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Celebrity Sizzle by Mark Stone
Will Ferrell tops the list of most overpaid celebrities (photo: Getty images)
With studios scrambling for new ideas and always trying to find the right formula for box office success, one thing always remains constant: landing a big name star for their movie. Sure, there are going to be breakout hits from unknown actors but those don’t come around all too often. So Hollywood relies on the actor or actress to sell the movie regardless of how good the film is.
Often this formula works but lately some of the big stars haven’t been pulling their weight. Forbes magazine just published their list of those actors who are guilty of not bringing the studios the return on investment they’re hoping for. The Top 10 list has a few surprises (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a few no-brainers (like Eddie Murphy).
Coming in at #1 on the list is Will Ferrell. Either his name doesn’t carry the weight it used to or he just isn’t choosing his roles carefully enough. His last film Land of the Lost was a big flop, costing the studio an estimated $100 million to make (which I don’t think included promotional expenses) and earned only $65 million at the worldwide box office. Universal studio heads Marc Shmuger and David Linde were subsequently fired. Ferrell hasn’t really had a bona fide hit since Talladega Nights, and for every dollar he was paid, his films earned an average $3.29. If we compare that to Transformers star Shia LaBeouf, who topped Forbes Best Actors For The Buck list in August, the disparity is staggering. For every dollar LaBeouf was paid, his films earned an average $160.
The Forbes story describes how they arrived at their numbers and which criteria were used to come up with the list. What I find funny is each year Forbes comes up with a list like this the studios essentially pretend they don’t see it. Actors like Eddie Murphy and Nicole Kidman have been box office poison for years yet Hollywood keeps rewarding them with new projects and large paychecks. It proves how in many ways Hollywood is reluctant to embrace change. Case in point: did you know that some Hollywood studio bosses still do not know how to use email? Nuff said.
Anyway, the rest of the Top 10 list:
2. Ewan McGregor
3. Billy Bob Thornton
4. Eddie Murphy
5. Ice Cube
6. Tom Cruise
7. Drew Barrymore
8. Leonardo DiCaprio
9. Samuel L. Jackson
10. Jim Carrey
Aerosmith bandmates fear Steven Tyler is ‘struggling very badly’
Is Steven Tyler with Aerosmith or not? That seems to be the question lately as rumours of the frontman’s departure have been circulating for the last month. Earlier in November Tyler joined the band for a show in NYC and told the media that there is no truth to the rumour that he’s leaving.
Tyler’s status as lead singer may be the least of his worries however, according to a story in Billboard magazine. Drummer Joey Kramer tells Billboard.com, “Steven, he isolates more and more all the time — that’s what gives it away to me that there’s something going on. I don’t know what that is. I know he’s made some not so great choices and he’s got some negative influences around him now. I love the guy. I just want to see him get some help.”
While Kramer sidesteps discussion of the specific rumours of substance abuse swirling around Tyler via online reports, guitarist Brad Whitford acknowledges that “this guy has a tremendous history of drug abuse, and you have to be suspicious that this is something that’s probably going on with him. I have a feeling we might be looking at someone who’s just really struggling very badly.”
If you’ve seen his recent appearances in various popular Youtube videos, you’ve got to admit Tyler isn’t in a good place right now. He looks like hell and isn’t making any sense when he opens his mouth (especially when he keeps using the word muthafu**er).
What do you think, Aerosmith fans? Should the band wait it out for Tyler to straighten out or look for a new singer?
New couple alert
Please say this one isn’t so. They may look like they’d make a cute couple, but Hills star Audrina Patridge and Glee star Mark Salling (he plays Puck) just don’t seem to be a good match to me. Patridge is overexposed and overrated (ok, not in the looks department – I’ll give her that) while Salling is underrated and underused on Fox’s hit show Glee (which was awesome yet again last night).
According to Us Weekly, Patridge, 24, and Salling, 27, were joined at the hip for their entire time at an Us Weekly party held at Voyeur in Hollywood. Sitting at a shared table, the pair spent 45 minutes talking into one another’s ear and laughing. Just before 11pm, the two left Voyeur with their respective entourages – their cars following one another, heading out into the night together.
Awww… isn’t that sweet. Or perhaps not. While Salling’s Puck may not be getting a lot of screen time on Glee right now, I think it’s only a matter of time before he becomes the breakout star of the show. Audrina, like Heidi, Spencer, Lauren, and the rest of the Hills crew, are only famous for playing slightly modified versions of themselves.
Hopefully this is just a fling.
Robert Pattinson talks to Letterman about biting his fans
Today on the celebrity media sites it seemed to be all about Robert Pattinson. The dude is everywhere this week, which is no surprise given that tonight is the night that New Moon hits the theatres.
R-Patz has been on all the talk shows lately, but there are two appearances that stand out. Last night he was on Letterman and the discussion turned to the desire of crazed Twilight fans for the British actor to bite them. Pattinson is pretty cool about it, and handles things quite well.
Ya know, I’m starting to like the playa, but still hating his Edward game.
Robert Pattinson has too much power over his fans
In another talk show appearance, Pattinson joined Ellen DeGeneres for a show airing today. He told her that in a momentary lapse of judgment and abuse of power, he actually asked a fan to remove her clothes!
Pattinson tells Ellen: “It was after a period of signing 500 signatures, and one of [the fans] just came up. You kind of get 10 seconds with each person and you never really say anything, and I kind of got bored of saying, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ And [the fan] said in her 10 seconds, ‘What can I do to get your attention?’ I was like, ‘Um, just take your clothes off.’ And she stood there and frantically started taking her clothes off and got dragged out of the room by security. I never felt more terrible.”
Can you imagine having the power to get women out of their clothes just by asking? Admit it guys, you would all kill to be Robert Pattinson for just one day. Assuming, of course, that said day was one where Kristen Stewart was thousands of miles away.
One Response to “Hollywood’s Top 10 most overpaid stars”
Tags: Aerosmith, Audrina Patridge, Glee, Jim Carrey, Mark Salling, New Moon, Robert Pattinson, Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell
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Aerosmith without Steven Tyler? Seriously? I can’t even imagine it. Joe Perry (the other toxic twin) and the rest of the band are awesome, but without Tyler they wouldn’t be Aerosmith. Sorry.
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