Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Most expensive modern weddings

The 1981 nuptials of Prince Charles and Lady Diana cost a staggering sum.

The most extravagant weddings

Prince William's wedding is expected to rank among the most expensive of modern times. These are the A-list blowouts it will be judged against.
When it comes to getting married, the rich are really no different than you or me: They want to have weddings to remember. Their financial firepower just gives them more ways to pump up the drama than the average U.S. bride and groom with a $24,000 budget.
Rather than a simple spray of white roses, Donald Trump wed Melania Knauss amid 10,000 roses, peonies and hydrangeas. Where the more common man might have had Uncle Tony's son's garage band play at the reception, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise had Andrea Bocelli.
When Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the heir to the throne in Dubai, married Princess Salama in 1981, his proud parents built a 20,000-seat stadium for the week-long celebration, the most expensive wedding on record at $100 million in today's dollars. The sheikh visited every town in the emirate by horseback during that week, and fed them all. During the ceremony, wedding gifts for his bride were delivered by 20 bejeweled camels.
When Indian steel barron Lakshmi Mittal married off his daughter Vanisha in 2005, the family sent out 20-page invitations contained in silver boxes. Mittal paid for 1,000 guests to stay for five days in five-star Paris hotels. The reception was held at the Palace of Versailles and concluded with a celebratory fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower. Total cost: $60 million, the third most expensive wedding of modern times by our estimation.
Across the channel, the British royal family has been no stranger to opulent nuptials. When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the fairy-tale wedding, complete with horse, carriage and a worldwide TV audience of 750 million, had a price tag to match: an estimated $70 million in today's dollars, No. 2 on our list, with Diana's ivory silk gown alone believed to have cost more than $15,000.

[ Related: Who is paying for Will and Kate's big day? ]

Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton will reportedly take a more low-key approach to their big day, opting to arrive in a car rather than the traditional horse-drawn carriage. Despite the nod to more austere times, the estimates are still staggering. Reports suggest the wedding could top $30 million.
Perhaps the propensity for all of us, rich and not-so-rich, to go over the top for our wedding is an attempt to make sure we're serious about our mate on the first go-round. An opulent service, with vows made in front of hundreds, can place an obligation on the bride and groom to work through rough patches rather than toss it all aside at the first hint of rough water.

[ Photos: The world's most eligible royals ]

But no amount of glitz and expensive pageantry offers any guarantee. Take Liza Minnelli and David Gest. Michael Jackson served as best man at their $3.5 million wedding in 2002. Natalie Cole sang "Unforgettable." The ultra-A-list guest list, which one wag labeled "night of 1,000 facelifts," included Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Mickey Rooney, Barbara Walters and 1,500 others. Yet a mere 18 months later, the two split up amid accusations by Minnelli that he tried to poison her.
Here's hoping that Will and Kate do better.
THE MOST EXTRAVAGANT WEDDINGS
1. Princess Salama to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
$100 million, 1981 (today's dollars)
To hold a really large wedding it helps to have a large venue, such as the 20,000-seat stadium specially built for the now-ruler of Dubai for his 1981 wedding to Princess Salama.

(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

2. Charles, Prince of Wales, to Diana Spencer
$70 million, 1981 (today's dollars)
There are special expenses when royalty weds, including mob control. Part of the millions spent on the fairy-tale wedding of the decade was allotted to ensure tight crowd surveillance. The joy of the occasion would later turn to ashes, proving that the amount spent on the wedding does not necessarily equate to the likelihood it will succeed.

(AP Photo)

3. Vanisha Mittal to Amit Bhatia
$60 million, 2005
Six days, 100 guests, the Palace of Versailles, free jet transportation to France for the ceremonies, five-star hotels, fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, can-can girls, all these expenses add up -- in this case, a total of $60 million.

(AP Photo/ISPAT Communications)

4. Aleksandra Nikolic to Andrey Melnichenko
$30 million, 2005
Entertainment was an important part of the wedding between this Russian billionaire and model, with performances by Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, and Julio Iglesias, each of whom raked in an estimated $3.6 million for the gig.

