Oprah stays on top

Oprah Winfrey gets paid $315 million-a-year for her talk show. The TV star - whose series 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' will end after 25 seasons in September 2011 - topped a list of the highest paid talk show hosts in the US, with her staggering wage more than the combined total of the next four top earners.

Judge Judy Sheindlin and David Letterman earn $45 million and $28 million respectively, 'Tonight Show' star Jay Leno gets $25 million and Conan O'Brien gets paid $10 million for his self-titled programme.

Charlie Sheen was the highest paid comedy actor, receiving $1.25 million per episode of 'Two and a Half Men' - more than double the $550,000 paid to his co-star Jon Cryer, who was second on the list.

'House' actor Hugh Laurie was named the top earning actor in a drama by TV Guide magazine, taking home a minimum of $400 000 per episode, while 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest was the top earning reality TV star, with a salary of $15 million, and Matt Lauer from 'Today' earned $16 million, making him the highest-earning news presenter.

Despite the huge pay cheques, Hollywood insiders insist that salaries have dropped in recent years.

One source said: "No one broke the bank on anything this year."