AP Photo/Phil Sandlin

Wesley Snipes continues to pay.

A Florida judge ruled last week that the tax-evading actor must reimburse the government for more than $200,000 in legal fees it spent prosecuting his federal case.

Snipes, who has appealed his conviction for failing to report nearly $11 million in income to the IRS, had argued that the U.S. Attorney's office was unfairly billing him for what it cost to go after his codefendants.

But U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges said that Snipes has got to pay $217,363.75.

Keep Reading

Greg Gayne/CBS

Charlie Sheen earns the salary of more than a dozen men, let alone two and a half.

The sitcom star is the top-earning comedic actor on television right now, with a per-episode payday of $825,000, according to a list of the highest salaries in prime-time compiled by TV Guide.

Joining him in the upper echelons of compensation are CSI's William Petersen, who will be walking away from a $600,000-per-ep salary when he leaves the show in the coming season, and Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay, who may or may not keep copies of her $400,000 checks next to her Emmy.

Also quenching America's thirst for crime-solving, Kyra Sedgwick's $275,000-per-ep salary makes her the highest-paid actress in a cable drama.

But if you're wondering where all the real money goes, read on.

Keep Reading

20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, Ltd.

George Lucas got a split decision in his personal clone war.

The Jedi mastermind had dispatched his underlings to London to shut down Andrew Ainsworth, a designer of the original Imperial Stormtrooper helmet who was offering unauthorized versions of the classic headgear on the Web to fanboys.

For his part, Ainsworth claimed he dreamed up the concept and should be allowed to sell his wares.

With an array of Stormtrooper helmets lined up along the front bench in the London courtroom, High Court Justice Anthony Mann ruled in both parties' favor Thursday.

Keep Reading

Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com

Looks like Ed McMahon scored that Jimmy Kimmel Live! gig just in time.

The financially strapped TV icon, who recently shot a series of rib-tickling commercial segments for Kimmel's late-night ABC show, was sued in federal court today by a New York divorce attorney who says he was never paid after representing McMahon's daughter in a "matrimonial matter."

Legal eagle Norman Solovay says the former Tonight Show wingman and wife Pamela hired him to represent Linda Schmerge, McMahon's daughter from another relationship, according to the plaintiff's attorney, Michael Shankar.

Solovay was then left hanging after his client ran up a $275,168 tab, per the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Keep Reading

Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com

Some things just aren't worth fighting for after all.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have dropped their breach-of-contract lawsuit against three companies that put up part of the money to make My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which they had accused of hanging onto a bigger-than-fair share of the proceeds.

Production companies representing the powerhouse couple, coproducer Gary Goetzman and Wedding star Nia Vardalos, whom Hanks and Wilson teamed up with after catching her one-act play the culture-clash comedy was based on, sued Gold Circle Films, Big Wedding Productions and Vortex Pictures last August.

An attorney for the plaintiffs filed papers Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting a dismissal "without prejudice," meaning they can choose to refile their complaint at a later date. There was no immediate comment from their camp as to why they decided to abandon ship.

Keep Reading

Rick Gomez / Zuma Press

50 Cent has made a run for the court order.

The Get Rich or Die Tryin' rapper sued Taco Bell Corp. Wednesday for "diluting the value of his good name" with a guerilla ad campaign that he says was intended to fool the chalupa-craving masses into thinking he had endorsed the fast-food chain.

Last month, Fiddy's camp called the gimmick a "sleazy and ill-conceived publicity stunt."

"Without seeking or obtaining Jackson's authorization, defendant Taco Bell made him the star and focus of its nationwide advertising campaign by using his name, persona and trademark to promote Taco Bell's business and products," stated the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Keep Reading

Sipa via AP Images

Here's some news Will Smith can take to the bank, along with those eight-figure paychecks: The Hancock star is the top-paid actor in Hollywood, according to the latest figures from the number crunchers over at Forbes.com.

Based on salaries earned between June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008, Smith bested all competitors, male or female, raking in an estimated $80 million for his big-screen efforts.

His nearest moneymaking rival is Johnny Depp, whose pirate's booty totaled $72 million.

Not bad for a year's work.

Keep Reading