Since we just finished season 10 of the nations most watched and favorite T.V. show, and already auditioning for season 11, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at how much money these overnight stars are making.

Forbes has released it’s annual ranking of the top earning American Idol alums and it comes as no surprise that Carrie Underwood tops the list.

She surpassed Kelly Clarkson who was last years top earner. Her $20 million takes up 40 percent of the entire list.

The big surprise this year was Adam Lambert who was a runner up on the show a couple of season ago. He’s tied with Chris Daughtry for second place with an impressive $6 million.

Fantasia Barrino is all the way up to number three with $4 million thanks to her reality show “Fantasia For Real”, and her comback album “Back To Me”, which is her highest charting album to date.

Of the 12 Idols on the Forbes list, seven of them are women. This is interesting, considering no female contestant has won “American Idol” since Jordan Sparks won it in season 6.

So will this latest group of Idol finalists (Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Pia Toscano be on that list next year?

Here’s the complete list.

1. Carrie Underwood: $20 million

2. Daughtry: $6 million (Tie), Adam Lambert: $6 million

3. Fantasia Barrino: $4 million

4. Jordin Sparks: $3 million

5. Kelly Clarkson: $2.5 million (She was in first place last year)

6. Jennifer Judson: $2 million

7. Kellie Pickler: $1.8 million

8. Clay Aiken: $1.5 million

9. Katharine McPhee: $1 million (Tie), David Archuleta & David Cook

Near misses: Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox, and Ruben Studdard

Space shuttle Atlantis is back on Earth. The four astronauts arrived early this morning to a record crowd of two thousand people near the landing strip.

Photo by John Raoux of the Associated Press

The landing of Atlantis ends a 30 year program and with it, thousands of jobs. So what’s the future of Space Exploration? Some are saying private companies are going to take over the job the government has been doing for 50 years.

What’s the old saying…”Don’t try this at home”, and certainly not on Lake Pontchartrain.

This British teenager decided to raised awareness for flood victims in London’s Lake District by riding his bicycle on a 75-feet deep lake. He insists the pictures are real but won’t reveal how he did it.

He also says plenty of people saw him do it and they’ll confirm it wasn’t a camera trick.

Is this really the Simon we know? This is the promo tease the networks are running for the new “X Factor show that debuts in September. In the beginning of the ad you’ll notice a new and improved (likeable) Simon, but in the end we find out that he’s only having a dream.

And what’s up with the Pepsi drink in the ad? I thought Simon was a Coca Cola man.

While you are sending in photos of your lovely canine for our “Dog Days Of Summer” contest, this little lady has already cashed in on a contest.

Her name is Yoda, and she is the winner of the 2011 “World’s Ugliest Dog” contest in California. Yoda is a 14 year old Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix who’s owner collected a $1000.00 check.

As you know the Magic 101.9 “Dog Days Of Summer” Photo contest is going on and I thought I would spotlight this cute fellow. His name is Jack Bower and he belongs to Patty B. who does the traffic for you in the morning on Magic.

Patty has had Jack Bower since he was a pup, but unfortunately he is ineligible to compete in the Magic Photo contest. It’s not Jack’s fault that his owner works for the radio station.

According to Forbes Bono and U2 are where the money’s at in music. They top the magazines list of the highest paid singers, earning $195 million the past year.

Bon Jovi is number two at $125 million.

Elton John is third raking in around $100 million.

Lady Gaga is fourth earning $90 million.

Michael Buble’ is fifth with $70 million.

The numbers are based on income from May 2010 through May 2011.

Rounding out the top 10 is 

Paul McCartney ($67 million), Black Eyed Peas ($61 million), the Eagles ($60 million), Justin Bieber ($53 million) and the Dave Matthews Band ($51 million).

Partygoers and those who have had a little too much to drink will soon have another option for a safe ride home after a late night in the French Quarter.

These little gizmos called Pedicabs will be hitting the streets of New Orleans in a few months. The cabs are expected to concentrate in the French Quarter, Central Business District and maybe Uptown.

Justin Timberlake has a new office in Beverly Hills for his new role as co-owner of MySpace. Timberlake opened up his wallet to join Specific Media in buying MySpace for $35 million. As you my already know MySpace has been rapidly losing customers to Facebook over the years. Justin Timberlake says, “There’s a need for a place where fans can go to interract with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect”.

Wasn’t that the original concept of MySpace?

Madonna will soon find herself in a new kind of material world: inside a comic book.

The star will have her life story told in 32 pages by Bluewater Productions Inc., the latest celebrity to be part of its monthly line of “Female Force” comics.

The one-shot issue, due out in August for $3.99, will look at her life as it transformed from a little-known singer into a multimillion-record-selling entertainer and trendsetter.

(Credit: AP/Bluewater Productions)