Celeb 100 FAQ: Yes, Britney Spears Really Made $64 Million Last Year. Here's How.

The following italicized article is from www.forbes.com:

When Britney Spears popped up at no. 6 on our Celebrity 100 list, we too thought it must be some sort of technical glitch in the number crunching process. What else could explain the placement of the former head-shaving, umbrella-swinging, rehab-visiting pop-tart near the top of a list of the world’s most powerful stars? Could this one-time train wreck really be that rich or that important to the entertainment business?

The answer is yes. The Britney Spears who made our list was not the tabloid target whose frequent meltdowns only two years ago relegated her to our infamy index. Instead, the 28-year-old that clocked in in our top 10 was the chart-topping songstress whose past 12 months included the 5th highest-grossing tour of the year. According to concert trade publication Pollstar, "The Circus Starring Britney Spears" tour grossed more than $130 million. Spears took in still more from tour merchandise and another greatest hits album, "The Singles Collection."

Like her savvier Hollywood cohorts, she has been similarly busy building the Spears brand, extending her fan-base –and wallet—with a host of top-selling Elizabeth Arden fragrances, an endorsement deal for Candie’s and a fashion collection for juniors. She added the latter last month, and will sell her designs exclusively at Kohl’s.

But for her to land as high on the list as she did, she needed to garner as much fame as she did money. She did. In fact, the mother of two ranked third overall in Web mentions (behind Lady Gaga and Beyonce, who banked an estimated $62 million and $87 million, respectively, during the same period) and second in a social media metric that factored in both Twitter and Facebook followings (Gaga has her beat with nearly 10 million Facebook fans).

Still more impressive: in May, Spears overtook Twitter king Ashton Kutcher as the most popular celebrity on Twitter. At last check, she had 5.2 million followers, a group with whom she responds to and frequently updates.

So no, Britney Spears is far from through. If the last year is any indication, she's just getting started.

Source: Forbes