Rent a Rock Star like Rod Stewart

Hire a superstar for your birthday party, bar mitzvah or corporate event. Just be ready to hand over millions of dollars

Tonight’s Golden Globes ceremony gives fans a wonderful opportunity to eyeball celebrities, perfectly toned bodies, their carefully coiffed hairs, their unspeakably expensive jewellery, their fake tans, their attitude and their arm candy.

But there are other ways to get close to megawatt stars. I’m talking about tycoons who actually hire the rapper 50 Cent or pop diva Christina Aguilera or comedian Robin Williams as entertainment for extremely private parties.

The L.A. Times recently reported that Grammy-winning superstars are available for any kind of party (personal or corporate) so long as the money is right. For instance, on New Year’s Eve, British pop star, George Michael was in Russia and earned about $3-million (USD) an hour for singing for the guests of a mining and lumber magnate. Who knew?

A couple of weeks ago, Aguilera and Williams were in Pittsburgh to entertain guests at the birthday part of Joe Hardy. If you’re wondering who Hardy is, you’re not alone – he’s the founder of 84 Lumber. They earned somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1-$1.5-million (USD) for the soirée. Not a bad haul for a night’s work.

It’s super-quick cash for artists and apparently they’re not considered lesser performers for doing it. It’s not like they’ve morphed into The Wedding Singer or something. (Although I did raise an eyebrow when I read that Herbalife hired Rod Stewart once upon a time. Picture it, the shaggy haired Scotsmen crooning Do Ya Think I’m Sexy to a bunch of starving delegates.)

Although you can rent them don’t expect the stars to be all buddy-buddy with you or that you’ll be able punch their phone number into your Treo at the end of the night. Rumour has it that Owen Wilson was hired to “appear” at a corporate party. He did but when workers approached him, he snapped “I’m not paid to talk to you” and stalked off.

My advice, start saving your pennies. With some luck and millions, you just might be able to afford Sting or Aerosmith to come and croon at your 30th birthday.