The number of American-born all-time greats in the field of writing, painting, and composing is legion, but given the nation's relative inception (conceived on July 4th, 1776, for those wondering), the late start afforded citizens of the United States in those fields has largely rendered their significance and impact to secondary status, at least in historical studies and critics lists.

On the other hand, the rise of Hollywood and its moving pictures can trace long parallels with the emergence of the United States' international dominance. In many ways, the two can trade examples of cause and effect -- are American films so dominant because of the nation's stature in the world, or does the country enjoy its status in part because of its contribution to world cinema? -- but regardless of chicken/egg pondering, what is abundantly clear is that the country's greatest actors have dominated the cinema and culture map for over a century.

With that legacy in mind, and the impending celebration of America's birth, it's interesting to debate just which actor has been this nation's greatest. Of course, there have been a huge number of great foreign-born actors, especially from Britain, but just as the world takes the lead in so many other fields, acting is America's own enterprise.

The list of brilliant talents is unending, but only so many have had the lasting impact required for consideration. Here's a subjective list of twelve of the greatest of all time, cut from different eras and styles of cinema. Vote for the actor you think is the greatest American thesp of all time, and debate your choices in the comments.

Buster Keaton

Humphrey Bogart

By:Lauren Streib

Being a nobody never paid so well. From the Kardashian sisters' $11 million haul to The Situation's $3 million payday, The Daily Beast tallies the top earners in reality television.

In a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, star Kim Kardashian emerges with severe bruising around her eyes, as if she lost a battle in the boxing ring. Most Hollywood celebrities wouldn't go in public in such a state, much less cop to getting Botox, but Kim not only receives injections onscreen, she bares the galling results for all her fans.

Few know how to finesse fame better than Kim Kardashian. Like her old sidekick Paris Hilton, she's a well-bred daughter of the Hollywood Hills famous for, well, who knows really—but Kardashian is on track to be more than this decade's Hilton.

While Paris' notoriety centered on stupidity, which she flaunted with such aplomb it was hard to know whether it was a disguise or her actual disposition, Kardashian never appears undone, either physically or professionally. Her talent is maintaining a glamorous sheen while napping or eating a hamburger and her fame hinges on her ability to keep it all together. Of course, her business is a family business, with sisters Kourtney and Khloe as well as her mom, brother, stepfather (former Olympian Bruce Jenner) and stepsisters, all part of the picture—a tight-knit group with a unique shade of wholesomeness.

For that, she earned at least $6 million this year by our calculation—topping The Daily Beast's inaugural ranking of the top earners in the world of reality television. (For the full rankings, see below.) She has the lower-rent trappings of reality-star fame—quickie endorsement deals and party-hosting gigs and sponsored tweets, but her career also bears the hallmarks of established fame. She has licensed perfumes, appeared on the cover of November's W magazine, and has a stake in an online shoe venture she co-founded, ShoeDazzle. With her sisters, who are now stars in their own rights, she also has a share of licensed clothing line, K-Dash by Kardashian, and a chain of retail stores.

Endorsement deals and appearance gigs are the best (and fastest) ways to capitalize on the flash-in-the-pan fame inherent to reality television. The Jersey Shore's DJ Pauly D became the face of Baskin Robbins this spring, Playmate-turned-TV-mom Kendra Wilkinson endorses nutritional supplement Ab Cuts, and Paul D's buddy Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino touts everything from pre-workout supplements to vodka. Snooki, yet another Jersey Shore cast member, whose $750,000 in earnings this year failed to get her on our list, recently inked a deal with a Happy Feet slipper company partner on a line of nighttime footwear.

For retailers or manufacturers of licensed products, the concern with reality stars is whether the star will still be famous in a year—the average time it takes for products to land on store shelves. "A celebrity that has become famous because of their talents is in a better position to make demands because, in general, their fame is here to stay," says Michael Stone, president and CEO of the Beanstalk group, a licensing agency and consultancy. "A retailer may be more willing to take a chance on an [established] celebrity."

