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Jeff Bezos Asked Twitter Followers How To Give Away Some Of His Money

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This is not news, but Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has a lot of money. Close to the most money, in fact. And when you have a surplus of something, so much so that you don't know what to do with it, one method of dealing with it is to ask your Twitter followers for help. So it's not really so strange that Bezos did exactly that in a recent tweet, posting a message asking his followers for any and all suggestions on how to direct his philanthropic efforts:

"I want much of my philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now – short term – at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact. If you have ideas, just reply to this tweet with the idea (and if you think this approach is wrong, would love to hear that too.)."

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Bezos has previously focused his energy on more long term projects, most notably his Blue Origin space exploration company, so the tweet represented an apparent shift in his attitude toward philanthropy. He has made big gifts in the past, including a $40 million donation to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, but his interest in space travel and his need for steady funds to keep Blue Origin operational indefinitely has prevented him from making philanthropy the foundation of his work in the way that fellow ultra-wealthy billionaires like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, or Warren Buffett have.

But if Bezos' problem with giving his money away has been a lack of ideas, he can no longer claim that as an excuse. The tweet garnered thousands of replies within hours, with suggestions of causes ranging from homelessness, to the environment, to education, and many more.

Read more: Jeff Bezos Asked Twitter Followers How To Give Away Some Of His Money


Johnny Depp Was Well Aware Of How Much Financial Trouble He Was In

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We've been covering the lawsuit that Johnny Depp filed against his former managers alleging gross mismanagement of his money. It keeps taking twists and turns and grows uglier by the day. Depp alleges that his current financial hardship is due to The Management Group using his assets to secure $40 million in loans. The loans were then used to cover up years of mismanaging his money, according to legal docs filed by Depp's attorney. That sounds pretty bad. There's only one thing—the Management Group has emails sent back and forth between them and Depp in which the Pirates of the Caribbean star acknowledges his financial woes. The Management Group also has receipts showing Depp's excessive spending, including the fact that he bought an entire town in France, and the fact that he pays a sound guy to be on set with him to feed him his lines through an earpiece like Cyrano so that he doesn't have to waste his precious time memorizing them.

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After Depp filed a $25 million lawsuit against his former managers, they decided to make correspondence between their former client and their office public to prove that Depp had been well aware of his overspending for years. Deadline obtained emails from late 2009 that reveal Depp's accounts were overdrawn by $4 million. TMG partner Joel Mandel emailed Depp to advise him to keep his holiday spending and travel within reasonable amounts.

Note: the typos, grammatical, and spelling errors within these emails are from the authors, in this case Mandel and Depp.

Mandel wrote Depp:

"Since my email to you in September, I have done what 1 was told you wanted done, meaning, "getting us through" financially until work could start again. The good news is that, so far, we have been able to do that. Notwithstanding, I need your help in a variety of ways. First, we need to "take it easy" on holiday spending. Second, we need to discuss some dollar limit in the upcoming Dillinger auction. Third, I need to be able to sit with you on your return from this trip, and before you leave for France, so that we can talk about where we are financially, what we have borrowed in order to sustain ourselves, what we have had to do to obtain those borrowings, what is now necessary to pay those borrowings back and, finally, to look realistically at income and expenses and to work together on how to make sure that these are back in balance."

That seems reasonable, right? After all, Depp was paying TMG to keep track of his accounts and balances. Well, Depp did not think that being asked to reign in his spending was a reasonable request at all.

Depp replied:

"first, thank you for dealing and getting me through. secondly, i am doing my very best on holiday spending, but there is only so much i can do, as i need to give my kiddies and famille as good a Christmas as possible, obviously within reason. but, regarding the plane situation,., i don't have all that many options at the moment. a commercial flight with paparazzis in tow would be a fucking nightmare of monumental proportions. what else can i do??? you want me to sell same art??? i will. you want me to sell something else??? sure… what??? boat is going to be chartered at new years and sony will then charter it for the TOURIST shoot in venice. other than that, i got bikes, cars, property, books, paintings and some semblance of a soul left, where would you like me to start???"

Depp's email proves that one should stay in school, but besides that, he also was sure that he could make everything alright quickly. Depp pointed out that his upcoming movies should bring him back into the black, claiming that he would make $20 million from The Tourist, $35 million from the new Pirates of the Caribbean, and $20 million from Dark Shadows.

The Management Group is maintaining that Depp and Depp alone is to blame for his financial situation. What can you expect when you spend $30,000 a month on wine and $3 million shooting Hunter S. Thompson's ashes out of a cannon?

