ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, September 12, 1994                   TAG: 9409130048
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

`I LOVE YOU, YOU LOVE ME' GUY BEST-PAID NO. 3

Steven Spielberg, whose dino-thriller ``Jurassic Park'' grossed more than $900 million at the box office, has bumped Oprah Winfrey as the highest-paid entertainer, Forbes reported Sunday.

The 46-year-old director-producer, who cleared $100 from his first feature film, made when he was 16, will make an estimated $335 million in 1993-94, the magazine said in its Sept. 26 issue.

That's a record for the eight years Forbes has been compiling the list of the top 40 best-paid entertainers. The previous record of $200 million was set by Michael Jackson in 1988-89.

Television talk-show hostess Winfrey, who became the first woman to head the Forbes Top 40 Entertainers list last year, came in as No. 2 this year with a combined estimated 1993-94 take of $105 million.

Forbes says basing its ranking on combined two-year estimated gross earnings provides a more accurate assessment of an entertainer's overall income, which can change capriciously from year to year.

Winfrey was followed by another Jurassic-era phenom, Barney, the purple, roly-poly, oversized dinosaur who delights 3-year-olds and irks some adults with his syrupy public television show. When 1993-94 sales from toys, cassettes, lunchboxes, underpants and other merchandise are calculated, Barney will amass $84 million for creator Sheryl Leach and her father-in-law publisher, Richard Leach.

The dinosaur isn't the only aged theme in the ranking, which is populated by a number of pop-music relics who went back on tour to big crowds and made the list for the first time.

Pink Floyd came in as No. 4, with a combined 1993-94 take of $62 million. Barbra Streisand, who lured fans willing to pay $1,000 apiece for her first public singing appearances in nearly three decades, was No. 6, at $57 million.

After a bitter 14-year split, the Eagles reunited with a tour and album that won them the No. 7 spot at $56 million. The Rolling Stones, led by middle-aged rockers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards promoting their new album, grabbed the No. 9 spot at $53 million. 


 by CNB