HOLLYWOOD—Celebrities love to put their names to products, especially to boost their brand of perfumes, most importantly, their bank balances. Launching your own perfume is “big money,” and low risk. The industry is worth billions. Some celebrities, according to published reports, get a return of around 5-10 percent of perfume sales, which can lead to huge amounts of money. Back in 2011, Elizabeth Taylor’s 20-year-old perfume, “White Diamonds,” made over an estimated $40 million. The late actress’s estate allegedly makes more money from that scent than she did for all of her film roles combines when she was alive.
Just in 2012 alone, there are 85 celebrity perfume launches compared to only 10, a decade earlier, according to Stylecaster.com. Everyone from Justin Bieber to Paris Hilton to Michael Jordan have collaborated with scent makers in recent years. Beyonce can demand a fee of up to $2 million when creating a personalized perfume. Joining the ranks of celebrities is Bruce Willis. “Die Hard” fans can now smell like the character John McClane, his new fragrance has hit the shelves. After the success of Bruce Willis’ fragrance in 2010, and another aimed at women called “Lovingly,” in 2012, his Bruce Willis Personal Edition is now available.
But the question on everyone’s mind is why would Willis or any celebrity want his or her name on a perfume? Honestly, it’s a clever way of keeping your name in the spotlight. It’s taking a household name and selling a product, however, this was used back in the 50s when Givenchy sold a fragrance created for Audrey Hepburn. These days celebrities are putting their names to just about everything from alcoholic drinks, clothing lines and luxury handbag firms have all used A-list stars and B-stars to promote their products. Many celebrities should stick with brands which are respected in their own rights to avoid damaging their reputation.
One of the great scents has to be “Stella,” by Stella McCartney, inspired by the beauty of a rose, with a splash and sensuality of amber. Stella, the fashion designer of legendary ex- Beatle Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda, now operates 17 freestanding stores in locations including
Manhattan’s Soho and
Beverly Hills. Last year she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom. Just imagine having a perfume named Beatlemania?
The Beatles will invade us again on February 9; it’s the second coming of Beatlemania. The 50th anniversary of the Beatles American debut will again hit the airwaves. CBS aired the Beatles first live televised performance, so it’s only just that the network is celebrating the anniversary with a commemorative special, “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles.”Â
The show will feature a concert taped the day after the Grammys. The two-hour special will include performances by Alicia Keys, Eurythmics, Katy Perry, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Brad Paisley, Maroon 5 and many more surprises. Beatlemania changed the music industry forever as other performers began writing their own songs, playing their own instruments and catering to the most important audience- the American teens.
Sir Paul McCartney was at the Super Bowl with his wife amongst other celebrities, it was the most-watched television event in the
US history, drawing 111.5 million viewers. It marked the fourth time in five years that a Super Bowl game set a viewership record. Last year was 108.6 million, it was the exception. The popular half-time show featured Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were widely praised. Many New Jerseyans wondered why Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi didn’t perform. Since they are native New Jerseyans.
Rose’s Scoop: The late Paul Walker leaves a $25 million fortune to his teenage daughter, Meadow.