Hollywood's No. 1 Women: Winfrey and Jolie

Saturday, December 6, 2008

When the going gets tough, the most powerful woman in Hollywood turns to macaroni and cheese.

Oprah Winfrey, who tops The Hollywood Reporter's annual ranking of the most influential women in entertainment, confessed Friday during a question-and-answer session with Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Guider that the comfort food has been her "cure" for failure. Winfrey was among scores of female power brokers who celebrated each other at a private breakfast reception at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The media mogul's key to success? "Finding out how to be more of who you are and using that to be of service to something greater than yourself."

The chairwoman of Harpo Inc. tops the trade paper's 17th annual Power 100 list "based on her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence," Guider said.

Honorees are chosen by a panel of reporters and editors who consider each woman's corporate position, control of purse strings and power to greenlight content.

During the same Q-&-A session, Disney's co-chairwoman, Anne Sweeney, who was second on the list, said she uses chocolate as a salve, while No. 3, Sony Chairwoman Amy Pascal, opts to hide under the covers when failure strikes. The list was published Friday.

"As No. 1, I say (the list) is a fabulous idea," Winfrey quipped. "It's fun and a way to acknowledge the work in a way that allows us all to respect each other."

Glenn Close was also honored at Friday's event. The 61-year-old actress received the trade paper's Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, which recognizes women's pioneering achievements in entertainment. As she presented her namesake award, former Paramount chief Lansing revealed that she initially refused to cast Close in 1987's "Fatal Attraction," which earned the actress an Oscar nomination and remains one of her career-defining roles.

Lansing called Close "a gutsy broad," lauding her for her talent, her dedication to her craft and for "opening the door for other women over 40." Past recipients of the award include Lansing, Meryl Streep, Barbara Walters and Jodie Foster.

"I don't feel wise or particularly insightful," Close said. "If anything, I feel more aware of the fragility of it all."

The actress choked up as she left the stage, calling her career and the Lansing honor "an embarrassment of riches."

Speaking of riches, The Hollywood Reporter also released its annual ranking of the industry's highest-paid actresses Friday. No. 1 this year is Angelina Jolie, who gets $15 million to $20 million per movie. Julia Roberts, at $15 million a film, came in second, followed by last year's top earner, Reese Witherspoon.

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