Top 10 Highest Paid Musicians of 2010

10. Black Eyed Peas - $48 million

Since crossing over to the mainstream in the early 2000s, the Black Eyed Peas have been everywhere from the Super Bowl pre-game show to discussing politics on CNN. A worldwide tour that took them from Switzerland to Mexico brought in $800,000 a night, while the band’s openness to endorsement deals led them to ink commitments with Target, Honda, Bacardi and Apple...More after the break...

What does it take to become one of the highest-paid musicians of the 2010s? A career that peaked in the 1980s. Nearly half of the artists that make up this year’s list of the top-earning music acts have been around long enough that they could have appeared on the soundtrack to Back to the Future. Here are top ten earning musicians of 2010.

9. Kenny Chesney - $50 million

Chesney continued his reign atop the country music industry by out-touring everyone else. His 2009 tour grossed $71 million and brought in an average of $1.6 million every night, nearly doubling the box office receipts of his closest competitor, Keith Urban. Prominent sponsorships with companies like Corona and MasterCard keep tour costs down, making the tours even more profitable.

8. Madonna - $58 million

The Material Girl isn’t quite ready to cede her spot in pop music’s hierarchy to Lady Gaga or Britney Spears just yet. The 52-year-old singer had the fourth highest-grossing tour of 2009, bringing in $6 million a night and $138 million overall. An episode of the Fox hit sitcom Glee, which featured cast members singing several of her songs, added to her already high profile and cushioned her significant earnings from publishing royalties.

7. Lady Gaga - $62 million

A newcomer to the Celebrity 100, Lady Gaga broke down the door to fame with outlandish outfits and quirky videos, including one that featured her and Beyonce poisoning an unappreciative boyfriend. With a 106-date tour that grossed $95 million, Lady Gaga is also a marketer’s dream, teaming up with Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Monster Cable and Viva Glam.

6. Jay-Z - $63 million

Jay-Z likes to say he’s not a businessman; he’s a business, man–and it’s not idle boasting. The rapper-turned-mogul retains his crown as hip-hop’s cash king thanks to a new album and investments in the 40/40 nightclub chain, the Broadway show “Fela!” and the New Jersey Nets basketball team. Jay-Z’s biggest boost comes from his Blueprint 3 tour, which grossed over $1 million per concert this year. He still makes less than wife Beyoncé.

5. Britney Spears - $64 million

Not long ago, most of the entertainment world had written Britney Spears off as a celebrity flameout. But over the last year Spears logged the fifth highest-grossing tour in the world, bringing in $130 million in gross box office receipts by playing 98 dates. High-profile endorsement deals with Elizabeth Arden and Candies’ prove that the public expects Spears to stay in the spotlight for good.

4. Bruce Springsteen -$70 million

The poet laureate of New Jersey continues to connect with fans around the world. Backed by the E Street Band, Springsteen sold more than 2 million tickets on his world tour, which grossed $167 million, enough to make it the third highest-grossing tour in the world. Heavy radio play on classic rock stations and a steady-selling backlist adds to his bottom line.

3. Beyonce Knowles -$87 million

One half of the most famous couple in hip-hop (Jay-Z, No. 6, is the other half), Beyoncé continues to expand her business empire beyond music. Endorsement deals with companies ranging from Nintendo to L’Oreal and her growing House of Dereon fashion line bring in millions of dollars per year on top of the $86 million she grossed from a 93-stop world tour.

2. AC/DC - $114 million

This Australian heavy metal group has been shaking audiences all night long since 1973 and shows few signs of stopping. Second only to U2 in band tour earnings, AC/DC grossed a staggering $226 million on a worldwide tour that included 99 dates and brought in more than $2 million a night.

1. U2 - $130 million

The world’s biggest rock band, U2 launched a massive world tour in 2009 that has brought in more than $311 million in gross box office receipts. Each tour stop brings in $10 million in gross ticket sales. Add in lucrative merchandise sales, heavy radio play and a steady-selling back catalog, and you have the highest-earning band on the planet.

Via - Link

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Most Expensive Football Transfers

Top 10 most expensive football transfers :Football Players — Real Madrid look to have blown the current transfer record for a footballer out of the water after having an £80m bid for Cristiano Ronaldo accepted by Man United. We look back at the ten mega-deals the Portuguese wizard's apparent move to Spain will put in the shadows. More images after the break...

