Apatow, Lasseter, Spielberg Among Top in Power List 2007

The movie biz loves its lists. While making countdowns of best-reviewed genre movies is our niche here at Rotten Tomatoes, categorizing human beings is a task we happily pass over to someone else. That's where Premiere Magazine comes in. They've just published the Power List 2007, their annual organized compendium of Hollywood's 50 most notable movers and shakers.

The Power List list holds few surprises, though considering its function as a reflection of all the big events over the last 12 months, arguably that's how it should be. Each actor, producer, director, and studio exec on the list are included based on a criteria revolving around their power, influence, and visibility throughout the world. Essentially, the more schedules, projects, and 323 area code phone numbers stuffed inside your BlackBerry -- and the more snarky blog posts written about you -- the more likely you were to make it on the list.

The top five Power 50 slots are occupied by studio heads, with Pixar founder John Lasseter at #2, a drop from being top Hollywood toast last year. (Click here for our exclusive article with Lasseter.) Steven Spielberg leads the way for creative artists with his placement in sixth.

Judd Apatow, who has gone from cult TV hero to the ubiquitous face behind Hollywood comedy, enters the list for the first time, impressively staking a claim at #13.

Apatow's name has been inseparable from two of the most beloved comedies this year (Knocked Up and Superbad), and he's producing and/or writing five upcoming comedies, each highly anticipated: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Step Brothers, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Pineapple Express.

Judd Apatow being Superbad.

George Lucas is also back on the list, though, for once, it has nothing to do with Star Wars. Premiere argues that ILM's role in creating the CG denizens of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Transformers, combined with Lucas's producer role for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is enough to be #17. Meanwhile, the sheer act of announcing a new movie (Avatar) has put James Cameron at #29.

Mainstays like Reese Witherspoon (#38), Julia Roberts (#37), Jim Carrey (#35), Mel Gibson (#30), and Tom Cruise (#20) showing signs of vulnerability as they slide down the list. On the other hand, Paul Greengrass (#47), Sacha Baron Cohen (#49), and Shia LaBeouf (#50) made big enough splashes in 2007, and have bright enough 2008 horizons, to crack the list.

 

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com