27. Elisabeth Murdoch

With a name like Murdoch, building a media empire would seem to be in the blood. Rupert's second daughter has lived up to the legacy, scoring a coup this year in acquiring Reveille and combining it with her own company to create a television powerhouse. The Vassar graduate has been interested in TV for years, having pushed her father to buy "American Idol" after watching the British version in her London home. Her company has taken NBC's "Law & Order" to the Brits, and she helped bring BBC's hit "Life on Mars" stateside to ABC. Having folded New Regency into Shine, she plans to expand into feature films in 2009. Married to the great-grandson of Sigmund Freud, Murdoch finds respite at her country home in Oxfordshire. After hosting her star-studded 40th birthday bash this year at Burford Priory, however, Liz (as she's known to friends) was so enamored with the 14th century monastery that she decided to buy it as her new country abode.