1. Kaka £59m - from AC Milan to Real Madrid

Until Real came in for Ronaldo, their reported £59m bid for Kaka looked like it was going to be the new world record benchmark for a transfer fee. Kaka said he was moving 'for AC Milan'. Course he is. 

Following the controversial arrival of Luis Figo in the Spanish capital a year before, Real president Florentino Perez continued his now infamous Galacticos project with the capture of the then FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane from Italian giants Juventus for a fee that stood as the world record until Kaka's deal.

2. Zinedine Zidane£46.7million - from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001

3. Luis Figo £37million - from Barca to Real in 2000

Perez was elected Real president in the summer of 2000 on the back of his promise to do the unthinkable and bring the star player from arch-rivals Barcelona to the Bernabeu. Upon appointment he was true to his word, breaking the world transfer record by signing Luis Figo for £37million.

 

4. Hernan Crespo £35.7million - from Parma to Lazio in 2000

In the summer of 2000 Sven-Goran Eriksson's Lazio were Serie A champions and flush with cash following the sale of Christian Vieri to Inter Milan a year before for a then world-record fee. They spent £35.7million of their money on Parma's Hernan Crespo, who finished top scorer in the league in his first season in Rome but was unable to help the club defend their Scudetto and also left for Inter in 2002.

 

 

5. Robinho £32.5million - Real Madrid to Manchester City in 2008

Having been taken over by the super-rich Abu Dhabi investment group on the final day of the 2008 summer transfer window, the new owners of Manchester City made a signal of their intent by beating Chelsea to the signing of unsettled Brazilian star Robinho from Real Madrid in a Premier League record deal worth £32.5million

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Top 10 Prehistoric Fish Alive Today

10 Hagfish

 

According to the fossil record, hagfish have existed for over 300 million years, which means they were already old when dinosaurs took over the world! Found in relatively deep waters, these animals are sometimes called slime eels, but they are not really eels, and actually, they may not even be fish at all,according to some scientists. They are very bizarre animals in all regards; they have a skull but lack a spine, and they have two brains. Almost blind, they feed at night on the carcasses of large animals (fish, cetaceans etc) which fall to the sea bottom. They owe their “slime eel” nickname to the fact that they produce a slimey substance to damage the gills of predatory fish; as a result, they have virtually no natural enemies. 9 more after the break...

9 Lancetfish

The lancetfish has a very obvious “prehistoric” appearance, with those fierce-looking, sharp teeth on its jaws and the sail on its back, reminiscent of that of some dinosaurs (although, in the lancetfish the sail is actually an enlarged dorsal fin). Even its scientific name has a dinosaurian sound to it (Alepisaurus ferox). Up to two meters (6' 6?) in length, this predator is found in all the oceans except for polar regions; very voracious, it feeds on smaller fish and squid, and has known to feed on members of its own species sometimes.

8 Arowana

Belonging to the ancient group of the Osteoglossids, these fish already existed in the Jurassic period. Today, they are found in the Amazon, and in parts of Africa, Asia and Australia. Sometimes kept as exotic pets, arowanas are voracious predators that feed on any small animal they can catch, including birds and bats which they catch in mid flight (they are able to leap up to 2 meters (6' 6?) into the air). In China, arowanas are known as “dragon-fish” due to their appearance, and they are thought to be harbingers of good luck.

7 Frilled Shark

 

This deep sea predator, one of the most primitive sharks alive today, is a relic from the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Seldom seen alive, and only recently filmed for the first time, the frilled shark can grow up to 2 meters (6' 6?) (with females being larger than males) and they live in deep waters, where they feed mostly on squid. They are not dangerous to humans, and as a matter of fact, most frilled sharks spend their whole lives without seeing a human being. Only dead or dying specimens are usually seen and recorded by fishermen or scientists.

6 Sturgeon

 

Another survivor from the age of dinosaurs (they were already around in the early Jurassic), the sturgeon is well known for being one of the main sources of caviar (which is made out of their roe or egg masses); due to overfishing, these magnificent, armored fish are sadly endangered nowadays. The largest sturgeon species can grow up to 6 meters (19' 7?) long, being as large as most great white sharks; they feed on small animals from the sea bottom and pose no danger to humans, unless provoked (although they are so big that they have hurt, and even killed, people unintentionally by leaping out of the water and landing on boats!)

