This week was a HUGE week in the news… from a royal Hollywood wedding to the resignation of the King of Apple to the terror of hurricane Irene on Richard Branson’s island paradise to the shake-up on the east coast… here are some of my top picks for the week:

Top Headline: Kim Kardashian gets richer married!

I have to admit, despite her less than fairytale road to stardom, Kim Kardashian is quite the business woman.  On a day that usually costs most families & couples their year’s salary, despite their estimated $6MM cost of the wedding, the Kardashians managed to make millions more!!!One article I found quite fascinating: “Kim Kardashian’s Wedding by the Numbers” (Hollywood Reporter)According to the NY Post, their nuptials are estimated to make $17.9MM and will keep bringing in more!Just to throw some numbers around (via NY Post):

Payments they received

• $15 million plus profit for four-hour, two-part wedding special on E!
• $2.5 million for exclusive photos with People magazine
• $300,000 for exclusive engagement announcement with People
• $100,000 for exclusive rights to bridal shower with Britain’s OK! mag
• $50,000 to have bachelorette party at Tao in Las Vegas

Stuff they got for free

• $15,000 to $20,000 Hansen’s Bakery wedding cake
• $20,000 Vera Wang wedding dress and fittings
• $40,000 for two more Vera Wang evening dresses
• $400,000 in Perrier Jouet Champagne
• $150,000 in hair and makeup for photo shoots and TV “home video”
• $10,000 in Lehr & Black wedding invitations

Deeply discounted

• $2 million 20.5-carat engagement ring and $1 million wedding bands by jeweler Lorraine Schwartz. The amount they paid for these items hasn’t been revealed, but it’s much less than their worth.

Now on to more Important News…

1. Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz trying to make a difference in Washington by gathering 100 CEO’s to sign a pledge to halt campaign contributions until lawmakers figure things out!  I knew I loved Starbucks for more than their red eyes and SFV soy lattes.
2. The King of Apple, CEO Steve Jobs resigns due to his continuing health issues.
3. Richard Branson’s house on Necker Island burnt down when lightning from Hurricane Irene struck!  Good thing Kate Winslet was there to rescue Richard’s 90 year old mom! (yes, Nick Lachey & Vanessa Milano just got married there)                                      
4. Interesting articles from The Economist
1. the decline of marriage in Asian cultures & the social implications (HERE)
2. changing demographics of marriage among Asians in the new generation (HERE)
3. “Women have traditionally traded looks for economic support in marriage. A Chinese study confirms that the husbands of unappealing women earn about 10% less than those of their dishier counterparts.” ~ the economics of good looks (HERE)
5. An extremely cool animation of the tweets across the east coast when the Virginia earthquake hit (grey = normal tweets, green = earthquake related)

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