KIM WOWS THE PARTY CROWD
CALGARIANS PAY UP TO $300 FOR EVENT WITH REALITY QUEEN
People ask, ‘What is she good for?’ She has a multimillion-dollar business. She has her fashion business, her perfume, her TV shows, her book, her cosmetic line
FAN JACKIE HILTON
She came, she saw, she konquered. Kim Kardashian, 32, racewalked the red carpet Friday night as part of her gig hosting the annual Iced party at Cowboys Dancehall. Usually quite the poser, the mesh-shirt clad Kardashian barely broke stride for the cameras assembled to catch her arrival.
The star of such shows as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami rocketed to the top of the pop culture list once again this week with news of her pregnancy.
Kardashian’s boyfriend, rapper Kanye West, announced the couple are expecting during a performance in New Jersey on Sunday.
“We love Kim,” said Lindsay Abbey, a Calgarian who scooped up early-bird tickets along with best friend Jackie Hilton. The pair, passionate about their support for Kardashian, arrived when the doors opened at 6 p.m. to score seats along the centre dance floor in front of the stage at Cowboys.
Tickets to share the same airspace as Kardashian came in two levels: the high-end ones — including a reception and group photo with Kardashian — rang in at $299.99, while entrance to the party cost $49.99. But those who acted fast snapped up early-bird tickets for $29.99.
“We’re not expecting much. We think she might be here for about 20 minutes,” said Hilton.
Abbey made it clear that she has little time for those who question the validity of Kardashian’s celebrity.
“People ask, ‘What is she good for?’ She has a multimillion-dollar business. She has her fashion business, her perfume, her TV shows, her book, her cosmetic line.”
That’s the kind of devotion Penny Lane Entertainment, which owns Cowboys, counted on when it booked Kardashian, said vice-president Scarlett Lee.
“A lot of our clientele are really big fans of Kim and her show,” Lee said, and Kardashian’s star power fit into the club’s efforts to deliver a “wow experience” to its customers.
“We weren’t sure what to expect,” Lee said about the media coverage, “but we realized her star power. And the timing of the pregnancy announcement definitely sparked more buzz.”
About 50 media outlets were accredited for the event, with names such as TMZ.com and In Style joining local media outside the velvet rope on the red carpet. Penny Lane wouldn’t say how much it paid Kardashian to come to Calgary, but her fee for hosting a New Year’s Eve party in Las Vegas clocked in at $600,000 or so, according to various websites.
Kardashian and her slightly less famous siblings Kourtney and Khloe have parlayed their reality TV fame into a burgeoning empire, aided by their manager mom, Kris Jenner. (Yes, she is married to that Jenner, Bruce.) They run boutiques in Los Angeles, Miami and New York City, while their Kardashian Collection clothing line is available at Sears in the States and at the Dorothy Perkins chain in the U.K.
Kardashian first entered the public eye following the 2007 release of a 2004 sex tape she made with then-boyfriend singer Ray J, the brother of singer Brandy. (She sued and was later awarded $5 million.)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered later that year and she hasn’t looked back. The series was just renewed for two more seasons by E!, at a reported cost of $50 million.
It’s been widely reported that Kardashian’s divorce from her second husband, NBA player Kris Humphries, still isn’t finalized. She filed the papers on Oct. 31, 2011, 72 days into their marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Their wedding, which was televised as a two-part special on E!, reportedly cost $6 million, a number defrayed by promo deals with companies providing the goods and services at the fete.