5 Arapaima

 

A close relative to the arowana (see #8), the Amazonian arapaima is sometimes considered to be the largest freshwater fish in the world. According to early descriptions, it could grow up to 4.5 meters (14' 8?) long, but today, enormous individuals like these are seldom found and most adult arapaimas average 2 meters (6' 6?) long. These slow moving predators feed on smaller fish, crustaceans and whatever small animal they can fit in their mouth. An interesting trait of this fish is that it needs to breath oxygen from the air, like a cetacean, in order to survive. Arapaimas pose no danger to humans and are often hunted for their meat; unfortunately, they are very scarce nowadays. Although the arapaima seemingly appeared in the Miocene period, it belongs to a much older family, the Osteoglossidae, and therefore its origins can be traced back to the age of dinosaurs.

4 Sawfish

This critically endangered animal is a survivor from the Cretaceous period, and can be found both in saltwater or in rivers and creeks, and has been found up to 100 kms inland. Up to 7 meters (23') in length, sawfish may look like sharks but are actually more closely related to rays. Their “saw” is both a weapon and a sensory organ, covered on electro-sensitive pores which allow it to sense prey despite its terrible eyesight. Although usually peaceful, the sawfish can become extremely dangerous if provoked. Due to an extraordinary fossil, we know that gigantic, prehistoric sawfish were probably a staple food for the largest carnivorous dinosaur, Spinosaurus, as a vertebra from the fish was found stuck between the dinosaur’s teeth.

3 Alligator Gar

This formidable, thick scaled predator is found in the southern US and northern and eastern Mexico, being the largest freshwater fish in North America (although it sometimes wanders into the sea). It can grow up to 4 meters (13') long and weigh up to 200 kgs (440lbs). Gator gars are so called because of their reptilian appearance and long jaws, armed with a double row of sharp teeth. They are voracious ambush predators and have been known to bite humans on occasion, although no confirmed deaths due to alligator gars have been recorded to date. Gars are among the oldest fish alive today; their origins can be traced back to the Cretaceous period.

2 Polypterus Senegalus

These african fish are often called “dinosaur eels”, due to their reptilian appearance and serrated dorsal fin, reminiscent of some dinosaurs’ spiked backs. They are not really eels, but members of the bichir family. Bichirs were already around in the Cretaceous, so the “dinosaur” part of their name is actually fitting in a way. Although often sold as exotic pets, dinosaur eels are prone to escaping their fish tanks. They can survive out of the water for long periods of time as long as their skin remains wet, which enables them to wander far away from their tank.

1 Coelacanth

The Coelacanth is the most famous of all “living fossils” and deserves to be #1 in this list, because it is the best example of a “Lazarus taxon”, this is, animals that were supposed to be long extinct and are unexpectedly found to be alive. Coelacanths were supposed to have become extinct in the Cretaceous period, along with the dinosaurs, but in 1938, a live specimen was caught in South Africa. Since then, more specimens have been seen and photographed, and a second coelacanth species was even found in Indonesia in 1999. Coelacanths are large predators, up to 2 meters (6' 6?) long; they feed on smaller fish, including small sharks, and are usually found in deep, dark waters. Although rarely captured and consumed due to their horrible taste, coelacanths are critically endangered nowadays.

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10 Amazing Little Heroes

01 Nathan Thomson

The nine-year-old boy who saved his mother when an armed intruder tried to stab her to death. The boy was stabbed in the face as he fought to save his mum from a knife maniac. Nathan Thomson jumped on Hugh Clark's back as the drunken thug tried to kill his mother Ena. Clark turned on the little boy and lashed out with the blade, scarring him for life. But Nathan helped save Ena, who was knifed eight times but survived. The attack happened after the drunk offshore worker broke into the Rosyth's home in Fife. (Link | Photo).

More image after the break...

