By Jessica Wedemeyer
5:37am PDT, Sep 22, 2020
Sometimes it seems like Hollywood stars exist in an entirely different galaxy than the rest of us mere mortals. Wonderwall.com rounded up several recent examples of how stars are nothing like us, starting with this fun tidbit… On Sept. 8, 2020, McDonald's launched "The Travis Scott" meal — a special $6 order that includes a Quarter Pounder burger with cheese, bacon and lettuce, plus fries with a barbeque dipping sauce and a Sprite. It's only the second time the fast-food chain has launched a celebrity-endorsed meal — the first was Michael Jordan's in 1992, the same year the "Sicko Mode" rapper was born. Impressive, right? But here's the real kicker: The Travis Scott meal was so popular that after just one week on the menu, it spurred a Quarter Pounder shortage. McDonald's quickly made moves to combat the situation: "We're working closely with our suppliers, distributors and franchisees to resupply impacted restaurants as quickly as possible," a representative told CNBC. Now keep reading for more examples of how stars are nothing like us…
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In other fast-food news… On Sept. 8, 2020, 50 Cent and Instagram influencer Jay Mazini took to Instagram to share videos of themselves handing out more than $30K in cash to employees at a Burger King in New York City's Queens neighborhood to thank them for their hard work amid the coronavirus pandemic. A few days later, they pulled the exact same stunt at a different Burger King, passing stacks of cash to employees at the drive-thru window.
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A vacation fit for a queen! When Beyonce and JAY-Z vacationed off the coast of Croatia in early September 2020 in honor of Queen Bey's 39th birthday, they did it aboard the superyacht Lana, which reportedly costs a whopping $2 million a week to charter. (Practically chump change for the power couple!) According to Imperial Yachts, the boat is longer than a football field, making it "the largest superyacht for charter delivered in 2020." It reportedly features seven VIP rooms, a primary suite, a pool, a gym, a theater, a spa with professional masseuses, a driving range, a helipad and more. It's also fully equipped with Jet Skis, wakeboards and fishing equipment. Lana's crew of 34 can accommodate up to 12 guests.
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Less than two years after snapping up their first Beverly Hills mansion for $8.5 million, Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber have dropped an astonishing $25.8 million on a nearby property. According to Variety, the 2.5-acre estate — which is located in the celeb-infested Beverly Park gated community — includes an 11,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom mansion featuring a chef's kitchen, a library, a primary suite with a sitting room and a "spa-style bath … equipped with a chandelier that hangs over the soaking tub," a home gym, a soundproof movie theater, an infinity-edged swimming pool, a lawn the size of a soccer field and a full-size tennis court. Their new neighbors will include Sofia Vergara, Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, Rod Stewart, Magic Johnson and several members of the Saudi royal family.
In other impressive property news… Willow Smith is just 19 years old, but she recently dropped $3.1 million on her very first home: a four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot house in Malibu with ocean views that was built in 2011. MailOnline reported on Sept. 3, 2020, that the property is eco-friendly, featuring a greywater recycling system, solar power and a two-car garage with a Tesla charging system. If this is her starter home, imagine what she'll have by the time she's old enough to legally pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate!
In still more impressive real estate news… On Sept. 4, 2020, TMZ reported that Tyler Perry appears to be constructing a private airport on his 1,200-acre estate in the Atlanta area. (That's twice the size of Disneyland, by the way!) The property — which is located near his 330-acre studio lot — also houses his 35,000-square-foot mansion. The super-producer, who has his own private jet, reportedly plans to turn some of his land into an organic farm with horses and other animals. Whatever he's up to, one thing is clear: Tyler can afford it. On Sept. 1, 2020, Forbes reported that the "Madea" franchise mastermind recently joined the billionaires club. According to their estimates, he's earned more than $1.4 billion in pretax income in the past 15 years. Must be nice!
In other aviation news… For most parents, dropping your kid off at college involves a lengthy road trip. For Harrison Ford, it involves a private plane. On Aug. 20, 2020, the Oscar nominee and his wife, Calista Flockhart, were snapped taking their son, Liam, to Massachusetts' Amherst College in a private plane that the aviation enthusiast likely piloted himself. (Fortunately, he wasn't forced to make an emergency landing this time.) Also onboard? The family's three pampered pooches.
