Free Republic

There are movie stars, and then there are actors whose involvement appears more important than the movie itself. Some are so critical to success that studios will pay them tens of millions of dollars to be in their pictures. Johnny Depp just signed a contract to make a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean, and some members of the press are speculating that Depp could earn as much as $95 million. That’s a big paycheck when the most recent Pirates movie grossed roughly $1 billion worldwide.Click here to see the 10 most valuable actors of all timeThere are a small...

After years in the shadows of major media sites, blogs have come into their own. They now compete directly with the most well-funded online content sites, many of which are owned by the largest media companies. With the rise of several blogs, which are extremely successful both financially and editorially, the mainstream content corporations have tried to either flank or buy them. Many mainstream companies like The New York Times have started dozens of blogs of their own. Those who want evidence of the financial value of blogs need look no further than the buyout of The Huffington Post by...