Biggest Celebrity Paydays of 2007
Which famous faces made the biggest bucks during the past year?
Dec. 26, 2007 Special to ABCNEWS.com — -- It's been 30 years since the release of the original Star Wars, yet for director-producer George Lucas, the force is still with him, big time. In May, Hasbro, the world's second-largest toymaker, paid Lucas $200 million to buy back nearly 16 million warrants for Hasbro stock the company awarded him in 1997 as part of a Star Wars toy licensing renewal deal. (Star Wars merchandise--think Jedi action figures and play light sabers--has been Hasbro's top-selling franchise among boys for the second year running.)
That buyout earned Lucas the top spot on Forbes' list of the Biggest Celebrity Paydays of 2007. In all, the 20 celebrities on the list earned over $1 billion in just 20 days.
Click here to see the biggest celebrity pay days of 2007 at our partner site, Forbes.com.
All figures are not deducted for capital gains or other relevant taxes, unless noted. Actor advances for films were not included, since such payouts can vary depending on when a film begins shooting. As such, it is virtually impossible to pin down the actual payday.
True, most of us can't recall what we made in a single day. But these aren't ordinary days for the members of this list. June 7, for example, was the single highest earning payday in the life of drug dealer-turned-rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. "Fitty" (as he is sometimes called) hooked up with Glacéau, maker of the trendy Vitaminwater health drinks, back in 2004, letting it sell a flavor named for him--Formula 50--in exchange for a small equity stake in the company.
Jackson told Forbes he predicted Coca-Cola would snap up the fledgling company. Sure enough, on June 7, Coca Cola acquired Glacéau for $4.1 billion, netting the rapper $100 million a month before his 31st birthday. That payout earned him the No. 2 slot on the Forbes Celebrity Paydays list.
Radio shock job Howard Stern, who topped last year's list, ranks No. 3 this year thanks to the $82 million stock bonus he earned from his bosses at Sirius for boosting subscriptions for a second year in a row.
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