THE ONE BILLION DOLLAR WOMEN

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THE HOLLYWOOD FILE. Cont'd.

THE ONE BILLION DOLLAR WOMEN. THE MOST EXPENSIVE STARS IN HOLLYWOOD

Photos from L to R: #1. Drew Barrymore. Age: 27. WHY SHE'S A-LIST? Since 1998's hit ''Ever After,'' she's been the queen of girl-power movies, setting an example both as a star and as a producer with 1999's ''Never Been Kissed'' and 2000's ''Charlie's Angels.'' As a driving force behind ''Angels,'' she was rewarded with a $125 million gross and a bump in her salary to a reported $15 million. In addition to the recently wrapped sequel, for which she lured Demi Moore out of retirement, she's also hoping to revamp another cheesecake-action classic this year, ''Barbarella.'' Meantime, the Flower Films chief is charming viewers as the flower-child love of Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell, whom she helped put on the map in ''Charlie's .

#2. Reese Witherspoon.Age: 26. WHY SHE'S A One Billion Dollar Woman? After turning 2001's ''Legally Blonde'' into a sleeper hit, Witherspoon proved her bankability last fall with the $125 million gross of ''Sweet Home Alabama.'' Her salary jumped accordingly, from a reported $1 million for ''Legally Blonde'' to $15 million for its '03 sequel. Plus, she retains indie and critical cred from her role as high school overachiever Tracy Flick in 1999's ''Election.'' No wonder that, for Entertainment Weekly's 2001 If We Ran Hollywood issue, the magazine put her on the cover with the headline ''Why We'd Hire Reese Witherspoon for Everything.'' #3. Renee Zellweger. Age: 33. WHY SHE'S A One Billion Dollar Woman? She earned an Oscar nomination last year when she pulled a De Niro/Streep-style makeover, playing the titular tubby Brit in ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' (and she drove the film to a $71 million U.S. gross, to boot). Now, she's proving she can sing and dance as well in ''Chicago,'' where her murderous vamp may well earn her another chance at Oscar. Though it's been awhile since she won over audiences in ''Jerry Maguire,'' Hollywood is showing Zellweger the money to the tune of a reported $10 million per picture.

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