Celebrity Birthdays - Oh, They Make Dramas

Just like "regular" people, celebrities commemorate their birthdays in a variety of ways. From traditional smaller-scale parties involving only close friends and family members to large galas where the media is invited and fans can pay an admission fee to attend, the ways that stars celebrate their birthdays is endless.

Many celebrities like to live large, especially when it comes to celebrating their birthdays. When we think about celebrity birthdays, red carpet parties at exclusive clubs in Los Angeles or Las Vegas usually come to mind. In fact, these types of celebrity birthday parties are beneficial to the stars both in terms of publicity and financial gain. The celebrity effectively auctions out the party to several clubs, and the club with the highest bid will host and pay for the party and then advertise it, counting on party-going fans to pay for the event with a $30 cover charge and the purchase of expensive drinks. Many fans are willing to pay the price of admission in exchange for the opportunity to party with celebrities at luxury clubs, and the club is happy to pay for such a lavish event because of the publicity generated by the celebrity endorsement of the venue.

One recent example was a party celebrating actress/singer Lindsey Lohan's 21st birthday in 2007. The party was scheduled to be two-day event, hosted by the luxury night club PURE in Las Vegas and sponsored by a vodka company. For this birthday party, one of the stipulations in the contract with Lohan is said to be that she was to be compensated $100,000 for making an appearance at her own birthday party. Lohan's 21st birthday party at PURE ended up being cancelled because she was in rehab for her addiction to alcohol, and the celebrity opted instead for a low-key party with her family. However, it is a prime example of how celebrities are able to use their birthdays as an occasion to earn money for an appearance and generate publicity.

Even celebrity babies get in on the lavish birthday action, as demonstrated by the first birthday celebration of the late Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn. The party was held at the home of a Louisville socialite (where the child's parents first met) and featured a performance by Barney the singing dinosaur. Dannielynn's father Larry Birkhead had a contract with OK! Magazine, who agreed to pay $1.7 million for rights to exclusive photo coverage of the party (this contract later fell through), and over two hundred guests attended the party.

Not all celebrities commemorate their birthdays with a well-publicized luxury event. Celebrities often have small, low-key birthday parties that the public knows very little about, if anything at all. One can easily conclude that the stars who are the most “down to earth” are the ones who appreciate a private affair, while the celebrities who crave attention and publicity are the ones who don't mind partying with the world. Whether or not this conclusion is true, it is clear that celebrities often like to celebrate their birthdays in style and with flair.