02 Alexis Goggin

The seven-year-old girl who used her body as a shield to save her mother's life. Alexis Goggins, a first-grader at Campbell Elementary School, was hailed as an "angel from heaven" and a hero, for jumping in front of an enraged gunman who pumped six bullets into the child as she used her body as a shieldto save her mother's life. The girl's mother, Selietha Parker, 30, was shot in the left side of her head and her biceps by a former boyfriend, but before he could fire again, Alexis jumped over the seat between her mother and the gunman and begged him not to shoot her mother. (Link)

03 Kamal Nepali

The twelve-year-old boy who risked his own life to rescue a baby girl from a 60-foot-deep gorge. A two and half year old toddler, Aradhana Pradhan, was rescued by Kamal Nepali, 12 years, after a team of professional rescuers all gave up having failed to bring the child back up even after repeated attempts. But even after 22 hours of repeated attempts, the rescuers weren't able to bring the child out. They started fearing the worst and then Kamal arrived at the scene. His elder brother Salum had told him that only a very small and thin person could manage to get through the very narrow gorgeto save the girl. "A small girl like our own little sister is trapped in the gorge, would you like to go down to rescue her?" Salum had asked Kamal. Immediately after that Kamal had readied himself to go into the gorge. (Link | Photo) 

04 Isabelle Keeling

The two-year-old girl who called 999 to save her mother's life. Isabelle Keeling, 2, called the emergency services as her mother Joanne suffered a reaction to latex at their home, and was able to give her name, address and telephone number. She even opened up the front door to let in neighbours and paramedics, who were able to promptly treat her mother. Just the day before, Isabelle had watched an episode of the children's TV programme Tweenies where she had seen how to call 999. (Link)

05 Agustin Robinet:

The six-year-old boy who helped his mother to give birth. When his mother began to suffer strong contractions, and was forced to give birth at home, Agustin was the only one who was with her, so he attended his mother at giving birth. Also Agustin was encharged to call his father, who arrived home a few minutes later. When the little boy was asked if he was afraid, he answered: “My mom always says that all women are in pain when they go to have a baby”. (Link | Photo)  

06 Cody McNeese

The five-year-old boy who saved his youngest brother from burning mobile home. Cody McNeese fought through flames and smoke to return to his bedroom to make sure his 3-year-old brother, Dustin, got out of their burning mobilehome alive. (Link)

07 Charlie Simpson

The seven-year-old boy who made a cycle ride to raise funds for Haiti earthquake victims. Charlie launched his efforts with a simple message: "My name is Charlie Simpson, I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives. I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti." His efforts have touched the hearts of people around the world with visitors to his JustGiving website page piling on the pounds following his sponsored ride for the charity Unicef in Fulham, south London. Charlie hoped to raise £500 for the Haiti earthquake relief by cycling five miles around a local park, but he has raised £120,000 in donations and gift aid. (Link) 

08 Michael Bowron

The eight-year-old boy who stripped the radio wires and connected them to call for help as his dad lay trapped in the wreckage of a truck rollover. Michael and his father, Justin, were driving home to the family farm in a truck, when a tyre blew and truck rollover. When Justin regained consciousness minutes later his leg was caught in the mangled truck, trapping him in the vehicle. Michael, who had been sitting in the sleeper cabin, crawled out of the wreck through the windscreen and tried to free his dad with a tyre lever. When that didn't work, he rummaged for the radio, but it couldn't work because it wasn't connected to the truck anymore. Finally, under his father's guidance, Michael was able to get the radio working and call for help. (Link)

09 Aidan Turner

The ten-year-old boy who saved his mum from drowning in a bath. Amanda Smith had fainted in the tub and slipped under the water when her 10-year-old son found her. Aidan pulled the plug out of the bath, grabbed his mum by the hair, dragged her out of the water and put her in the recovery position. He then phoned his gran Sheila MacDonald, who works as a domestic worker at Borders General Hospital, to ask for help. An ambulance was called to take Amanda to the hospital, where she spent three days recovering. (Link | Photo)

10 Maddie McRae

The eleven-year-old girl who saved seven people when their cars ended up in the river. After heavy rains washed out a section of the roadway, two vehicles, including the one Maddie McRae was riding in with her mother and two siblings, ended up in the river. "I thought we were going to die because the water was going over our heads", she said. But Maddie managed to get out of the vehicle through the broken windshield, crawl across a tree branch to the shore, and then climb an electric fence to reach a nearby farmhouse. She called 9-1-1 and rescuers were able to pull her family to safety using ladders and ropes. (Link | Photo)

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10 Amazing Staircases Around the World

1. Spiral Stair (Australia)

Fascinating spiral stairs at Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia. 6.5 revs and five stories from top to bottom.(Link - Photo)