Oh, and by the way, the "financially destitute" Depp has a net worth of $200 million.

Stars! They are not just like us.

Read more: Johnny Depp Was Well Aware Of How Much Financial Trouble He Was In

Billionaire Roundup: It's Getting Hot In Here

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The summer is heating up across the globe and our favorite billionaires are out doing their thing. While the drama rages on in Washington D.C., one Russian billionaire has decided to park his yacht in front of the Statue of Liberty. Another billionaire took to Twitter to ask how he should spend his money. You can imagine how well that went. A billionaire sold off a pricey piece of famous art to fund social justice. And yet another billionaire jumping into ride sharing by investing in a rival to Uber. This is the latest edition of the Billionaire Roundup.

Russian Billionaire Anchors Yacht In Front Of Statue Of Liberty
Tourists in New York city are in a tizzy because their shots of the Statue of Liberty are being blocked by a Russian billionaire's mega yacht. Le Grand Bleu is owned by Eugene Schvidler, a Russian oligarch who made his money in the energy industry in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The yacht was a gift from his close friend and fellow billionaire Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. The two are partners in the investment and asset management firm Millhouse.

Le Grand Bleu is 370 feet long, making it one of the largest private yachts in the world. It has been anchored close to Lady Liberty since early June and is obscuring the view of the excursion boats that sail out into New York harbor to visit the famous landmark. The yacht is technically legally anchored; however, most boats do not linger in the area for more than a day or two, nor are they so enormous that they carry a 73 foot sail boat and 68 foot powerboat on board.

The U.S. Coast Guard can order the yacht to move on, but typically this is only done if the boat is creating an obstacle, not just ruining the view or screwing up tourist's photographs.

UPDATE: As of June 19th, Le Grand Bleu has moved from its mooring in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Jeff Bezos Takes To Twitter To Crowdsource His Charitable Donations
Billionaire Amazon founder and new owner of Whole Foods Jeff Bezos took to Twitter the other day to ask his followers how he should donate some of his enormous fortune. Bezos has a net worth of $80 billion. In a series of tweets, Bezos said:

"This tweet is a request for ideas. I am thinking about a philanthropy strategy that is the opposite of how I mostly spend my time- working on the longer term. I want much of my philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now – short term – at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact. If you have ideas, just reply to this tweet with the idea (and if you think this approach is wrong, would love to hear that too.)."

More than 15,000 people responded to Bezos' query. Recommendations ranged from helping young homeless people to food programs for children in need to programs for LGBTQ youth to, you guessed it, personal pleas for money.

One such plea came from German politician Christopher Lauer, who tweeted: "I could need some money and I would consider it very philanthropic. And I guess everybody else would, too."

Lauer added another thought, which frankly, I wholly support:

"Or you start a basic income grand experiment, where you pay 1,000 random people $1,000 a month."

The tweet possibly signals a shift for Bezos, who has yet to make charity as big a part of his work as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Mark Zuckerberg. Instead Bezos has channeled his money into his space exploration company Blue Origin and kept quiet about other donations.

Billionaire Sells A Lichtenstein To Fund Social Justice
Agnes Gund is a renowned billionaire art collector and she's decided to use that power to fund and seek social justice. Gund recently sold a Roy Lichtenstein painting for $165 million and plans to use $100 million of the proceeds to establish the Art for Justice Fund, a criminal justice organization with a mission to reduce mass incarceration.

The sale price of Lichtenstein's "Masterpiece" is one of the highest prices ever paid for a painting and a record for the iconic pop art artist. Lichtenstein's previous highest selling painting was "Nurse," which sold in late 2015 for $95.4 million.

Gund's Art for Justice Fund's goal is to give grants to organizations that are already immersed in criminal justice reform as well as help give education and employment opportunities for those leaving prison. The fund will also make it a goal to support art programs that address the injustices of mass incarceration in the U.S.

Gund has six African American grandchildren and has been vocal about how she worries about their future as they grow up, "particularly in light of shooting of black teenagers like Trayvon Martin in Florida," she told The New York Times.

The Art for Justice Fund has a number of high profile supporters including Whitney Museum chairwoman Laurie M. Tisch, American Express chairman Kenneth Chenault, Goldman Sachs' executive officer Edith Cooper and husband Robert Taylor, and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch. The group has set a goal to raise another $100 million in the next five years.

