October 12, 2006
| Barkin's Bounty |
Did you ever wonder why a gorgeous and sexy movie actress like Ellen Barkin would marry a schlubby billionaire like Ron Perelman? OK, so it's really a rhetorical question.
We were just surprised the marriage lasted so long. Now that it's over the poor, distraught ex-wife was forced to auction her jewels to make ends meet. And boy did they meet!
The jewels, bought from places like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co, were originally estimated to earn between 10 and 15 million dollars at Christie's auction on Tuesday. Once the bidders got a load of the glittery gifts -- they forked out a whopping $20,369,200!
Zoinks!
It was the fourth largest single owner auction result in history.
"She was very, very pleased," Francois Curiel, chairman of Christie's Europe, told Reuters.
Was she? We can't imagine.
In case you're wondering whether Barkin felt at least a little bit sentimental over the bust-up -- her wedding ring alone brought in $156,000.
So what's the divorcee going to do with all that cash? Get back to work, of course. $20 million doesn't go as far as it used to. According to Reuters, Barkin plans on using the money to kick-start her production company.
Her first production? "Goldiggers of 2006." (Kidding!) She's slated to star with George Clooney in Oceans 12.
If Ellen Barkin married a billionaire, why is she hurting for money? Didn't she get a decent settlement out of the divorce or sign a pre-nup that would have given her a lump sum of money in the event of a divorce?