The World Wrestling Federation may have ‘Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Bad Ass Billy Gunn, but the truly bone-crunching, back-slamming action takes place in a much tougher arena: Hollywood. This year the competition has been especially brutal — at least for space in these pages — with producers like Rollickin' Scott Rudin and Jerry 'the Rock' Bruckheimer rising to title contenders, while stars like Kevin (It'll Cost Ya) Costner and Brad 'not such a hit' Pitt took it on the chin. Even 1999's championship-belt winner — Sumner 'he'll carve your headstone' Redstone — needed help from a new tag-team partner (Mel 'Bad Karma' Karmazin).
So sit back, slip into some boxer shorts, and get ready to rummmmble, as we referee its 10th year of celebrity death matches. Among the heavyweights to pin your hopes on: Fightin' Michael Crighton, Hammerin' Cameron Diaz, Mike 'the Zipper' De Luca, To Helen and Back Hunt, Maimin' Matt Damon, and Harrison 'no comparison' Ford.
And, oh yeah, Madonna.
1. Sumner Redston and Mel Karmazin: Chairman-CEO-Reigning Media Champ; President-COO, Viacom Inc. (last year 8/16).
Ages 76/56. Poor Sumner Redstone. For all his wealth (estimated at $9.4 billion) and power (as head of Viacom, he oversees MTV, VH1, Paramount Pictures, and Blockbuster Video), he's never been able to find what he's always longed for: True Love.
But in August, something extraordinary happened: This media Methuselah looked up from his spreadsheets to find the soul mate of his dreams — CBS CEO Mel Karmazin. After a brief corporate wine and dance, the duo announced their engagement — and now top EW's 10th annual Power list.
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