Letters

A-List (Celebrity)

The term "A-List" refers to the most popular and famous people in a field, but most commonly refers to people in the entertainment field, and even more specifically to movie and television performers.

How It's Used

“Tod Volpe, the extravagant art adviser to A-listers like Jack Nicholson and Barbra Streisand, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison after being convicted of fraud in 1998.”

“I’m glad to see a joke or an article that they picked out for me, but not one that they blasted to everyone in their address book. Did they really imagine I wanted to drop everything this second to contemplate the future of NATO? Are they writing personal notes to their A-list friends and relegating me to the @-list? What am I, chopped Spam?”

“Yesterday, amid fanfare usually associated with the visit of a pope or a president, the ceremony at its Everett, Washington, manufacturing facility was to be broadcast world-wide on satellite TV in nine different languages. In the Seattle area, Boeing was expecting so much interest that it has rented out the Seattle Seahawks' football stadium so that those who aren't on the 15,000-person A-list to witness it personally at the factory can watch on a giant screen.”

“Details emerged Friday of how Mr. [Bernard] Madoff ran the alleged scam, fostering a veneer of exclusivity and creating an A-list of investors that became his most powerful marketing tool. From New York and Florida to Minnesota and Texas, the money manager became an insider's choice among well-heeled investors seeking steady returns. By hiring unofficial agents, tapping into elite country clubs and creating 'invitation only' policies for investors, he recruited a steady stream of new clients.”

"But there was little indication that writers and actors beyond those on ABC and CBS have been boycotting Leno's show. He has landed such well-known actors as Drew Barrymore, Vince Vaughn and Robin Williams. Other A-list performers, including Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Cameron Diaz, have appeared in skits."

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