Kimberly Noel Kardashian was born October 21, 1980 and is an American celebutante, socialite, model, actress, apparel retailer, and television personality. She is perhaps best known for her social life, stolen sex tape, and her role on the E! reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”
What’s less well-known is the fact that Kim Kardashian got a chance at fame and grew up with money earned by her father, Robert Kardashian (2/22/1944 – 9/30/2003): successful attorney who represented O. J. Simpson during part of the Simpson murder trial and was close friends with Simpson.
Kim Kardashian and her siblings denied allegations that they improperly charged more than $120,000 in charges on the Black Card used by R&B singer Brandy Norwood’s mother (verified by court documents). In an answer to the Superior Court lawsuit filed by Sonja Norwood in Los Angeles, the Kardashians “deny generally and specifically each and every allegation,” the papers say.
Norwood’s lawsuit, which also names Kardashian’s siblings Khloe, Kourtney and Robert Jr., alleges they ran up the charges in 2006 and 2007. It seeks the return of the money plus 10 percent interest.
Kim Kardashian had access to the American Express card when she worked as a stylist for Brandy in 2004 (Brandy’s brother, Ray J, also appeared in the infamous sex tape with Kim). Norwood claims Kim later passed on the card number to her siblings, who also allegedly made unauthorized charges.
Now why would Kardashian feel the need to burn money using Brandy’s AMEX when she has a Centurion Card of her own? That’s just silly.
Black Card Holder Damon “Dame” Dash was born May 3, 1971 in Harlem, New York and is an African-American label executive; the former CEO and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Kareem “Biggs” Burke. Roc-A-Fella, specializing almost exclusively in hip-hop music, branched out with several spin-off ventures into other fields as well, notably hip-hop fashion (Rocawear Clothing) and film (Roc-A-Fella Films and, later, Dash Films).
In late 2004, Dash sold his interest in Roc-A-Fella to parent company Island Def Jam Records for $10 million, and founded the Dame Dash Music Group as a new venture with the senior record company.
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to celebrate New York City as a major filmmaking capital. Tribeca Cinemas, located at 54 Varick Street, was acquired by the Festival founders in 2003 and serves as a year-round venue for the Festival and its related activities.
The 2005 Festival, presented by American Express, took place from April 19th to May 1st in various locations throughout lower Manhattan. The 2005 Festival featured special events, outdoor concerts and screenings, a street fair, and panel discussions with noted filmmakers.
In June 2005, Dash was one of five finalists from the inaugural competition were flown to New York City where their works were screened at a VIP gathering at the Tribeca Film Center. Pennsylvania native Jon Lindgren was presented with the grand prize by author Tom Wolfe and entertainment entrepreneur Damon Dash for “Rachel’s Challenge,” a short film chronicling a behind-the-scenes battle of good vs. evil surrounding the Columbine high school shootings. Lindgren’s $50,000 pre-paid American Express card will be used to help fund his next film project.
Macromedia Flash is the exclusive video format for the Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-Film Competition.
Fat Joe]
I got that black no limit American Express card
Mami you can get whatever you like
Plus I got that all-black Phantom it’s tinted on four sides
Go ‘head kiss it, they can’t see us inside
By the way, the instrumentals of the song were produced by another Black Cardholder, Scott Storch (photo below).
[Speaking]:
[Girl:] What you mean you ain’t gonna save me? I don’t need nobody to save me.
[Chamillionaire:] Oh yeah?
[Girl:] And you talkin’ bout Pimp? P.I.M.P.?
[Chamillionaire:] In the flesh.
[Girl:] You know what that mean to me?
[Chamillionaire:] What?
[Girl:] Paper in my pocket.
[Chamillionaire:] Haha.
[Girl:] Now pull out your credit card and lets see if you can make my bank account pregnant.
[Chamillionaire:] Naw, you crazy.
[Girl:] What color is your card? Oh is it black?
[Chamillionaire:] American Express.
[Girl:] Cause if it ain’t you need to step your game up. Rookie.
[Chamillionaire:] Maaan, who you callin’ a rookie? Get up out my car.
[Girl:] Uh, I was just playin’ baby. You know I love you.
[Chamillionaire:] Yeah, alright. I hope you love to walk. Get out.
Note the album art on this Clipse release, featuring a Black Card and what appears to be cocaine (no word yet on whether or not it’s pure and uncut). Is the hip-hop group playing on the ironic contrast of costly things like The Black Card and cocaine against things that are cheap? We’ll leave the guesswork to you.
