Britney Spears tops the Forbes’ list of most overexposed celebrities as determined by market research. As Britney’s level of perceived overexposure raised, her talent estimate lowered, with too much publicity leading people to devalue her skill as an entertainer. 72% of the people polled would call Spears “overexposed” while just 25% would call her “talented.” That’s down from a talent score of 35% and overexposure score of 54% five years ago – before she hooked up with K-Fed, had two babies and several well-publicized episodes of possible child-endangerment, dumped K-Fed and then learned the unsubtle art of paparazzi crotch exposure from onetime friend and number two on the list, Paris Hilton.

Paris has an overexposure score of 68%, with K-Fed at her back at 54%. Tom Cruise, Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan are next on the list.

Top Ten Most Overexposed Celebrities:
1. Britney Spears – 72 percent
2. Paris Hilton – 68 percent
3. Kevin Federline – 54 percent
4. Tom Cruise – 53 percent
5. Nicole Richie – 52 percent
6. Lindsay Lohan – 48 percent
7. Michael Jackson – 47 percent
8. Donald Trump – 47 percent
9. Dallas Cowboys football player Terrell ‘T.O.’ Owens – 45 percent
10. The late Anna Nicole Smith’s former lover and lawyer Howard K. Stern – 45 percent

I would expect Lindsay to score higher, but despite how many hotspots and events she goes to she can only get so much love from the press. There are so many pictures of the girl on a daily basis that even the public doesn’t bother to pay attention anymore. Maybe a steep and rapid decline in interest is the next phase in this cycle.

How do these stars get so much press? Easy – they live crazy lives that make them good targets for our smack-talking, and they show their mugs all over town:

Blame the celebs, says publicist Stan Rosenfield, whose clients include George Clooney and Robert De Niro. “It’s like the juggler’s lament: The balls go where you throw them,” he says. “If you show up at places that are covered by the media, then they’re going to cover you. And if you don’t [show up], they won’t.”

It comes down to how these celebrities choose to lead their lives, adds In Touch Weekly editor-in-chief Richard Spencer. Risk-free lives don’t sell magazines. “No one wants to read about the cup of tea and the great banana bread [a star] made yesterday,” he says. “What gets exposure? Kissing a guy at 4 in the morning.”

And while E-Poll Chief Executive Gerry Philpott agrees that the press can only build somebody up or tear somebody down so much, he argues that the 24/7 attention that the Internet provides expedites the fame trajectory, and the exposure that comes along with it. The result: “You can go from zero to 60 in exposure like that,” he says. “And, for that matter, 60 to zero.”

Overexposure can hurt a celebrity’s career, as in the case of Tom Cruise’s couch-jumping, or it can propel them to stardom like Idol contestant Sanjaya Malaker enjoyed for his flamboyant hair and personality.

Tabloid fodder like K-Fed can milk their punchline status for all it’s worth, and some celebrities go to desperate measures to get attention once their press coverage wanes.

The article quotes the author of Celebrity Culture, Ellis Cashmore, as saying that getting back into the press and public’s good graces is best achieved through talent and hard work. Britney can come back through her singing and dancing, he claims. Ten minutes of lip synching here and there just isn’t going to cut it if you ask me.

There’s also something to be said for lying low for a while and waiting until the right moment. They quote publicist Stan Rosenfield, who represents A-list stars like George Clooney and Robert De Niro, as saying “How can I miss you if you don’t go away? Just go away.” Where is Clooney anyway?