(Mikhail Fomichev/Newscom)

5. Priya Sachdev to Vikram Chatwal
$20 million, 2006
Take 600 guests for a 10-day wedding celebration and jet them from city to city in India, and you have the foundation for an over-the-top opulent wedding. Chatwal (nicknamed the "turban cowboy"), owner of

A photo of a J. Crew exec's son sets off a scathing debate over gender roles for kids.

Hot pink-toenailed boy in J. Crew ad sparks controversy

When J. Crew sent out its latest catalog, we doubt that the classic clothing company expected it would be blasted by social conservatives as "transgendered child propaganda." But alas, it has.

The images in question fall under pages titled "Saturday with Jenna" -- featuring products personally favored by J. Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons and her family. This particular Saturday for Jenna includes painting her five-year-old son Beckett's toenails pink. The caption reads, "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon."
Cue the outrage from America's culture warriors.
"Yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid—and maybe a little for others who'll be affected by your 'innocent' pleasure," Dr. Keith Ablow wrote in a Fox News op-ed. "If you have no problem with the J. Crew ad, how about one in which a little boy models a sundress? What could possibly be the problem with that?"
Erin Brown of the Media Research Center took the criticism a step further -- after being sure to remind readers that J. Crew is a fashion favorite of First Lady Michelle Obama -- accusing the company of exploiting young Beckett to advance the cause of "liberal, transgendered identity politics."
The ABC News report on the kerfuffle, below, includes a reaction from Sarah Manley, who set off a similar firestorm last Halloween after posting photos of her young son dressed up as his unconventional idol: Daphne from "Scooby Doo." Manley said today of the J.Crew ad, "If the roles had been reversed and the photo...had been of a little girl playing in the mud with trucks, nobody would have batted an eye."

Vin Baker was a four-time All-Star before personal problems led to the end of his career.

Video: Vin Baker coaches ninth-graders

Upon retirement, many NBA players stick around the game of basketball, whether as coaches, executives, announcers, or businessmen with an interest in the sport. Vin Baker, however, didn't have an opportunity to stick around the highest levels of the game. In 2006, Baker retired after 13 seasons in the NBA, during which he made four All-Star teams and won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Yet, despite these accomplishments, he left the game on bad terms due to struggles with alcoholism.
Now, Baker is turning his life around, and he's doing it with the help of basketball. But while many ex-NBA athletes get high-profile coaching jobs, Baker is plying his trade in Connecticut as the ninth-grade boys coach at Old Saybrook High School, his alma mater. As you can see in the video above from SLAM Online, the team takes its halftime speeches in a converted storage closet with folding chairs and a decades-old television. It's a far cry from a top-level facility.
But, if you watch this four-minute halftime speech, you'll see that Baker is taking this job as seriously as any other coaching gig. He implores his kids to play for the team, not themselves, and he's as passionate about it as a coach at any other level of the game.
The video itself is part of a larger SLAM feature on Baker. It's great to see him doing well, and we all wish him the best for the future.

News Source: Yahoo

'Idol' contestant's surprise song choice

"Idol" hopeful James Durbin rocks a heavy metal classic while others play it safe.

'American Idol' Top 8 Movie Night: Box-Office Bombs

Wednesday was Movies Night on "American Idol," and while sadly no one did anything from Nigel Lythgoe's 1980 cult flick The Apple and Clint Gamboa wasn't around to reprise his soundtrack to The Room, at least no one did "I Believe I Can Fly" (oh wait, Jacob Lusk already did that this season) or Steven Tyler's done-to-death Armageddon theme "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." And the one upside to Pia Toscano's recent elimination was she wasn't there to sing the inevitable "My Heart Will Go On." But Movies Night was still way too heavy on schmaltzy balladry. Only James Durbin--who eschewed safe silver-screen fare for some righteous rock that even movie metalheads Bill & Ted of Wyld Stallyns would appreciate--put on a real show. In a night of mostly box-office bombs, Durbin was THE bomb.
Still, with a couple of exceptions, Wednesday's episode felt like a sleepy rainy-day matinee, not a main attraction. Here's how everyone did:

