REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
If the New England Patriots were looking for a sign that this could be their year, well, er, they’re probably looking in the wrong place.
The NFL doesn’t get going for another few weeks (pre-season does not count!) but the most glamorous quarterback of them all, Tom Brady, is waking up to the news that he and his wife, the supermodel Gisele Bundchen, have touched down as the planet’s most highly paid celebrity couple, according to Forbes magazine.
Together, their combined annual earnings (this is all based on the period between May 2010-11) came in at a staggering $76 million, with Gisele proving that she wears the (more expensive) pants, as she brought home $45 million, thanks to fashion, endorsement and business deals, compared to his (relatively) paltry $31 million — and this is despite signing a four-year, $72 million contract extension with the Pats. But unlike Mr. and Mrs. NewsFeed, we can’t imagine they’ve ever been known to break out the ramen noodles.
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Trailing them by only $4 million is the music power couple without compare, Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé Knowles. His contribution of $37 million can be attributed to that groundbreaking 10-year $150 million Live Nation deal that he inked back in 2008, as well as his interests in the New Jersey Nets NBA team, the 40/40 Club chain and ad firm Translation. Beyonce’s $35 million is mainly due to clothing and endorsement deals, though one should remember they’ve both recently released new albums (Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne and Beyonce’s 4).
From music we turn to movies as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are in third place with a still impressive $50 million (which is more than enough to reportedly charter an entire train from London to Glasgow). She pulled in roughly $30m to his $20m. But imagine if they put those six children to work, the figures would be off the charts!
Two more American-based couples round out the top five: Britain’s David and Victoria Beckham are fourth with combined earnings of $45 million, though he’s (ahem) kicked in a whopping $40m, though that may change if her clothing and purse lines go from strength to strength. But one thing’s for sure: Spice Girls royalties ain’t what they used to be.
And in fifth place, the (never confirmed, but obvious) couple who, if they stay together, might yet top Forbes‘ chart one day: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, who both made $20 million a piece, mainly due to the Twilight franchise. If they play their post-vampire futures smartly, perhaps the figure of $283 million (which is the amount that all five couples made when you add them up) could yet be attainable.
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Glen Levy is an Executive Producer at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @glenjl. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.