Forbes just issued its annual “Celebrity 100″ list, which aims to rank actors, models, musicians, athletes, and the like through some enormously complicated algorithm (that we couldn’t possibly understand), which not only awards points for monetary earnings but also for tv/radio, media, web, and social rankings. Apparently, omnipresence is key, and who (for better or worse) is more present in this day and age than Lady Gaga? In fact, Gaga only earned $90 million compared to Oprah Winfrey’s $290 million, but Gaga’s influence has somehow overshadowed that of Oprah, which meant a displacement at the #1 position:

The men and women on our annual Celebrity 100 list–the most powerful people in the entertainment business this year–earned $4.5 billion over the last 12 months by starring in films, playing basketball, walking the catwalk and more. But they also rose to the top by garnering influence.

These days that means mastering social media. Lady Gaga topples Oprah Winfrey from her No.1 spot on our list, which she’s given up for only the third time in seven years. Gaga is there not just because of the $90 million she earned with a monster tour, but also because of her 32 million Facebook fans and 10 million Twitter followers–aka Little Monsters–who helped move 1 million digital downloads of her recent single “Born This Way” in only five days. They’re also happy to buy the MAC makeup, Monster headphones and Virgin Mobile phones she features in her videos.

Oprah doesn’t fall far though. The daytime talk maven, who earned $290 million last year, comes in second. Winfrey’s earnings sank $25 million partially due to a reduced payday at SiriusXM. She still earns big from her syndicated show and from the stars she’s spawned, including Dr. Phil (No. 18), Rachael Ray, and Dr. Oz. Winfrey’s earning power will take a bigger hit next year, when her syndicated show ends and she concentrates all her efforts on the struggling OWN network.

Maybe it would help if Oprah took a lesson from No. 3 Justin Bieber. The Biebs debuts on our list at the tender young age of 17, with $53 million earned over the last 12 months thanks to concerts, music sales and a 3-D documentary movie that grossed $100 million at the global box office. If this were 10 years ago Bieber would still be paying his dues in small clubs and schools, but thanks to the Internet, he’s a sensation. His first hit song, “Baby,” has been viewed 500 million times, a YouTube record.

Despite problems on and off the golf course, Tiger Woods still makes the top 10, ranking sixth with $75 million in annual earnings. Woods hasn’t won a tournament since the revelation of his marital infidelities in 2009, and he recently withdrew from The Players Championship. But he still commands $3 million a pop for overseas appearances, and collects money from his remaining sponsors, Nike and Electronic Arts.

[From Forbes]

In third place? The reprehensible Justin Bieber. Rounding out the top 10 are U2, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Simon Cowell, and Lebron James. (Basically, this is a list of people that we can’t stand, right?) Also scoring quite high (#15 with $77 million in earnings) are Leonardo DiCaprio (which will certainly make Blake Lively happy); the nauseating Bethenny Frankel (#42 with $55 million); and Will Smith (#65 with $36 million) because of the upcoming Men in Black III and also because he pimped out his kids (Jaden as the new Karate Kid an actor and Willow as YouTube phenom). Failing to rank at all this year were Britney Spears and Daniel Radcliffe. You can read the full list here.

Photos courtesy of Fame Pictures

I’ve been waiting for any behind-the-scenes news about any kind of drama going down at Monday’s Costume Institute Met Gala, but I wasn’t expecting this – apparently, Lady Gaga was the night’s big diva. Gaga didn’t walk the red carpet, so we don’t have access to any photos of her costume – but you can see photos of her at HuffPo. It looks like a fancier version of the catsuit Jennifer Lopez wore for New Year’s. Anyway, Gaga didn’t walk the red carpet, and when she arrived, she ran to her dressing room and wouldn’t come out until Oprah “coaxed” her out. What gives, Gah?

Lady Gaga’s penchant for bizarre behavior continued at Monday’s Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gaga was the slated performer at Vogue editor Anna Wintour’s annual fete, co-hosted this year by Oprah Winfrey and Gap creative director Patrick Robinson, though she refused to walk the red carpet and remained locked inside her dressing room for most of the evening.