On Aug. 21, 2020, multiple media outlets noticed that Taylor Swift dropped an unprompted $30K on a GoFundMe campaign for Vitoria Mario, an 18-year-old woman from Portugal who relocated to the U.K. to pursue her education in 2016. She was recently admitted to the mathematics program at the University of Warwick but was forced to launch the GoFundMe campaign when she was unable to obtain financial aid due to her immigrant status. Enter Taylor! "I came across your story online and am so inspired by your drive and dedication to turning your dreams into reality," wrote the superstar. "I want to gift you the rest of your goal amount. Good luck with everything you do!"
On the Aug. 18, 2020, episode of "Late Night with Seth Meyers," Patton Oswalt revealed that his daughter, Alice, recently had her very first skateboard lesson with none other than Tony Hawk … skateboarding's biggest star. The two men, who follow each other on social media, connected when Tony reached out to tell Patton that he and his wife were fans of "I'll Be Gone In the Dark," the documentary about the actor's late wife, true-crime writer Michelle McNamara, and her investigation into the Golden State Killer. During their chat, Tony offered to send Alice "some skateboard equipment." Recalled the comedian, "I said, 'You know what? I'm gonna roll the dice on being a jerk,' and I said, 'Look, Tony, absolutely she would love it.' Cause she really does want to skateboard. She's wanting to skateboard. I'm like, 'But is there any way — and I will bring her to you — can she get a skateboarding lesson from you?' And he was like, 'Oh my God, that would be great!'" So Patton took Alice to Tony's warehouse in San Diego, where she got a private lesson from him and another skateboarding legend: Andy Macdonald. Only in Hollywood can you score a private lesson from one extreme sports' greatest athletes by connecting over DMs!
It pays to have rich friends! On Aug. 27, 2020, Leah McSweeney took to Instagram to show off her 38th birthday present from pal and "The Real Housewives of New York City" co-star Tinsley Mortimer: a pink Chanel bag worth $5,100.
During an interview with Vogue that debuted online on Sept. 8, 2020, "Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn dished on her extremely high-maintenance daily beauty routine. "How I look on [the show] is not how I look when I wake up in the morning," she said. "When it comes to the show, I don't do my own hair. I do my own makeup because I love doing it. The full start to finish, including wardrobe, is around two and a half to three hours. My glam isn't cheap, either — $1,000 a day, if I go all out. It's expensive to look this cheap." Apparently it costs a lot to maintain the moneymaker!
During an interview with Us Weekly that hit the Internet on Aug. 20, 2020, Larsa Pippen casually dropped an impressive detail about her privileged upbringing while promoting her eponymous jewelry line. "Ever since I was a little girl I would draw out all of my jewelry and my dad would have it made for me, so it's been one of my passions for as long as I can remember," she said. Oh, to be a little girl with parents who could afford custom bling!
On Aug. 31, 2020, Akon unveiled his plans for Akon City — a $6 billion project in Senegal that he's compared to a "real-life Wakanda." According to The Associated Press, the high-tech community will feature its own hospital, police station, seaside resort, tech hub, recording studios, film studios and cryptocurrency, AKoin, as well as a hotel with rooms decorated in honor of each of Africa's 54 nations. The American R&B star, who's of Senegalese descent, is also considering franchising Akon City for other African countries. Construction is set to commence in 2021.
Brad Goreski is now collecting wigs thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. He gets "literally a wig delivery every day" as part of his new passion project: spoofing iconic moments from the "Real Housewives" franchise for TikTok. "I have almost 50 now," he told People magazine during an interview that hit the Internet on Sept. 2, 2020, noting that he buys his hairpieces from Amazon. "It's gotten to the point now where I finally called my assistant. I was like, 'Daniela, it's time. I have a very weird project for you. I need you to help me organize my wigs.'" He even styles the wigs to resemble the Housewives, though there's one look he's yet to master: "I keep telling the Housewives … 'You guys have to stop wearing ponytails. It's really hard to find a good ponytail wig unless it's custom,'" he said. The "Fashion Police" star — who did, however, manage to recreate Dorit Kemsley's recent unique braided 'do — also tries to match his clothing to what the ladies actually wore during the iconic moments. Hey, to each their own!
When you own as many properties as Queen Elizabeth II, you can afford to turn one into something unexpected during the off-season… On Sept. 4, 2020, multiple media outlets reported that Her Majesty is turning her private Sandringham Estate into a drive-in movie theater for members of the public to catch showings of "1917," "The Greatest Showman," "Moana," "A Star is Born" and more from the comfort of their cars. According to the property's official website, Sandringham is the queen's "much-loved country retreat" and "has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs since 1862." But like many of her properties, it's open to tours from the public.
