Celebrity News August 28, 2012
Oprah Still the Richest Woman on TV
Network owner Oprah Winfrey is still on top! The talk show host and media mogul nabbed the No. 1 spot on Forbes Highest-Paid Celebrities list for the fourth year in a row.
Winfrey took home approximately $165 million between May 2011 and May 2012, thanks to the final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," O magazine, her satellite radio show and OWN network. She also remains involved in Harpo productions like “Dr. Phil,” “Rachael Ray” and “The Dr. Oz Show.”
Director Michael Bay is right on Oprah's heels with an estimated $160 million. Bay took home a healthy cut of the estimated $1.1 billion earnings of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon's.”
Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg is raking in millions thanks to residuals from his past movies. The celebrated filmmaker gets a cut every time his flicks are shown on TV. The Oscar winner, who also takes home a share of Universal theme park ticket sales, still makes money through directing projects and his Dreamworks production company. Altogether, Spielberg made $130 million.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer also had a stellar year. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” earned $1 billion worldwide, translating to a $115 million payday for Bruckheimer.
Dr. Dre took the fifth spot on the Forbes list with $110million. The rapper and record producer is making a killing off his Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. When he sold a 51% stake in the company (co-founded by Interscope Chief Jimmy Iovine), Dre made a pretty penny.
Visit Forbes.com to find out who else made the list.