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10 Hot Celebrities Who Got their MBA or Business Degree

May 12th, 2009

Actors, singers, athletes and other entertainers have found celebrity status through a variety of avenues and opportunities. Not all received formal education in their field, or if they did, it wasn’t the only training they received. This group of ten hot celebrities, including pro athletes, mega movie stars, and music moguls also spent time in business school.

Ivanka Trump: As the daughter of billionaire and business maven Donald Trump, it makes sense that Ivanka would become a powerful business force, too. Twenty-seven year-old Ivanka started as a teenage model, appearing on the cover of Seventeen and working for designers like Thierry Mugler and Tommy Hilfiger. After high school, however, Ivanka attended Georgetown University for two years and then transferred to the Wharton Business School at The University of Pennsylvania, where her father attended. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2004, and is currently the Vice President of Real Estate and Acquisitions for the Trump Organization in New York City.
Kevin Costner: Award-winning actor Kevin Costner was one of the biggest movie stars in the 1990s and continues to make popular films. Some of his best known roles include Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, and The Untouchables, and Costner even released a country music album in 2008 entitled Untold Truths. Costner was raised throughout California in Lynwood, Ventura, Orange County and Villa Park. In 1978, he graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a B.A. in business. After graduating, he got married and started a job as a marketing executive, but quit 30 days later in order to pursue his acting career.
Benicio del Toro: Benicio del Toro has won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award, but before developing into a critically acclaimed movie star, del Toro was a Catholic school student in Puerto Rico. After his mother died, his father moved the family to Pennsylvania, where del Toro finished high school. After graduating, he enrolled in the University of California, San Diego, as a business student. In college, del Toro started taking drama classes and eventually took small parts in music videos and films until his role in The Usual Suspects in 1995 won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Clint Eastwood: Clint Eastwood is one of the most iconic American actors, starring in several Dirty Harry movies, and countless westerns in the 1960s and 1970s. Now in his late 70s, Eastwood continues to act in and direct important films like Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino and Changeling. Besides being a significant influence on the entertainment industry, Eastwood has also dabbled in politics. He was elected as the Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Monterey Peninsula in California and was twice appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission. As a child, Eastwood’s family frequently moved around California. After graduating high school, he took several odd jobs and briefly pursued a business degree at the Los Angeles College.
P. Diddy: Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is one of the music industry’s most powerful players, supporting rappers like the Notorious B.I.G, Usher, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Lil’ Kim and others under his Bad Boy Records label. His net worth was estimated to be around $346 million in 2006, and he has won nine Grammys, among other awards. Born in Harlem, New York, and raised in The Bronx, Combs played football in high school and graduated in 1987. After high school, he attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he pursued a business degree. While in school, Combs earned an internship at Uptown Records in New York, and ultimately dropped out of Howard to pursue work in the music business.
Tiger Woods: U.S. golfing legend and champion Tiger Woods has won 65 PGA events and fourteen professional major golf championships. He was also the youngest player to be awarded the career Grand Slam, and has received numerous other golf awards. In the late 1990s, Tiger Woods started winning major tournaments, and since then, he has enjoyed huge celebrity status and has endorsed companies like General Mills, Titleist, General Motors, American Express, and more. As a child, however, Woods was already known as a child golf star: he played against Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show when he was only two years old. Woods grew up in California and attended Stanford University after graduating high school, choosing to major in economics. Woods dropped out of Stanford after two years to turn pro.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: One of the most high profile celebrities-turned-political leaders, Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably just as well known for his roles in Terminator as he is for being Governor of California. Schwarzenegger is also a former Mr. Universe and is married to Maria Shriver, niece of John F. Kennedy. During his movie career, Schwarzenegger helped found the Planet Hollywood chain with Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Demi Moore. Schwarzenegger moved to the U.S. from Austria in 1968, and in the 1970s began taking English classes from Santa Monica College. In 1976, he earned a degree in Business and International Economics by correspondence from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
John Elway: Football star John Elway has played for the Baltimore Colts and the Denver Broncos, with which he won two Super Bowl titles. Elway was also known as a superior football player at Stanford, where he set records and received All-American honors. While at Stanford, he studied economics.
Cate Blanchett: Australian actress Cate Blanchett is one of the most well-respected movie stars in Hollywood today, and has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two BAFTAs. Blanchett is also an acclaimed theatre actress, appearing in shows like The Seagull, Hedda Gabler, and A Streetcar Named Desire in Australia. Before becoming a professional actress, Blanchett was introduced to acting at the Methodist Ladies’ College. At the University of Melbourne, however, Blanchett chose to study economics in addition to fine arts. After graduating, she attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.
Lionel Richie: Singer Lionel Richie has enjoyed a successful musical career since the 1960s when he formed The Commodores. In addition to performing his own songs with and without his band, Richie has also written songs for other artists, including "Lady" for Kenny Rogers. Richie formed The Commodores while he was a student at the Tuskegee Institute, where he played tennis and graduated with an economics degree.