While earning millions, reality-TV stars are supplanting the role of movie stars in some ways. Celebrity weeklies once nursed weekly sale spikes that inevitably occurred when Angelina, Brad and brood appeared on the cover, or the ever-likable Jennifer Aniston. In the first half of the year, the top-selling single issue for Us Weekly featured Jake Pavelka from The Bachelor on the cover, according to data from the Audit Bureau of Circulation. In the same time period, mother-of-eight Kate Gosselin scored the second-highest single issue circulation for OK! Weekly, and the Duggars (parents featured on reality show 19 Kids and Counting) covered the highest single issue of People magazine.

The cultural timing is perfect. Celebrity magazines stripped the glamour from Hollywood celebrity as they cataloged stars taking trips to Starbucks and wrangling their toddlers on the playground, which humanized them to the average reader. "Just Like Us!" has become more than a weekly magazine feature; it's become a mentality. But whereas the stars of silver screen are reluctant to share their unfiltered personal lives, reality stars are eager to let photographers and camera crews track the minutiae of their lives. And for now, the audience is insatiable.

Many recognized celebrities have turned to reality television to reinvigorate their careers (Bret Michaels), extend their personal brands (Rachel Zoe) or just capitalize on their fame (Donald Trump). But The Daily Beast ranking was ruled by a defining principle: To merit inclusion, the star must derive his/her fame from reality television. And we defined that in the strictest sense: American Idol and other contestant shows weren't included. This list purely measures those who've cashed in on fame, versus talent. Furthermore, we only counted active reality-television stars: those with a show that aired or was in production in 2010. (Sorry, Paris.)

All of our estimates were calculated from dozens of discussions with industry professionals, agents, managers, and publicists, as well as published reports and public financial disclosures. All figures are for calendar year 2010 and designed to be conservative—in other words, some of these characters may have earned even a bit more. Nice work if you can get it.

Check out the full list below!

1. Kim Kardashian $6 million
2. Lauren Conrad $5 million
3. Bethenny Frankel $4 million
4. Audrina Patridge $3.5 million
5. Kate Gosselin $3.5 million
6. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino $3 million
7. Khloe Kardashian $2.5 million
8. Kourtney Kardashian $2.5 million
9. DJ Pauly D $2 million
10. Kendra Wilkinson $2 million

Other Notables:
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi $750,000
Caroline Manzo $310,000 (Show only)
Danielle Staub $290,000 (Show only)
Jacqueline Laurita $270,000 (Show only)
Teresa Giudice $250,000 (Show only)

Lowest Paid Reality Stars:

MTV’s Teen Moms: 60,000-$65,000 per season ($6,000 per episode)
Tim Gunn: $2,500 per episode and did season one for free!

“The Gianni Versace company has never laundered dirty money or trafficked drugs," Santo Versace says of a book's claims that his brother, Gianni, was killed over unpaid Mafia debts. Gianni is seen here in January 1997 with sister Donatella.

Superstar fashion designer Gianni Versace was murdered by a hit man outside his Miami home because of unpaid Mafia drug debts, a mob turncoat claims in a new book.

Giuseppe di Bella told investigative journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi that Versace’s fashion empire had also been laundering mob money. The book, Metastasi, a chronicle of “blood, money and politics,” was published Dec. 2.

Versace, 50, was murdered on the steps of his Miami mansion on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, who then killed himself.

Di Bella worked for the Calabrian Mafia, known as the N’drangheta, before becoming an informant. Versace was born in Calabria in southern Italy.

“There were rivers of money from drugs, extortion, protection rackets, loan sharking, mountains of money, and it had to be made clean,” Di Bella told Nuzzi.

“Bars, restaurants, property and luxury goods were used but also clean businesses like that of Versace.”

Mob boss Paul De Stefano “told me that he had Versace in his hands,” Di Bella said.

Based on the allegations, Italian police have “opened a file into what Di Bella says,” said Giancarlo Capaldo, of the anti-Mafia department. “He is an informer, and his information in the past has always proved correct.”

The Versace family and company denounced the claims in a statement.

“The Versace family, together with Gianni Versace SpA, utterly refute these baseless allegations and reserve the right to take every possible civil and criminal action against anybody who repeats or propagates these allegations, and to protect the reputation of the company and the memory of Gianni Versace.”