Saudi Prince Invests In Uber Rival
Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has joined forces with Daimler AG, the world's largest luxury car manufacturer, as an investor in a $500 million fundraising round by Dubai-based ride sharing company Careem. Alwaleed's investment firm, Kingdom Holding Co. will receive a seat on Careem Network's board as part of the deal. Careem is currently valued at $1 billion.

The Middle Easters technology start up industry is blowing up. Investment into these startups is flowing thanks to the plethora of billionaires in the area.

Read more: Billionaire Roundup: It's Getting Hot In Here

Vice Founder Shane Smith Joins The Ranks Of The Billionaire Set

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We live in glorious times. Think about it, a 25-year-old guy with a talent for writing starts an alternative culture magazine in 1994, it evolves into a website, becomes known for its social criticism, and then, one day a bit more than two decades later that now 47-year-old man is a billionaire. That's what happened to Shane Smith, Vice co-founder, journalist, and now, officially billionaire. Vice Media Inc. recently received a $450 million investment from the private equity firm TBG, which put a valuation of $5.7 billion on Vice. Smith is Vice's largest shareholder, ergo, he is now a billionaire. Pretty cool, eh?

Shane Smith was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1969. He graduated from Carleton College with a degree in English Literature and Political Science in the early 1990s. After college, Smith played in punk rock bands in Ottawa and travelled through Eastern Europe. When he returned to Canada, he moved to Montreal.

Mike Windle/Getty Images

In 1994, Smith, alongside co-founders Suroosh Alvi and Gavin McInnes bought a youth magazine called Voice of Montreal and changed its name to Vice. The magazine could not have been farther from what Smith eventually turned it into. It had been funded by Canada's government as part of their welfare program. In the beginning, Smith published print articles on alternative culture – mostly music and drugs. By 2006, Vice had evolved to become a digital news source covering social criticism. That same year, Vice expanded into video, which led to massive growth for the company. Today, the brand has a Vice television show and partnerships with a slew of companies including LiveNation, Spotify, and Snapchat.

Smith now joins Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone as one of the richest media tycoons in the country. At 47, he also has a long time to enjoy his riches in comparison to the 86-year-old Murdoch and 94-year-old Redstone. Smith holds 21% of Vice, so with a $5.7 billion valuation, Smith is worth just over $1 billion.

Smith has been enjoying his success. In January 2015, he spent $380,000 – before tip – on a dinner in Las Vegas. He also owns a $23 million mansion in Santa Monica, which he bought without even looking at.

Read more: Vice Founder Shane Smith Joins The Ranks Of The Billionaire Set

Sugar Ray Robinson Net Worth

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Sugar Ray Robinson net worth: Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer who had a net worth equal to $500 thousand at the time of his death. During his career, Sugar Ray earned the inflation adjusted equivalent of $30 million from boxing. Unfortunately, by the late 60s, he was broke. He did eventually make somewhat of a financial comeback, but never came close to his former wealth. Sugar Ray Robinson was born in Alley, Georgia in May 1921 and passed away in April 1989. He competed at the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight classes. This led sportswriters to create "pound for pound rankings" for boxing. As an amateur he went undefeated at 85-0 with 69 knockouts and 40 of those KOs in the first round. Robinson turned professional at 19 and established a record of 128-1-2 by 1951. He had a 91 fight undefeated streak from 1943 to 1951 and was the world welterweight champion from 1946 to 1951. Robinson retired in 1952 but came back to win the middleweight championship in 1955. He would become the first boxer to win a division world championship five times in 1958 and finished his career with a record of 173-19-6 in 200 fights. Robinson has been credited for inventing the sports entourage. A commemorative stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service in 2006. Sugar Ray Robinson passed away on April 12, 1989 at 67 years old.

Read more: Sugar Ray Robinson Net Worth

Cassandra Clare Net Worth

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Cassandra Clare net worth: Cassandra Clare is an American author who has a net worth of $8 million. Cassandra Clare was brown in Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran in July 1973. She is best known for her young adult fiction including the series The Mortal Instruments. Her The Shadowhunter Chronicles includes The Mortal Instruments series which is made up of City of Bones which was published in 2007, City of Ashes in 2008, City of Glass in 2009, City of Fallen Angels in 2011, City of Los Souls in 2012, and City of Heavenly Fire in 2014. Her Mortal Instruments companion books include The Shadowhunter's Codex in 2013, The Bane Chronicles in 2014, Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy in 2016, and A History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld in 2016. Clare has also authored The Infernal Devices series which includes Clockwork Angel in 2010, Clockwork Prince in 2011, and Clockwork Princess in 2013 and The Dark Artifices series which includes Lady Midnight in 2016, Lord of Shadows in 2017, and The Queen of Air and Darkness. She has also co-authored The Magisterium Series with Holly Black. Her work The Mortal Instruments was adapted into the film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in 2013.

