Ugh.. I need to perform a survey to include facts in my essay. So I was just wondering what you all think of this interesting subject, and maybe when I'm done I'll post the essay... And, it automatically puts it into percents so I don't have to do math. YAYNESS!!

Should I mark unsure or just not vote? I don't want to ruin the integrity of the poll and have no clue how much celebrities are paid.

Just put unsure... that makes sense, i guess..

I can't simply concieve how much money Jennifer Lopez made for gigli. I hate how even the bad actors get loads of money if they are famous and if the masses love them. There is alot of unrecognized acting talent out there, and many of them will never get the chance. The rich inner circle of hollywood, many of the actors simply suck. Musicians play the crowds and the fads, if the fad is in their favor, they get loaded. I'm happy to beleive at least one of the former boy band members is starving.

Sports stars need to shut up. They are living their dream and they dare to go on strike for not having the extra million dollars. Light them on fire, please.

I think this thread may belong in Issues.

I concur.

Put in to thought about the unknown or forgotten celebrities, like the other 4 dudes in the jackson 5 or the soldier in the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Some celebs get paid way too much...

Others don't get paid enough.

Such is life.

i miss the good actors, Tom Hanks, Shawn Conory(i have no idea how to spell his name, sorry) and all them. Now we have singers trying to act? NO BAD WRONG! Singers are just that, singers, they CAN'T act, and shouldn't.

Now for how much they get paid... its just getting way out of hand. They are being paid to make crappy movies even though they bring a low amount of money in theatre. I hate most actors expect the one that can really act. Most now just say catchy lines and jump into a scence and let the stunt double do the rest. Its not acting, its just saying "I'll be back" or something. No true emotion.

Its Sean Connery. And there is plenty of talent: Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlysle, Jonny Lee Miller and Collin Farrel to name but a few. They work for our entertainment, don't forget that. (by the by I voted no)

Don't knock the terminator, the second one was damn good. The third was like another second one.

Definately overpayed, but that's a free market for you *pokes Max*

There are some good actors, among the piles of bad ones, but even they earn too much.

BTW Silver, it's probably a bad idea to use this poll in your essay if you intend to prove anything conclusive with it. We're hardly a representative sample.

It's not a new concept, you know. Ever heard of Elvis?

I'm not saying we should put regulations, but this isa gross abuse of free market. Without getting too much into my economic theory (or anti-economic theory), dependance is the key to regulate a free market.

[/hijack]

I disagree. Some singers can't act, some can. The ones who can't act, shouldn't, I concur, but those who can should not be judged negatively because they are singers. Look at musicals. They can act, sing, and dance. Many Broadway performers have also acted in movies.

Even pop stars... if they CAN act, they should be allowed to. From what I hear, Josh Groban has a Musical Theatre background, meaning an ACTING background.

Just a quick thought here...

How much do our celebs get paid?

I'm sure it's quite a bit - but - how much do they make, and how much of that do they actually see?

How many singers, actors, tv ppl and sports folk get paid only a fraction of the money they bring in?

Big record companies, the film and tv industry and sports clubs can make billions off the backs of talented individuals.

Certainly we focus on the lavish lifestyles (and sometimes the bad behaviour) of those in the limelight - but if we want to discuss the real money makers - perhaps we should look at the CEOs of Fox, or Time Warner, or even Disney?

OK then, how do you place Frank Sinatra? I like his movies

celebs get paid too much. i love going to the movies and all that, but it's insane that a select few should be paid more money than i could ever spend in a life time when there are people living in the same bloody city who are dying of starvation, exposure, and lack of medical care.

the average wage in the usa is around $13 an hour. do you know how much celebs make?! heck, even barbra streisand makes $1250 an hour! industries with that kind of money to throw around should be donating it to the people who need it.

i believe that people should be paid according to a formula that takes the following into consideration:
1. how vital the job is
2. how well the worker does their job
3. how much/little you would want to do that job if you weren't getting paid.

with my formula a good janitor would be amoung the highest paid, while celebs would be amoung the lowest.

