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Top-Earning Celebs Over 50
Successful franchises pay out for their creators in 2008
By Nick McMaster
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Posted Aug 13, 09 5:13 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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Forbes ranks the entertainment industry’s top earners age 50 and older in the last year:
- Oprah, 55, $275 million. Viewership for her show may be waning, but Winfrey’s diverse enterprises, from a magazine to satellite radio to her Harpo production company, remain wildly profitable.
- George Lucas, 65, $170 million. The Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises continue to pay their creator handsomely.
- Steven Spielberg, 62, $150 million. Dreamworks and the new Indiana Jones film made 2008 a strong year for Spielberg.
- Madonna, 50, $110 million. The pop singer’s Hard Candy tour grossed more than any other tour in 2008.
- Jerry Bruckheimer, 63, $100 million. Syndication of the CSI shows and royalties from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies keep Bruckheimer in the top 10.
- Jerry Seinfeld, 55, $85 million. Syndication also works out well for Seinfeld, who also made out on stand-up and received $10 million for an appearance with Bill Gates in a bizarre set of Microsoft ads.
Click the link for the complete list.