The designer’s brother and company chairman, Santo Versace, told the news agency Agence France-Presse, “The Gianni Versace company has never laundered dirty money or trafficked drugs.”

Gianni Versace, whose celebrity friends included Diana, Princess of Wales, and Elton John, had been shot at close range in the back of the head on the steps of his home in what detectives at the time speculated had the hallmarks of a mob hit.

Winfrey's jet, which flew in from Hawaii,  refuelled before heading to Hamilton Island, where it has now landed.

A Cairns Airport spokeswoman said "it was business as usual" today and there had been no requests for any special arrangements.

Winfrey touched down in Great Barrier Reef holiday spot Hamilton Island in her private jet before personally driving a golf buggy to a wildlife sanctuary, where she was mobbed by hundreds of cheering Australians on the first stop of her tour.

"It's beautiful. It's a long trip but it's worth it," Winfrey, wearing a marigold blouse and gold hoop earrings, said of her first impressions of Australia.

"It's better than a book or a magazine. And the people are so friendly. Spectacular is what it is," she added, before being ushered away by her security detail.

Earlier about 100 members of her studio audience flew in from Sydney, with some still struggling to come to terms with their trip of a lifetime.

"This is very exciting. This is awesome. I don't have the words, man, I'm speechless. It's awesome, it's just bananas," said 27-year-old Epiphany Toi, from Washington DC.

"It's above and beyond a dream come true. I never thought I could have anything like and have it actually be real," added Milwaukee, Wisconsin teacher Meghan Wielebski, 32.

The rest of the 302-strong audience, which has been split into groups, jetted off to destinations in Australia's rugged Outback to visit sacred Aboriginal rock art, and to exclusive vineyards west of Sydney.

Oprah's tour, which will take in all corners of the vast country, marks the first time her wildly popular talk show -- now filming its final season -- has been filmed outside North America.

The megastar said she would take a helicopter flight over the Great Barrier Reef before flying to Australia's red desert centre Thursday to visit Uluru, a giant monolith sacred to local tribes, also known as Ayers Rock.

From there Oprah said she would go to Melbourne, reportedly to meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard and make a public appearance with fans, before returning to Sydney, while her audience would visit far southern and western regions in her place.

"I have been here one hour and I've seen two koalas mating already," Winfrey joked to the Ten Network of the amorous pair, Elvis and Phoebe.

"I'm trying to do it all in eight days."

Winfrey, 56, said she was "overjoyed" to be in Australia "and really just open to this entire experience".

"As I was flying in I thought 'this, I could get used to'," she said of Hamilton Island, the idyllic white-sand gateway to the Whitsunday Islands chain.

Winfrey's tour is being funded by 2.3 million dollars (2.25 million US) of government money in a bid to halt a fall in tourism since its highs of the 1990s, and officials hope it will be a boon for the industry, suffering due to the strong Australian dollar.

"This trip will generate enormous publicity when the show goes to air in January," said Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Hayes.

Oprah's whirlwind itinerary remains a closely guarded secret, but a climb of Sydney's Harbour Bridge and visit to Bondi Beach are believed to be on her weekend agenda.

The iconic Sydney Opera House will become the "Oprah House" on December 14, when two episodes of the hit talk-show are to be filmed in its forecourt before 12,000 Australians who were selected by ballot.

Ranked the world's most powerful celebrity by Forbes magazine, Oprah is expected to be swarmed by fans Australia-wide, with some even staking out Cairns airport where she made a pit-stop Wednesday, hoping for a glimpse of their icon.

Local media have dubbed her visit the "biggest show in town", with security rivalling that normally offered to heads of state and summits, complete with road closures and exclusion zones throughout Sydney.

Australian fans attending the Opera House tapings have been issued a lengthy list of prohibited items including umbrellas, coolers, tents, bicycles, fires, illegal drugs and pets.

Locals say there are rumours she will then visit the local wildlife park or visit her travelling fans at a nearby beach.

But when called this afternoon, management of Hamilton Island Wildlife Park said they were clueless as to a possible visit.

