We read an article
the other day detailing the woes that Jackie
Chan is having running his Segway dealership. Jackie Chan?
Segways? Does he really need the money
that badly? After doing a little research, though, we found that Chan is only one
of innumerable celebrities who have tried to parlay their show business fame
into commercial success.
Some of these products are more beneficial than others. Peter
Gabriel wants you to know about music and
movies he finds worthwhile, and Kanye West
is doing his darnedest to find you a cheap airline ticket. On the other hand,
Willie Nelson,
Marilyn Manson, Sammy Hagar, and others would all like to cloud your mind
with alcoholic beverages. If you drink too much of their products, you can
always sober up with some of David Lynch's coffee.
Now, not every celebrity is in it for the money: some have artistic
ambitions. Tony Bennett,
Mr. Billy Dee Williams,
and even Dr. Jack Kevorkian have expressed their creativity on canvas (and David Bowie
is interested in promoting young artists as well as himself), and there are
some celebrities who have done what they can to make the world a better
place: Peter Gabriel, Richard Branson, and Nelson Mandela founded The Elders,
dedicated to solving some of the world's toughest problems, and Bob Geldof's work
with Live Aid
has raised millions for famine relief.
Perhaps the celebrity who has best managed to combine commerce and charity is
Paul Newman, whose
line of foods -- ranging from salad dressings to pasta sauces
-- has raised more than $200 million for thousands of charities since
1982.
The only problem with celebrities leveraging their fame is that sooner or
later everyone will want to get into the act -- even fictional characters.
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