No. 1: Shawn (Jay-Z) Carter and Beyoncé Knowles
Total: $162 million
Any way you slice it, the chart-topping newlyweds have had a monster year. He banked $82 million by signing a $150 million 10-year recording, touring and merchandising deal with concert promoter Live Nation and releasing his second platinum comeback CD, American Gangster. She raked in $80 million, thanks to an entertainment empire including fashion, film and publishing deals as well as a concert tour that sold $50 million in tickets and endorsement deals with L'Oréal, Direct TV and American Express, among others.
No. 2: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Total: $85 million
Though Jada Pinkett Smith's résumé continues to grow, husband Will Smith maintains his role as the family breadwinner. He pulled down $80 million in the year ending June 2008, thanks to another set of top-performing blockbusters: I Am Legend, The Pursuit of Happyness and this past summer's Hancock. She managed to generate a still impressive $5 million during the same period, thanks to roles as an actress (The Women), producer (The Human Contract) and entrepreneur (she has a stake in beauty line Carol's Daughter).
No. 3: David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
Total: $58 million
Conquering fans on both sides of the Atlantic, the power couple pulled down $58 million over the course of the year. Becks' share: $50 million, proving the much-covered move to America has paid off for the British soccer star. Though his Los Angeles Galaxy salary was only $5.5 million, the sum more than doubled when his cut of the team's ticket, merchandise and sponsorship revenues were factored in. He raked in another $35 million from blue-chip endorsement deals with companies like Motorola, Adidas and Coty. His wife, also known as Posh, brought in $8 million, thanks to the $23 million Spice Girls reunion tour and a slew of product lines, including sunglasses, perfume, couture clothing and her DVB jeans line.
No. 4: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
Total: $35 million
In addition to the big loot country sweethearts McGraw and Hill made on their Soul-2-Soul concert tour, he earned his $23 million from festivals and a double-platinum album, Let It Go. Hill reached $12 million by recording an album, The Hits, and the NFL Sunday Night Football theme song. Every time NBC plays the catchy tune, Hill sees a check
No. 5: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Total: $34 million
They may not be Tinseltown's richest couple, but they're arguably its most famous. But the tabloid staple couple did more than grab press mentions this year: Jolie appeared on screen in Beowulf and AMighty Heart, while Pitt spent time both in front of the camera (Oceans 13, The Assassination of Jesse James) and behind it (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, A Mighty Heart and Tree of Life).
No. 6: Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
Total: $30 million
This joke-slinging duo is laughing all the way to the bank. Mann pulled in an estimated $3 million with a major role in her hubby's blockbuster Knocked Up and the upcoming films I Love You Phillip Morris, 17 Again and Shorts. The triple-hyphenate (writer-producer-director) Apatow raked in $27 million in the same period, thanks to a prolific release schedule that included Superbad, Walk Hard and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
No. 7: Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani
Total: $28 million
As rock music's prettiest couple, Rossdale and Stefani created a valuable family brand. With a fashion line, an endorsement deal with Hewlett-Packard and an international tour to promote her most recent album, The Sweet Escape, Stefani earned $27 million from June '07 to June '08. Rossdale, former front man of post-grunge powerhouse band Bush, returned to his musical roots with his first solo album, Wanderlust, in June.
No. 8: Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman
Total: $25 million
It has been a big year for this county crooner and his Aussie glamazon wife. She gave birth to their first child, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, and banked $13 million on the highly anticipated Australia and endorsement deals with Nintendo and Omega. He won a Grammy for Best Male Country Performance in February and earned $12 million from a combination of album sales and receipts from his tour to promote his most recent studio album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing.
No. 9: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria
Total: $22.5 million
Point guard Tony Parker and his Hollywood wife Eva Longoria seem to have it all and endorse it all. He made $10.5 million last year playing for the San Antonio Spurs, which he supplemented with endorsement deals with VitaminWater, FedEx, Nike, Electronic Arts and Kelloggs. She earned $9 million from her role on ABC's Desperate Housewives and endorsement deals with L'Oréal, Bebe and Samsung.
No. 10: Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart
Total: $22 million
Despite Flockhart's recurring role on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters, Ford out-earned her, thanks to a return to the big screen as Indiana Jones. The 66-year-old actor made $18 million from June '07 to June '08. The actress formerly known as Ally McBeal pulled in $4 million in the same period.
