famous

William Shakespeare's Signature Worth $3 Million

Celebrities spend a lot of time signing autographs, but besides personal value the ones that really end up being worth lots of cold hard cash are the rarest ones. In today's day and age it's hard to get through a single day sometimes without signing for a credit card purchase or something else, but hundreds of years ago things were different. Even for somebody who spent most of his time with a quill in his hand.

For all the writing William Shakespeare did he apparently didn't sign his name very often. Today there are only six of the playwright's known authenticated signatures in existence, which helps make his John Hancock one of the most valuable in the world. One can be found on a conveyance for a house in London, one on a legal deposition, one on his mortgage documents, and three in his will. And any one of those is worth $3 million, seriously.

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Tags: autograph, autographed, famous, john hancock, JohnHancock, most expensive, MostExpensive, name, play, plays, playwright, rare, shakespeare, sign, signature, signed, william shakespeare, WilliamShakespeare, write, writer, writing

The 20 Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Celebrity Shopping

How much would you spend on a wedding if money were no object? For most celebrities it isn't, and the result is wedding costs skyrocketing into the hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars. Forbes recently compiled a list of the 20 most expensive celebrity weddings, going back as far as 20 years. Whether paying for 50,000 exotic flowers or renting an entire island to escape the paparazzi, celebrities spare no expense when it comes to having exactly what they want. The top 5 spenders, in order, are:

Liza Minelli and David Gest: $3.5 million
Paul McCartney and Heather MIlls: $3 million
Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar: $2.5 million
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes: $2 million
Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky: $2 million

Others on the list of 20 include David and Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and of course Donald Trump and Melania Knauss.

Sadly, 40% of the couples on the list are now divorced (including obviously Brad and Jennifer above), so feel free to check out this list of the most expensive celebrity divorces -- a few made both lists!

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Tags: aniston, beckham, brad pitt, BradPitt, celebrities, celebrity, david beckham, DavidBeckham, expensive, famous, jennifer aniston, JenniferAniston, lavish, most expensive, MostExpensive, nuptuals, pitt, posh, rich, spice, victoria beckham, VictoriaBeckham, wealthy, wedding, weddings

What Is Stealth Wealth?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

The days of the over-the-top and "in your face" styles of being rich (think Donald Trump) are numbered it seems, as the trends of wealth and luxury are leaning ever more toward quiet, discreet, and as invisible as possible. A team from Newsweek has done some research and exploration of this latest move toward ultra-exclusive living, with their findings published in the July 2-9 edition of Newsweek (available on newsstands now). Getting a glimpse at some of what goes on is truly a treat, as everything from building and real estate architecture to the names and addresses of exclusive bars and clubs are going so understated as to be nearly invisible. And worn and used by the superrich? Obscure brand names, often without labels and logos, that are only known by those who can afford to know and appreciate their quality.

As fun as it is to witness some of the ridiculous extravagance some celebrities are so open about, I think this trend is definitely a good one as far as taste and class go.

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Tags: celebrities, celebrity, famous, luxury, magazine, news, newsweek, rich, stealth, stealth wealth, StealthWealth, stealthy, trend, trends, understated, wealth, wealthy

Where the "Richest of the Rich" Go to Vacation

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

There are high-end resorts and playgrounds all over the world for those who are used to experiencing the best of the best on a daily basis -- and "billionaire" is the magic ticket in.

Where does Steven Spielberg go when he wants to get away and relax (and maybe pow-wow off-the-record with some of the other powerful people in the world)? The Hamptons of course, because it provides that luxuriously secluded feeling without any pesky long-distance travel. And Oprah Winfrey, who obviously doesn't mind serious plane time, prefers spending time in South Africa.

But, for the ultimate in privacy and escapism, some billionaires such as Richard Branson simply buy a private island all for themselves. Well, Richard actually has two islands...

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Tags: billionaire, billionaires, celebrities, celebrity, famous, rich, richest