A-list

The A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, and/or the most bankable in the Hollywood movie industry.

The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood. James Ulmer has also developed a Hot List of directors.

Ulmer Scale

The list was created by veteran entertainment journalist James Ulmer, who developed a 100-point method to quantify a star's value to a film production, in terms of getting a movie financed and the cameras rolling. The Ulmer Scale also takes into account an actor's history (box office successes vs. failures), versatility, professional demeanor, and ability and willingness to travel and promote movies.

The Top 10 list as of 2009 (in order of 'bankable' value) :

Will Smith
Johnny Depp
Brad Pitt
Tom Hanks
George Clooney
Will Ferrell
Reese Witherspoon
Nicolas Cage
Leonardo DiCaprio
Russell Crowe

Former incarnations of the list included:

Angelina Jolie
Bruce Willis
Halle Berry
Harrison Ford
Keanu Reeves
Jim Carrey
John Travolta
Jude Law
Julia Roberts
Mel Gibson
Nicole Kidman
Renée Zellweger
Robert Downey, Jr.
Robin Williams
Tom Cruise

Popular usage

In popular usage outside the movie industry, an "A-list celebrity" simply refers to any person with an admired or desirable social status. In recent times, the term has given rise to any person, regardless of profession, in the limelight, even socialites with popular press coverage have been termed as "A-List" celebrities. Similarly, less popular persons and current teen idols are referred to as "B-list." The lowest ranking on the Ulmer Scale is a "C-list." An article on Entertainment Weekly describes a C-list celebrity as "that guy (or sometimes that girl), the easy-to-remember but hard-to-name character actor."

Though the term "D-list" does not exist on the Ulmer Scale, it is often used to describe persons whose celebrity is so obscure that they are generally only known for appearances as so-called celebrities on reality television. Kathy Griffin, a comedian who became widely known for her frequent appearances on such programs, uses the term in a tongue-in-cheek manner for her TV series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.