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Elizabeth Taylor Reigns As Top Earning Dead Celebrity

They’re the one percent even in immortality. Elizabeth Taylor reigns as the biggest earner in Forbes Magazine’s list of Top-Earning Celebrities, even out-ranking her BFF in life, Michael Jackson . But she may not stay atop the deceased heap for long since most of that bundle came from a record-breaking Christie’s auction that cha-chinged $184 million, mostly from the star’s fabled jewelry collection. Still, Taylor is a tour-de-force beyond the grave, reaping cash from her ongoing fragrance White Diamonds, which took in a cool $75 million in 2011. Taylor was a shrewd business-woman in life, negotiating a 10% stake in all of her films post- Cleopatra . That film incidentally was the most expensive at its time, with a $44 million production budget back in the early ’60s (ouch) and Liz was one of the highest paid stars of the time. But, minus the estate sale, the self-styled King of Pop may edge out his celebrity idol in the years to come. Michael Jackson’s estate owns a huge stake in Sony’s ATV catalog, which includes artists like The Beatles, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. The estate even earns cash from the Cirque Du Soleil show The Immortal Tour . The total amounted to $90 million, far out-ranking the ever-present Elvis Presley who took in $55 million. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz placed fourth with $37 million. They’re the ninth most lucrative entertainment franchise, according to Forbes, grossing $2 billion a year globally in retail. Schulz’s dollar prospects are looking even brighter in the future with the recent announcement that a new Peanuts movie is in the works, courtesy of Fox’s animated division, Blue Sky. That film is set for 2015. And reggae superstar Bob Marley ranked fifth with $17 million last year. His holdings include a Marley beverage company, which sells Marley’s Mellow Mood, marketed as a relaxation drink and a House of Marley set of headphones. Others in the list are John Lennon ($12 million), Marilyn Monroe ($10 million), Albert Einstein ($10 million), Dr. Seuss creator Theodor Geisel ($9 million), Steve McQueen ($8 million), Bettie Page ($8 million), song writer Richard Rogers ($6 million). [ Source: Forbes ]

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Elizabeth Taylor Reigns As Top Earning Dead Celebrity

Johnny Depp Signs On For Dr. Seuss Biopic

Actor, set to produce film, might star as the beloved children’s author. By Gil Kaufman Johnny Depp Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images In between stints as a pirate, a scissor-handed freak and a chocolate-factory wizard, Johnny Depp has played a real-life hopped-up writer, a cross-dressing director and a notorious bank robber. Now, the star has signed on to work on a film about one of the most-beloved authors of all time: Dr. Seuss. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Depp will produce and potentially star as Seuss (born Theodor Geisel), author of children’s classics such as “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who!” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” In addition to being turned into a number of hit movies (“Grinch” and “Cat in the Hat”), Geisel’s books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. The movie is unlikely to rely as heavily on CGI as Depp’s $1 billion-grossing foray into “Alice in Wonderland” with director Tim Burton, but it’s possible the Seuss film will include animated elements. Universal and production house Illumination Entertainment, currently joined in postproduction on an animated adaptation of Seuss’ “The Lorax,” and Infinitum Nihil also will work on the biopic. Seuss began his career in the late 1920s as a magazine illustrator, then shifted to drawing ads for companies including General Electric and NBC during the Great Depression, before shifting to political cartoons during World War II and, finally, turning his focus to children’s books in the 1950s. Among his first efforts was “Horton,” as well as 1957’s “Cat in the Hat” and “Grinch.” Geisel died of throat cancer in September 1991 at the age of 87. Depp already has a number of planes on the runway, including a turn as journalist Paul Kemp in “The Rum Diary,” a reported cameo in Martin Scorsese’s 3-D adaptation of “Hugo Cabret,” another collabo with Burton on “Dark Shadows” and a possible starring role as Tonto in the stalled big-screen remake of “The Lone Ranger.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos The Evolution Of: Johnny Depp

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Johnny Depp Signs On For Dr. Seuss Biopic