Read more: Cassandra Clare Net Worth

Vera Miles Net Worth

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Vera Miles net worth: Vera Miles is an American actress who has a net worth of $8 million. Vera Miles was born in Boise City, Oklahoma in August 1929. She was known for working closely with Alfred Hitchcock. Miles has more than 150 acting credits to her name and is best known for starring as Lila Crane in the movies Psycho in 1960 and Psycho II in 1983. She also starred in many other films including The Rose Bowl Story, The Charge at Feather River, Tarzan's Hidden Jungle, Wichita, The Searchers, 23 Paces to Baker Street, Autumn Leaves, The Wrong Man, Web of Evidence, The FBI Story, A Touch of Larceny, Five Branded Women, The Lawbreakers, Back Street, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, A Tiger Walks, Those Calloways, One of Our Spies Is Missing, Follow Me, Boys!, The Spirit is Willing, Gentle Giant, Sergeant Ryker, Kona Coast, It Takes All Kinds, The Wild Country, One Little Indian, The Castaway Cowboy, Run for the Roses, The Initiation, Into the Night, and Separate Lives. Miles was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 at 1652 Vine Street. She has been married four times including to actors Gordon Scott and Keith Larsen.

Read more: Vera Miles Net Worth

Forbes Riley Net Worth

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Forbes Riley net worth: Forbes Riley is an American actress and television personality who has a net of $3 million. Forbes Riley was born in Brooklyn, New York in April 1960. She made her television debut on the Miss Teenage America Pageant after being named Miss Teenage New York. Riley has appeared in several films including Splitz, Splatter University, Phoenix, Savage, Shadow of doubt, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, and Ghosts of Genius. She has appeared in episodes of the TV series Sweet Valley High, The Pretender, The Practice, Boy Meets World, 24, Strong Medicine, Untold Stories of the ER, Fashion House, Cooking from the Heart, The Last Supper, and more. Riley has also appeared on many infomercials and commercials for products such as Aerobed, Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer, Mor Furniture Stores, MaxiGlide, and her exercise equipment Forbes Riley's SpinGym. Riley was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame and Museum in 2010.

Read more: Forbes Riley Net Worth


Pernell Roberts Net Worth

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Pernell Roberts net worth: Pernell Roberts was an American actor and singer who had a net worth equal to $10 million at the time of his death. Pernell Roberts was born in Waycross, Georgia in May 1928 and passed away in January 2010. He had more than 100 acting credits to his name and starred as Adam Cartwright on the television series Bonanza from 1959 to 1965. Roberts starred as Trapper John McIntyre on the TV series Trapper John, M.D. from 1979 to 1986. He was a lifelong activist and participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965. Roberts help pressure NBC to refrain from hiring Caucasian actors to play minority characters. He appeared in many films including Desire Under the Elms, The Sheepman, Ride Lonesome, Four Rode Out, The Kashmiri Run, Paco, The Magic of Lassie, Checkered Flag, and more. Roberts was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1981 for Trapper John, M.D. Pernell Roberts passed away on January 24, 2010 at 81 years old from pancreatic cancer.

Read more: Pernell Roberts Net Worth

Shonda Rhimes Dropped $4.6 Million On Third Hancock Park Area Home

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Shonda Rhimes is taking over the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hancock Park, or so it seems. The creator of Grey's Anatomy has just dropped $4.6 million for a Tudor style home built in the 1920s. This is Rhimes' third home in the area.

Rhimes' new pad sits behind gates in the swanky neighborhood. The nearly 100 year old home has been extensively restored and updated over the years. The just under 5,000 square foot home has four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. When you open the front door, a marble floored center hallway greets you. The formal living and dining rooms are just off either side of the entrance. The gourmet kitchen features an informal dining area with a fireplace. The library and family room have a wood beamed ceiling and French doors that lead to the lushly landscaped backyard.

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Two of the upstairs bedrooms have spa like attached bathrooms while the third has an attached sun filled study. The master suite has vaulted ceilings, a cushioned window seat, fireplace, two wardrobes, and a luxurious bathroom.

Back on the first floor, a stone patio lines the back of the house. The backyard features a swimming pool. The detached garage has been converted into a guest house with one bedroom and bathroom.

