How Celebrities Make More Money

Usually, it's interesting to see Hollywood celebrities acquire an insane amount of money --just when they've been casted as the next big thing--only to spend it all with a vengeance. They throw parties, buy a few kilos of coke here and there, get a humungous house complete with flashy cars that never seem to travel as far their driveway, and sooner than we realize they're selling us useless crap on TV and singing the National Anthem on rodeos and county fairs.

But what about those few celebrities who have a little more than just a pretty face on their shoulders? They are, in most cases, the ones who are aware that whatever can be counted can eventually be counted down to zero, nada, kaput. With a little practicality and business sense, some celebrities have managed to turn their endless pool of money into two endless pools of money--one is from how they became successful, and the other one is through entrepreneurship.

Here are some of the notable ones:

Magic Johnston

Back in 1992, Mr. Johnston treaded where business men didn't dare go, the inner cities such as Harlem and South Central L.A. With an uncanny sense of marketing, coupled with his "magic" charisma, he successfully tapped into an $85 billion market that most people never even thought existed. He brought in franchises such as Loews Theaters, T.G.I. Fridays, and Starbucks. However, his company, The Magic Johnston Foundation, wasn't just in it for the big bucks. Since he started, the former basketball player has donated a hefty sum to the HIV/AIDS care and prevention, and has also put 215 scholars through school.

Francis Ford Coppola

No, he didn't follow in the footsteps of his film characters like Don Corleone. Instead, he looked to wine, coffee, pasta, and resorts to go to the mattresses when it came to money. His winery down at Napa makes an astounding $56 million annually, while also making a few extra greens on the side with his two cafes (Cafe Niebaum-Coppola), Mammarella pasta sauces, his resorts at Belize and Guatemala, and his production studio called American Zoetrope.

Sean "Puffy" Combs

"I'm not just poppin' Cristal and throwing parties," says P. Diddy, or Puff Daddy, or whatever it is he calls himself now. (Maybe he should ask Prince for some advice). He may have taken a backseat at the music industry nowadays, leaving us with his past original hits like "Uh-Huh," "Yeah," and "Oh,"--backtracking does not constitute original music-- to reminisce about, but he sure does have a bit of know how when it comes to making Benjamins. With his company, Bad Boy Worldwide, he has built a $300 million conglomerate through entertainment, fashion, marketing, and food. But Mr. Combs sure does spread the love, as he funds housing projects (Daddy's House Social Programs), and has donated $1 million to his Alma Matter, Howard University.

Sammy Hagar

If rock stars know one thing then its booze, sex, and drugs--don't worry, it's all one and the same to them. But as for Van Halen superstar Sammy Hagar, he might have had enough of his share of sex, and I'm not saying that he ever did drugs, so he's turned to the last legal way to get hammered to make some extra cash. And that's quite a lot of extra cash he's making. With his Cabo Wabo Enterprise, Mr. Hagar has his own brand of tequila and is now considering to sell 80% of his companys interests to Skyy Spirits for a whopping $80 million.

Jennifer Lopez

If there's one thought to keep when venturing into a business, it's starting a business that suits your interests. Not only will you most likely succeed, because you'll pretty much have an idea about the ins and outs of what you're getting into, you'll also end up liking what youre doing. J-Lo's Sweet Fashion certainly reflects the actress/musician's fashion sense, which she has shown time and again in her movies and music videos. With numerous boutiques open throughout the globe (in the U.S., Russia, and South America) this hotter than salsa Latina shows that she definitely knows how to capitalize beyond her rather caudal extremities.