005 Rank: 16




E-Score Rank 7

Top Attributes
Physically Fit, Talented

E-Score is a celebrity appeal ranking, comprised of 46 separate personality attributes. E-Score evaluations are provided by E-Poll Market Research, which has a database of more than 2,800 celebrities.

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Athlete


© AP Photo/Mark J. Terril


MJ's endorsements have been pared down to a handful, including Gatorade, Sara Lee and Upper Deck. The bulk of his income, though, still comes from the Swoosh. Nike's Jordan brand is a $500 million business (sales) and finished the year with record profits and sales. In addition to the legendary basketball star, Nike employs an elite list of athletes to market the Jordan brand, including Ray Allen, Carmelo Anthony and Derek Jeter. Jordan's latest book, "Driven From Within," has sold 111,000 copies since its fall release, according to Nielsen BookScan.