How's the essay going?

Too true, I always wondered why the jobs which society needs to run efficiently are sometimes the worst paid jobs. My father is a postman, takes letters from the airport sorts them and takes them into London to be distributed and he works at night. Its a hard job and very stressful for him, plus no one else wants to do it.

Football players (soccer) play a sport, a hobbie, a leisure activity, and the top players get paid more in a week than my dad does in a year.

Jic - welcome back, hon! Been a while since I saw ya here last!

Anyways, pleasantary aside, I think yer right apart from one small point. These celebs that get paid a fortune - for each one of those, there's a thousand like them who barely scrape by, doing odd-jobs and waiting for someone to spot them. These guys are at the zenith of their career, be it by talent, force or sheer luck, and are reaping the benefits of whatever means took them there. There's little difference here than there is between, say, a freelance chartered accountant making $500 an hour and a lowly credit controller making half that a week.

These big actors, yes, they get paid a fortune. But it's not a regular job, is it? Between Terminator 2 and Terminator 3, what did Arnie actually do? How many movies has Al Pacino been in in the last 10 years? Has Macaulay Culkin done anything recently? These guys have to work damned hard to stay in the public eye, otherwise they'll get forgotten and won't get any more work. And, as with the music industry, an actor has to be considered watchable in order to make any money. Unlike most "normal" jobs, where you get paid all the time, these guys are effectively working as contractors.

Sport is even more fickle. A sportsperson has only a finite time in which they can compete, and this could be cut cruelly short by injury. After that, it's on to the scrapheap for them, unless they can get a managerial role or a slot on a sports program.

So the idea is, these guys, at the top of their career, make money for their pension fund. Working on the basis that these guys could be out of work in their 30s or 40s and never work again, this money helps them to live for a long time, without taking money out of the public coffers.

It still is too much, granted. But then people want to see movies, listen to music, watch sport... while these people will pay, the money is there. While the demand for certain personalities is high, the personality in question can command what they like, and get paid it. I'd love to be in that position myself, and one day I may even attain something close to it, if I work hard enough.

Yes, they get paid too much. Though it's not a regular job, famous actors get paid millions so it's not like they need to keep making more money like the rest of us do... and it's not like they're saving the world. What they do isn't particularly important in the greater scheme of things, and the money they're making is totally disproportionate to their actual contribution to society. But that's capitalism for you...

However, we have to remember that we're the ones who are paying them when we go to their movies, buy their music, go to sports games, etc. so we really can't complain. It does bother me that so many good actors are unemployed and will never make any money (same with singers and other potential celebrities) while other completely talentless ones are millionaires because of a good marketing scheme. But I can't be bothered to complain... I'm still buying movie tickets one way or another.

We make money to maintain our lifestyle. If my salary doubled, I'd take a suitable increase in my lifestyle to reflect that - a bigger, more expensive house, a nicer car etc etc...

But with my new house comes a new, mighty mortgage and bigger bills. I wouldn't want to take a salary cut then, never mind a total cessation of income.

So the celebs don't need millions. But cos they have multi-million dollar mansions and staff and ten cars and all that guff, a cut in income would cripple them. They'd lose everything and end up doing ads for Fresh Start Loans on TV *cough*MC Hammer*cough*

But look at it this way: A big mansion needs furnishing. It needs energy. It needs water. It needs heating. Then all the cars, the clothes, the staff... they may well make millions, but they also spend a lot - helping to keep the energy companies, the furniture retailers, clothes stores, car manufacturers blah blah in work.



No, wait. Stuff that. I'm tired of trying to play the Libra card, seeing both sides and arguing for stuff to balance arguments. If these guys managed their finances better, they wouldn't need so much bloody money! I say pay 'em all less, and make them spend their money better instead of squandering it like the hedonistic playboys (and girls) they are. Bastards