There was a golden era in cinema for Westerns, and after that golden era ended, nobody's been able to resurrect the genre. Many have tried, and all have failed. Unfortunately for United Artists, that golden era ended long before 1980, when they pumped $44m into making 'Heaven's Gate.' This was no way for the movie company that was opened by Charlie Chaplin to bow out, but sadly, that's exactly what happened.
This may have been a simple case of the company believing that everything they touched would turn to gold. They'd made a massively successful war movie with 'Apocalypse Now.' They proved that boxing could be a box office draw with 'Raging Bull.' Why couldn't they bring back the Western with 'Heaven's Gate?' The primary reason was probably that it was a tepid drama, lacking in the kind of action people associate with films that use this historical framing. It made a miserable $3.5m return, and United Artists had to sell up to MGM.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.