"If she is coming then I haven't heard a thing about it," a spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said the Island "was crazy", with media staking out the talk-show host.

Speculation surrounding Winfrey's visit went into overdrive this morning, with strong rumours she was heading straight to Uluru.

Her travel details have been closely guarded, with very few details available for a hungry media pack, leading to conflicting reports about her itinerary.

Different newspaper reports have the entourage in Byron Bay and Melbourne on Friday.

There are also suggestions 20 of her fans who travelled from the US will visit the Hunter Valley today.

South Australian wine growers also claimed Winfrey was due in the region at some point.

But those already sick of hearing about Winfrey - and by looking at Twitter there are plenty of them - are in for a painful few weeks.

Jay-Z can now add best-selling author to his list of accomplishents, which includes marrying Beyonce and becoming half of one of the most powerful couples in entertainment. Jay's  Decodedhas debuted in third place on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

MTV reports that former U.S. president George W. Bush's Decision Points remains in the top spot of the Hardcover Nonfiction list for its second week, while Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken was the top debut, coming in at #2.

Decoded is a collection of Jay-Z's lyrics deconstructed with the help of co-author Dream Hampton.

The rapper and businessman-turned-author held a big promotional blitz for Decoded. This included appearances on the Late Show With David Letterman, Charlie Rose and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, as well as a scavenger hunt game, for which he partnered with Bing and in which fans searched for pages of the book scattered across global cities.

Tom Franklin has never met Oprah Winfrey, but that didn't stop him from dreaming what most writers dream.

"With her Mississippi roots, I kept fantasizing that she would see the title, say 'I know what that means, I'm from there' and pick up the book," said the author of "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter." "I'm really sad because she got so many people to read and was doing such good work."

Many Oprah fans in general are saddened by her looming departure from her daytime talk show. But that sorrow has also been tempered this season with a bit of mania over the show that, after 25 years, has become a staple of Americana. In the world of television, there is no one bigger than the "O."

The talk show host has helped to stoke the flames of the excitement in the waning days of her show by delivering episodes that are seemingly bigger, better and brighter than anything she has ever done.

From reuniting the cast from "The Sound of Music," to scoring interviews with Michael Jackson's ex-wife, parents and children, and surprising Barbra Streisand with a visit from Robert Redford, Winfrey is going out with a bang the likes of which television audiences have never seen.

Todd Gold, managing editor of Fancast, said all of the excitement befits the ending of the reign of the "queen of television." Gold said he imagines Winfrey and her producers have put a great deal of imagination and energy into thrilling her audience each episode.

'She's going nuts," Gold said. "She's going for it. This is her final lap and it's just going to build and build every day."

Crazy over her "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode? Well, this season Winfrey delighted fans with not one, but two shows and sent her audience members into a frenzy with such high-end gifts as an iPad, a cruise and a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.

"It isn't even a new Volkswagen, it's a Volkswagen from two years from now that hasn't even been made yet and was only seen by Oprah," said Gold. "And isn't that so Oprah? You didn't even have to be there [in the audience] to be thrilled by those episodes because all of the excitement just spilled over from watching it."

That excitement has also translated to ratings gold. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" averaged 8.3 million viewers for the week of November 8, up from the average of 7 million viewers a week who have been watching since the final season began in September, according to Gold's site.

When the talk show host announced a year ago that she would end "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in September 2011 after a quarter century on the air, it not only set off a mad scramble among viewers to get tickets; potential guests also felt the pressure to get on that golden stage, which has served as a launching pad for success for everyone from doctors to small-business owners.

The New York Times reported that one aspiring writer even started blogging her attempt to get her book published before Oprah leaves the airwaves.

"It's not just that she had the Midas touch and everything she touches turns to gold," said Susan Harrow, media coach and author of the book "How to Get Booked on Oprah." "It's that people are invested in Oprah and they really see her as someone whose opinion matters to them. People who follow Oprah, they want to know what she thinks, what she's eating, what she's wearing, because if she's doing it it's got to be important to them."

And that obsession with Winfrey has only intensified as the remaining months tick down.

