Adam Lambert, Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper Ellen DeGeneres has once again been named the most influential gay person in America in Out Magazine's Power 50. This is what it has to say about the American Idol judge and talkshow host: Since DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol in February, millions upon millions of viewers are getting a double dose of the hugely popular talk show host and 12-time Emmy winner. The American Express and Covergirl pitchwoman's reach is nearly unparalleled, especially after Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she will be ending her show in 2011. A passionate advocate for marriage equality, an avid opponent of “don't ask, don't tell,” and staunch defender of animal rights, DeGeneres's enormous platform is many an American's gain. DeGeneres has switched positions with Washington's highest-ranking gay politician Barney Frank, who moves to number two. Out Magazine says the Massachusetts representative and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee is one of the bluntest of any stripe: Dispatching brush-clearing bitchery along the way (at one town hall meeting, he asked a universal health care opponent, “Ma'am, on what planet do you spend most of your time?”). Unafraid to break rank, he's spoken out against the health care bill, advocated additional stimulus, and emerged as a rare political creature: a progressive with a visible spine. Gorgeous CNN anchor Anderson Cooper remains ranked number three, with the magazine lauding his rigorous coverage of the Haitian earthquake. It says the sheer scope of the disaster "soon revealed a tender side to the steely news anchor". Another high-profile journalist, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is in fourth place, described as the most compelling voice of liberal dissent on television: Memorably mocking the tea party movement, for example, over their obsession with “teabagging”. When asked by The Washington Post whether she was biased when it came to issues such as gays in the military, she replied, "I can't do the show as a non-gay person. I don't have that option." American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert has stormed onto the list at number five, with Out Magazine lauding him for "shattering the glass closet" of the reality show and forcing ABC to "break out its rule book" over his controversially kinky American Music Awards performance: His Rolling Stone cover was the mag's best seller of 2009, and midrange domestic debut sales of For Your Entertainment are only the launching pad for an international career. Who did we talk about before? Coming a long way since he played a boy doctor, actor Neil Patrick Harris is in seventh spot. The magazine says its rankings are based on a person's ability to influence cultural and social attitudes, as well as political clout, individual wealth and media profile. The top 10: 1. Ellen DeGeneres 2. US Representative Barney Frank 3. Anderson Cooper 4. Rachel Maddow 5. Adam Lambert 6. Billionaire businessman Barry Diller 7. Neil Patrick Harris 8. Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese 9. Politician Tammy Baldwin 10. Politician Jared Polis Kitten Power - 16th April 2010