“She literally wouldn’t come out,” says a spy. “Friends tried, [Warner Music exec] Lyor Cohen tried, no dice. Eventually, Vito Schnabel came over and got [artist] Terence Koh on the phone to talk to her, which helped. Koh and Oprah were the ones who finally coaxed her out.”

Once on stage, Gaga told the 700 assembled guests — including Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, Diane von Furstenberg, Barry Diller and Mayor Bloomberg — how she got the gig.

“I’ll never forget when Anna Wintour called me to play at this event, she called me and said, ‘I would like you to play at the Met gala, but I just want to make sure, because I’ve seen you perform before, that you won’t be swearing during the performance,’ ” Gaga explained. “So Anna, I will do my [bleep]-ing best!”

Most of the crowd seemed to enjoy the performance, except Bono — who left half-way through.

Later, at an after-party at the Mark Hotel, Pharrell Williams, Sean Combs, Usher and Justin Timberlake ended up having an impromptu jam session with DJ Cassidy.

“Pharrell first jumped in and started singing ‘Beautiful,’ and then Puffy jumped up and started rapping to ‘All About the Benjamins.’ He even grabbed Anna Wintour into the deejay booth. Finally, Usher and Justin joined in.”

Jude Law, Sienna Miller and January Jones were among those at the Mark, but it was Katy Perry who attracted the most attention. “She was out of control,” says a spy. “She was wearing a dress that had LED lights, and the switch was near her boobs. She was literally having people grope her to turn the dress on.”

[From Page Six]

Ooohhh… I wonder if Bono and Gaga are mortal enemies? They seem unlikely foes, but you can never tell with the two of them. That’s also interesting about Katy Perry. She wasn’t my choice for biggest disaster, but I’ll take it. My picks were Kate Hudson and Jessica Biel, just for the possible catfight they would have had over Justin Timberlake.

Brian Johnson (above), the lead singer of AC/DC, has a bone to pick with Bono. He thinks Bono is a big fat jerk. Because Bono tries to get people to donate to charity. I think. Johnson gave an interview to the Herald Sun (story via HuffPo), and Johnson described his animosity towards Bono “some bastard” who “talks down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa.” Here’s more:

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson is taking on Bono and Bob Geldof for their public displays of charity work.

“When I was a working man I didn’t want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa,” he told Melbourne’s Herald Sun.

“I’m sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry. I become all tyrannical.”

Johnson said that his own band prefers to make their charitable contributions in private.
“Do a charity gig, fair enough, but not on worldwide television,” he said.

AC/DC turned down a slot at Live Aid in 1985.

“I do it myself, I don’t tell everybody I’m doing it,” Johnson said. “I don’t tell everybody they should give money – they can’t afford it.”

[From Huffington Post]

Now, here’s the thing: I do think Bono is rather douchey, and I don’t like the way he refuses to put his own money where his mouth is. His non-profit in Washington doesn’t send money to Africa – they simply take donations to further their own lobbying efforts, without Bono contributing to the upkeep. Bono also set up a tax shelter in the Netherlands - so, while he’s asking the governments of the world to contribute a percentage of their GDP to altruistic solutions for Africa, he’s taking away a substantial taxable revenue stream. I also hate the way he’s constantly taking credit for the larger solutions being worked on in Africa (debt relief, malaria, AIDS, TB, micro-financing) in interview after interview, while he should be using his advocacy to pay it forward, so to speak, and give away credit to those governments and corporations who do sign on with billions of dollars.

All that being said, I don’t really think that was the point Brian Johnson was trying to make. I think Johnson is one of those people who doesn’t think charitable contributions should ever discussed, ever? Something like that. I don’t know. As far as the whole “just shut up” argument goes, it’s weak. If you’re whole deal is donating quietly without a press release, why give an interview about how you’re donating quietly?

Brian Johnson performing on April 14, 2009 in London. Bono in London on November 30, 2009. Credit: WENN.

