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" Forbes recently released its annual &amp;quot;The World&amp;#039;s Highest-Paid Celebrities&amp;quot; list for 2015 and, as expected, it&amp;#039;s a Scrooge McDuck money bin of surprises. We had to go for a swim.  The calculations, based on Forbes own reporting, are a mix of obvious winners\u2014author James Patterson continues to demand airport attention\u2014and a few payday twists. We live in a world where Fleetwood Mac made more in a year than the Rolling Stones. Believe it. Here are a few of the unexpected highlights: 1. Floyd Mayweather (#1) made a whopping $300 million. Mayweather made an estimated $180 million in prize money off his recent fight with Manny Pacquiao. That&amp;#039;s before pay-per-view tallies. No wonder he can spend $1000 per meal and can drop $500,000 on jewelry in a single afternoon. (Oh, and don&amp;#039;t feel bad for Pacquiao\u2014he&amp;#039;s number two on Fobres&amp;#039; list, having earned around $160 million in the last year.) 2. Howard Stern (#5) raked in $95 million. Looks like Stern is half the reason SiriusXM is still in business. OK, not exactly half; the company earned around $1.4 billion in 2014. Stern&amp;#039;s contract is estimated at about $80 million a year. Take that and shove it up your [BLEEP]. 3. At a combined $146 million, Taylor Swift (#8) and her man Calvin Harris (#17) out-power couple Beyonce (#29) and Jay-Z (#28). BeyJey only made a meager $110.5 million. That&amp;#039;s what they get for sticking to Tidal. Meanwhile, Katy Perry (#3) made more than either couple combined, bringing in $135 million a year. Left Shark just missed the list at #101. 4. Garth Brooks (#6) is still a money factory with a $90 million take. But keep in mind that Chris Gaines brings in half that total. 5. Robert Downey Jr. (#8) a.k.a. Iron Man is still the king of Hollywood, bringing in $80 million. He&amp;#039;s lucky that the failure of The Judge didn&amp;#039;t cost him money. 6. Kim Kardashian (#33) bests Jennifer Lawrence (#34). Kim reaped an extra half million a year over the Oscar-winning actress&amp;#039; $52 million. Our famous people are not paid based on cultural impact. 7. Rush Limbaugh (#11), conservative idol, made $79 million this year. Sean Hannity (#89) admired from below, holding off the War on Christmas with only $29 million. 8. Someone paid Dr. Phil (#15) $70 million this year? Someone paid Dr. Phil $70 million this year. Where&amp;#039;s Oprah? We&amp;#039;re calling every 1-900 number for emotional support. 9. Judge Judy (#43) tied Vin Diesel (#43). The Fast and Furious actor is the biggest movie star to ever hit Facebook. Judy Sheindlin just forced a guy who defecated on his ex-wife&amp;#039;s car to pay her for damages. They both make $47 million a year. 10. Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (#71) makes more than The Rock (#81), Johnny Depp (#87), Channing Tatum (#89), or his Great Gatsby costar Leonardo DiCaprio (#89). Welcome to 2015. 11. The Eagles (#14) are still the biggest act around. Never underestimate dadrock. $73.5 million! To see the full list, head to Forbes. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/news/a36205/richest-celebrities-katy-perry-downey-jr-mayweather-and-more/>