Kim Kardashian uses birthday to get rich

As we have all heard over and over by now, Kim Kardashian has turned 30 years old.    If it wasn’t enough to see and hear all about the several weeks full of celebration, we now find out she used her birthday to earn almost $1 million. 

I’m not really sure what Kim Kardashian is exactly famous for—except for showing her crazy family on TV, dating a new guy every week, or posing for risqué pictures.  Now that she’s “famous”, all she has to do is show up to her own birthday party to make the big bucks.

Although she didn’t actually turn 30 until October 21, she was celebrating in Las Vegas and New York many weeks before.  According to popeater.com, Kardashian is not really a nightclub type of girl.  “She only makes those kinds of appearances, even on special occasions, when she is being paid quite well to grace an event with her presence,” the article says.

The Venetian in Las Vegas had one of Kardashian’s first birthday parties on October 15.  It was heavily promoted and definitely brought Kardashian fans to the hotel.  It is estimated that she made nearly $100,000 from this premier alone.  I wonder what it’s like to get paid that much money to attend your own party?

Example of poster promoting one of her birthday parties- Taken from http://www.hollyscoop.com/

 

Because her birthday was stretched over several weeks, she was able to get stories in many Celebrity weeklies which was free advertising for her, and cost the magazines nearly $350,000 total.  She also earned nearly $1 million in revenue for her brands.  For Kardashian, appearances are a great way to “connect with people in places like Oklahoma, where I would never go otherwise.  Those girls going to the clubs will be buying my perfume.”

It seems like everything she does is aimed at making money.  She is using her “fame” to get fans to spend money on her.  She has learned that people want to meet her, and has used this to her advantage.  My question is:  When is enough really enough?

Personally, I get extremely tired hearing about all the Kim Kardashian hype.  She doesn’t do anything to earn the fame that she is given.  She gains fame through press and publicity.  People want to know what she’s doing and where she’s going at all times. 

Peter Madden, founder and president of the branding and public relations agency AgileCat claims that if Kardashian keeps up the way she’s going, she is just going to be an over publicized carbon-copy of Paris Hilton.  “There is a fine line between increasing brand equity and overt brand saturation,” Madden says.  “If she wants to raise her profile the right way, she is going to have to differentiate and develop a more sustainable plan that Paris Part Two.”

I’m not sure how much more over-publicized and over-rated Kimmy can get!

Teen Mom in Trouble!

Amber Portwood, the 20-year-old Teen Mom, is going through a rough patch in her life.  Since getting pregnant in 2008, her life has constantly been a rollercoaster of ups and downs.  This is especially true with her off-and-on relationship with 23-year-old fiancé Gary Shirley.  Trying to work things out for their 23-month-old daughter, Leah, can get messy—and things are about to take a turn for the worst.

Since the first season of Teen Mom, Amber and Gary’s fights have been caught on camera, but it wasn’t until lately that their fights have blown into physical fights nearly every time.  Many fights end with Amber screaming that she never wants to see him again as crying baby Leah follows her dad to the door, only to have it slammed in her face.

Their most recent fight was caused when Gary threatened to call Child Protective Services and take Leah away forever.  The fight included Amber punching Gary in the head, hitting him repeatedly, and almost kicking him down the stairs.  According to an interview in US Weekly, Amber barely remembers hitting Gary.  Although she tries to avoid watching these actions on the show, these give her a strong reminder.

“When I see myself in that position, it really opens my eyes,” Amber tells US Weekly. “I want to stop it because I don’t want to be like that.”



Picture of Portwood and Shirley taken from http://www.perezhilton.com/



Well… it may be too late for that Amber.  Members of the Department of Child Services (DCS) in Indiana are investigating the incidents seen on the show.  According to Indiana state law, domestic violence in front of a child under 14 can be considered a felony. 

“We have an ongoing assessment with regard to the family of Amber Portwood, and we continue to work with law enforcement on this matter,” Anne Holton of the Anderson, Ind. DCS department told OK! magazine.

In the next few weeks, DCS will be conducting a formal interview with Amber as well as interviews with “everybody that knows Amber and Gary.”

In regards to taking proactive steps to make things better, Amber tells US Weekly that she is facing her angers head on.  She claims that she is “working with a counselor ‘on how to calm down when things happen’”. 

“We are getting closer to a solution,” she states. “If I get mad, I always try to think about Leah and how an [outburst] will affect her.”  

She is also dating a new man named Chris who puts a lot of positivity in her life, but also comes with his own set of troubles.  He reveals on the show that before he met Amber, he was in jail—but it is not confirmed why.  Rumors say that he was convicted of Child Molestation in 2005.  This is probably not a good person to have in the house during DCS interviews!  I hope Amber can dodge this bullet and finally achieve happiness in her life... what do you think??

'Snooki' shows classy changes in her life

Between all of the fist fights and fist pumping that is seen in every episode of MTV’s Jersey Shore, it is surprising to hear that cast member Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is taking some steps to move her life in the right direction.  Yacht parties and book writing have been added to Snooki’s agenda, giving her a classy look that she does not portray very often.

Earlier this year, Snooki had a “make-under” by US Weekly for an article called “Trashy to Classy”.  She was put in dresses that covered up a lot more of her body than we see on MTV.  Her hair was slicked back in a pony-tail which made her almost unrecognizable!

Unfortunately, Snooki was not a fan of these new looks.  “I feel like my grandmother,” Snooki told US Weekly.  “I wouldn’t be caught dead in this outfit.”

On September 27, Snooki surprised us again!  She hosted a yacht party in California to promote the product “Beautiful Eyes” by Frownies.   The event was complete with a white carpet, celebrity and VIP guests, and hors d’oeuvres.

The product, said to reduce facial wrinkles, is perfect for the over-tan diva.   Hollywood Today reports Snooki saying, “I love tanning, so I really like the Immune Shield from Beautiful Eyes because it repairs and protects my skin from the sun.”

In contrast to the usual crazy hairstyles, fuzzy slippers, and diamond-covered sunglasses she is seen wearing on the show, Snooki looked elegant in a knee-length black dress and large sunhat.  She remained classy throughout the whole evening and even refused to accept a dare to jump overboard as a crazy publicity stunt!

Classy Snooki was on a roll that week!  Just the next day, as fans were starting to catch wind of the high class boat event, Snooki came out with another surprising statement.  She officially announced that she has been working on writing a book!

“I’m pumped to announce to my fans a project that I’ve been working on for some time,” explains the 22-year-old reality star.  “This book will have you falling in love at the shore.”

The book is called A Shore Thing and is about a girl looking for love on the boardwalk.  According to www.popeater.com, the book is fictional and the main character has “big hair, dark tans, and fights galore”!  Hmm... sound familiar? 

Many critics are already bashing Snooki’s book—as she claims to have only read two books herself!  As for me, I can’t wait to read it! Snooki has an outrageous personality and thoughts that are never short of entertaining!

The book is scheduled to release right after the first of the new year.

Will Snooki’s classy streak continue?  Probably not.  The last two episodes of Jersey Shore Season 2 are airing the next couple weeks, and they have already filmed Season 3—which are sure to catch Snooki in her normal, crazy light!