Pacino, Ono Push for Dead Celeb Bill

Michael Jackson, predictably, made the list—but not at No. 1

(NEWSER) - The stars on Forbes ' annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities number, appropriately, 13. To make the list, a "deleb" must have brought in at least $6 million in the past year. This year's list is notably missing former mainstays Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Steve McQueen, and puts a fashion designer in the top spot:

1. Yves Saint Laurent: $350 million
2. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein: $235 million combined
3. Michael Jackson: $90 million
4. Elvis Presley: $55 million
5. JRR Tolkien: $50 million

Bob Dylan's Christmas album is just the latest in a long line

(NEWSER) - Bob Dylan’s decision to record a Christmas album is certainly ill-advised—“fans may have stuck by him throughout the musically self-destructive late '60s, the God-bothering late '70s, and the Grateful Dead-collaborating-Madonna-imitating mid '80s, but surely even Bob's fans have a limit,” writes John Matthew Hall for the Independent. But Dylan’s not alone; Hall offers up the worst disasters in rock and roll careers, from John Lennon to Michael Jackson: More»

(NEWSER) - The numbers of those who watched on TV or the Internet aren't yet crunched, but it's safe to say that Michael Jackson's funeral will rank up there with the biggest celebrity farewells. Time rounds up others:

• Rudolph Valentino, 1926. A superstar of the silent era, Valentino’s sudden death drew nearly 100,000 to his funeral procession on New York City streets. The organizer later admitted paying people to exaggerate their grief.
• Babe Ruth, 1948. 75,000 people descended upon St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to bid farewell to the legendary slugger.

Plus, Susan Boyle forced to change phone number, more

(NEWSER) - Gisele Bundchen visited the OB/GYN yesterday—gasp!—with hubby Tom Brady, thus prompting the requisite pregnancy rumors from the New York Post. Elsewhere:

• Poor Susan Boyle, inundated by late-night phone calls, was forced to change her number, the Sun reports.
• Liam Neeson recently called late wife’s Natasha Richardson’s ski instructor. “He was very dignified and never sought to blame anyone,” a source tells the Sun. “He just wanted to understand what happened for his own peace of mind.”