Top 25 Most Outrageous Celeb Purchases of 2007
By Laura Milligan
You can love ‘em or loathe ‘em, but the fact is, celebrities occupy a significant space in our society today, their every move captured not just by glittery gossip columnists but even by the so-called hard news wires that determine to what, and whom, we devote our attention.
Often some of the richest players on the planet, celebrities, indulge in fantasies we never dreamed possible, spending exorbitant amounts of money to keep themselves entertained. Real estate investments dominate celebrity spending trends, but following is a list of this year’s top twenty-five most outrageous celeb purchases of 2007, including everything from wedding blowouts to unbelievable auction items to the most must-have accessories in the world. Try not to get too jealous.
- Tom Cruise’s new compound. After welcoming baby Suri into the beautiful, albeit unusual world of Tom and Katie, the movie star legend decided that his rented LA pad wasn’t fit for Hollywood royalty. Earlier this spring, TomKat purchased a seven-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills for a whopping $30.5 million. The seventy-year old crib is comfortably nestled on 1.3 acres of prime Los Angeles real estate, which should be plenty of room not only for Tom, Katie, and Suri, but also for Tom’s mom Mary who lives with the actor family and Connor and Isabella, Tom’s kids from an earlier marriage with Nicole Kidman.
- David and Victoria Beckham’s new US mansion. Neighboring best pals Tom and Katie’s
monstrous new pad is the recently purchased mansion of British imports David and Victoria Beckham.
The soccer megastar, along with his former pop star and fashionista wife and three young sons,
dropped $22 million for a six-bedroom Italian-inspired estate in Beverly Hills. The mansion also has
six fireplaces, nine bathrooms, and a swimming pool.
- Beyonce’s designer leggings. And we thought Balenciaga’s robo-cop style was
destined for the archives, not the closets of America. Boy were we wrong. At this year’s BET
Awards, Beyonce performed her song “Get Me Bodied” dressed in a robot-styled armor suit
that eventually peeled away to reveal what is probably the most expensive pair of leggings on the
planet. At $19,500, Nicolas Ghesquiere, who heads the legendary Balenciaga house, designed the gold
metal leggings which encased Beyonce’s well-formed legs. According to InTouch Weekly,
Beyonce “really is music’s golden girl.”
- Victoria Beckham’s monogrammed Bentley. A gift from new neighbor Tom Cruise,
Mrs. Beckham’s new Bentley arrived at her recently purchases LA home, complete with
monogrammed rims, elegantly scripted in the lady of the house’s famous initials: VB.
Reportedly costing Tom Cruise around $250,000, this welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift beats a basket
of muffins any day.
- Christie Brinkely’s new Hamptons hideaway. After splitting with cheating ex-husband
Peter Cook, model Christie Brinkley moved her brood from one Hamptons mansion to the next. Often
considered the First Lady of the Hamptons, Brinkley recently plunked down $10.995 million for a
waterfront estate in North Haven. The home rests on 2.6 acres, complete with four bedrooms, a
gourmet kitchen, and sweeping views of the Long Island seashore. Oh, and if you’re wondering
about ex-hubby Peter Cook, he’s also moved on, to a smaller house nearby that was purchased
for only a tenth of Brinkley’s new pad.
- Elizabeth Hurley’s cancelled wedding reception. When British supermodel and actress
Elizabeth Hurley wed Indian boyfriend Arun Nayar in a string of celebrations across the globe,
she expected to be welcomed into her new Hindu family. Once everyone’s champagne headaches
cleared, however, Hurley’s new in-laws decided to disown their son and his new bride for
ostentatious displays of tacky commercialism, and thus cancelled their final wedding reception,
which cost nearly $60,000. That’s a lot for a party that never even happened.
- Catherine Zeta Jones’ pricey hair treatment. Some of us are apt to indulge in an
expensive haircut or blowout for a fancy engagement like a wedding or high school prom, but Catherine
Zeta Jones’favorite beauty regimen is a pricey routine she pays for whenever she’s
in London. An unlikely combination of truffles and imported Iranian caviar make the actress’
lush locks even more silky, all the while putting her back nearly $500 a treatment.