Rhimes, who has three TV movies on her upcoming slate as well as a new series "For the People," now owns three homes in Hancock Park. She has an 8,292 square foot mansion she bought in 2010 for $5.6 million from Beck as well as an 8,398 square foot Mediterranean villa she bought for $8.8 million from Patricia Heaton in 2014. Rhimes also owns a duplex just west of Hancock Park, which she bought in 2007 for $1.66 million.

Shonda Rhimes has a net worth of $120 million.

Read more: Shonda Rhimes Dropped $4.6 Million On Third Hancock Park Area Home

How J.K. Rowling Made $95 Million Last Year  

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It's hard to believe, but the very first Harry Potter novel is 20 years old. We've had two decades of fun with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the gang. J.K. Rowling's wonderful wizarding world and its inhabitants have spawned movies, theme parks, toys, games, and even a stage play. Now, two decades since the birth of the boy wizard, its author J.K. Rowling has had a banner year for earnings with $95 million added to her enormous net worth. That stratospheric amount makes her the third highest paid celebrity of the year. Only Beyoncé and Diddy made more. It also makes her the highest paid author in the world, a title that James Patterson has held for nearly a decade.

It is unusual for an author (or any creative professional) to have such a surge in earnings for so many years later. Rowling achieved this thanks in large part to the success of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Of course Rowling has a number of Harry Potter income streams—the books still sell, the movies generate royalties, and of course there are the theme parks and merchandise. However, at no point since 2008 has Rowling earned more than $19 million in one year. To make a jump all the way to $95 million is amazing. To make that leap by writing about a character that has been in popular culture for 20 years, is pretty amazing.

John Phillips/Getty Images

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the best selling book last year in the U.S., U.K., and many other countries. It is based on a story by Rowling. The book isn't a novel, it was the stage play's script in book form–which is a testament to how loved the Boy Who Lived is. Sales of and interest in that book also led to higher sales of Rowling's previous novels. She made almost half of that $95 million off of these Harry Potter properties.

Even more Harry Potter money hit Rowling's bank accounts thanks to the stage play of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London. The play is a huge hit and is sold out well into 2018. In April 2018, the play will make its Broadway debut and is sure to bring Rowling many, many, more millions in profits.

The next biggest piece of Rowling's $95 million haul is income from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks at Universal Orlando and Los Angeles. The Florida theme park has been open since 2010 and saw 47.4 million visitors in 2016. The Los Angeles theme park has been open for just over a year. There are talks about a potential new Wizarding World in Beijing.

Rowling's Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them brought in $814 million—her lowest grossing film to date. Still, Rowling's fame and success earned her a double-digit percentage of the net box office receipts, which came to roughly $10 million. A sequel is set to come out in 2018.

And then there are the original eight Harry Potter movies. Warner Bros – the studio that produced them – signed a deal with NBC Universal for $250 million for seven years to bring the franchise to televisions across the country. Rowling received a low double-digit payday for that, which is divided over the seven-year term of the deal.

There's no doubt about it, J.K. Rowling had a banner year. She is unlikely to repeat that this year, since no new Harry Potter books are coming out and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's Broadway debut is still nearly a year away.

J.K. Rowling has a net worth of $1 billion.

Read more: How J.K. Rowling Made $95 Million Last Year  

Pro Sports' Biggest Stars Are Becoming Venture Capitalists

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After winning the NBA Championships, Golden State Warriors Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala are shifting their focus to venture capital. The pair announced they will be launching The Players Technology Summit, an event that encourages collaboration between professional sports and venture capital. The summit is the latest in a trend of professional athletes investing in startups and venture capital investment firms. Fellow NBA stars Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, and Steve Nash all have their own venture capital firms. Last year, Iguodala led his own tech summit hosted by the NBA player's union.

Both Curry and Iguodala have been actively creating a venture capital portfolio for the past few years. Curry founded marketing automation startup Slyce and invested in companies like Pinterest. The 2015 NBA Finals MVP Iguodala has been an even more prominent investor, with a portfolio ranging from Thrive Global, to online mattress seller Casper, to The Players Tribune, a media outlet written and run by former and current professional athletes.

Athletes outside of the NBA are also active in the venture capital world. Serena Williams owns shares in Mobli, a photo-sharing app, and Mayvenn, an e-commerce platform specifically for hairstylists. David Beckham invested in live-streaming platform MyEye. NFL legends Steve Young and Joe Montana both have their own firms, as does Troy Aikman. MLB shortstop Derek Jeter has invested in startups that include an anti-bullying app and a video cloud service. He also helped co-found The Players Tribune together with Iguodala.