It’s no secret that I don’t really care for Evan Rachel Wood. She’s not really that bad, but there are just a few little things that grate on my nerves about her. However, after I read her ex-boyfriend Marilyn Manson’s recent comments about her – that he wanted to “smash her skull in” – I had been feeling more sympathy for her. Anyone who pissed off Marilyn that much was probably doing something right.

Now I don’t know what to make of Evan after reading this interview excerpt she gave to the London Times (story via OK! UK). Evan is about to star as Mary Jane Watson in the Broadway musical version of Spiderman. She’s already dyed her hair red, and she should fit into the role pretty well. Bono and The Edge are writing the music for the show, and when Evan came face to face with them, she whined to them that their music was “depressing”. Uh… I’m coming down on the side of “Evan is not worthy.”

Evan Rachel Wood had harsh words for BONO and THE EDGE when she met them – she told the U2 stars to make their music less depressing.

The actress is set to take on the role of Mary Jane Watson in the new musical SpiderMan: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway, which will debut in February (10).

U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge are writing new music for the musical – and Wood found herself giving them tips at a recent meet-up.

She tells Britain’s The Times, “I was like, ‘Bono, I know you want to save the world and everything, but in this song you’re talking about poverty and world hunger and it’s Broadway. Can we lighten this up a bit, can I just not sing this?”

“He was like, ‘You’re right, I know, we have to try, we have to try’.”

[From OK! Magazine - UK]

I’m sure Bono was really like “Get away from me, little dumb girl.” It sounds like Evan was criticizing the music they were writing for the Broadway show specifically, doesn’t it? She wasn’t really issuing a general complaint against U2’s music in general. Because if she’s whining about U2 in general, that’s enough to make me Team Bono forever and always, and I have huge issues with Bono (all non-music related). Could it be possible that Evan has a point, though? Is Bono trying to force some songs about debt relief into the Spiderman musical? Sigh. Why can’t U2 go back to writing songs that were iconic and you know… not about debt relief?

Evan Rachel Wood is shown on 6/26/09 at the Swarovski Crystallized Concept store grand opening in NY. Bono is shown on 6/6/09 going to vote in Dublin. Credit: WENN.com.

Bono is lashing out at illegal music downloading, while still acknowledging that he’s “overpaid and overnourished”. The original interview was allegedly with USA Today, but all I could find was other sites using the quotes. Bono says the music industry “has been thrown to the dogs” and that music is “a sacred thing” that shouldn’t be given away for nothing. Bono wants the cops to be called when there’s an illegal download in process. Ruh-roh:

U2′s Bono has admitted he is “overpaid and overnourished” in his latest attack on illegal music downloading.

The Irish rocker claims he is not the best person to speak out for musicians who are less well-off than himself, given his own financial status.

He said: “People think artists like me are overpaid and overnourished, and they’re not wrong. What they’re missing is, how does a songwriter get paid?

“Music has become tap water, a utility, where for me it’s a sacred thing, so I’m a little offended by illegal downloading.”

“The music business has been thrown to the dogs. That will change when file-sharing of TV shows and movies becomes as easy as songs. Somebody is going to call the cops.”

From The Daily Record

Though Bono has a point, perhaps he’s not the best messenger. Bono the person/advocate/tax-haven-lovin’ wanker (as opposed to Bono the lead singer of U2) has been getting destroyed in the press lately for his lack of … how shall I say it… authenticity on the whole advocacy thing. The whole “putting your money where your mouth is” thing, Bono’s not so good at that. It just seems like the more Bono talks about how rich he is and how he wants people to go to jail for trying to get something for free, he looks like a corporate CEO complaining about taxes. It’s just not rock and roll.

Bono is shown outside the Chateau Marmont on 3/9/09. Credit: WENN.com

On Friday Bono gave an interview to BBC1 radio in Britain, where he called Chris Martin of Coldplay a ‘wanker’, ‘cretin’ and a ‘dysfunctional character’. He tried to play it off in the interview as a joke, saying he liked Coldplay (doesn’t mean he likes Chris Martin though).

