Hollywood's War of the Wages

The tabloids have long pitted Brad Pitt's ex-wife Jennifer Aniston against his current lover Angelina Jolie, with everything from their fashion sense to their eating habits up for comparison and debate.

But when it comes to a tangible measure of Hollywood success -- money -- the glossies steer clear. And on that score, Jolie's the winner--by $2 million.

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Thanks to successful box office runs for "Wanted" and "Kung Fu Panda" as well as her upcoming CIA thriller "Salt," Jolie raked in an estimated $27 million over the last year. (The impressive haul coupled with her media ubiquity catapulted her to the top of Forbes' Celebrity 100 list.)

As for Aniston, this year's hits "Marley & Me" and "He's Just Not That Into You" helped her earn an estimated $25 million during the last 12 months. She also continues to see income from her VitaminWater endorsement and the frequently rerun episodes of "Friends."

To determine who's on top among Hollywood rivals such as Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift; Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell; and Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Conan O'Brien, Forbes tallied all entertainment-related earnings -- from movies, TV programs, albums, athletic contracts, fashion lines, and endorsement deals -- between June 2008 and June 2009.

It's perhaps the fairest way to pick a winner in showdowns like the bigmouth battle between shock-jocks Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern. The former may have garnered more ink over the last 12 months -- some have even dubbed him the unofficial leader of the Republican party -- but Stern owns him when it comes to making money. Limbaugh made $54 million to Stern's $70 million over the past year.

Even with Limbaugh's new eight-year contract worth an estimated $400 million, on top of his heavily trafficked website, books, and speaking engagements, the political lightning rod can't compete with Stern's financial prowess. Stern's XM Satellite deal will continue to pay him an estimated $100 million annually, less the production costs for the show, through 2010.

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Supermodels-turned-super-personalities Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum both built their fame and fortunes in the modeling world, before becoming multi-platform brands. In the final tally, though, Banks does better business.

Between June 2008 and June 2009, she raked in an estimated $30 million with several TV shows, including "America's Next Top Model," "The Tyra Banks Show," "True Beauty," and "Stylista," as well as her own production company, appropriately titled Bankable Productions.

During the same period, Klum pulled down $14 million. In addition to walking the runway (the pregnant mother of three remains a Victoria's Secret angel), the German-born beauty hosts Lifetime's "Project Runway" and "Germany's Next Top Model." She also lends her face to brands like McDonald's, Volkswagen, and LG.

Of course, not every competition has a clear winner -- at least as it pertains to paychecks. Such is the case with tween sensations Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, all of whom earned an estimated -- and jaw-dropping -- $25 million during the course of the year, thanks to ever-expanding and multi-platform portfolios that include television, films, music, and merchandise.

The most lopsided battle of them all? That's the one between daytime divas Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey.

Yes, DeGeneres scored big on TV and endorsements (she's a face of American Express and Cover Girl) this year, earning $35 million, but no one in entertainment rivals Winfrey when it comes to paychecks. Between TV, radio, a magazine, and the Web, the queen of all media banked another $275 million between June 2008 and June 2009. Come 2010, she'll add a new program ("The Dr. Oz Show") and a new network (OWN) to her ever-expanding portfolio. DeGeneres won't be catching up anytime soon.

Edited by Lacey Rose