2. Spiral Staircase at the Vatican Museum (Italy)

The Vatican Museums spiral staircase is one of the most photographed in the world, and certainly one of the most beautiful. Designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932, the broad steps are somewhere between a ramp and a staircase. The stairs are actually two separate helixes, one leading up and the other leading down, that twist together in a double helix formation. Little did theVatican Museum know in 1932 that this formation would come to represent life itself, with the discovery of the double helical DNA strand. (Link)

3. Loretto Chapel Staircase (USA)

The Loretto Chapel is a chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, known for its unusual spiral staircase that is an exceptional work of carpentry. The construction and builder of the staircase are considered a miracle by the Sisters of Loretto and many who visit it, because it had no central support (a support was added later). The resulting staircase is an impressive work of carpentry. It ascends twenty feet, making two complete revolutions up to the choir loft without the use of nails or apparent center support. It has been surmised that the central spiral of the staircase is narrow enough to serve as a central beam. Nonetheless there was no attachment unto any wall or pole in the original stairway. Instead of metal nails,the staircase was constructed using dowels or wooden pegs. The wood for the staircase cannot be found anywhere in the region. The stairs had 33 steps, the age of Jesus when he died. The mystery had never been satisfactorily solved as to who the carpenter was or where he got his lumber, since there were no reports of anyone seeing lumber delivered or even seeing the man come and go whilethe construction was being done. Since he left before the Mother Superior could pay him, the Sisters of Loretto offered a reward for the identity of the man, but it was never claimed.

Note: some historians claime that most of this story is a MYTH. (Thanks, drxwes) (Link 1 Link 2 Photo)

4. Tulip Staircase at the Queen's House (England)

The elegant Tulip Stairs in the Queen's House are the first geometric self-supporting spiral stairs in Britain. Although called the 'Tulip Stairs,' it is thought that the stylized flowers in the wrought-iron balustrade are actually fleurs-de-lis, as this was the emblem of the Bourbon family of which Queen Henrietta Maria (wife of Charles I) was a member. The Tulip Stairs are also the location of the Rev R. W. Hardy's famous 'ghost' photograph taken on 19 June 1966, which when developed revealed what appear to be two or three shrouded figures onthe staircase. (Link Photo)

5. Staircase at Lello Bookshop (Portugal)

This interesting grand staircase in Lello Bookshop in Portugal stands ominous and heavy. The steps are like two channels pouring and swirling to a single point. The side view gives you a closer idea of the immense curves and giddy sinking feeling to each step. (Link)

6. San Francisco's Tiled Steps - World's Longest Mosaic Stair (USA)

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, perhaps the world's longest mosaic staircase (163 steps, 82' high), was conceived and fabricated by Irish ceramicist Aileen Barr and San Francisco mosaic artist Colette Crutcher. Over a two and a half year period, a tireless group of neighbors raised funds and lobbied city government to make the project, unveiled in August 2005, a reality. Over 2000 handmade tiles and 75,000 fragments of tile, mirror and stained glass went into the finished piece, located at 16th Ave. and Moraga, in San Francisco. (Link)

7. Umschreibung - KPMG Building Munich (Germany)

This artistic staircase designed by Olafur Eliasson is called Umschreibung (Rewriting), and was completed in 2004. It's in the courtyard of the global accounting firm KPMG in Munich. (Photo Link)

8. Stairs at the Longchamp Store (New York)

Constructed in 1¼” hot-rolled steel and taking six months to be built, the sta ir landscape weighs 55 tons and is an installation of ribbon-like forms that divide and converge to form a topography of walkways, landings and steps. (Link)

9. Vertigo Staircase at the QVB Building (Australia)

This image shows “The Grand Staircase" of Sydney's Grand Queen Victoria Building. This building, now affectionately known as the QVB, wasdesigned by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, as Sydney was in a severe recession. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many out-of-work craftsmen – stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists – in a worthwhile project. (Link)

10. Bridge-stair at the Traversinertobel (Switzerland)

The bridge over the Traversinertobel, a side valley of the Via Mala, is the latest structure of this kind designed by engineer Jürg Conzett and his associate Rolf Bachofner . They solved the problem of connecting two different elevations over the gorge by creating a staircase.The staircase replaces a rope bridge for hikers that was wiped out by a rock slide. This suspended footbridge spans a distance of 56 metres, with a difference in height of 22 metres between the two ends. (Link 1 Link 2  Link 3 )

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