As the entertainment industry prepares to celebrate excellence during the 79th Annual Academy Awards, Black Enterprise (BE) just unveiled its 2007 list of the "Top 50 Power Brokers in Hollywood." In the March cover feature, BE spotlights the growing number of African Americans who have achieved record influence in show business.

The roster not only includes household names such as cover subject Will Smith, who together with partner James Lassiter produced the recent Oscar-nominated smash The Pursuit of Happyness, but also African American corporate executives, agents, lawyers, and entrepreneurs who broker some of the industry’s biggest deals.

Among the "Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers, BE identified an elite group of 10 who wield unprecedented clout. Ranking at No. 1 is entertainment powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, who over the past 20 years has become one of the most successful media titans in the world. Her billion-dollar empire includes Harpo Productions Inc., which produces the The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, The Rachael Ray Show, and made-for-television movies such as Their Eyes Are Watching God. Additionally, Winfrey is co-founder of Oxygen Media, which operates a cable television network that reaches 69 million U.S. households.

BE’s ranking of the Top 10 Most Powerful Blacks in Hollywood also includes:

No. 2: Richard D. Parsons, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Inc.

No. 3: Will Smith, Actor-Producer

No. 4: Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Chairman & CEO, Johnson Development Corp. and Magic Johnson Enterprises

No. 5: Robert L. Johnson, Founder, Our Stories Films

No. 6: Tyler Perry, President & CEO, The Tyler Perry Co.

No. 7: Douglas V. Holloway, President, Cable Investments, NBC Universal Cable

No. 8: Denzel Washington, Actor-Director-Producer

No. 9: Eddie Murphy, Actor-Producer

No. 10: Tyra Banks, Founder & CEO, Bankable Productions

To identify the Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers, BE News Editor Nicole M. Richardson and an editorial team contacted industry insiders, movie studios, and television networks, and reviewed box office sales and television ratings reports. In addition, BE consulted national organizations, including the Screen Actors Guild, the Film Life and HBO American Black Film Festival, the Black Filmmakers Association, the Black Filmmakers Forum, the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, and the NAACP, which hosts the annually televised Image Awards honoring the best African American actors, movies, and television programs.

The complete list appears in the March issue of Black Enterprise, which hits newsstands on February 21.