- P. Diddy’s home outside Atlanta. $2.6 million dollars buys a lot in the Dirty South.
Earlier this year, Sean “Puffy” P. Diddy Combs purchased a huge estate in
Dunwoody Georgia, not too far outside Atlanta. While Diddy does own a restaurant in Atlanta, it is
still questionable why he chose to buy such a large estate (measuring 7 acres) in the southern
state. P. Diddy owns another home in Georgia, but hardly ever spends any time there, preferring to
party in his hometown of New York City, the Hamptons, Los Angeles, and along the French Riviera.
Surely P. Diddy isn’t planning to retire his bad boy ways already.
- George Michael’s diamond skull. This purchase hasn’t even been finalized, but it’s
just so outrageous, we felt that we had to include it on the list. 80s icon George Michael is
thinking about dropping close to $100 million on a diamond-encrusted skull created by contemporary
artist Damien Hirst. The art piece, perplexingly named “Love of God,” is made of over
8,000 diamonds, and would add to Michael’s already enviable collection of Hirst’s work.
Who knew George Michael was such a contemporary art fiend? Wait, who knew George Michael had $100
million?
- Seal’s 6 iPhones. Singer and Heidi Klum’s husband walked away this
summer with not one, not two, but SIX iPhones. Let’s just hope the sexy crooner was feeling
extra generous and plans to spread the wealth, and not pocket all six of the gotta-have-it gadgets
for himself.
- A kiss with George Clooney. Debonair actor George Clooney has starred in women’s
fantasies ever since saving lives on the NBC drama ER, and finally one woman’s dream has come
true. George bestowed the most expensive kiss in the world on the highest bidder at an amFAR AIDS
benefit auction at the Cannes Film Festival this May. The lucky lady bid $350,000 for the smooch.
- Daniel Radcliffe’s $17,000 mattress. Proof that celebrities probably make way too much
money way too young, Daniel Radcliffe — most famously known for playing the legendary
Harry Potter in the film series — recently splurged on a custom-made mattress,
according to People magazine. Now making $50 million a piece for the latest Potter installments,
young Radcliffe must have a grueling entertaining schedule lined up…for the bedroom.
- Eva Longoria’s wedding gown. Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria married
longtime boyfriend and San Antonio Spurs champion Tony Parker in Paris this summer, all
dolled up in a couture gown that would retail at about $75,000. Designed by Angel Sanchez, the
wedding dress was made of silk wool and features hand-embroidered detailing on the dress and train.
The two superstars can obviously afford a luxurious wedding, but given the track record of most
celebrity marriages, Longoria may end up burning the pricey gown in less than a decade.
- Pure’s deal to host Lindsay Lohan’s would-be birthday bash. The wild-partying
starlet’s 21st birthday party was supposed to be the event of the year. Slated to be hosted at
Las Vegas nightclub Pure, Lohan cancelled the bash, deeming it inappropriate given her latest
rehab stints. The hotspot club located in Caesar’s Palace reportedly paid Lindsay $400,000 to
sponsor the party, and as part of their contract, will host another event when the actress feels it
is appropriate.
- Britney Spears’ new puppy. As if Britney Spears is even remotely capable
of taking care of another living thing. The troubled popstar spent $3,000 for a new Yorkshire
Terrier puppy, infuriating animal rights activists who barraged her for indirectly supporting the
dubious business of puppy mills, which breed “designer” puppies.
- Beyonce’s got a brand new bag. Beyonce hits our list for a second time because this
girl’s simply got it all: a dazzling career, wildly successful clothing line, hip hop mogul
boyfriend, and now, the much anticipated limited edition $45,000 Louis Vuitton patchwork bag.
The oversized collector’s item is a hodgepodge of past Louis Vuitton bags featuring luxurious
(read: expensive) crocodile skin. Only twenty four bags were made, but is this tacky tribute really
worth almost $50,000?
