Category: Celebs

Divorce is often an unfortunate fact of life. What once seemed like the love affair that will never end sometimes turns into a bitter, nasty battle that can involve very large sums of money. There are occasions where married couples can come to an agreement amicably and agree to separate on terms that they both agree to, but it often seems like the likelihood for a bitter dispute is increased when there are large sums of money involved. While it seems people are often willing to leave the person they once imagined spending the rest of their life with, parting ways with money often seems much more problematic. When celebrities and other people with impressive amounts of wealth decide to divorce, it can make headlines around the world. These are some of the most expensive divorces of all time.

7. Kenny and Marianne Rogers

Country music superstar Kenny Rogers enjoyed tremendous success during the 1970s and 1980s and later diversified his interests by opening a chain of restaurants and building a fortune that was said to be worth some $250 million. In 1993 he and his wife of 16 years decided it was best to move on and bring an end to what was Rogers’ fourth marriage at the time. In another example of an expensive divorce that ended on a high note, Rogers willingly agreed to give Marianne $60 million and reportedly said that she deserved every penny.

6. Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva

Kevin Costner made his fortune starring in movies such as Field of Dreams, JFK, and Dances with Wolves. But even before he hit it big in Hollywood he had met Cindy Silva while at California State University in the 1970’s. They married in 1978 and had three children together. They later endured press reports of infidelity on Costner’s part during the early 1990’s. After trying to work out their problems, they finally decided to split in 1994. They arranged the details of their settlement privately and it was agreed that Cindy would be awarded an estimated $80 million.

5. Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving

The name Spielberg is synonymous with movies and Steve Spielberg has directed some of the most recognized movies ever produced, including Jaws, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. When Steven Spielberg met actress Amy Irving in the 1970s sparks flew. They married in 1985 and had one son together before they drifted apart. Their divorce was finalized in 1989 and Spielberg reportedly gave up $100 million willingly as they went their separate ways.

4. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey

Neil Diamond is a name that’s recognized the world over and he has been entertaining millions of fans since the 1960s. The singer has sold over 100 million records during his decades-long career which earned him an enviable living. In 1969 Diamond was already married but decided that it was time to move on. It was reported that he left home one night saying he was going out to buy cigarettes and never returned. Three weeks and one quickie divorce later, he was ready to tie the knot with new love Marcia Murphey. A 25-year union isn’t too bad by celebrity standards but apparently that was the best they could do. Diamond gave up half his fortune – a reported $150 million – to settle the divorce, and according to Diamond himself, he was happy to do it because she was “worth every penny.” That’s what they call taking the high road.

3. Craig and Wendy McCaw

Craig McCaw is probably not a name that rings a bell with most people when they think about the rich and famous, but his business smarts allowed him to make a success of the failing cable television business he had inherited from his father, which he eventually sold for $755 million. His instincts served him well again when he recognized the potential that the cellular telephone industry had to offer and he invested in licenses required to operate in that arena. He later sold his business to AT&T for $12 billion. He married Wendy in 1974 but by 1995 the wheels were coming off of their union and divorce proceedings were initiated. Being accustomed to her $200,000-per-month lifestyle, Wendy fought for what she believe she deserved and managed to secure $460 million for herself.

2. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi

It might be said that Adnan Khashoggi made is fortune in a dubious fashion. As an arms dealer for the Saudi Royal Family, he made a vast fortune selling all kinds of weapons to governments and other factions around the globe. From there he worked his way into more mainstream business ventures such as real estate, hotels and banks. Although he once sold deadly weapons to buyers the world over, he didn’t seem quite up to defending his entire fortune from his soon-to-be ex-wife. When he and Soraya split in 1982, she walked away with an estimated $874 million as the result of an out-of-court settlement.

1. Rupert and Anna Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch is among the richest people on earth and when there’s that much money at stake, you know things can get pretty nasty. When Murdoch and his wife of 32 years decided to go their separate ways in 1998, they parted peacefully. The peace did not last, however, and when Rupert Murdoch decided to remove his wife from the board of directors of his News Corp. media empire, things turned very ugly. They managed to work out an agreement by 1999 and Anna Murdoch agreed to end their marriage and walk away with $1.7 billion of his assets. Rupert did not waste much time moving on and married Wendi Deng, a News Corp. employee, 17 days after his divorce was finalized.

Acne does not discriminate. Like every other health problem you can think of, celebrities are just as vulnerable as the rest of us. Sure, they probably have the resources that allow them to receive the best medical care, but they suffer with the same conditions that the rest of us do, and acne is certainly not an exception. I’m sure most people don’t delight in learning about celebrities that have problems with acne, but it might make a few people feel better to know that even glamorous film stars and superstar singers sometimes have to deal with acne. Here are a few well-known celebrities who have had or continue to have problems with acne.

#1 Britney Spears

This one-time pop music superstar has had her share of problems with acne. Spears dealt with breakouts during her teen years as her music career started to take off, but she managed to get the situation under control after she began taking prescription medication. She once again had problems with acne during her pregnancy – which is common – but that cleared up after the birth of her child.

#2 Adam Lambert

This American Idol season 8 runner-up is making headlines most recently due to his work as the front man for classic rock legends Queen. Lambert has struggled with pretty serious acne for years, and it is easy to spot the scars on his cheeks when he isn’t covering them completely with make-up.

#3 Jessica Simpson

It’s no secret that Jessica Simpson has had her problems with acne, in fact, she has served as a spokesperson for a popular brand of acne medication. For Simpson, prescription medication helped clear her skin for a while when she was a teenager, but that turned out to be a temporary solution, and her acne soon returned. She’s had much better success finding solutions that work for her more recently, but still has her problems at times, and has even agreed to be photographed when she is experiencing a breakout to help others realize that they are not alone, and even celebrities deal with this problem.

