Big honorariums of famous women

The list accounts for earning estimates from May 2011 to May 2012, and while most of the women won't surprise, the woman who ranks all the way up at number two may come as a shock.

10.  Judge Judy Sheindlin: $45 million

  

$45 millionJudge Judy (left) still earns some of the best ratings in daytime TV which is why she brings in $45 million per year. Sheindlin is also an author. Her first book was the delightfully titles "Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining."

9.  Katy Perry: $45 million

 The California Girl continues to garner considerable airplay €”and dollars. Her California Dreams Tour grossed nearly $60 million, and she's the only musician besides Michael Jackson to have five No. 1 singles from the same album.

 

 

8.Gisele Bundchen: $45 million

  

  After Gisele became the face of Pantene in Latin America, sales rose 40% and Bündchen got a shout-out in Proctor & Gamble's quarterly report. She earned an estimated $45 million last year, making her once again the world's top-earning model.

7.Jennifer Lopez: $52 million

  

The singer and actress' new place is not only luxe -- a must-have for someone who brought in $52 million last year and is ranked above Oprah on Forbes' Most Powerful List - but also incredibly private. Situated on its own cul-de-sac, the updated but classic estate is made up of two lots, with room for plenty of celebrity musts, like guesthouses and tennis courts.

6.Lady Gaga: $52 million

 

  

The Born This Way singer still makes plenty of money off of music sales, padding her coffers a new fragrance called Fame. Up next: more touring and perhaps a new album.

5. Rihanna: $53 million

  

 

The Barbados-born diva is one of the top earning women in music thanks to lucrative sidelines including endorsements with Vita Coco and Nivea, fragrance Reb'l Fleur and a heavy touring schedule.

4.Ellen DeGeneres: $53 million

  

$53 million
The star and executive producer of the daytime talk-show hit The Ellen DeGeneres Show (now in its tenth season and averaging three million viewers per episode) also put her muscle behind friend Bethenny Frankel's daytime future in 2012; she acted as executive producer on Frankel's eponymous daytime debut during a six week test this summer.

3.Taylor Swift: $57 million

  

 The country crossover star grossed over $1 million per night on the road this year, and also earns big from endorsements with the likes of CoverGirl and Sony. There's more cash on the way: her latest album, Red, moved 1.2 million units its opening week this fall, the best debut since 2002.

2.Britney Spears: $58 million

  

The 31-year-old pop star tops our list of the top-earning women in music thanks to millions from touring, endorsements and a fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden. Her latest album, Femme Fatale, earned platinum certification in the U.S. 

1.Oprah: $165 million

  

 

Oprah Winfrey's annual earnings fell by a massive $125 million last year, but she is still the world's highest paid celebrity.
The TV mogul earned a cool $165 million down from $290 million from a year earlier, according to Forbes magazine.
It means she tops the the magazine's list of high earning stars for a fourth consecutive time, but the gap at the top is closing fast.