Chris Martin is touring Australia with Coldplay this week and addressed the comments.

“I think it’s great that we’re arch enemies,” Martin said. “That’s a joke too.”

Martin has long used U2 as the benchmark for Coldplay, with U2 saying Martin’s band also keep them on their toes.

The mutual lovefest continues: Coldplay are now playing U2′s new single Magnificent just before they come on stage “as a mark of respect.”

“We respect any musician,” Martin said, “particularly ones who’ve kept going and not changed line up and have always been good.

“The difficulty of the whole U2 thing is we’re only on our fourth record. We’re competing with people on their fifth records. We’re just coming up to where people were making (the Beatles’) Revolver or (U2′s) The Joshua Tree. We’re at a very different stage.”

Melbourne Herald Sun

Chris’ joke fell about as flat as Bono’s, and he then went on to talk about how even just in Melbourne there are probably a hundred better musicians than any one member of Coldplay, but the band had a special chemistry that can’t be recreated.

Lily Allen and Katy Perry take note, Coldplay have taken the gentleman’s way out of this. Rather than sniping back at Bono in order to get another bit of press, Chris Martin took the high road. No one called anyone fat, made threats or showed off their superfluous nipple. Of course, it might be much more civil but less fun and probably doesn’t get you as much press.

A wanker and cretin Chris Martin may be, but he’s using his powers for good and appearing March 14 at a bushfire benefit gig in Sydney before rushing off to play their actual show later that evening. This year Coldplay will release a free live album because “tickets are expensive, especially in a recession. We’re playing huge places, we thought it’d be cool to do something like that”.

Coldplay are shown performing on 12/14/08 in London. Credit: PRPhotos.

Before U2 performed at a “standstill” roof-top concert on Friday in London, Bono sat down with Radio 1 for a live interview. Apparently less than two minutes into the interview, Bono got a question about Chris Martin, something about did Bono think Martin was as good a musician as Sir Paul McCartney. Bono then called Martin a “wanker”, then later in the interview he called Martin a “cretin”. The radio host immediately asked Bono to apologize, because apparently “wanker” is one of those words that seems to get censored in England… I think. The Daily Mirror censored it with a “w****r” which seems like overkill. It’s not like Bono called Chris Martin an a**face. E! Online has more:

Forget U2′s new single “Get on Your Boots,” Bono seems more interested in putting on his boxing gloves.

In a radio interview promoting U2′s new CD, No Line on the Horizon, which drops this week, Bono also dropped a couple of verbal bombs on Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Asked by BBC Radio 1 deejay Jo Whiley if Martin was as talented as Paul McCartney, Bono seemed to rankle.

“I think he’s that good a melodist, but he’s a wanker,” was Bono’s reply.

Whiley reportedly asked Bono for an apology, but the singer responded, “I’m a reformed character, I don’t any more.”

And far from apologizing, Bono added that Martin was “obviously a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin, but he happens to be a great melodist and up there with Ray Davies, Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney.”

Later in the interview, Bono tried to paper over the damage a bit by saying, “I think [Coldplay] are a great band and, actually, it turns out [Martin's] a great soul as well. Sorry about that. I was just joking entirely.”

If those are the jokes, Bono, please do not attempt to do standup comedy. We have a feeling there might be a wee bit of heckling coming from Chris Martin’s direction.

From E! Online

Of course Bono was joking entirely. Because who would call Chris Martin a wanker and mean it? There’s some on-going debate about whether Bono really did mean all of it, then simply thought better of it. The Daily Mirror reports that after the interview and Bono’s forced apology, “A BBC spokesman said later: ‘An on-air apology was made immediately for the language used during the live broadcast. We apologise for any offence caused.’” Now I’m totally stuck on this idea that calling someone a wanker is one of the dirtiest things you can call somebody. This is what censorship leads to – the forbidden fruit of “wanker”.