Shelly Jystad is a member of the Bookworms, a book club which recently headed to the show in Chicago, Illinois, from Jamestown, North Dakota, for the episode featuring best-selling author Jonathan Franzen.

The group was thrilled with the chance to be in the audience, which Jystad said included a 100-year-old fan who had followed Winfrey's career, and the gift of a free Amazon Kindle e-reader to every audience member.

Jystad said Winfrey's success has been aided by being so easy to relate to and so open to sharing her own struggles. "Part of it is knowing her journey," she said. "She's been able to overcome so much, and I think she is very genuine in her desire to help others achieve their dreams."

And Jystad said she doesn't believe Winfrey's influence will cease, simply because the talk show host won't be on the air.

"I think she will just be influencing people through another venue with her new network," she said.

But fan Monique Merritt, 26, said she has grown up with the show and doubts that there will ever be another like it. Even as Winfrey moves on to the next stage of her career, heading up the OWN Network, Merritt said she doesn't think the venture will be able to garner the same interest Winfrey has every day for the last 25 years.

"She talks about so much that happens in the world and she hits so many important points," Merritt said. "It's not just a talk show. The new network is cool, but it's not the same as seeing her every day at 4 o'clock."

Smart deals by his estate have Michael Jackson set to be one of the top earners in music for years to come.

Over the past year Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna and Jay-Z each each earned more than $50 million. But Michael Jackson earned more than all four--combined.

Fueled by a bonanza of interest following Jackson's death, his estate raked in $275 million over the past 12 months, by our estimates. That's more than enough to earn the King of Pop the top spot on our annual Dead Celebs list; in fact, it's more than the rest of the artists on the list put together, and more than any living artist or group.

"The cash flow  on an annual basis is tremendous," says Donald David, an estate lawyer who handled the postmortem finances of rapper Tupac Shakur. "Sure, it's going to decline eventually, but it's going to be a huge amount in the foreseeable future. [Jackson's] kids are going to have grandkids before that money's gone."

The Gloved One's long-term earnings prospects in the afterlife have been bolstered by the deals arranged since his death. His estate received a $60 million advance for last year's film This Is It; sales of a Jackson-themed videogame, memorabilia and a re-released autobiography brought in an additional $50 million. The estate still owns the rights to Jackson's music, which took in nearly $50 million on heavy radio play and album sales over the past year. The funds have been used to put a significant dent into the roughly $500 million in debt Jackson left.

There's more cash on the horizon for the Jackson estate: A deal with Sony Music to put out unreleased recordings will bring in another $200 million to $250 million over the next seven years. Adam Kluger, chief of product-placement outfit The Kluger Agency, expects new Jackson releases to include collaborations with popular artists like Akon and Will.i.am, both of whom worked with Jackson shortly before his death. He believes the current surge of interest in Jackson will prove sustainable.

"Michael Jackson will definitely have staying power for years to come," says Kluger. "There is a strong demand for Michael Jackson's music and merchandise, and that will only increase as more material surfaces in the years following his death."

Perhaps the most lucrative asset in Jackson's estate is a set of songs recorded by other artists. In 1985 Jackson made a brilliant financial move by shelling out $47.5 million to buy a catalog that included rights to 250 Beatles songs. Ten years later, crippled with personal debts he's incurred through extravagances--from $10,000-a-night hotel stays to Rolls Royce convertibles purchased as gifts for his lieutenants--Jackson sold a 50% interest in the catalog to Sony for $90 million, forming a joint venture called Sony/ATV.

Today Jackson's estate still owns half the catalog, which now contains half a million songs, including titles by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Eminem and Beyoncé. Industry insiders estimate that the catalog throws off $50 million to $100 million per year, giving it a total value of about $1.5 billion. That means an annual $25 million to $50 million for the estate's coffers, on top of the considerable sums coming from Jackson's own music and merchandise.

"His earning potential will only increase year after year, as his legacy continues to be cemented," says Susan Blond, who served as Jackson's publicist during the Thriller days. "When our great-grandchildren are talking about music, it will be Michael Jackson over Elvis Presley."