- Owen Wilson’s tanning habit. For a guy who claims he loves the outdoors,
spending money on regular trips to the tanning salon seems a bit outrageous, not to mention
metrosexual. The adorable, goofy blonde actor frequented Hawaii with former flame Kate Hudson, but
the authentic tropical rays were apparently only the beginning of his tanorexic addiction. Now a
regular at the famed Sunset Tan in Santa Monica, Owen Wilson reportedly indulges in up to 3 sessions
a week, at around $1200 a tan!
- Pax Thien. The latest rugrat to join the Jolie-Pitt crew, Vietnamese toddler Pax Thien was
swept away from his orphanage and into the loving arms of his new movie star mom. Don’t get us
wrong. Adopting children is a noble deed, but rescuing kids left and right can put a damper on your
checking account, especially when you have two more (plus a baby that’s actually yours)
sitting at home. Better start setting up a college fund, Angie. You won’t have much
time to make movies if you’re babysitting day and night.
- Lindsay Lohan’s addiction to Promises. Let’s face it. If any of Lindsay’s
stints in the hyped up rehab haven Promises proved to be even slightly effective, this
purchase wouldn’t appear on our list. But the budding actress and superstar has failed to
sober up after both trips to the Malibu therapy center, which put her back about $122,000. What
makes this purchase so outrageous? After all that money spent, it still doesn’t seem to have
done any good.
- Paris Hilton’s hybrid trade-in. We’ll have to give the former
heiress props for wanting to help the environment, but why does she have driving on her mind at all?
Trading in her Range Rover for the new Ford Hybrid, Paris hopes to help the environment and clear up
that smoggy Los Angeles air. Let’s just hope she shares the same, sober consideration for
those of us on the road with her.
- Justin Timberlake’s restaurant. Justin Timberlake should take a look into
ex-girlfriend Britney Spears’ past before opening his new restaurant. Brit’s former
restaurant NYLA, which featured down home cooking, shut down after only a brief stay on the
cutthroat dining scene. But that hasn’t stopped popstar Justin’s newest venture,
Southern Hospitality, from staking its claim in the Big Apple. Located on the elite Upper East Side,
Southern Hospitality will serve up classic Tennessee dishes like pulled pork, sticky ribs, and
buttermilk biscuits. Sounds like the perfect lunch date for Upper East Siders, doesn’t it?
- Jessica Simpson’s Louis Vuitton dog carrier. Well it’s not like the girl can’t
afford it. affinity for everything Louis Vuitton is well-known, and now her fluffy
pooch gets to travel in style too. But would dear little Daisy really know the difference if she was
traveling in, say, a $100 doggie carrier? Probably not. At around $900, the blonde superstar’s
furry companion certainly knows the high life.
- Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding photos. Oh what pretty Eva has done for Tony
Parker’s career. As a vital member of the often overlooked San Antonio Spurs, the French-born
NBA star follows in the footsteps of his teammates, shying away from the limelight and avoiding
celeb status. After his wedding to high profile actress Eva Longoria, however, all that seems to be
changing. Ok! Magazine paid $2 million for the exclusive first rights to print the wedding
photos. Let’s just say that more than covers the cost of Eva’s pricey designer
gown.
- Kate Moss’ vibrator. She’s beautiful and filthy rich, but rational she’s
not. The survivor of a cocaine scandal and tumultuous on-again off-again relationship with rocker
Pete Doherty, supermodel Kate Moss recently purchased a $350 24K gold vibrator to help her
through her newly found singledom.
- Mel Gibson’s Costa Rican hideaway. Still no word on why Mel Gibson chose to sell his Malibu and Greenwich Connecticut mansions for a spread in Costa Rica. The new home set the actor back about $25.8 million. Did he and his wife decided to uproot the entire brood away from their home country, or was the couple simply wanting to escape the US by themselves?
Ahh, the joy of celebrity. The freedom to buy what you want, when you want it, without looking at the price tag. Whether it’s the opportunity to spoil your pooch or invest in prime real estate, who’s to say you wouldn’t go cash crazy if you had the funds?
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