[Lord Aquaman]

http://moneycentral.....2.asp?GT1=7850

Forbes
The world's best-paid actors and actresses
Oscars and Emmys are nice, but definitely not necessary to bank the highest paychecks in Hollywood. Last year's top earner made his mark playing a supersized elf.

By Forbes

Acclaim doesn't always follow the money in showbiz.

Certainly, the world's highest-paid actors and actresses aren't exactly wowing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. None of them was even nominated for an acting Oscar this year. In fact, only four of them have ever won an Oscar.

But earn they do. In the course of a single year, these 20 stars pulled down some $460 million combined, according to Forbes' annual listing of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities.

Among this highly compensated group, Johnny Depp, who made $37 million, has come closest to winning the coveted 13.5-inch statuette in recent years. Last year, he was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in "Finding Neverland." Close, but no statuette -- the Oscar went to Jamie Foxx.

Depp had another chance this year, although not for Best Actor. Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride," for which Depp provided the voice of Victor Van Dort, was up for Best Animated Feature Film. But as in years past, Depp didn't have much Oscar luck. In fact, despite a lengthy list of critically acclaimed performances, the 42-year-old star has yet to win an Oscar for his acting.

Another Hollywood Hunk, Tom Cruise, has nothing to show for his millions either -- at least in terms of gold-plated statuettes. Despite earning $31 million in a single year, Cruise has just three nominations and no statuettes under his belt. At 43, the "War of the Worlds" star will try again with "Mission Impossible III," which hits theaters later this year.

Better luck in television
In fact, the actors and actresses on our list have won more awards for their work on the television screen than on the silver screen. Four of the 20 stars have been nominated for their TV performances in the last two years, and three have Emmys to show for it.

Jennifer Aniston, as famous for her acting as she is for her love life, is among them. In 2004, the 37-year-old actress received her fifth Emmy nomination for her performance as Rachel Green on NBC's "Friends" (she won in 2002). That may explain why the highly bankable star earned $18.5 million. While the hit sitcom, now in syndication, remains Aniston's cash cow, she has parlayed her TV success into Hollywood stardom. With two recent films to her name -- "Derailed" and "Rumor Has It" -- and several more on the way, Aniston's Emmy statuette may one day have an Oscar by its side.

Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton have both won Emmys for their leading roles in CBS's sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond." While the duo continues to cash in from the show -- now in syndication -- they have both moved on to new projects. Next up for Romano: the silver screen. The actor, who earned $36.5 million, will appear in the upcoming flicks "Grilled" and "Ice Age II."

For Heaton, the next move is on the production side. She recently signed a mega-development deal with ABC Television and its sister studio, Touchstone TV, to produce long-form projects and series through her production company.

To determine the world's highest-paid actors and actresses, we turned to the 2005 edition of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, which ranks the most powerful actors, models, chefs and directors based on their media exposure (magazine covers, TV and radio mentions), Web presence (number of Google hits) and earnings.

The best-paid actors and actresses

Jennifer Aniston Age: 37 $18 million
Nicole Kidman Age: 38 $14.5 million
Drew Barrymore Age: 31 $22 million
Jennifer Lopez Age: 36 $17 million
Sandra Bullock Age: 41 $10.5 million
Tobey Maguire Age: 30 $32 million
Tom Cruise Age: 43 $31 million
Brad Pitt Age: 42 $25 million
Matt Damon Age: 35 $17 million
Julia Roberts Age: 38 $8 million
Johnny Depp Age: 42 $37 million
Ray Romano Age: 48 $36.5 million
Cameron Diaz Age: 33 $13 million
Adam Sandler Age: 39 $28 million
Will Ferrell Age: 38 $40 million
Will Smith Age: 37 $35 million
Jennifer Garner Age: 33 $14 million
Denzel Washington Age:51 $30 million
Patricia Heaton Age: 47 $9 million
Naomi Watts Age: 37 $11.5 million

[Sailor Abbey]

I hate Sandra Bullock.

[barend]

i hate jennifer aniston

[Lord Aquaman]

i hate jennifer aniston

You and me both.

[Sailor Abbey]

I’m not sure anybody really likes her, I think they just tolerate her. Somebody has to play the girlfriend in every movie ever.

[Lord Aquaman]

I’m not sure anybody really likes her, I think they just tolerate her. Somebody has to play the girlfriend in every movie ever.

Something like that.

[Kirby]

I’m not sure anybody really likes her, I think they just tolerate her. Somebody has to play the girlfriend in every movie ever.

Yeah, that's how I felt durring 'Office Space'. The movie was fantastic and every actor and scene was comedy gold, but she was just kinda... there. Like a bookmark in a novel, you don't remember it along with the book but its nice to have.

[barend]

it was like mainsteam media saying... we're watching you.

having jennifer aniston in office space was like having your mother call while your having sex.

[Lord Aquaman]

it was like mainsteam media saying... we're watching you.

having jennifer aniston in office space was like having your mother call while your having sex.

That's a very disturbing thought right there.

[barend]

but again, acurate.