Oprah Winfrey-$165 million
The media mogul's earnings fell by a staggering $125 million from last year. However, even with the drop, she remains the highest earner on the list, just inching out director Michael Bay. It's been a challenging year for Winfrey, who signed off from her 25-year syndicated show and immediately turned her attention to struggling cable network OWN. The bulk of the earnings dive comes from lost income onThe Oprah Winfrey Show, but her diversified portfolio includes O: The Oprah Magazine, spin-off shows likeThe Dr. Oz Showand a radio deal with Sirius. She does not earn a salary at OWN, which has faced ratings disappointments and financial issues since it premiered in Jan. 2011. As chairman and CEO of the joint venture with Discovery Communications, she hopes a recent restructuring, new programming and a distribution deal with Comcast will turn the network around.
Michael Bay-$160 million
Bay nabs the title of top-earning director this year thanks toTransformers: Dark of the Moon. The 3-D film brought in $1.1 billion at the box office. Bay has a great deal on the films, taking a solid chunk of the profits. He also earns big from Transformer toys. Adding to Bay's coffers this year: a Transformers ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Bay has earned the right to finally do a small film.Pain & Gain has a budget well under $50 million.
Steven Spielberg-$130 million
Spielberg's DreamWorks moved into television in a big way this year with four new shows, includingTerra NovaandSmash. On top of that, the prolific producer stepped back into directing with two movies that hit theaters last Christmas,The Adventures of TintinandWar Horse. Both films were nominated for Oscars.
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