Tom Cruise named top celebrity earner of 2000
Tom Cruise has been named "the most powerful celebrity on the planet".
He was handed the title by Forbes Magazine, the American chronicler of wealth.
The Forbes Celebrity 100 list put him in the top spot for earning an estimated $43m last year.
Refering to his recent split from Nicole Kidman, the magazine commented: "How much of that will he be able to keep after his divorce is finalised?"
In a surprise move the list placed The Beatles at number three - despite the group having disbanded 31 years ago. The group earned $70m from their greatest hits record released last year and their back-catalogue.
They were the only band in the top 10, although Britney Spears came in at number four, because of her $38.5m record and concert ticket sales.
The 19-year-old was the youngest on the list, but was joined in the top 10 by Bruce Willis at 5, Michael Jordan (6), Backstreet Boys (7), NSync, (8) Oprah Winfrey (9) and Mel Gibson (10).
Tiger Woods, the world's richest sports player, was second on the list.
Last year he took home $9m in winnings from the professional golf circuit - and signed a five-year deal with Nike worth $100m. Mike Tyson was 11th on the list, because of his $48m earnings.
The list is compiled annually by the magazine by considering the stars' earnings, the number of mentions they have on the internet, their press cuttings and how many times they appear on American magazine covers.
