On the eve of her new album release, Lady Gaga tops Forbes' 2011 list of top entertainers — defined as the most powerful people in entertainment based on Forbes' calculation of their earnings (pretax income from May 1, 2010-May 1, 2011) and media clout (print, TV, radio, online and especially social media).

The artist formerly known as Stefani Germanotta is Forbes' new #1, notching $90 million in earnings in the past year, while the in-transition Oprah was #2 with $290 million but far less social media and digital clout. View the new top 10 below, and the complete 2011 list here. 

Below, see why Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber (the youngest to make Forbes' list, he debuts at #3), U2, Elton John, Tiger Woods, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Simon Cowell and LeBron James made the top ten in this year's celeb rankings.Continue reading...

As Google quietly ramps up Disco, its still-in-beta group texting app, GroupMe is hoping to establish itself as the top-of-mind brand for group messaging.

It's also trying to create a business model. Today it announced its latest feature: a tab that promotes musical artists, concerts, events, and TV programs through a "Featured Groups" tab in its main menu, which leads to branded groups and sponsored partnerships.

The news will certainly be welcomed by brands looking to get a piece of the group messaging buzz.

Think of it like "sponsored tweets" on Twitter.

GroupMe users can simply click on the tab to tap into conversations, and can start a chat about any of the five brands (all entertainment-based, so far) on board: two cable TV networks, with Oxygen promoting its Bad Girls Club series and MTV promoting America's Best Dance Crew; Bon Jovi; and the Bonnaroo and Coachella music festivals. 

For concerts and musicians, updates on show dates, giveaways, and a chance to chat with celebrity artists are on offer. "Bon Jovi could jump right in and answer questions for you," GroupMe co-CEO Jared Hecht told Fortune.

"These are essentially brand experiences that give users a great time. It's a really cool way for brands to engage real life groups of friends that are already talking about the brand anyway."Continue reading...

College students need cash, right? And New Yorkers – exhausted  from the rat race or simply too lazy and important to do their own dirty work – are willing to part with some of theirs in return for a little leisure. Sounds like a match made in Manhattan.

Now dress this symbiotic relationship up in some secret-agent branding garb, and – voila! – you have Agent Anything.

Calling itself the “eBay of services,” the startup follows a familiar, craigslist or eBay-styled business model. But in this case, the “sellers” to the site are New Yorkers too lazy to do their own work, and the “bidders” are college students willing to perform these posted “missions” – usually for a monetary fee but sometimes for such coin of the realm as a shot at a job interview. As of this writing, missions available on the site for the right agent ranged from doing simple errands or moving an old TV to the curb to the chore of convincing someone’s friend that Bon Jovi is cool.Continue reading...