10 Biggest Celebrity Marketing Comebacks of All Time

May 5th, 2009

Being famous won’t stick around forever, especially if you aren’t generating enough buzz to keep the public interested. These 10 celebrities were huge stars in the 1980s and 1990s but eventually fizzled out due to band breakups, sex scandals, pregnancies, drug problems, and career flops. But they’ve come back stronger than ever thanks to major marketing help from their films, TV shows and even the people they hang out with.

Gwyneth Paltrow: Gwyneth Paltrow was the queen of 90s period pieces, starring in Emma and even winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love. She dated high profile actors like Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, and continued to act in films like The Royal Tenenbaums and Shallow Hal. In 2003, Paltrow married Chris Martin of Coldplay, and while she acted in smaller budget films, she mostly retreated from public life to have two children, Apple and Moses. In 2008, Paltrow’s big blockbuster Iron Man officiated her comeback into the spotlight, and while she toured with the film, she wowed the public with her new penchant for super high heels and short dresses. Paltrow is still enjoying a higher profile persona, appearing in magazines, at special events, and even marketing her lifestyle website GOOP.
Victoria Beckham: Victoria Beckham was better known in the 1990s as Posh Spice, the sleek, fashionable member of The Spice Girls. The British girl band enjoyed huge popularity but ultimately fizzled by 2000. Beckham released a solo album, but her major comeback coincided with husband and mega soccer star David Beckham’s continous rise to fame. In Europe, "Posh and Becks" were super celebrities, and Victoria began to favor a more polished, upscale look that earned her praise from fashion editors and the tabloids in America, too. In 2007, the Beckhams moved to Los Angeles when David Beckham signed a contract with the LA Galaxy. In America, Victoria was often photographed socializing with best friend Katie Holmes, wife of Tom Cruise, and even styled Holmes’ photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar. Beckham also appeared on an episode of Ugly Betty, judged an episode of Project Runway, and joined a Spice Girls reunion tour in 2008.
Katie Holmes: Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, Katie Holmes was a cute Ohio-born TV actress on the controversial and extremely popular Dawson’s Creek. The showed continued long after its buzz faded, and Holmes appeared in a few worthwhile films like Pieces of April and Thank You for Smoking, as well as teen comedies. But in 2005, Katie Holmes began dating Tom Cruise, and that summer, the couple appeared at movie premieres and other red carpet events around the world, creating a media frenzy over the new relationship. Cruise famously jumped on Oprah Winfrey’s couch in excitement over Holmes, and in 2006, the couple had a baby, Suri Cruise and married later that year. Holmes is now photographed around the world and is often praised for her new sophisticated fashion choices and lifestyle, as well as for her more grown up acting career.
Rob Lowe: As one of the members of the Brat Pack in the 1980s, Rob Lowe was a pretty boy who starred in films like St. Elmo’s Fire and The Outsiders. But in 1988, his career was nearly ruined when during a sex-tape scandal involving an underage girl. Throughout the 1990s, Lowe continued to act, and appeared in films like Tommy Boy and Contact, but he made his comeback in the 2000s, thanks to his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing. Currently, Lowe stars in Brothers and Sisters with Sally Field and Calista Flockhart.
