Forbes

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie married Philadelphia resident Tina Lai in a private ceremony this weekend. Lurie, 61, announced last July that he and Christina Weiss Lurie were getting divorced after 20 years of marriage. Lai will have no official role in the Eagles organization. The wedding was attended by family and close friends. "I am happy and excited as Tina and I begin our lives together," Lurie said in a statement. Lai, 39, is from a family that owns restaurants in Philadelphia, including the Vietnam Restaurant in Chinatown and the Vietnam Cafe in University City.

The Sixers and Flyers are among the most valuable teams in their respective leagues, according to Forbes magazine. The magazine, in this week's issue, values the Sixers at $231 million, sixth in the NBA, and the Flyers at $210 million, second in the NHL. The New York Knicks and Rangers are the most valuable NBA and NHL teams, Forbes reported. The magazine values the Knicks at $334 million. The Chicago Bulls are next at $307 million, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at $282 million, the Portland Trail Blazers at $257 million, the Phoenix Suns at $239 million and then the Sixers.

FORBES' annual ranking of America's Most Influential Athlete has placed NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson at the top of the list for the second consecutive year. The rankings are done by public opinion polling. Forbes said Tuesday that Nielsen and E-Poll surveyed more than 1,100 adults about dozens of well-known athletes to measure their likability and whether they are considered influential to marketers. This year, six of the 10 featured on the list are NFL quarterbacks, including Peyton and Eli Manning, as well as Tim Tebow, who debuted last year at No. 10 but is now ranked second.

Sure, the recession hurt some of America's wealthiest people. But most just kept getting richer. Entertainment mogul John Werner Kluge is worth more than any other American for the third straight year. And computer whiz Bill Gates is closing the gap, Forbes magazine said in its 10th annual ranking of the richest. The net worth of the 400 wealthiest Americans hit $288 billion - the highest ever recorded by Forbes. The list appears in the magazine's Oct. 21 issue. The recession made ex-moguls of some, mostly in real estate where values have dropped and vacancies skyrocketed, Forbes said in a report released yesterday.

Forbes, the business biweekly, has bearish news to please many: A dinosaur may be near extinction. The Oct. 10 issue reports that "after an extraordinary three-year run," the insipid purple tyrannosaurus Barney is struggling financially and looks to be, says one Kidder Peabody analyst, "a flash in the pan that was overmarketed, overpromoted, without much thought behind it. " Yes, Barney generated $500 million in merchandise revenues last...

What would fall be like without the entertainment of the Forbes 400 list? With the welfare poor scrambling to find jobs and municipalities worried about meeting their budgets, it is nice to know that someone is doing well. Never ones to be reticent in their celebration of capitalism triumphant, the editors of Forbes weigh in on this theme every fall. Their Forbes 400, rating and analyzing the assets of the wealthiest among us, has become the financial press' answer to The Lives of the Rich and Famous.

The Dec. 11 issue of Forbes magazine says the 76ers are valued at $233 million, seventh highest in the NBA, up 1 percent over last season, up 19 percent over two seasons. "I love being near the top of the list," Sixers president Pat Croce said before last night's 93-87 victory over the Washington Wizards. "I don't know how they calculate it, but any time any Philadelphia team is near the top of a list like that, it's great. "I set two goals when I took over - to build a world-class organization and win a championship.

Three Philadelphia athletes made Forbes' annual list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is at No. 50, with earnings of $22 million over the last 12 months. Vick signed a 6-year, $100 million contract before the 2011 season with a hefty signing bonus. He also brought in about $2 million in endorsements from Nike, MusclePharm and Unequal Technologies. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is at No. 53 with $21.5 million, thanks to the first year of his 5-year, $125 million extension.

Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas and TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey made more money, but movie star Julia Roberts ranks No. 1 on the Forbes magazine list of top celebrities released yesterday. Although her earnings of $50 million last year were only 12th on the list of top money-makers, Roberts qualified for the title of "most powerful celebrity on the planet" by virtue of her media coverage. Forbes' list awards a power ranking based on both income and media coverage, consisting of press clips, cover stories, TV and radio mentions, and Web "hits.

They include the Pitcairns of Bryn Athyn, who have received former President Richard M. Nixon into their family home, and a Horsham businessman sued this year by former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. Four members of the Forbes 400, the magazine's listing of the richest Americans, show up on this list: F. Eugene Dixon Jr. ($450 million, says Forbes), F. Otto Haas, ($370 million) and cousins Feodor and Lachlan Pitcairn (family worth: $650 million). Local developers such as E.F. Hansen Jr., Werner Fricker, James A. Kilduff, Thomas Pileggi and Samuel Colavita figure heavily.

THE PHILLIES have the fifth-highest value among Major League Baseball franchises, according to Forbes magazine, which estimates their worth at $893 million. Forbes estimated the New York Yankees have the highest value for the 16th straight year at $2.3 billion, up from last year's $1.85 billion. It also reported that the average for an MLB team increased by 23 percent in the last year to $744 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers are second at $1.62 billion, nearly $400 million below the price paid for the team last May when a group headed by Mark Walter, Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson bought the franchise from Frank McCourt.