Paul McDonald - While Dancin' Paul's song selection, Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock 'N' Roll" as popularized by Risky Business, guaranteed a good time, I'm not so sure this was the best choice for him. First of all, he didn't slide onto the stage in his tighty-whiteys a la Tom Cruise--or a la David Cook, for that matter. (Nice suit, though.) Second of all, the frat-boy singalong anthem showcased Paul's class-clownish side, and we've seen enough of that from him already. There were so many other songs he could have done--from Nashville, Crazy Heart, maybe even Saturday Night Fever's "How Deep Is Your Love," or something off Elliott Smith's Good Will Hunting soundtrack, or the appropriately raspy "Pretty In Pink." All of these would have better showcased his true talents. Well, at least he didn't beatbox, as Jimmy Iovine suggested. (Only Blake Lewis can beatbox on "Idol" and get away with it.) The judges went really easy on Paul, however. (Of course they did. They're like the opposite of that old Life Cereal spokes-kid Mikey. They like everything!) Steven, after flirting with Paul's blonde sax player, raved, "I love your crazy, wild abandon, how it transcends to an audience." Jennifer Lopez, aka the World's Most Beautiful Person according to People, compared Paul to one of her favorite things: diamonds. And Randy Jackson shouted, "America, you just witnessed the first number at a Paul McDonald concert!" I just hope America hasn't witnessed his last number on "Idol," because this was not Paul at his best.

Lauren Alaina - I cringed when I learned that teen sweetheart Lauren would be covering teen sensation Miley Cyrus's straight-to-video sapfest "The Climb"--and my uneasiness was not alleviated when Lauren gushed, "Everything about that song just screams 'Idol'!" Well, it made me want to scream: NO MORE BALLADS! Why not "Flashdance (What A Feeling)"? Or Paramore's "Decode" from Twilight? Just something with some oomph? But vocally, Lauren was pretty much on point; I at least agreed with Jimmy, that Lauren can sing circles around Miley. Weirdly, though, Steven and Randy continued to reference her first audition that was filmed many months ago. ("The Lauren that we first saw in Nashville is roaring back," Randy claimed for the umpteenth time, and Steven echoed, "You were the first Idol we thought of when everyone was trying out in the beginning.") Then J.Lo advised Lauren to "go further" (which, in this kinder and gentler "Idol" season, is as close to harsh criticism as the judges get.) Um, that's what J.Lo told Pia, too. Is Jennifer TRYING to get another girl sent home? I wonder.

Stefano Langone - Stefano was in the bottom two with Pia last week, and this week he faced a backlash of Sanjaya-esque proportions as he tried to prove that he deserved to take "Pia's spot." Ironically, and perhaps foolishly, he went with the prophetically titled "End Of The Road" from Boomerang. I suppose for a boy-bandy singer like Stefano, a ballad by ultimate boy band Boyz II Men was appropriate. And he didn't mess it up. But the judges went way overboard trying to create some sort of comeback-kid story arc for him, with Randy declaring it Stefano's best performance to date and Jennifer telling him, "You finally got it!" Added Steven: "This is so not the end of the road for you; it's just the beginning." Really? I'm not so sure.

Scotty McCreery - At first Scotty was going to do an old-school country number, Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" from Midnight Cowboy, which actually would've been the perfect song for Paul McDonald. But then good ole Safe Scotty decided to play it Strait, so to speak, by doing country king George Strait's "Cross My Heart" from some movie he found in a Redbox one-dollar rental machine in Garner. It was, in a word, boring. The judges didn't have many words, either; they just gushed and fawned like stage parents at their own kid's ballet recital. "Everyone wants us to be tough with you guys, but the truth is, you're all so damn good!" laughed Jennifer. "All I want to say is wow!" And while Jimmy had disagreed with Scotty's decision to switch to the Strait song, easy-to-please Steven just said, "You did it again; you picked the just-right song." And Randy said: "I love that song for you, I love it when you stay at your roots....If it ain't broken, don't even consider fixing it!" Hmmm...isn't Randy the same guy who kept telling Pia to mix it up every week? Just sayin'.