The Players Technology Summit is about building relationships and sharing what Iguodala and Curry have learned from working in the tech and venture capital business. Curry feels like "surrounding yourself with the right team" is important for making strong steps as an entrepreneur or investor. The summit will include discussions, panels, and other events involving tech CEOs, venture capitalists, and professional athletes.

 

 

Read more: Pro Sports' Biggest Stars Are Becoming Venture Capitalists

Gal Gadot's 'Wonder Woman' Salary Causes Massive Controversy

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If you spent any time on the internet this week, it's a cinch that you heard about how much Gal Gadot got paid for Wonder Woman, and how her salary compared to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman star Henry Cavill. Initial reports stated that Gadot made $300,000 for Wonder Woman, a pittance compared to the reported $14 million Cavill was supposed to have earned from his first turn as Supes in Man of Steel. Given how hot and important a topic equal pay for women in the workplace is these days, especially in Hollywood, it's no surprise that the story resonated. But actually, (and fortunately for Gadot), she didn't get as much of a raw deal as those initial reports suggested – and Cavill's supposed $14 million salary probably wasn't "anywhere close" to that.

Warner Bros. hasn't given precise salary figures for any of the DC Cinematic Universe stars, but an anonymous source familiar with the pay scale told Buzzfeed that in reality, Gadot's and Cavill's respective debut paydays were about the same. Gadot's $300,000 base salary for her first three DCU outings (which will already be up after Justice League comes out later this year) isn't as low as it sounds, and in fact is about par for the course for unproven stars in major superhero movies – it's reportedly what Chris Evans got for the first Captain America. On top of that, it doesn't include any bonuses that Gadot will receive following Wonder Woman's surprise phenomenal box office success, having as of this writing, pulled in more than $578,000,000 worldwide.

Charley Gallay/Getty Images

This same source also shut down the idea that Henry Cavill got "anywhere close" to $14 million for Man of Steel. So it's likely that Superman and Wonder Woman have (at the very least) roughly equivalent salaries for saving the world from evil villains time and time again. And given how beloved and commercially lucrative her solo debut has turned out to be, it's very possible she'll be making more than Superman once it comes time to negotiate those contracts for sequels.

Read more: Gal Gadot's 'Wonder Woman' Salary Causes Massive Controversy

Ice Cube Might Inadvertently Make A Ton Of Money Off The Mayweather/McGregor Fight

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If there's one word you could use to describe the upcoming bout between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, "money" would probably be one of the most a propos words one could use. The fight will undoubtedly make all parties involved a whole lot richer. But there's one person who could be in line to make a lot of money off the fight who, on the surface, has absolutely nothing to do with making the fight happen.

When it was announced last week that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor had agreed to fight on Aug. 26, the venue was originally reported to be the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But Dana White later confirmed with TMZ Sports that the fight would be taking place inside the T-Mobile Arena, which is also in Las Vegas. The latter arena has 4,000 more seats than the MGM Grand, which would open up the possibility of more revenue for all parties involved.

The problem? Rapper/actor Ice Cube already has an event booked at the T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 26; the championship of his BIG3 basketball league. In order for the Mayweather/McGregor fight to happen at the arena, Ice Cube would have to willingly step out of the way and move his championship to another venue. But it appears that the Cali native would have no issues moving his championship game somewhere else; as long as he gets something out of it.

(Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

As he stated in an interview on FS1,  he would be more than willing to move his championship to another venue.

"Of course. If they do what they're supposed to do and make us happy, yeah we'll move. We're talking about it. I think we can get there."

Sources close to the Mayweather/McGregor fight told TMZ that the plan is to move the BIG3 tournament to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Read more: Ice Cube Might Inadvertently Make A Ton Of Money Off The Mayweather/McGregor Fight

The Legacy Of Whole Food's Visionary CEO John Mackey

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Back in 1978, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey opened a small natural foods store in Austin, Texas, using money raised from friends and family. Not long after, he and his partner Renee Lawson were evicted from their apartment for storing inventory there, so they moved into the store and used a dishwasher hose for a shower. Two years later, they paired up with two fellow entrepreneurs and opened the first Whole Foods branch in Austin. By 1984, the company expanded out around Texas, then into New Orleans and California. Today, Whole Foods has over 470 locations, including locations in both Canada and the United Kingdom, and generates $16 billion in revenue.