Nicole Richie: Nicole Richie is the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie and childhood friend of Paris Hilton. As a teenager, Richie struggled with drugs and ended up in rehab after a damaging episode of her reality show The Simple Life revealed her drug problems. In 2006, Richie was arrested for driving under the influence and spent 82 minutes in jail as a result of her conviction. During her legal problems, Richie publicly reconciled with her father on The Oprah Winfrey Show, reunited with best friend Paris Hilton, and became a new style icon after polishing up her image. After controversy and speculation over an eating disorder, Richie seems to have balanced out and has a baby girl, Harlow, with musician Joel Madden.
Drew Barrymore: Drew Barrymore’s wild child phases culminated in her going to rehab when she was just 13 and a suicide attempt at 14. A child star descended from Hollywood royalty–Barrymore’s great grandfather was Maurice Costello, her grandfather was John Barrymore, and her great uncle and aunt were Lionel and Ethel Barrymore– Drew was already famous by the time she was six years old. In the following years, Barrymore hung out at Studio 54, drinking alcohol when she was 11 and doing cocaine when she was 13. After rehab, Barrymore became emancipated and continued to work on successful projects, like Guncrazy, but posed and appeared nude in several magazines and films. In the late 1990s and 2000s, Barrymore seemed to calm down and started her own production company. She continues to act, direct and produce films like Charlie’s Angels, Music and Lyrics, 50 First Dates, and He’s Just Not That Into You.
Robert Downey, Jr.: In the 1980s and 90s, Robert Downey Jr. was an up-and-coming actor who won an Academy Award nomination for Chaplin. But as his success grew, Downey’s drug problem also became more serious. He was arrested numerous times over the next decade, and even had to leave his "comeback role" on Ally McBeal to go back to a drug treatment program. In the early 2000s, Downey became sober and enjoyed a steady increase in the roles he was offered. In 2008, his starring role in Iron Man officiated his new comeback.
Eddie Murphy: Eddie Murphy was a favorite on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s, and he followed the sketch comedy show with classic comedies like the Beverly Hills Cop series . During the 1990s, however, Murphy’s films flopped. After 2000, Murphy found his place among more successful projects like the Shrek films and his own creative comedies like Norbit. In 2006, Murphy starred in Dreamgirls, and received high critical praise and several awards, including a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award nomination.
Teri Hatcher: As Lois Lane on the TV show Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman, Teri Hatcher became a household name and a sex symbol during the 1990s. The show lasted four years, and Hatcher went on to star as Bond girl Paris Carver opposite Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies. But after the James Bond film, Hatcher appeared in more forgettable movies and was most visible on the Radio Shack commercials she appeared in with NFL player Howie Long. But in 2004, Hatcher made a huge comeback as Susan Mayer on the new ABC drama Desperate Housewives.
Paula Abdul: Paula Abdul is a former LA Laker girl whose rise to fame is credited for her choreography gigs for stars like Janet Jackson and even Tom Hanks in Big. But in 1988, Abdul released her own album, Forever Your Girl, which ultimately spent 10 weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. In the mid-to-late 1990s, however, Abdul struggled to maintain a popular presence in the music industry, and it wasn’t until 2002 that she was able to join the judging panel of American Idol and regain her role in the entertainment business.

