Who are the best-paid celebrities, and why?

Forbes has released its annual list of the best-paid celebrities. The top spot is still occupied by a superstar of the talk-show world who may as well be laminated onto the top of the list. The next few places are dominated by the directing giants.

But who is snapping at their heels, and which Brit makes it to the top ten?

1. Oprah Winfrey

Even with a $125 million pay cut, Oprah takes the top spot, after making an astonishing $165 million this year. Her media empire and huge talk show (which ran for 25 years on prime time) has secured her this place for four consecutive years. However, with her show coming to an end this year we can expect something of a fall from grace next time around.

2. Michael Bay

The director of Transformers raked in an incredible $160 million last year. The bulk of his fortune came through cunning negotiations which meant his pay packed for the sequel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, included a percentage of takings and toy tie-ins.

3. Steven Spielberg

Aside from directing War Horse and Tintin during the year, the rest of his $130 million fortune this year has come from a combination of the deal he has with Universal Studios, which means he gets a proportion of ticket sales, his stake in DreamWorks (and the money it is making from a number of new TV shows), and royalties from his back catalogue.

4. Jerry Bruckheimer

The third major director on the list made $115 million this year. This was due to a great extent to the success of the $1 billion Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

5. Dr Dre

One of the highest earners in the list who doesn't make movies, Dre goes to show that rap is a lucrative business. His fortune (and his big move into the top five) also owes a great deal to his foray into the headphone business, which he sold for $300 million last year.

6. Tyler Perry, Actor and producer

Perry proves you don't need one big flashy project to make huge sums, you just need to keep very busy - and be able to do everything. His low budget films have made decent profits, while his TV empire continues to grow and gradually built $105 million for him last year.

7. Howard Stern, Radio and TV personality

The biggest shock from this shock jock is his incredible longevity and popularity, which made him $95 million over the year. A big chunk of this came from being America's Got Talent's highest-profile judge.

8. James Patterson, Author

Authors don't tend to feature on this list, but Patterson isn't like any other author. He produced 14 titles during the year, ranging from thrillers to science fiction - along with a number of Hollywood projects - ably assisted by a team of 'co-writers'. It means he made $94 million during the year.

9. George Lucas, Movie producer

His special effects and animation business - along with his pet projects - keep the cash rolling in. However, much of the $90 million he made this year was from ongoing deals for Star Wars, so Lucas will remain immensely rich without actually needing to do anything.

10. Simon Cowell, Producer and TV personality

Britain's biggest earner in the list made $90 million during the year. His TV successes were handily supplemented by the success of talent show winners One Direction.

Further down the list, Elton John supports the British contingent at number 12 with new albums and an animated success with Gnomeo and Juliet.

The actors start to break in at number 13 with Tom Cruise, and the women return at 20 with Britney Spears. But by and large, the white men over the age of 40 in management positions still hold the earning power in the list - proving you don't have to be young and beautiful to be rich and powerful in Hollywood after-all.



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