expire-images:2008-6-27

Would You Pay Paris $1 Million to Teach?

Filed under: Services

Whether she's doing it by accident or it's all part of some carefully calculated master plan I have no idea, but whatever Paris is doing it's working! She really has built herself an empire, and (gasp) now has the opportunity to teach others how she did it. The Learning Annex has reportedly offered Paris $1 million dollars to teach a 1 hour class called "How to Build Your Brand." That much money puts her behind only Donald Trump ($1.5 mil) in the company's history of paid guest teachers.

I guess here is where 'by accident' or 'carefully calculated' really becomes important -- can you tell us how and why you do what you do, Paris? I'll grab my notebook.

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Tags: 1 million, 1Million, expire-images:2008-6-27, hilton, million, one million, OneMillion, paris, paris hilton, ParisHilton, teach, teacher

Macao Will Get A Playboy Mansion

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

China's Las Vegas, Macao has taken another step toward luring tourists to the playtime destination. The Playboy Mansion Macao will be a 40,000 square-foot entertainment destination that will include a Hugh M. Hefner Villa for overnight stays. The Macao Mansion will be a part of the Macao Studio City complex and will pay homage to Hef's legendary Holmby Hills home. There is even a contemporary interpretation of the Playboy pool and the infamous grotto. And yes, there will be bunnies. It seems that the Playboy clubs, which were phased out back in the early 1990s are back in a new form with both this location and the Playboy Club at the Palms. The Mansion should open in late 2009. As, the Guardian notes, Playboy magazine itself is banned in China so this might be more of a draw for the international crowd.

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Tags: china, expire-images:2008-6-27, macao, mansion, playboy

Sir Elton And The Case Of The Fake Gods

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Art

Sir Elton John is a noted art collector with an impressive collection and as, has happened to many avid collectors, he found himself in possession of some fakes. A French court has awarded Sir Elton John $500,000 in compensation for the purchase of four marble statues of Olympic gods that bore the signature of 18th century artist Luigi Grossi but were in fact, fakes. He had bought the four-foot-high statues in an antiques store in Paris in 1996 while shopping with another dedicated art and antiques collector, the late designer Gianni Versace. A valuation of John's collection turned up the fact that the sculptures were worth not genuine and worth just $20,000 (he had paid $360,000). Dealer John Renoncourt will be paying Sir Elton John the compensation.

Unfortunately, fakes, looted antiquities, and questions of provenance can be a risk when shopping for art and antiquities. I'm currently reading The Medici Conspiracy, which is a fascinating account of the story of Giacomo Medici, an antiquities dealer who illegally dealt in a wide variety of antiquities, real, fake and those that were a pastiche of real and fake elements. Often with faked works, like Sir Elton, the buyer only finds out when they have a valuation done of their collection. Unfortunately, not even the signature of a famous artist on a work proves that it is the real deal.

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Tags: art, elton john, EltonJohn, expire-images:2008-6-27, fakes, fraud, sir elton

Wayne Gretzky Is In The Wine Business

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping

The latest celebrity to get into the wine business is hockey's Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky Estate Wines will carry his number, 99 on the label and is a partnership with Niagara's Creekside Estate Winery in Jordan Station. Gretzky launched the new brand at his restaurant in Toronto, Gretzky's. The first three wines are a 2005 Meritage (a red blend), a 2006 Chardonnay and a 2005 Vidal Ice Wine. Gretzsky's wines will be created by Creekside winemakers Craig McDonald and Rob Power. They are priced at $17 for the red, $14 for white and $45 for the icewine (Canadian dollar prices). and are available starting at the Willow Heights Estate Winery. A portion of the proceeds will benefit youth hockey programs. Gretzky is also working on a Wayne Gretzy Estate Winery. Gretzky's not the first hockey player with his own wine but he's definitely the most famous.

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Tags: canada, expire-images:2008-6-27, niagara, wayne gretzy, wine, winery