This is all in good fun. The top earners of 2009. I don't care about this stuff, but I get a kick out of seeing Bay's name topping all the other "big players".
The link to the full article is at the bottom.
Before all the Avatards go buck-wild and scream bloody murder,
remember.....2009 ended on January 1st.
1 Michael Bay 
(William Morris Endeavor Entertainment)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $125 million
$75 million: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (back-end profit participation for directing and producing, based on worldwide box-office gross of $835 million)
$28 million: Transformers: R.O.T.F. (share of estimated $280 million in DVD revenue)
$12.5 million: Transformers: R.O.T.F. (share of toy and other licensing royalties)
$4 million: Friday the 13th (back end for producing, based on worldwide gross of $90 million, and share of DVD)
$2 million: The Unborn (back end for producing, based on worldwide gross of $77 million, and share of DVD)
$2 million: A Nightmare on Elm Street (fee for producing inexplicable remake)
$1.5 million: Royalties from older films, other income
2 Steven Spielberg
(Creative Artists Agency)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $85 million
$50 million: Universal theme-park royalties and consulting fees (ongoing deal signed in 1987)
$20 million: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (fee for producing and directing upcoming 2011 release)
$10 million: Other back-end revenue, royalties from older films
$5 million: Transformers: R.O.T.F. (back end as executive producer)
3 Roland Emmerich
(CAA)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $70 million
$70 million: 2012 (back end for producing and directing, based on worldwide gross of $746 million as of December 31)
4 James Cameron
(CAA)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $50 million
$50 million: Avatar (back end for producing, writing, and directing, based on worldwide gross of $830 million as of December 31)
5 Todd Phillips
(CAA)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $44 million
$39 million: The Hangover (back end for directing, based on worldwide gross of $460 million, and share of DVD)
$5 million: Due Date (fee for producing and directing upcoming comedy starring Robert Downey Jr.)
6 Daniel Radcliffe
(Artist Rights Group)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $41 million
$20 million: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (fee for starring in upcoming penultimate Potter film)
$20 million: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II (fee for starring in 2011 series finale, also filmed last year)
$1 million: Royalties from older films, other revenue
7 Ben Stiller
(WME)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $40 million
$20 million: Little Fockers (fee for starring in upcoming “threequel”)
$6 million: Greenberg (fee for starring)
$6 million: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (back end for starring, based on worldwide gross of $415 million, and share of DVD)
$5 million: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (back-end bonus for voice work, and share of DVD)
$2 million: Megamind (fee as executive producer of upcoming animated film)
$1 million: Submarine (fee as executive producer of upcoming indie film)
8 Tom Hanks
(CAA)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $36 million
$19 million: Angels & Demons (back end for starring, based on worldwide gross of $486 million, and share of DVD)
$15 million: Toy Story 3 (fee for voice work in upcoming “3-D-quel”)
$2 million: Royalties from older films, other revenue
9 J. J. Abrams
(WME)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $36 million
$31 million: Star Trek (back end for producing and directing, based on worldwide gross of $385 million, and share of DVD)
$5 million: Morning Glory (fee for producing upcoming comedy starring Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton)
10 Jerry Bruckheimer
(CAA)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $35.5 million
$10 million: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (fee for producing upcoming action-comedy starring Nicolas Cage)
$10 million: Annual first-look deal with Disney
$7.5 million: Back end from various film projects
$5 million: G-Force (back end for producing, based on worldwide gross of $285 million)
$3 million: Confessions of a Shopaholic (back end for producing, based on worldwide gross of $105 million, and share of DVD)
11 Tyler Perry
(WME)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $32.5 million
$19 million: Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (back end for writing, directing, producing, and starring, based on domestic gross of $90 million—Perry’s films are not yet distributed internationally—and share of DVD)
$6 million: Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All by Myself (back end for writing, directing, and producing, based on domestic gross of $52 million)
$3 million: Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (share of DVD for writing, directing, and producing)
$2.5 million: Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too? (fee for writing, directing, and executive-producing upcoming sequel starring Janet Jackson)
$2 million: Georgia Sky (fee for executive-producing a film without his name)
12 Adam Sandler
(WME)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $31.5 million
$25 million: Grown Ups (fee for writing and starring in upcoming comedy with Chris Rock)
$2.5 million: Born to Be a Star (fee for writing and producing upcoming comedy starring Christina Ricci and Stephen Dorff)
$2 million: Zookeeper (fee for voice work in and producing upcoming animated feature)
$2 million: Assorted back end from other producing projects, royalties from older films, other revenue
13 Denzel Washington
(WME)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $31 million
$15 million: The Book of Eli (fee for starring)
$15 million: Unstoppable (fee for starring in upcoming runaway-train thriller)
$1 million: Royalties from older films, other revenue
14 Emma Watson
(WME)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $30 million
$15 million: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (fee for starring)
$15 million: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II (fee for starring)
15 Rupert Grint
(Hamilton Hodell)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $30 million
$15 million: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (fee for starring)
$15 million: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II (fee for starring)
16 Owen Wilson
(United Talent Agency)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $29 million
$15 million: Little Fockers (fee for co-starring)
$8 million: Untitled James L. Brooks project (fee for starring opposite Jack Nicholson and Reese Witherspoon)
$2 million: Marley & Me (back end for starring, based on worldwide gross of $243 million, and share of DVD)
$2 million: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (back end for co-starring, and share of DVD)
$1 million: Marmaduke (fee for voice work in upcoming animated film based on tired comic strip)
$1 million: Royalties from older films, other revenue
17 Nicolas Cage
(CAA)
Estimated 2009 earnings: $28 million
$12 million: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (fee for starring)
$12 million: The Hungry Rabbit Jumps (fee for starring in upcoming vigilante thriller)
$2 million: G-Force (back-end bonus for voice work, based on worldwide gross of $285 million)
$1 million: Knowing (back end for starring, based on worldwide gross of $151 million, and share of DVD)
$1 million: Royalties from older films, other revenue
Link: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...earners-201003