#4 Cameron Diaz

Diaz has never been all that open about her problems with acne, but she has acknowledged it on a few occasions in the past. Having some of the best make-up artists and Photoshop experts in the world working on your behalf sure makes it easier to cover up problem skin. Diaz has said that quitting smoking was one thing she did that definitely helped improve her skin. She also reports that it improved her skin significantly once she stopped eating a cheeseburger and fries every day.

#5 Brad Pitt

As one of Hollywood’s most recognizable hunks, it may be hard to believe that he has had to deal with acne problems for much of his life. Pitt has some scarring from acne but you’ll never see any of that in his movies or in any glossy magazine photos. Make-up artists and Photoshop wizards can work wonders, and make anyone look like they never had a single pimple in their lives.

#6 Katy Perry

Katy Perry readily admits that having acne is one of her greatest insecurities. Although it’s hard to imagine to hear it coming from a superstar like Perry, she reveals that she tends to be very self-conscious about it and sometimes wears a bit too much make-up in order to cover it up.

#7 Lorde

Singing sensation Lorde is another celebrity that is incredibly open about the problems she has with bad skin. She actually shares photos with the public that show her problem skin, which probably makes a lot of her fans who deal with acne feel a bit better about it. Her message to her fans is that, “flaws are OK.”

#8 Rihanna

Acne triggers are different for everyone and for Rihanna, she seems inclined to think alcohol is a big part of the problem. When she experiences breakouts, she says she cuts back on her alcohol consumption and super-hydrates by drinking lots of water. She will also use lots of bold lipstick to help draw attention away from problem areas.

#9 Megan Fox

Although she may appear utterly flawless, once in a while a photo will surface that clearly shows that Fox has had her problems with acne. There does appear to be some minor scarring visible at times, although the professionals that do her make-up normally do an extraordinary job at covering it up for her.

#10 Daniel Radcliffe

Just about everyone who has ever suffered with acne knows that breakouts always seem to happen at the very worst time. The same was true for this Harry Potter star who reportedly experienced a bad breakout while shooting one of his blockbuster Harry Potter movies. Between the make-up artists and expert film editing, any flaws were probably covered up quite completely.

The wildly acclaimed music style known as rap has continued to grow and expand as upcoming artists step into the limelight and already established rappers break set new milestones. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most recent release by Forbes magazine on the top grossing earners in the rap industry.

The most ironic aspect about all this is the fact that behind their enormous achievements RAP isn’t what has elevated them to the status they are presently.
The top 5 richest rappers in the world are:

5. Bryan “Birdman” Williams — $150 million

The number 4 on the 2014 list ranks 5th this year with a $10 million drop. Birdman is still doing exceptionally well and his rise to fame can be attributed to the success of his record label Cash Money Records, which helped boost up his earnings in the early days.

His drop can be attributed to the recent legal battles and departure of big names such as Lil Wayne. Ever the businessman, the founder and owner of Bronald Oil and Gas, LLC is still waxing strong.

4. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson — $155 million

Although his music career is suddenly declining with his 2014 album, Animal Ambition, only selling 124,000 units as opposed to 12,000,000 copies sold from his 2000 major debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. While relatively new on the top 5 list, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has continued to be on the up thanks to his sale of VitaminWater to Coca-Cola in 2007 which netted him $100 million. He also owns G-Unit Records, has stakes in Effen vodka and SMS headphones, he of late invested in Frigo, an underwear company.

3. Sean “Jay Z” Carter — $550 million

Although he is one of the most influential rappers till date, Jay Z with his exceptionally good eye for business has invested in a lot of startups and established businesses.

After selling Rocawear, his clothing line in 2007 for $204 million and signing a $150 million collaboration with Live Nation in 2008. He also has his ‘Roc Nation’ and ‘Armand de Brignac’ champagne to thank for his increasing wealth. He recently re-launched ‘Tidal’ a Scandinavian streaming service and has a minority stake in NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

2. Andre “Dr. Dre” Young — $700 million

He takes the number 2 slot much thanks to the sale of his thriving Beats by Dr. Dre headphones to Apple for $3 billion. The largest single pay check ever in hip-hop record. Moving on from his enormous success, the Beats Electronic Company has established Beats Music, which is an online-streaming service to contend with Spotify’s control over the market. He is currently worth $700 million.

1. Sean “Diddy” Combs — $735 million

Currently the richest rapper on earth. He started out with his label Bad Boy Records in the ’90s making his name off production and rap work with the likes of Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans. Sean “Diddy” Combs with his intelligent business deals owes much of his success to Sean John and Enyce, his clothing lines.

He has a 50% stake in the Ciroc vodka brand, owns alkaline bottled water brand ‘Aquahydrate’ with popular actor Mark Wahlberg and tequila brand ‘DeLeon’. His recent major equity stake in the multi-platform TV network, Revolt TV could eventually see him rise to be the first billionaire recording artist in hip-hop history.

As easy as it is for us to envy celebrities for all their money and fame, there are a few downsides to being a famous actor or sports star. With so much focus on just about everything they do, celebrities are sometimes the objects of some pretty weird stuff that people dream up. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, there’s a captive audience at the ready to absorb just about anything that is said about their favorite celebrities. Would most of us still be willing to make a go of it as a rich celebrity? Probably so, but we have to acknowledge that with all that good comes some bad. Consider the following crazy celebrity conspiracy theories that have been cooked up about these celebrities.

1. Bob Marley

Let’s get things started with a a real doozy. The CIA killed Bob Marley by providing him with boots that had been poisoned with a cancer-causing substance. With the volume of smoke that dude was inhaling, if the CIA wanted him dead, they would probably have just waited it out.