Parade.com Summer Pop Culture Poll Finds: Simon Cowell is Most-Obnoxious Celeb; Tyra and Ellen Crush Oprah for Talk-Show Queen Honors; Jon Stewart Would Beat Obama!

Parade.com Summer Pop Culture Poll Finds: Simon Cowell is Most-Obnoxious Celeb; Tyra and Ellen Crush Oprah for Talk-Show Queen Honors; Jon Stewart Would Beat Obama!

Plus...Celeb Superlatives: Best Looking, Cutest Couple, Most Likely To Succeed

LOS ANGELES, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- One thing is for sure -- Americans dig celebrity dirt! Parade.com conducted its annual Summer Pop Culture Poll and asked respondents their opinions on pop culture, entertainment, celebrities, movies, music, and more. Here are some highlights:

-- It's the battle of the daytime talk-show queens! With only a few votes separating her from the pack, Ellen DeGeneres (40%) was voted best daytime talk-show host. Trailing right behind her is Tyra Banks (39%), surprisingly crushing Oprah Winfrey (11%) in third place. Rachael Ray came in fourth with 8%.

-- Not only is she a favorite talk-show host, but multi-tasker Tyra Banks (54%) is also the hardest working (wo)man in showbiz! Ryan Seacrest is next in line with 29%, followed by Jennifer Lopez (7%), Heidi Klum, (5%), and P. Diddy (4%).

-- Although Ellen and Tyra beat out Oprah for best talk-show host, respondents still want to be near her! Forty-four percent said they'd most like to have Oprah as their next-door neighbor, followed by the Jolie-Pitts (28%) and George W. Bush (24%). Michael Jackson came in last with 0%!

-- TV personality Jon Stewart sure has a legion of fans. If he ran for President against Barack Obama, the United States might have its first funnyman in the White House, according to the Parade.com poll. Fifty-five percent of Americans would vote for Stewart, and just 45% would vote for Obama! The popular Stewart also would win the election by a landslide if he ran against his buddy Stephen Colbert (64% to 36%, respectively).

-- Strong personalities on television run rampant, but American Idol judge Simon Cowell was voted the most-obnoxious celebrity on television, followed by The Apprentice's Donald Trump (37%), Hell's Kitchen star Gordon Ramsay (12%), and The Hills star Spencer Pratt (9%).

-- Speaking of American Idol, respondents' favorite AI songbird is Kelly Clarkson, who won with 53% of the vote when pitted against Carrie Underwood (47%). Chris Daughtry (51%) is the better rocker by a hair when compared to current champ David Cook (49%), and the better balladeer award goes to Clay Aiken (84%) over David Archuleta (16%). The clear winner in the soulful category is newly married Ruben Studdard (85%), who triumphed over Fantasia (15%).

-- New mom Nicole Richie has the most-improved reputation (43%), according to respondents. Mel Gibson came in second with 22%, Tom Cruise is next with 21%, followed by perennial bad girls Britney Spears (9%) and Paris Hilton (3%). Despite multiple bouts in rehab, Lindsay Lohan (2%) still can't get her act together.

-- Sometimes it may feel like celebrities and boldfaced names change love interests as often as they change their socks, but respondents think First Daughter Jenna Bush and new hubby Harry Hager are most likely to succeed as a couple (80%). Newlyweds Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon and Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz each came in last with 2%.

-- Hollywood's most unlikely couple is Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer (50%), followed by Heidi Klum and Seal (18%), Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore (17%), and Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz (11%).

-- The first half of 2008 brought celebrity headlines that made news for weeks and weeks. Thirty-seven percent of respondents felt that Eliot Spitzer's hooker scandal was the most shocking. Also shocking were tween queen Miley Cyrus's racy photos in Vanity Fair (19%), Bon Jovi rocker Richie Sambora's DUI with his young child in the car (18%), and actress Tatum O'Neal's attempted drug buy (16%).

Other highlights include:

-- The hottest new mama is Halle Berry (42%), followed by Jessica Alba (17%), Christina Aguilera (14%), Jennifer Lopez (13%), and Salma Hayek (12%).

-- The favorite celebrity dad is Will Smith (37%), followed by Brad Pitt (23%), Ben Affleck (17%), and Matt Damon (16%).

-- Ironman (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and Spiderman (played by Tobey Maguire) tied with 35% each for best modern-day superhero, followed by Christian Bale as Batman (13%) and Ed Norton as The Incredible Hulk (9%).

Take out your Hollywood High School yearbooks. It's time for celebrity superlatives!

-- Among the beautiful people, the best-looking male celeb is Brad Pitt, with 34% of the vote. Other hotties include: Matthew McConaughey (28%), Jake Gyllenhaal (13%), and Will Smith (13%). Angelina Jolie tops the list of best- looking females, with 35%. Not far behind are Jennifer Aniston (24%) and Beyonce (16%).

-- The most-likely-to-succeed award goes to Miley Cyrus (29%), over a three-way tie among Shia LeBouf, Juno star Ellen Page, and Rihanna, all with 17%.

-- The biggest-class-clown award goes to Jimmy Kimmel (57%), who won over Ellen DeGeneres (25%), Craig Ferguson (5%), Jay Leno (5%), Stephen Colbert (4%), and David Letterman (4%).

-- Not surprising, the cutest couple is Will and Jada Pinkett Smith (43%), followed by Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal (30%), and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (12%).

The poll was conducted on Parade.com among nearly 4000 Americans. The results of the entire poll will be posted on Parade.com, beginning July 10.

Source: Parade.com

CONTACT: Alexis Collado for Parade.com, +1-212-450-7014

Web site:

http://www.parade.com/

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