I am so in the wrong line of work

Last night, I actually turned the TV off when there was nothing on and (gasp) read a book. After awhile, I decided to read a magazine, and lucky for you, the article is going to be blog fodder.

My beloved Entertainment Weekly had a feature this week called "The New Age of Greed." It's really quite interesting, and I recommend it.

Basically, the feature is about the ridiculous perks that celebrities require to star in movies and television, and how that drives up the cost of production. The cost trickles down and means lower salaries for film editors and directors of photography, AND it's probably responsible for as much as a $1 boost in the cost of theater tickets in the last few years, because the industry standard is that it costs 5% of a films final costs to pay for the perks that stars demand.

The article also contains a lot of "guess who" moments, which I always love. For instance:

• "There's the actress who demanded Harry Winston jewelry to help her get into the role of a wealthy woman (because, you know, it was a stretch), then hid in her trailer when she was asked to give it back. "
• "One action star, for example, requires a basketball court wherever he's shooting, even if it means spending $35,000 to build one. "
• "There is the famous movie couple who demanded a separate private jet from Los Angeles to Europe just for their luggage, at a cost of $40,000. "

Apparently, celebs can require in their contracts that the studios pay for their nannies, personal assistants, personal chefs, etc. while they are filming. And for the record, personal assistants to the big names make $10,000 a week. A WEEK! I am so in the wrong line of work! I'd be more than happy to fetch Cameron Diaz's frappucinos for that kind of dough. Personal shoppers can get $7,000 A DAY! Sigh.