Casey Abrams - Casey flip-flopped between Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" (as featured in Moulin Rouge), and Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" (as featured in another famous Risky Business scene featuring, er, people in their underwear.) Either prospect sounded more interesting than the songs that had come before him. Going against Jimmy's wishes, Casey went with Cole song, and it was probably a wise decision. The dark and evil Collins song probably would've brought out Casey's snarly side and scared away all the grandmas and little girls who power-vote for this show, but "Nature Boy" allowed him to showcase his jazzy, snazzy side. Randy loved it, crying out for an encore, calling it a "Grammy kind of performance" (ease your jets a little, Randy), and declaring: "It makes me proud to sit here and judge artists as well as pop stars." Steven concurred: "You're an artist in the truest sense of the word." Jennifer seemed overly worried that America wouldn't "get" Casey's jazzy vibe, but I think it's only when Casey does nasty Nirvana covers that he alienates the audience. I think Casey will be just fine; his teary-eyed backstage interview about his "sense of accomplishment" only sealed the deal. Take that, Mr. Iovine!

Haley Reinhart - Haley finally brought the sass and spunk with "Call Me," Blondie's hit from American Gigolo. I never thought I'd type this, but...thank heavens for Haley! A sexy song like this was perfect for her, and finally there was some sign of life onstage. Her "Call Me" made me want to call her voting line for the first time this season. But bizarrely, two of the judges didn't like her performance, giving their first--and ONLY--real criticism of the night. Randy called it "very karaoke," and Jennifer said it was a bad song choice--though she added, "But I'm so afraid [to criticize], because I don't want any girls to go home!" I'm actually not so sure J.Lo meant that. Haley, and to a lesser extent Lauren, were the only contestants who actually received negative feedback this evening. Insert your own conspiracy theory here...

Jacob Lusk - Jacob sang Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which apparently was on Will Smith's The Pursuit Of Happyness soundtrack. (The "movies" theme was pretty loosely defined this week, I guess.) "Bridge," of course, was Clay Aiken's signature song in Season 2, and that was a while ago, but Claymates have very good memories. So I pretty much expected Clay's fans to storm the Fox gates, flaming pitchforks in hand. However, Jacob sang it as well as Aiken (please don't give any Claymates my home address), and the judges unanimously praised him. Steven adored Jacob's "crescendos and innuendos" (isn't that the title of an Aerosmith song?), J.Lo got chills, and Randy non-condescendingly called Jacob "special." But still, this performance was a little dated and snoozy. Where would Jacob fit in today's pop landscape, if he got a record deal out of this show? I suppose the judges don't need to worry about that. That's Jimmy's problem.

James Durbin - Finally! A reason to pass the popcorn and enjoy Movies Night! James begged the audience to "give metal a chance" before his performance, after bickering with Jimmy about his

Two young stars' uniforms are big fan favorites, but their sales can't touch the league's leader.

LeBron Reclaims Top Spot In NBA Jersey Sales

By Tom Rotunno
CNBC.com
There's a new king in NBA jersey sales. In his first season with the Miami Heat, LeBron James has reclaimed the top spot on the NBA's best-selling jersey list.
James is back at No. 1 for the first time since April 2004. Kobe Bryant, who held the top spot for the last two seasons, falls to No. 2.
The NBA's top-selling jerseys list is based on sales on NBAStore.com since the start of the 2010-11 NBA season.