Mackey has served as the leader the entire way, as chief executive from the founding up until 2010, and then as co-CEO, next to Walter Robb. In January of 2017, he became the company's sole chief executive. Despite years of dilution and stock sales, Mackey holds nearly one million shares, worth about $32 million. His wealth is no longer affected by his role, as he's elected to take a $1 dollar yearly salary without any bonus or stock grants. Despite the company's unbelievable growth, he's determined to stay on and continue to encourage the American public to make healthier eating choices. For Mackey, the company's mission is more important than any capital gains.

The past few years have been difficult for Whole Foods. The company's stock price topped out at $65 per share in late 2013 and then faced a big dip in the following years as other supermarkets began offering more natural and organic products, including Kroger, the nation's largest mainstream supermarket chain. Trader Joe's and Sprouts Farmers Market also dug into Whole Food's niche by offering cheaper, more "foodie-focused" stores. Walmart was ramping up again, and services such as Amazon and Blue Apron were changing shopping habits. The stocks plummeted to around $30 per share.

Mackey was very adamantly against "greedy" business leaders leading up to the company's $13.4 billion acquisition by Amazon. He's always wanted to do right by his employees and not see them exploited by opportunistic businessmen. However, the company's extended slide enabled vulture investors to buy up large chunks of stock and eventually steered them into the deal with Amazon. Under this new umbrella, Mackey intends to remain on as the company's CEO and continue to guide the company into the future. The new influx of cash from the deal has also skyrocketed Mackey's personal wealth to more than $75 million.

Read more: The Legacy Of Whole Food's Visionary CEO John Mackey


Lil Wayne Takes A Loss In Selling His Elaborately Customized Miami Beach House

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Lil Wayne sunk a lot of money into his Miami beach house, outfitting it with a presumably quite expensive array of customized features that only he (or, in the case of the shark lagoon, a Bond villain) would think of adding to a house. But as sometimes happens to celebrities, his address became a known quantity in Miami, making him the target of prank calls and one high-profile "swatting" incident, when emergency personnel were called to the home under the false pretense that four people had been shot there. Given all that, it's not too shocking that he's recently let go of the house at a loss, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The aforementioned shark lagoon is located inside the house, where it surrounds a glass elevator to access the roof. Why would you want to get to the roof? It's not just to enjoy a Miami sunset, because "avid skateboarder" Weezy had a skate park custom built on top of the house. Shark lagoons and skate parks are probably extremely impressive to visitors, but they can become liabilities when you're trying to sell, especially if the home in question has a known history of being targeted by prank callers and other malicious mischief-makers. Lil Wayne learned this hard way when he initially listed the house at $18 million, followed by a drop to $12 million, before eventually selling to an anonymous (and presumably shark-loving) buyer for $10 million.

Thaddaeus McAdams/Getty Images

Wayne bought the six-bedroom house (plus a three-bedroom guesthouse) back in 2011 for $11.6 million, which of course doesn't include the money he spent having the shark tank, glass elevator, and rooftop skate park put in. According to his realtor, he's just happy to be moving into a new place at all.

Read more: Lil Wayne Takes A Loss In Selling His Elaborately Customized Miami Beach House

DraftKings Has Lost A TON Of Money Over The Past Few Years

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Remember a couple years ago, when it seemed like every single commercial during an NFL game was for either DraftKings or FanDuel, the daily fantasy sports sites? The ads typically featured testimonials from regular fans who had won big on the platforms. In theory, it was an appealing concept, especially for people who already played regular fantasy football.

In reality, DraftKings lost more than half a billion dollars in 2015, when their commercials were all over the place. Since 2013, in fact, DraftKings has had an operating loss of $688 million, according to recently released financial sheets.

Federal antitrust regulators sued to block a proposed merger between DraftKings and FanDuel, so now the two have to decide if they want to fight the lawsuit as partners or go back to being rivals.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

For their part, FanDuel did have $30 million in cash at the end of last year. And DraftKings said they raised more than $100 million in new equity funding earlier this year. Each company was raking in similar revenue, with FanDuel having $91 million in revenue from January to October 2016, and DraftKings bringing in $92 million in revenue from January to September 2016.

FanDuel claims to have a valuation of $1.2 billion. Since the proposed merger repeatedly referred to a "merger of equals," we can assume DraftKings has the same valuation.

If the merger did go through, the new entity would have nine members on its Board of Directors. Certain shareholders, like the NBA and 21st Century Fox, would also have indefinite board observer rights.