As for the matter of whether or not Chris Martin really is a wanker, a cretin or a “completely dysfunctional character” (classy!), maybe he is. If Bono says it, it must be the truth. Thus speaketh The Gospel of Bono – yea, and call out all thee wankers.

photo credit: PRPhotos

U2’s new album “No Line On The Horizon” is receiving rave reviews. Bono’s activism, not so much. Reuters reports that in many of the glowing album critiques, critics make not of how Bono’s activism annoys them, and takes away from the music. The band did a rooftop concert (like The Beatles, only U2‘s was announced ahead of time) on Friday that had London at a standstill. The band played some new songs and some old hits, and reports indicate it was a good show.

So if U2 can still come up with good music and give good performances, why all the anger and derision towards Bono and his Africa campaign? This Reuters piece cites a Washington Post column in which the critic blasts Bono’s attitude as “strident, sanctimonious swirl of idealism, agenda and ego”. Ouch.

Irish band U2 releases its 12th studio album on Monday and while reviews are generally glowing, critics argue that lead singer Bono’s dual role as rock star and campaigning “saviour” may be meddling with the music.

“No Line On The Horizon” hits the shelves in Europe on Monday and in the United States on Tuesday, and, as one of 2009′s biggest record launches, will be closely watched by a business seeking to reverse deep declines in album sales.

No one believes U2 alone can save the music industry, just as no one believes Bono alone can alleviate global poverty. But there is plenty riding on the group’s first album in over four years being released by Vivendi’s Universal Music Group label.

An early contender for biggest record of the year before it even goes on sale, No Line has been described as the band’s most experimental album since 1991 and possibly its best since then.

“Simply, what all of this amounts to is the best U2 album since Achtung Baby,” wrote Q magazine at the end of a five-star review. “With time it may prove to be better still.”
Rolling Stone magazine also awarded it five stars, Mojo magazine four.

U2′s last record, “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”, sold nine million copies worldwide.

The band spent Friday on a hectic promotional campaign, giving radio interviews, playing a gig to a small number of fans at the BBC’s central London offices and later playing on the roof before thousands of fans, some of them from abroad.

U2 played “Get On Your Boots” and “Magnificent” from the new album and, appropriately, “Vertigo”. Bono earlier announced the group would go on tour in the summer.

The 11-track album was recorded in Morocco, Dublin, London and New York and the songs tackle familiar themes of love, war, hope, and, perhaps more than ever, being Bono. The U2 frontman has long juggled a dual career of rock superstar and high-profile campaigner, badgering world leaders and businessmen to fight everything from AIDS to poverty.

There are those who feel his mission is beginning to hinder the harmony, alienating potential fans and colouring everything that U2 does.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to hear U2′s music without filtering it through your feelings about the other Bono, that strident, sanctimonious swirl of idealism, agenda and ego,” J. Freedom du Lac wrote in the Washington Post. He does, however, say No Line is “at times magnificent”.

In a mixed review, Pete Paphides of the Times goes so far as to say: “Next time…Bono might want to use his powers of diplomacy to the benefit of his band.”

The singer is aware of the criticism and reports that his own bandmates can find his tireless campaigning irksome.

“It’s annoying,” he said in a recent radio interview, when asked about his public support for former U.S. President George W. Bush after he pledged money to fight AIDS. “It’s not becoming is it? I can take the bottles and the rocks and the embarrassment to my bandmates here, but I’m staying that most annoying of things, a single-issue protagonist.”

From Reuters

I remember an interview Bono and Bob Geldof did with CNN International at the 2005 G8 Summit, the one right before the London terrorist bombings. Both Bono and Geldof were basically taking credit for everything relating to anything good (funding, additional medication, microloans, debt relief) that was happening in Africa. That’s simply not the way to do it, even if their work contributed, however much, to the charity accomplishments. It was sanctimonious and egotistical, even if I agree with everything that Bono says.

For me, the issue isn’t the work the Bono is doing, it’s his attitude about the work. It’s whether he takes credit for it, or leverages his accomplishments to push world leaders to do more. It’s rough to bring up Bono’s attitude when reviewing U2’s album. If it’s Bono’s attitude the pisses people off, criticize that, not the music or the issue advocacy.

