HIZZONER BLOOMS IN NEW VANITY FAIR RANK
Vanity Fair’s new ranking of the power elite reveals some surprising shake-ups among the rich and famous in this tumultuous year.
Making rapid climbs to near the top of the “New Establishment: Vanity Fair 100” list are Wall Street titans Stephen Schwarzman and his partner Pete Peterson, who now share fourth place, up from 34th a year ago, for selling their Blackstone Group to the public.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg zoomed past a couple dozen other moguls to land in ninth place, up from 36th last year.
Scoring the biggest fall from grace was Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone, who plunged 40 spots from his perch last year as a media mogul. This year, he ranked 70th, compared with 30th a year ago.
The embarrassing wipeout for the 84-year-old Redstone came as a result of recent public spats with his family that “have led many to conclude that his advanced age has diminished his judgment,” said Vanity Fair.
Vanity Fair makes its picks from individuals who set the agenda in the worlds of entertainment, media, business, technology and fashion.
Scores are based on wealth and influence, as well as an intangible that the editors call “the ‘x’ factor.”
Topping the list for the second straight year is Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp. The magazine cited “his stunning and cunning” $5 billion offer for Dow Jones &Co., the parent of The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. also owns The Post.
The list in the October issue on newsstands today shows little movement among the top 10 places, but plenty of up and down scrambling for spots lower on the list.
Some names fell off the main list, including New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, NBC’s Bob Wright and software guru Charles Simonyi.
But Simonyi’s girlfriend, Martha Stewart, returned to the list in 54th place after a one-year absence due to her legal problems. Stewart was convicted in 2004 of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in connection with a stock sale.
Celebrities with waning clout on the list include Tom Cruise, who dropped 11 spaces to 45th place, and Tom Hanks down to 32nd from 25th.
Among several his-and-her leaders sharing good spots on the list: Melinda and Bill Gates in 14th place; and Diane von Furstenberg and husband Barry Diller sharing 15th place.