Post by mcbutterfly on Dec 13, 2007 17:40:29 GMT 8
THE jingling you hear this Christmas will probably come from a well-booked celebrity's pockets rather than from Santa's sleigh.
Big names - from sports stars and Hollywood glamazons to politicians and entrepreneurs - are making a bundle in the growing celebrity-for-rent business, reported ABC News.
And while the industry does have its untouchables - Robert De Niro and Woody Allen just won't do it - most are available for a fee.
How to decide who to rent?
That all depends on your wallet and the value of your guest's star stock.
The price tag for having a celeb drop by is a telling barometer of who's hot and who's not.
This week, the going rate for American Pie's Tara Reid fell precipitously on the private party circuit.
Her asking price dropped from US$35,000 ($50,300) to appear at a 'Hooker's Ball' with shirtless cowboys to US$3,500 for some private parties, according to Australian tabloids.
Reid is not alone.
Demand for Jessica Simpson and former husband Nick Lachey has gone the route of their three-year marriage - down the tubes.
In an US Weekly survey of celebrity bookings last year, Simpson could command up to US$400,000 for a private performance, while Lachey went for US$100,000.
Today, Simpson's price has fallen to US$75,000, only a little more than Lachey's US$60,000 a gig, according to Star Link Productions, which books celebrities for fundraisers and private parties.
Similarly, R&B and pop artist Usher, who once earned US$1million for a private appearance, can now get only US$175,000, booking agencies say.
The hottest names garner the biggest price tags.
Mariah Carey earns a cool US$3m for a private appearance, up from $1m last year, while Pamela Anderson's price has ballooned from US$75,000 to US$250,000.
Opulent affairs with rock heroes are common in New York City and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the stock-option windfalls of the dotcom era are still being spent.
Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Christina Aguilera have also appeared at company-sponsored events.
Typically, a celebrity who charges US$300,000 for a public performance can bill a private client US$400,000, often demanding a jet and accommodations for his entourage - plus lighting, food and instrument rental costs, according to booking agencies.
There are still some bargains, according to Star Link executive producer Katrina Berg Sussmeier.
'Michael Buble has asked for US$10,000 forever,' she said.
'I tell my clients, please book him now. His price will soon soar to US$400,000 or more.'
But the jaw-dropping prices have not deterred some over-ambitious clients on a budget.
Ms Sussmeier said: 'I had one call from a woman who said if Madonna went to her party, she'll pay half the airfare. But why would she want to come to your damn party in Ohio in your living room?'
Source: The Electric New Paper
Big names - from sports stars and Hollywood glamazons to politicians and entrepreneurs - are making a bundle in the growing celebrity-for-rent business, reported ABC News.
And while the industry does have its untouchables - Robert De Niro and Woody Allen just won't do it - most are available for a fee.
How to decide who to rent?
That all depends on your wallet and the value of your guest's star stock.
The price tag for having a celeb drop by is a telling barometer of who's hot and who's not.
This week, the going rate for American Pie's Tara Reid fell precipitously on the private party circuit.
Her asking price dropped from US$35,000 ($50,300) to appear at a 'Hooker's Ball' with shirtless cowboys to US$3,500 for some private parties, according to Australian tabloids.
Reid is not alone.
Demand for Jessica Simpson and former husband Nick Lachey has gone the route of their three-year marriage - down the tubes.
In an US Weekly survey of celebrity bookings last year, Simpson could command up to US$400,000 for a private performance, while Lachey went for US$100,000.
Today, Simpson's price has fallen to US$75,000, only a little more than Lachey's US$60,000 a gig, according to Star Link Productions, which books celebrities for fundraisers and private parties.
Similarly, R&B and pop artist Usher, who once earned US$1million for a private appearance, can now get only US$175,000, booking agencies say.
The hottest names garner the biggest price tags.
Mariah Carey earns a cool US$3m for a private appearance, up from $1m last year, while Pamela Anderson's price has ballooned from US$75,000 to US$250,000.
Opulent affairs with rock heroes are common in New York City and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the stock-option windfalls of the dotcom era are still being spent.
Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Christina Aguilera have also appeared at company-sponsored events.
Typically, a celebrity who charges US$300,000 for a public performance can bill a private client US$400,000, often demanding a jet and accommodations for his entourage - plus lighting, food and instrument rental costs, according to booking agencies.
There are still some bargains, according to Star Link executive producer Katrina Berg Sussmeier.
'Michael Buble has asked for US$10,000 forever,' she said.
'I tell my clients, please book him now. His price will soon soar to US$400,000 or more.'
But the jaw-dropping prices have not deterred some over-ambitious clients on a budget.
Ms Sussmeier said: 'I had one call from a woman who said if Madonna went to her party, she'll pay half the airfare. But why would she want to come to your damn party in Ohio in your living room?'
Source: The Electric New Paper