Over the last dozen years, Philadelphia has lost so many billionaires - 10 names in all - it no longer has sole bragging rights in Pennsylvania. Judging from Forbes' latest list of the world's wealthiest people, the Pittsburgh and Philly areas are now tied with three residents apiece with 10-figure fortunes. If not for newcomer Michael Rubin , e-commerce whiz and 76ers part-owner, Pittsburgh would have been first - just as it is in Super Bowls (six to zip). Although more than a dozen billionaires either grew up in the Philadelphia area (like newly listed Valley Forge-born designer Tory Burch , investor/philanthropist Ronald Perelman , apparel-and-entertainment tycoon/philanthropist Sidney Kimmel , and ex-Eagles owner Norman Braman )

THE ANNUAL Forbes magazine billionaire list is out, and this year Philadelphia can boast just one billionaire owner - the Sixers' Joshua Harris. Harris, who lives in New York but graduated from Penn's Wharton School, saw his estimated wealth rise to $2.1 billion, ranking his fortune at No. 243 in the United States, 704 in the world. Harris, cofounder and managing director of investment firm Apollo Global Management, "saw his fortune increase $600 million in the past year as shares of Apollo, which went public in 2011, rose to new highs," according to Forbes . Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie fell off the list this year, with last summer's divorce the obvious explanation.

The annual Forbes billionaire list is out, and this year Philadelphia can boast just one billionaire owner - the Sixers' Joshua Harris. Harris, who lives in New York but graduated from Penn's Wharton School, saw his estimated wealth rise to $2.1 billion, ranking his fortune at No. 243 in the United States, 704 in the world. Harris, cofounder and managing director of investment firm Apollo Global Management, "saw his fortune increase $600 million in the past year as shares of Apollo, which went public in 2011, rose to new highs," according to Forbes.

DON'T BE SURPRISED if Michael Vick sends thank you cards to Lance Armstrong and Manti Te'o. Last year, Vick was tied for No. 1 with Tiger Woods on Forbes' 10 most disliked athletes in America list. This year, Armstrong and Te'o are deadlocked in the top spot. Armstrong has been vilified since admitting he used performance-enhancing substances after years of denying it. Te'o expected sympathy, but got none, after claiming he was the victim of a hoax involving an alleged online girlfriend and her alleged death.

The New York Knicks have surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers as the most valuable team in the NBA, according to Forbes' annual study. Boosted by renovations to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' value increased 41 percent to $1.1 billion. The Lakers were second at $1 billion. The report, released Wednesday, estimated the average NBA team's value at $509 million, a 30 percent increase from last year. The Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Dallas Mavericks round out the top five.

WHEN SHOPPING for gifts this holiday season, buyers want value. One would think that's what Hollywood producers want also, but they always seem drawn by the big star and the big summer tentpole with the $200 million budget. But with so few stars consistently bankable - even Tom Cruise hasn't lured audiences lately - Forbes magazine has come out with a list of the stars who provide the best value. It isn't very helpful, however, because aside from the woman at the top of list, Natalie Portman , the others are young actors in huge, blockbuster franchises.

Forbes has compiled a list of "America's 20 Dirtiest Cities" and there's the Philadelphia metropolitan area, ranked No. 3, behind Fresno and Bakersfield, two California areas with fewer than a million residents apiece. But don't think "Philthadelphia," with trash-strewn streets or vacant lots - or foul-mouthed sports fans. Pollution is Forbes' main focus. Air and water quality. As with most such lists, the accuracy can be questioned. Last year, when Philly finished first, the list was dubbed "Most Toxic," prompting the likes of fairwarning.com to suggest, "Americans seeking healthy cities to call home should avoid Philadelphia like a toxic waste dump.

Saul P. Steinberg, 73, the former corporate raider and chairman of Reliance Group Holdings, died Friday in his sleep at his home in Manhattan, the New York Times reported. No cause was given. That same day, his mother, Anne, who once sued her son for nonpayment of a $4.7 million debt, died in her sleep in Palm Beach, Fla., according to the Times. Her age and the cause weren't given. Mr. Steinberg once controlled Reliance Group, a New York-based property and casualty insurer. The firm, listing $12.6 billion in assets and $12.9 billion in debts, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 after higher-than-expected workers' compensation costs and other claims.

THE COP WHO pulled over Riley Sheahan probably had a pretty good idea the Detroit Red Wings prospect was hammered before he even thought of pulling out a breathalyzer. Sitting behind the wheel, was Sheahan, wearing a purple Teletubbies costume. You remember that colorful character, don't you? Cute little fella named Tinky Winky. We can only hope that the costume was Halloween-related as the incident happened on Oct. 29. According to a police report obtained by Mlive.com, Sheahan was arrested while driving the wrong way in Grand Rapids, Mich.