With $ 52 million in earnings over the last 12 months and a huge amount of fame, Jennifer Lopez is No. 1 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list for the first time.

A few years ago it looked like Lopez was done, too. Her albums failed to find the broad audience she once enjoyed, and several of her movies were flops.

Then in 2010 the singer landed a judge’s chair on American Idol. The job gave her a platform to promote her music and turn her image around. She did.

She also split with husband, Marc Anthony, a move that, while said, gave J. Lo even more media attention and subsequent big-money endorsement deals.

With contracts for L’Oreal and Gillette, a line of clothing at Kohl’s, a fragrance, and a whopping $ 20 million Idol salary, she’s got it made here in 2012.

Her 6.6 million followers on Twitter and 12 million fans on Facebook are a testament to her social popularity, as well, cementing her #1 Forbes ranking.

Lopez unseats Lady Gaga, who topped the list last year.

The pop star slides to fifth place this year with $ 52 million in earnings, down from $ 90 million last year (the Gaga didn’t tour much in the last 12 months).

In second place is Oprah Winfrey, whom Gaga unseated for No. 1 last year. Winfrey had a rough 12 months, too. Oprah’s down years are #2 overall.

Ranking third on our list is Justin Bieber, with $ 55 million in the past year thanks to touring and record sales. Rihanna came in at #4 in the rankings.

[Photo: WENN.com]

The Hollywood Gossip

Mother’s Day is a wonderful celebration honoring our moms and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society in general.

Here at THG, this means a little tribute to some of the celebrity moms we’ve come to know and love … and also a bunch who could use some improvement.

On this 13th day of May, take a look at a 13 popular THG celeb moms (and 13 more who also have kids) in the poll below and vote for your favorite (and least favorite):

Who’s your favorite celebrity mom?

Who’s your least favorite celebrity mom?

The Hollywood Gossip

Mother’s Day is a wonderful celebration honoring our moms and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society in general.

Here at THG, this means a little tribute to some of the celebrity moms we’ve come to know and love … and also a bunch who could use some improvement.

On this 13th day of May, take a look at a 13 popular THG celeb moms (and 13 more who also have kids) in the poll below and vote for your favorite (and least favorite):

Who’s your favorite celebrity mom?

Who’s your least favorite celebrity mom?

The Hollywood Gossip

A very well-known young woman took it easy this week and posted a photo of herself relaxing on Twitter. Can you guess who it is, based solely on a shot of her legs?

The Twitter user in question is…

… MILEY CYRUS!

Indeed, the singer/actress Tweeted the image above on Monday, adding the following caption to the photo:

As you can see i have a very busy Monday

Miley probably wishes that were true, that she could perhaps be out promoting a movie. But it was announced this week that LOL – in which Cyrus stars opposite Demi Moore – will only open in seven cities across the nation. Ouch. Tough break.

The star, meanwhile, looks to be taking a new, laid back approach to Twitter. She has gotten in trouble in the past for expressing certain views over the social network, most recently when fans took issue with what they perceived to be a diss of Jesus Christ.

The Hollywood Gossip

TGIF! Happy Friday from some of your favorite stars, past and present!

With all the problems and negativity in the world these days, everybody could use a smile on their face, right? That’s what we’re saying. Spread the love, people. Not hate.

Scroll down slowly and feel the positive energy of these celebrity photos:

The Hollywood Gossip

Sorry, Armie Hammer. Your arrest for marijuana possession didn’t even make THG’s Top 10 favorite marijuana scandals … though it did inspire us to compile the list!

Note that there are plenty of pot smokers out there who don’t appear here simply because they haven’t been busted for their antics. We snub them, but they win!

Anyway, take a look at some recent stars involved in weed-related police matters below and vote for which celebrity stoner is your favorite …

10. Chace Crawford / Matthew McConaughey (tie). The Texans tie for the 10 spot based on the classic mug shots taken after their respective arrests.

9. Snoop Dogg. Snoop’s arrest this month was about as shocking as … the #7 man on this list, who was also cited for possession in the same TOWN!

8. Jermaine Hopkins / Sam Hurd (tie). The Lean On Me star and Chicago Bears player may not be household names … but were big time DEALERS.

7. Willie Nelson. Seriously, just leave Willie alone cops.

6. Soulja Boy. Recently pulled over with his entourage carrying a bunch of weed, cash and a gun. All in one briefcase. Sometimes you gotta travel light.

5. Michael Phelps. Don’t hit the bong after winning a gold medal, kids.

4. Brooke Mueller. Charlie’s ex claims her infamous crack pipe incident merely involved weed. Even if you give her the benefit of the doubt, what a mess!

3. Jenelle Evans. Girl can’t go 24 hours without smoking up! Or getting arrested. At least some of her probation woes stem from positive drug tests.

Miley Cyrus Bong Video

2. Miley Cyrus. Our #2 scandal didn’t even involve weed, necessarily … but Miles totally smokes it, and who else could compete with this bong video!

1. DMX. The all-time king of celebrity mug shots is only slightly less known for his affinity for the sticky-sticky. Sometimes those things are related!

Who’s your favorite celebrity stoner?

The Hollywood Gossip

There have been so many shocking celebrity divorces lately, even by Hollywood standards. Not just breakups, but actual marriages crumbling before our eyes.

Some did surprise us more than others, but we can honestly say we didn’t see any of these divorce filings – all from the last 12 months alone! – coming at all.

