Britney Spears has beaten Tiger Woods, Steven Spielberg and Madonna as she tops the 2002 Forbes Celebrity list.

The list, complied annually, takes into account earnings, TV & Radio coverage, Web searches and media presence of the World’s top celebrities.

Britney tops the list by earning $39.2 million and having a fantastic 12 months in the media spotlight. As well as appearing on a huge number of magazine covers, she made her movie debut in Crossroads, had live television concert specials, starred in numerous Pepsi ads, and prepared for the opening of her NYC restaurant, NYLA. Even the “on-off” speculation about her and Justin Timberlake fueled her media rise to the top.

To see the full list for yourself, click here.

Any ideas when the Britney phenomenom will end?