Slideshow: Best-selling NBA jerseys

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the list comes at No. 3, a spot claimed by the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo, who finished 15th last season.
It's the biggest jump of any player this season and is remarkable given his popularity is still likely limited to the Boston area. Rondo traded places with his teammate Kevin Garnett, who fell from third to 15th.
Other players who saw their jersey jump in popularity include the New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire, who ranks fourth after not making the list last year. Rookies John Wall and Blake Griffin were tops in the rookie class, coming in at 10th and 11th, respectively.
The New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul saw the biggest drop, falling out of the top 15 after finishing seventh last year.
A league high -- and Most Popular Jersey list record -- five Boston Celtics made the top 15 (Rondo at No. 3, Shaquille O'Neal at No. 12, Ray Allen at No. 13, Paul Pierce at No. 14, and Garnett at No. 15).
It wasn't enough to help Boston claim the overall top spot in team sales. That distinction falls to the Los Angeles Lakers, whose gear is the No. 1 most popular selling team merchandise for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.

Arizona State drops its cartoonish homage to Disney with a meaner, more menacing mark.

Fashion Break: Arizona State helmets drop their demonic homage to Walt Disney

By Matt Hinton

Change your clothes, change your life: If Oregon can do it, why can't Arizona State? Tired of watching the Ducks' ever-evolving aesthetics hog all the attention during their slow rise to the top of the Pac-10, ASU unveiled its own long overdue makeover Tuesday afternoon courtesy of — who else? — Nike, which set the Sun Devils up with their own trademarked font, an ominous pitchfork logo and, in addition to a few tweaks to the Sun Devils' traditional home and away motifs, a new all-black ensemble that overthrows more than a half-century of strictly yellow/gold headgear. (See the entire set for all sports here.) Trés chic, for the moment.

The only major casualty of the redesign: The cartoon Sun Devil himself, Sparky, who was originally incarnated in the late-'40s by alum Bert Anthony, a former Disney artist who allegedly (and probably apocryphally) modeled the Devil's features after his old boss as retribution for being fired. At any rate, the same grinning cartoon Sparky has personified Arizona State athletics for more than six decades, and has lent his quirky brand of satanic mischief to ASU helmets since 1980. The live, costumed mascot itself isn't going anywhere, but on the uniforms? He's nowhere to be found.
With the rise of the official pitchfork logo, Sparky will probably be stricken from the field art, as well, depriving countless thousands of the joy of seeing him spear turkey legs and other vulnerable foodstuffs on special occasions.

The actor was popular on "Mad About You," but fans aren't happy about his return to TV.

Bye-Bye, 'Perfect Couples,' Hello 'Paul Reiser Show'

Like it or not, Paul Reiser has a new show

Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

The NBC sitcom "Perfect Couples" was not quite perfect enough for the network: The show is being replaced with "The Paul Reiser Show," bringing a storm of criticism to the Web.

Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson didn't always look like chic pop stars.

'American Idol' Stars: Then & Now

See how “Idol” contestants changed their looks after being thrust into the spotlight.

Jennifer Hudson, Musicians

Though she finished in seventh place during the third season of the show, she's made it to the top now, winning an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG award for her supporting role in "Dreamgirls." Her

The president's $4 trillion deficit-reduction plan offers both flexibility and room for criticism.

On Healthcare and Deficit, Obama Punts (Mostly) and Invites a GOP Fight

In his Wednesday speech on deficit reduction - and even in fact sheets distributed ahead of time - the President wasn't big on specifics. On health care spending, a primary driver of long-term deficits, he was downright vague. In a briefing with reporters, two "senior administration officials" armed with talking points repeatedly stressed that "this is a framework, not a plan." The speech today was about "putting ideas on the table," not offering specific legislative proposals.
This vagueness was calculated, of course. The fewer specifics you offer, the less specific criticism you'll have to bear and the more wiggle room you leave yourself to claim you're not really proposing that thing that everyone hates. (See the 2011 TIME 100 Poll)
But Obama won't be able to insulate himself from criticism of his health care "ideas." In fact, a major piece of what he proposed today in fairly broad strokes is sure to generate renewed accusations that the Administration wants to "ration Medicare."

