Suri Cruise Escapes With Hard-Fought Victory in Hollywood Baby Power Rankings

Because no nursery is complete without a stack of aspirational tabloid fodder, the influence-gatherers at Forbes have revived their gloriously obscene annual survey of “Hollywood’s Hottest Tots.” And this year, after much plotting and Scientological back-room lobbying on her behalf, we’re thrilled to see 2007’s first runner-up Suri Cruise finally usurp Shiloh Jolie-Pitt in a bloody, Gerbers-smeared skirmish for top-toddler supremacy. And, “in a sinking economy,” the editors note competition is only going to get tougher from here:

With a growing need to generate magazine sales and Web traffic in a softening economy, media outlets are increasingly turning to stars that are both much-loved and highly reliable. [...]

As the economy heads toward what many predict is a recession, these adorable kids — and the desire to chronicle their upbringings — may become more important than ever. Simply put, fawning over celebrities and their picturesque families may be just the sort of distraction people need. [...] Dina Sansing, entertainment director for Us Weekly agrees:”It’s much more fun to look at cute pictures of Suri,” she says, “than think about how much your 401(k) has decreased.”

But the recession has some babies pretty hard as well: Dannielynn Birkhead was shipped off to infant Palookaville after last year’s No. 7 tie with Madonna’s Malawian prize David Banda; she was replaced by newcomer Matilda Rose Ledger. Sean Preston Federline plunged from No. 4 to No. 9; his score suffered from his selfish mother’s relative reclusion from the tabloid glare for much of the last year. And think of the celebrity diaper-fillers whose oversights will no doubt demand reckoning: Look for aggressive ‘09 campaigns for Tina Fey’s daughter Alice, the latest Trump offspring and up-and-comer Trig Palin to commence immediately, if they haven’t already.

• Hollywood’s Hottest Tots [Forbes]