10 Celebrities Who’ve Mastered the Art of Personal Branding

May 1st, 2009

There’s a big difference between the celebrities who only show up to public events when they have to and the celebs who welcome the limelight. While some shy away from the extra attention, others actively pursue extra endeavors to keep their names and their images in front of consumers and the entertainment industry. These 10 celebrities have mastered the art of personal branding and have carved out niches for themselves in the business, hoping to stay famous and successful for a lot longer.

Dita Von Teese: Dita Von Teese–whose real name is Heather Sweet–has marketed herself as the modern-day, fetish version of the 1950s pin-up girl. Von Teese is a burlesque dancer, model, actress and lingerie designer, and she is so committed to her retro-inspired brand that she never appears without vintage clothing or her signature old-fashioned makeup and hairstyles. Von Teese even drives a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker and has a fake beauty mark.
Paris Hilton: Paris Hilton is arguably responsible for making it possible for socialites to become celebrities, just by being themselves. Paris Hilton is the daughter of Richard and Kathy Hilton and an heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune. She became a regular on the New York and LA party circuits in the early 2000s, and found work as an occasional model, actress and even singer. Famous mostly for her own scandals and party appearances, Hilton has had a sex tape, a DWI arrest, her own reality show on E!, a music album, and numerous appearances in films–some of which only required her to play herself.
Lauren Conrad: Lauren Conrad first became famous when she was selected to play herself on a reality show that followed the lives of a group of teenagers from Orange County. Laguna Beach was such a hit on MTV that Lauren Conrad inspired her own spinoff, The Hills, which followed her burgeoning fashion career in Los Angeles. Now, Lauren Conrad has her own clothing line, endorses beauty brand mark, and appears at fashion events, movie premieres and other celebrity-fueled events around the country.
Donald Trump: In the 1970s and 1980s, Donald Trump was a major player in the large-scale real estate development projects of New York City and Atlantic City, NJ. In the 1990s, however, Trump filed for bankruptcy and struggled to refinance, repackage and pay off his $900 million debt. Since then, Trump and his companies have been restructured and are still considered to be some of the most successful business ventures–almost all of which are named after himself–of the modern era, despite the new housing and financial crises. Trump has had two reality shows, The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice; owns major properties like Trump Park Avenue, Trump Hotel Las Vegas, Trump World Tower, and others; is the public face of numerous other real estate properties; and oversees more than 30 licensing projects in New York City, Florida, and around the world.
Kim Kardashian: Kim Kardashian, like her childhood friend Paris Hilton, is another socialite who has made millions of dollars and achieved fame mostly by being herself. She has a reality TV show on E! with her family, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, appears at red carpet events and parties covered by the tabloid and entertainment media, was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, has her own workout DVD, is working on her own perfume brand, and has performed with The Pussycat Dolls in Las Vegas. In 2007, a sex tape involving her and her then-boyfriend was leaked, and she is constantly in the public eye for her fashion choices, party appearances, modeling and photo shoots, and more.
Kanye West: Rapper and businessman Kanye West has a Best Rap Album Grammy, a Best New Artist BET Award, and countless nominations and awards for his three albums. Besides his music, however, West maintains a very high-profile persona for his public disagreements and competitions with other rappers, like 50 Cent; his collaboration with other artists; shoe line with Louis Vuitton; his own ability to inspire fashion trends; and his two arrests involving vandalism of photography equipment.
Diane von Furstenberg: Diane von Furstenberg was born in Belgium and is now considered to be one of the most iconic designers and most important inspirations to American fashion of all time. In the 1970s, after a marriage to Prince Egon of Furstenberg, she began designing clothes, and in 1973, she introduced the jersey wrap dress, which is still incredibly popular today. The couple eventually divorced, but von Furstenberg’s designs and prints are immediately recognized by women around the world. Besides her clothing line, von Furstenberg has appeared on MTV’s The City as star Whitney Port’s boss; recently wrote and released a comic book starring Wonder Woman alongside the founders of the DVF company; has appeared on shows like Project Runway; and has endorsed and collaborated with American Express.
Miley Cyrus: Teen sensation and workaholic Miley Cyrus is still only 16 years old, but her face appears on backpacks, lipglosses, t-shirts, and plenty more. The actress and singer first gained recognition by appearing as the title character on the Disney TV show Hannah Montana. The character Hannah Montana also has an alter ego, who is actually named Miley, after Miley Cyrus. The project quickly turned into an entire franchise, and Cyrus was able to simultaneously release her own album, as well as albums for the TV show; headline a touring concert; and star in a feature-length Hannah Montana film. In addition, Cyrus voiced one of the characters in the animated film Bolt, is the spokesperson for Daisy Rock Guitars, releases her own movies and online TV show on YouTube with her best friend Mandy, and found herself in the middle of a controversy after posing in a wrapped bed sheet for Vanity Fair magazine. Her autobiography, Miles to Go, was also recently released, and she is widely considered to be one of the most famous and most successful child stars of all time.
Justin Timberlake: Pop star, actor, clothing designer and all-around entertainer Justin Timberlake has come a long way since his Mickey Mouse Club Days. Timberlake shot to fame with the boy band ‘N Sync but became his own personal brand and is an A-list celebrity all on his own. Timberlake’s first solo album, Justified, inspired a joint tour with Christina Aguilera, and during the mid-2000s, Timberlake recorded a McDonald’s theme song, starred in a controversial performance with Janet Jackson during Super Bowl XXXVIII, won multiple Grammys, appeared in films like Shrek the Third and Alpha Dog, and collaborated with other musical artists like Three 6 Mafia and Nelly Furtado. Since then, Timberlake continues to work on his own music, perform at high profile events, collaborate with major stars like Madonna, work in films, and even pursue business projects like a chain of restaurants, his own brand of tequila, and his own clothing line.
Will Ferrell: Will Ferrell has taken his comedic talent to the next level. Ferrell was a major hit on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in movies like Old School, Anchorman, Elf, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. He often plays the same or a similar type of character, and often appears at public events in character. He often works with the same group of actors, including John C. Reilly, Steve Carrell, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn, nicknamed the Frat Pack.