Billionaires in the making

Billionaires in the making

These days everybody's talking about this youngest self-made billionaire. But check out some of the talented folks who are hot on his heels.

Jay-Z
Part owner of this NBA team, he's got a clothing line and is co-founder of a record company. Add his superstar wife, and they are one of the top-earning couples around. It won't be long before he adds "billionaire" to his list of accomplishments.

Mark Pincus
Never heard of Zynga? If you're on the top social networking site, you definitely know the company's games, which include "Mafia Wars" and an über-popular game. CEO Mark Pincus attended an Ivy League institution and is on his way to achieving billionaire status.

Michael Jordan
This retired basketball player is an example of how being a brand can be extremely lucrative. How much does he make per year in endorsements alone? The baller legend is also a majority owner of this league team and this motorcycling club.

Jerry Bruckheimer
Even if you haven't heard of this film and TV producer, you've likely seen his work, including this popular crime series. What were his annual reported earnings in 2007 when he was the 10th-highest money earner?

Eric Lefkofsky
This entrepreneur and professor began his career selling carpet at this school. A high-profile business magazine named him one of 2011's new billionaires. He co-founded a company that has been called the fastest-growing company in history.

William Ackman
This major investor, founder and CEO of this hedge fund once owned 10 percent of the corporation that runs a big box store. He's held significant portions of a major bookseller and was angling to buy out another.

Sean Parker
The co-founder and first president of this social networking site, he was portrayed by a famous singer-actor in an Oscar-nominated movie. At age 16 he was arrested for this.

Dennis Gillings
Chairman and CEO of this pharmaceutical services company, Gillings also has been involved in biotech and was a longtime professor at this university.

Tiger Woods
Despite his well-publicized behavior, this golf legend is likely to be the first billionaire athlete, thanks in part to his endorsements.

Craig Newmark
The Internet entrepreneur founded a classifieds website that almost killed off daily newspapers.

James Cameron
This film director, screenwriter and inventor, a native of this country, is best known for a historic blockbuster film and the highest-grossing movie to date.

Tyler Perry
This actor and director released his first film in 1995 and had a hit with a TV comedy. He has a new star-studded film in the works.

Reid Hoffman
An entrepreneur and former computer executive, the founder of a business-oriented social networking site did his undergrad work at an Ivy League university. He earned his master's in philosophy from another prestigious university.

Jerry Seinfeld
His semiautobiographical TV show was one of the most successful sitcoms in the history of American television.

Ray R. Irani
The chairman and CEO of an oil company had a life sciences building named after him at this school.

US Chart Roundup: The Results Of The Britney Vs. Avril Lavigne Vs. Kanye & Jay-Z Battle

We've already gone through this twice this week, so no need to ramble on about Britney Spears debuting at #1 with "Hold It Against Me," thereby giving her a fourth chart-topping single and producer/God Max Martin his 10th, etc. So let's move ahead...

Avril Lavigne's "What The Hell" enters the Billboard Hot 100 at #13, which shows the power of radio airplay—something Britney's single was aided by, but Avril clearly was not. For a few days after being released, "What The Hell" was just beneath Britney at #2 on iTunes. But then she flip-flopped with Kanye West and Jay-Z's "H.A.M." (which enters at #23). In the end, both of those singles got barreled over at radio in lieu of Britney and slid down the digital store's song chart.

Now that the holiday craziness has settled for good, Edward Maya's "Stereo Love" is able to jump back up to its previous peak position of #16. Another climber: Pink's "Fuckin' Perfect," which moves up 27 positions to #30 and is the Hot 100's "airplay gainer" this week. If we're to include the collaborative 2001 cover of "Lady Marmalade," this now gives Pink a total of 17 Top 40 singles in the U.S.

One of my guilty pleasure jams from last year, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's "Don't You Wanna Stay," is at #43 this week. That's just a good old-fashioned duet, like something you'd expect Peter Cetera to have cranked out with some broad in the '80s.

On a final note, album sales really appear to be in the dumpster (more so than usual) in 2011. Cake's Showroom Of Compassion debuts at #1, but has posted the worst returns (44,000 copies) for a top album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It seems like only yesterday when the Dreamgirls soundtrack set the record low, with 60,000 copies. Alas, folks, that was exactly four years ago this month.

Meanwhile, Cake...

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Hold It Against Me" - Britney Spears *new* *1 week*
2. "Grenade" - Bruno Mars  
3. "Firework" - Katy Perry
4. "What's My Name" - Rihanna feat. Drake
5. "Black And Yellow" - Wiz Khalifa
6. "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" - Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris & DJ Frank E 
7. "We R Who We R" - Ke$ha 
8. "Raise Your Glass" - Pink  
9. "The Time (Dirty Bit)" - The Black Eyed Peas
10. "Just The Way You Are" - Bruno Mars

Alicia Keys joined by Beyonce, Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz at MSG concert

Alicia Keys stopped at New York City's Madison Square Garden last night (March 17) during her "Freedom Tour" and gave her hometown fans a special treat with surprise performances from Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz.

Alicia Keys and Beyonce onstage together for the first time!

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Keys first performed new and old tracks like "Love Is Blind," "If I Can't Have You" and a stunning duet with former back-up singer Jermaine Paul -- who also served as an opening act along with Melanie Fiona and Robin Thicke -- for "Diary." But it was when the drums to her single "Put It In A Love Song" blared through the speakers that the crowd got most fired up. After performing her verse Keys introduced Beyoncé, who descended from the top of a staircase located towards the back of the stage and joined Keys for the remainder of the song. Ending in a dance routine, the performance marked the first time the two artists ever shared a stage

Alicia Keys and Jay-Z repping for their hometown!

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With Beyoncé making a surprise appearance onstage, it was only fitting that her husband would do the same at the self-proclaimed "House that Hovie built." As Keys momentarily stopped playing the piano, her alleged boyfriend, producer/rapper Beatz, took the stage to his own collaboration with Jay-Z "On To The Next One," before Jay-Z himself came out for a performance of "Empire State of Mind." Scenes of Times Square and the city skyline appeared on the jumbo screens behind, setting the perfect backdrop for the Big Apple anthem as the masses sang in unison and waved their hands in the air.









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Photos by Redboy