Which of these splits shocked you the most? Vote in our poll below …

10. Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard. The New Girl star and the Death Cab For Cutie member certainly seemed like a perfect match. Apparently not.

9. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. Okay, not all that surprising for myriad reasons we have been over ad nauseam on THG. But 72 days?! Idiots.

8. Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Like Kim and Kris, nothing about these two truly shocks us. Except her running off with Journey guitarist Neal Schon.

7. Leah Messer and Corey Simms. The stars of Teen Mom 2 seem so happy … on the episodes that are still airing now! Well, not last night’s. Still!

6. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Seemed an odd fit at the start, but their split came totally out of left field. Now she’s taking nitrous hits. Nitrous.

5. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Apparently not the marrying type.

4. Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Remember them? We forgot too.

3. Katy Perry and Russell Brand. They’re polar opposites, but were so crazy about each other and we thought it was just crazy enough to last forever.

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. The heiress to the Kennedy political dynasty and the Governator seemed as rock solid as they come.

1. Heidi Klum and Seal. Still fresh, but as stunning as any other celeb divorce we can remember based on the couple’s perpetual displays of love.

Which celebrity divorce filing shocked you most?

The Hollywood Gossip

There have been so many shocking celebrity divorces lately, even by Hollywood standards. Not just breakups, but actual marriages crumbling before our eyes.

Some did surprise us more than others, but we can honestly say we didn’t see any of these divorce filings – all from the last 12 months alone! – coming at all.

Which of these splits shocked you the most? Vote in our poll below …

10. Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard. The New Girl star and the Death Cab For Cutie member certainly seemed like a perfect match. Apparently not.

9. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. Okay, not all that surprising for myriad reasons we have been over ad nauseam on THG. But 72 days?! Idiots.

8. Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Like Kim and Kris, nothing about these two truly shocks us. Except her running off with Journey guitarist Neal Schon.

7. Leah Messer and Corey Simms. The stars of Teen Mom 2 seem so happy … on the episodes that are still airing now! Well, not last night’s. Still!

6. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Seemed an odd fit at the start, but their split came totally out of left field. Now she’s taking nitrous hits. Nitrous.

5. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Apparently not the marrying type.

4. Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Remember them? We forgot too.

3. Katy Perry and Russell Brand. They’re polar opposites, but were so crazy about each other and we thought it was just crazy enough to last forever.

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. The heiress to the Kennedy political dynasty and the Governator seemed as rock solid as they come.

1. Heidi Klum and Seal. Still fresh, but as stunning as any other celeb divorce we can remember based on the couple’s perpetual displays of love.

Which celebrity divorce filing shocked you most?

The Hollywood Gossip

We’re down to the top three.

With the remaining days in 2011 ticking down to zero, THG has been ranking the most newsworthy celebrities of the year, starting at #10 with Lindsay Lohan and moving on, in order, to…

Jennifer Lopez; Selena Gomez; a host of viral video stars; Katy Perry; Justin Bieber; and pretty much everyone in the Royal Family. Now, at #3, we present… Charlie Sheen!

Due to a relatively quiet second half of the year, it might be easy to forget the unparalleled, unstable tear Sheen was on to kick off 2011. So here is a two-word reminder: Sheen’s Korner.

The shenanigans got underway almost as soon as the calendar turned, as Charlie spent into the six figures on a Las Vegas-based sex and drug romp in January that included strippers, cocaine and plenty of headlines. He was then hospitalized a few days later after a similar party in his home.

From there… wow. Sheen was at the center of a storm truly never seen before in the annals of celebrity gossip. He was in rehab, he was out of rehab. He was fighting publicly with Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, who eventually shut down production on that sitcom. He was collecting live-in girlfriends he referred to as “goddesses” and giving interviews in which he bragged about his capacity for cocaine and explained why Thomas Jefferson was a pussy.

The dude totally lost it. Remember all these quotes?

Incredibly, this all happened over the course of just a few weeks. Sheen was fired from the highest-rated sitcom on TV; became the fastest Twitter user to ever amass one million followers; and created the year’s most overused, obnoxious, single-word catchphrase.

But the insane times could not last forever. Or even for six months.

Sheen bombed in a series of live, ridiculous performances, lost his goddesses and went about trying to revive his career. He settled a lawsuit with Warner Bros., appeared contrite in a lame, contrived Emmy speech and somehow convinced FX to give him another shot. The actor will anchor a program based on the film Anger Management in the summer of 2012.

Personally, the star is also back on track. He’s supporting ex-wife Brooke Mueller’s rehab efforts with his own money and spent the holidays on vacation with another ex-wife, Denise Richards. Heck, to anyone born in the last six months, Sheen would come across as a caring, responsible, drama-free father.

But to all of us who lived through his escapades in the winter/spring of 2011, Sheen put on a show unlike any we’ve ever seen before or will see again. It’s simply shocking that the actor himself actually lived through it.

The Hollywood Gossip

A member of the paparazzi is making life even more difficult for Demi Moore these days.

Yesterday, following an appointment at a salon in West Hollywood, the actress was approached by a man with a camera. He alleges that Moore screamed obscenities at him and shoved him on the way to her car.

You can sort of judge the incident for yourself based on this photo.

This loser of a journalist has now filed battery charges against Moore, TMZ reports, although he has no visible injuries.

Still, the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department has been handed the complaint and open an investigation. Somehow, we blame Ashton Kutcher for this, too.

The Hollywood Gossip