Up to 65% of people who bleach their teeth experience some pain.

About to Whiten Your Teeth? Read This First!

The down economy's done little to darken the tooth-bleaching market. Americans spend $1.4 billion a year on at-home kits to brighten stained and yellowed chompers and request whitening more than any other procedure in the dentist's office. (Then again, who's begging for a root canal?) But, like anything that combines the potential of looking better (a twinkly white smile) with possible risks (sticking chemicals in your mouth), this one has attracted its share of controversy.
Before you run out for a lunchtime tooth-lightening session or apply your umpteenth -- or your first -- set of whitening strips to your bicuspids at home, here are four things you should know about chemical spiff-ups for your smile:

Heurelho Gomes plays in the world's best league, but Ronaldo makes him look like a novice on this shot.

Gomes has comical difficulty catching Ronaldo’s shot

Despite being in a 4-0 hole after the first leg, Spurs held out hope that "anything could happen" when they hosted Real Madrid for their Champions League quarterfinal second leg match. I don't think this was the "anything" they had in mind, though. After a scoreless first half that suited Jose Mourinho just fine, Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes made one of his trademark goof-ups by letting a Cristiano Ronaldo shot from distance skip right through his hands and bounce into the goal. That killed what little hope Spurs had and produced the only goal of the match.

Another Oscar-nominated actor will play Tommy Lee Jones's younger self in the sequel.

Josh Brolin Is the Young Tommy Lee Jones in 'Men in Black III'

Will Smith & Josh Brolin Asadorian-Mejia/Splash After nearly a decade away from movie screens, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are suiting up again to become "Men in Black." After the first two films made over $1 billion worldwide, it was just a matter of time before they put on their shades and fought aliens again. But if the photo to the left is looks a little off to you, don't worry. It's not a facelift that's making Jones look decades younger; it's another actor.
Photographers caught Will Smith and new costar Josh Brolin filming scenes for "Men in Black III" this week in the Bronx. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in the third movie Smith's character, Agent J, goes back in time to 1969 and encounters the younger version of Jones's Agent K, played by Brolin. From the looks of the pictures, it seems that Brolin has stepped into Jones's patent leather shoes just fine.

See Will Smith and Josh Brolin on the set >>

The Two K's: Jones and Brolin Everett Collection/Asadorian-Mejia/Splash In many ways, Josh Brolin was a natural choice to step in as the earlier incarnation of Tommy Lee Jones. There is a marked resemblance between the two, especially with their matching black suits and slicked-back hair. They both have roots in Texas: Jones was born there, and Brolin's mother was a native. Both own ranches where they live when they're not working. They have also worked on the same film twice before -- "In the Valley of Elah" and the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men" -- but they never appeared in the same scene. And since they're playing the same role in two different times, it stands to reason they won't in "Men in Black III," either.
However, Brolin is significantly older now than Jones actually was in 1969. Brolin is currently 43 years old, and Jones was 23 at that time. But since Brolin still looks young for his age -- and Jones has always looked old for his -- it basically evens out.

The stylish tennis star makes a stunning return to practice for the first time since her health scare.

Serena returns to the tennis court wearing skintight, pink bodysuit

By Chris Chase

Serena Williams is back on the tennis court for the first time since a health scare sidelined her two months ago. And, in typical Serena fashion, she did so in style:

What, you expected the woman who once wore this to a US Open to practice in a tennis skirt and sweater vest? If Serena is coming back, it's going to be with some gusto.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion had been hinting at a return to the court for the past few days on her Twitter account. Cryptic messages like "my life starts today" and "back on the shakes" foreshadowed Tuesday's practice session, which was announced in the third-person and later confirmed by her agent.
The outfit, however, was a complete surprise. It's not like Serena had given any warnings that she had recently watched Molly Ringwald in "Pretty In Pink" or was reading "Catwoman" comic books.