Bono and U2 are shown performing “on the roof of Broadcast House for a live gig, which closed Regent Street” in London on 2/27/08. Credit: WCI/bauergriffinonline.com

I’ve been putting off writing anything about Bono’s inaugural column in The New York Times on Sunday. It’s not that the piece wasn’t funny, or that I’m lazy, it’s just that Bono is so friggin’ insane, I don’t even know where to start with it. First, some back story: The NYT apparently has some problems hiring columnists who aren’t A) insane and B) liars. So when neoconservative Bill Kristol’s year-long contract came up, the NYT’s editors decided to do this revolving door of several columnists, all to fill Kristol’s old space. Yeah, they might want to rethink that.

Okay, now to Bono’s insanity. First, Bono does this faux-Kerouac rambling thing, and then I think he’s having a conversation with himself (?). Then, there’s all of the gratuitous name-checking. Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis. Nina Simone. Bob Dylan. All mentioned by Bono – see, because if he names them, he absorbs their energy, right? Like, Palm Springs, MAN. Like, do you even remember Sinatra in Palm Springs when Bono was in Dublin drinking a pint with Nina Simone and Miles Davis and it was heavy? Had enough? I’m going to try to edit down the “highlights” of the column, but if you want to read the whole thing, try this to blow your mind.

I’m in a crush in a Dublin pub around New Year’s. Glasses clinking clicking, clashing crashing in Gaelic revelry: swinging doors, sweethearts falling in and out of the season’s blessings, family feuds subsumed or resumed. Malt joy and ginger despair are all in the queue to be served on this, the quarter-of-a-millennium mark since Arthur Guinness first put velvety blackness in a pint glass.

Interesting mood. The new Irish money has been gambled and lost; the Celtic Tiger’s tail is between its legs as builders and bankers laugh uneasy and hard at the last year, and swallow uneasy and hard at the new. There’s a voice on the speakers that wakes everyone out of the moment: it’s Frank Sinatra singing “My Way.” His ode to defiance is four decades old this year and everyone sings along for a lifetime of reasons. I am struck by the one quality his voice lacks: Sentimentality.

A call to believability.

A voice that says, “Don’t lie to me now.”

That says, “Baby, if there’s someone else, tell me now.”

Fabulous, not fabulist. Honesty to hang your hat on.

…As the year rolls over (and with it many carousers), the emotion in the room tussles between hope and fear, expectation and trepidation. Wherever you end up, his voice takes you by the hand.

…We had spent some time in his house in Palm Springs, which was a thrill — looking out onto the desert and hills, no gingham for miles. Plenty of miles, though, Miles Davis. And plenty of talk of jazz. That’s when he showed me the painting. I was thinking the circles were like the diameter of a horn, the bell of a trumpet, so I said so.

“The painting is called ‘Jazz’ and you can have it.”

…If you want to hear the least sentimental voice in the history of pop music finally crack, though — shhhh — find the version of Frank’s ode to insomnia, “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” hidden on “Duets.” Listen through to the end and you will hear the great man break as he truly sobs on the line, “It’s a long, long, long road.” I kid you not.

…Like Bob Dylan’s, Nina Simone’s, Pavarotti’s, Sinatra’s voice is improved by age, by years spent fermenting in cracked and whiskeyed oak barrels. As a communicator, hitting the notes is only part of the story, of course.

…To what end? Duality, complexity. I was lucky to duet with a man who understood duality, who had the talent to hear two opposing ideas in a single song, and the wisdom to know which side to reveal at which moment.

This is our moment. What do we hear?

[From The New York Times]

Here’s the thing – I really Jack Kerouac and that whole stream-of-consciousness style of writing, if it’s done well. When Kerouac did it, it was innovative, dramatic and powerful. When Bono does it… well, it’s just sad and pretentious. I’m not Bono’s biggest fan, but I admire much of the work he does in Africa, and I really hope that the NYT editors force him to write his next column about something important, like AIDS or debt. No more of this rambling about Sinatra. Please.

