CRUISE ONCE AGAIN IS HOLLYWOOD’S TOP-PAID ACTOR

Tom Cruise has returned to the top of Forbes Magazine’s list of the highest paid actors in the world. The announcement, which some said was brought out earlier than usual by the magazine in order to capitalize on the publicity currently being generated by Cruise’s impending divorce (Forbes ordinarily releases the list in August), noted that the actor earned an estimated $75 million over the last year from the blockbuster Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol and from the generally poorly received musical Rock of Ages. Leonardo DiCaprio, who topped the list last year, slipped to No. 2 this year, with much of his income coming from his performance as former FBI director J. Edgar. Hoover in J Edgar. With earnings of 37 million (half that of Cruise) DiCaprio tied with Adam Sandler for second place. A surprising fourth finisher was Dwayne John, who wound up with $35 million from two films, Fast and Furious 5 and Journey 2. Rounding out the top five was Ben Stiller with $33 million, most of that coming from his work providing the voice of Alex the Lion in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.