Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #84 -- Putting the "Business" in Show Business


THIRTEEN MOVIE STARS
WITH POSITIVE ROIs

According to Forbes.com, these are the movie stars who more than pay for themselves. The dollar amount next to each name indicates how much each of their movies makes per dollar of their salary.*

1) Vince Vaughan — $14.73
2) Tobey McGuire — $13.44
3) Julia Roberts — $13.19
4) Brad Pitt — $12.73
5) Naomi Watts & Matt Damon — each at $12.15
6) George Clooney — $11.56
7) Jennifer Aniston — $10.48
8) Hugh Jackman — $9.90
9) Ben Stiller — $9.50
10) Renne Zellweger — $9.49
11) Kate Winslet — $9.48
12) Reese Witherspoon — $8.91
13) Jodie Foster — $8.59

My favorite movie star, Bruce Willis, came in at #19 with a respectable $6.86 payback. From a purely financial aspect, the worst investment is currently Nicole Kidman at $1.01.

P.S. YES! Johnny Depp is in the Top 20!
But this is Thursday Thirteen, not Thursday 20. Plus I think that after the success of the Pirates movies, his asking price went up, which naturally makes his ROI go down. My guess would be that next year, Vince Vaughan won't be #1. The studios look at this and say, "Vince is a bargain." I bet some around Vince look at this and say, "You're underpaid."

*Forbes determines how much a movie makes by adding worldwide theatrical box office and the first three months of DVD sales. These numbers represent three films in the last five years, so actors who don’t work that often weren't considered. To see exactly which movies included in the tabulation, click here.

Include your link in the comments and I'll add you here:

1) Sandy shares the joys of being an early riser
2) Anthony North looks at aging -- or do I mean "maturity?"
3) Hootin Ani shares the gentle humor of Erma Bombeck
4) Claudia talks about her summer
5) Slender Octopus shares the history of the Australian flag
6) Nicholas shares slang from his side of the ocean
7) Lori gives us clues on how to spot a healthy relationship)
8) Small Reflections has an equine TT
9) Popping Bubbles has a movie TT, and I love movie TTs
10) Malcolm has a legal/movie TT, and it's great
11) Qtpies shares some "strange visions"
12) Elaine's TT is a tribute to classic movie stars
13) Patsy goes random on us!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



DAY 03 -- September Fitness Challenge

Lunch at my desk again. But instead of what I REALLY wanted (a grilled cheese or a cup of nice, creamy clam chowder), I dined on salmon salad on wheat bread. Salmon is supposed to be high in B vitamins and protein … nutrients I'm supposed to make sure I get. I feel quite virtuous. Pudgy and out-of-shape, but virtuous.

Greg Maddux gets 354th win

"He was great," Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said of Maddux, who notched victory No. 354 to tie Roger Clemens for eighth place on the all-time list. "I mean, the first three guys up in the game get base hits and then he just shuts them down completely." From the LA Times.

Ah, my beloved future Hall of Famer ...

Thinking positive


My Cubs have lost four in a row. They are even losing consistently at home, something that was, until this homestand, unheard of.

I know, I know. It's a long season and streaks like this are bound to happen. It's September, for God's sake, and we're still comfortably in first place.! Things will turn around soon (hopefully tonight at 7:05).

Times like this are just part of being a Cub fan.