Here’s Bono attending the Freud Annual Christmas Party in London on December 18th. Images thanks to WENN.

Angelina Jolie has topped the Reuters/AlertNet poll of celebrity humanitarians, beating out her partner Brad Pitt, Darfur activist Mia Farrow, U2’s Bono and UN Ambassador of Peace George Clooney. Jolie got about one-third of the votes cast, despite her quieter humanitarian schedule this year- she was pregnant with twins for the first half of the year. Still, Jolie managed to make a UNHCR/USO trip to Iraq and refugee camps on Iraq’s border this spring, where she not only met with refugees displaced by the Iraq war, but she also met with General David Petraeus and with American soldiers stationed in Baghdad. In October she made a trip to Afghanistan, focusing more attention on the permanently displaced Afghan and tribal refugees. Through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, Brad and Angelina donated $2 million to Ethiopia, targeted for a center of learning for children affected by AIDS and tuberculosis. They also donated another $1 million for children affected by the Iraq war.

Hollywood actress, U.N. goodwill ambassador and globe-trotting mother-of-six Angelina Jolie was named top celebrity humanitarian for the second year running in an AlertNet poll. Not many mothers would go haring off to a warzone just months after giving birth to twins, but Jolie squeezed in a trip to Afghanistan in October to raise awareness of the plight of refugees returning home to rebuild their lives.

Jolie scooped almost a third of the votes in the online poll despite the fact she has done relatively little other humanitarian work in a busy year in which she also released two major films. In second place was actress Mia Farrow, who regularly speaks out on Darfur and Congo. U2 rockstar Bono, who campaigns on debt, unfair trade and HIV/AIDS, came third. The least respected celebrity was Madonna, who was roundly condemned over her adoption of a young boy from Malawi which was finalised this year.

Jolie, said to be the world’s top earning actress, has made some 25 trips to meet refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) since 2001 in her capacity as an ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. “She manages to raise the issues on the plight of refugees and IDPs in ways that are very human, simple but poignant,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Marie-Noelle Little-Boyer who has accompanied Jolie on many trips. “I’m not surprised she won. She has a way of reaching people that is something particular to her. I think she is so moved by the situation herself that it really comes from the heart.”

Of the 132 people who took part in the poll, 40 voted for Jolie. Other celebrities attracting praise included actor George Clooney who campaigns on Darfur and was named a U.N. “messenger of peace” this year, and Jolie’s partner actor Brad Pitt who is involved in post-Hurricane Katrina work and runs a Darfur charity with Clooney and actor Don Cheadle. Other celebrities popular with voters included: Actor-director Ben Affleck who made a film on Democratic Republic of Congo to help UNHCR raise $23 million for those displaced by the war Don Cheadle who was commended for his “persistent and consistent lobbying for international attention to conflict in Africa” TV chatshow queen Oprah Winfrey who won praise for “teaching others to make a difference”.

[From Reuters/AlertNet]

Apparently, a lot of the same people who think highly of Jolie, Pitt, Affleck, Farrow and Bono absolutely hate Madonna, and are suspicious of nearly all of her actions and her motivations. More than a third of those polled listed Madonna as “the celebrity humanitarian they least respected”, singling out her adoption of David Banda and the bad message the adoption and the Kabbalah-centered chairty sent to development projects across Africa. And this poll came out before people even heard about the screwy financing of her Malawi projects.

The article goes on to explain that with the horrible global economy, charitable giving and the movement of “celebrity humanitarians” will take a backseat to more immediate, more personal, more local needs. No matter if the economy begins to improve throughout the next year, aid agencies will be less likely or less able to promote their causes and do larger fund-raising drives, and the public as a whole will not be as eager to hear about global suffering when there’s suffering across the street.

Angelina Jolie is shown at the Clinton Global Initiative on 9/26/07. Credit: Janet Mayer/PRPhotos