It's still unclear what the next steps will be for FanDuel and DraftKings. Especially for the latter, they better hope 2017 ends up being more successful than the past few years have been.

Read more: DraftKings Has Lost A TON Of Money Over The Past Few Years

UFC Fighter Nate Diaz Just Got Hit With A Million-Dollar Lawsuit

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According to UFC President Dana White, lightweight Nate Diaz made so much money from his fights with Conor McGregor that he may never have to fight again.

At least, Diaz may never have to fight in The Octagon again. But he's about to enter a very different battle.

The Ballengee Group, which represented Diaz in 2016, just sued Diaz for a million dollars after not receiving payment from UFC 202.

The group reportedly partnered with Diaz since 2014, orchestrating deals on a handful of Diaz's biggest fights, including the first fight with McGregor at UFC 196 and bouts against Rafael Dos Anjos and Michael Johnson.

Steve Marcus/Getty Images

In July 2016, The Ballengee Group also set up the second Diaz/McGregor fight, but that's when the relationship turned sour. After the fight in August, the group claimed Diaz "unexpectedly" let them go – without paying their share of the UFC 202 fight, which was at the time reportedly the biggest UFC pay-per-view event ever. Diaz made $2 million for the fight, plus bonuses.

While there was buzz of a third and deciding match between the two – they had split the first two fights – that never happened. McGregor dropped a weight class, defeated Eddie Alvarez, and bolted UFC to fight Floyd Mayweather this August.

Diaz, meanwhile, has claimed he won't return to fight for UFC unless he gets paid at least $20 million. He may need that much to ease the pain from this lawsuit.

Read more: UFC Fighter Nate Diaz Just Got Hit With A Million-Dollar Lawsuit

NY Jets Billionaire Owner Woody Johnson Tapped By President Trump To Be Ambassador To The U.K.

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Woody Johnson is undoubtedly most well known for being the owner of the New York Jets. He purchased the team in 2000 for $635 million, then the third-highest price for a professional sports team. Ever since then, Johnson has been at the helm, making key decisions for the team over the past 17 years. But that may change very soon as a result of an appointment by none other than President Donald Trump.

President Trump will reportedly nominate Woody Johnson to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom. The White House made the announcement late last week. The nomination, if approved by the Senate, would mean that Johnson would have to live in the United Kingdom, and give up his role as chairman and CEO of the Jets. Johnson's younger brother, Christopher Johnson, would become the chairman and CEO of the team.

Christopher is currently a minority owner of the team, and would oversee the day-today operations of the team if the nomination is confirmed.

There is no timeline on when the appointment would go into effect. Congress currently has a lot of different things on their plate, and Johnson's confirmation is likely not a priority at the moment. But if and when the confirmation does happen, the appointment would be for three years.

(Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

In a statement, Christopher Johnson said the following, "The New York Jets have been an integral part of our family since 2000, but this is a unique opportunity for Woody. His patriotism and commitment to our country have always been a passion of his."

He continued, "Over the years, we have learned that ownership of the New York Jets is a special responsibility. Personally, if Woody is nominated and confirmed, I would be honored to oversee the organization, continuing to build a team on and off the field that our fans are proud of and deserve."

"On behalf of the entire organization, we would be extremely proud to see Woody nominated and confirmed as U.S. Ambassador," said team president Neil Glat. "We could not be more excited for him and his family."

Johnson wouldn't be the first sports owner to serve as a U.S. ambassador. The late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Daniel Rooney served as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.

Read more: NY Jets Billionaire Owner Woody Johnson Tapped By President Trump To Be Ambassador To The U.K.

Vince Staples Net Worth

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Vince Staples net worth: Vince Staples is an American rapper who has a net worth of $4 million. Vince Staples was born in Long Beach, California in July 1983. He is a member of the group Cutthroat Boyz. Staples released his solo debut studio album Summertime '06 in 2015. The album reached #2 on the US Rap chart, #3 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and #39 on the Billboard 200 chart. His second album Big Fish Theory was released in 2017. Staples has released the mixtapes Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 in 2011, Winter in Prague (with Michael Uzowuru) in 2012, Stolen Youth (with Larry Fisherman) in 2013, and Shyne Coldchain II in 2014. His EP Hell Can Wait was released in 2014 and reached #7 on the US Rap chart and his EP Prima Donna was released in 2016 and reached #5 on the US Rap chart. Staples has collaborated with several other artists including Earl Sweatshirt, Gorillaz, Flume, and more.

Read more: Vince Staples Net Worth

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