From the track “What’s Up” Featuring Pharrell Williams:
“Cop the sorbet, straight from Jorge
Jack of all trades, even mastered the gourmet
Plus the price got the streets tongue in cheek
Cook it till it’s al dente, mwah, magnifique
Black Card, the era, we got it in the bag
Y’all niggas ain’t a factor like Trinidad’s jab”
In addition to being a Centurion cardholder, Robert DeNiro agreed to be featured in an advertisement for American Express, the founding sponsor for the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Lamborghini Reventon is a 650-horsepower, 12-cylinder super coupe valued at $1.45 million dollars. This car can move from zero to 62 mph in a mere 3.4 seconds.
Only 20 Reventon’s exist in the world. All of them have been sold. Eleven in the United States, seven in Europe and two in Asia.
American Express has paired with Lamborghini in giving away an experience in sunny Italy for driving the Lamborghini Gallardo around a closed track with instruction from the professional drivers at the Lamborghini Academy near Rome so that those lucky enough to win the car and experience don’t wind up with their new Lamborghini looking like one you would find on wrecked exotics.
Although Lamborghini doesn’t offer their limited edition Reventón model for the American Express giveaway, they have announced that they are manufacturing another 80 models so that you can have your chance to purchase one of your very own. Have your Black Card ready.
Random Black Card celebrity fact: Diddy once used his Centurion to buy 400 pink Cosmopolitans at what was formerly known as Sunset Room, Sterling Steakhouse, Sideways, but is now known as “Green Door.”
The venue, named after a 1972 porn flick, features longer lines and more gawkers on the weekends. For more of a local vibe, try a Thursday night for maximum people watching and better door policies. Men should bring a female friend in tow, given the house’s 2:1 ratio requirement for ladies to gents.
1429 Ivar Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028-4605 (323) 463-0008
Seth Tobias (April 8, 1963 – September 4, 2007) was an American hedge fund manager and financial commentator who made frequent appearances on the CNBC television programs Squawk Box and Kudlow & Company. He graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Finance.
He was the president of Circle T Partners, a company he founded in 1996 after working for five years as portfolio manager and equity trader at JRO Associate.
Tobias’ body was discovered in the swimming pool of his Florida home; the cause of death has not yet been officially disclosed. The details of his death were widely reported in The New York Times in a major article on December 4, 2007. They included accusations of drug use, bisexual dalliances with a go-go boy and gay porn star named Lexx Parker (pictured below), and murder. Tobias’ wife was a suspect for his murder and his two brothers were left as beneficiaries to his disputed will.
Jim Cramer was actually Tobias’ boss at Goldman Sachs and was quoted as saying, with true cheesy and offkey Kramer style, “I don’t know why this hasn’t ended up on CSI Miami yet.”
To go with all the scandal in Tobias’ life, the man made, and spent, millions of dollars a year. Outstanding expenses at the time of his death included $52,532 on his Black Card, and his mortgage payment for one of his homes was $35,000 a month.
As soon as Demi Moore became Demi Kutcher, she paid a pretty penny for some changes with the marriage. It was a long time coming before she changed her surname from Moore to Kutcher, which she is rumored to have done so to make Ashton happy. However, the change didn’t stop there. Demi also spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000.00 USD on plastic surgery to get breast implants, collagen injections and liposuction on her hips, thighs and stomach. She also spent about $8,000.00 USD on a procedure to lift the sagging skin on her knees.
Perhaps all of this made Ashton happy too, but Demi didn’t stop there. She also made arrangements to become Mrs. Kutcher on her black American Express card, her passport and other official documents, but opted to keep her name from her first marriage to Freddie Moore for all her professional endeavors.
Whether you are interested in hiking the rugged Andalucian border between Spain and the Mediterranean or prefer to hit balls on the golf courses of Portugal, the best way to get away from the crowds is to go to one of the less-populated locations researched for you by American Express.
In association with Abercrombie and Kent, AMEX has compiled a brochure that features an extensive portfolio of Europe’s finest retreats to suit every taste, exclusively for Centurion cardholders.
If you would prefer Central Europe, visit Abercrombie & Kent for more details on destinations, itineraries and pricing. Why not visit the best travel sites that places like Prague, Vienna and Budapest have to offer this holiday season? Trips for two begin at $20,780.00.
Just to give you an idea of what Jay Z and Beyoncé are working with: a five-star penthouse suite at a hotel in Miami’s Setai for a small nightly fee of $25,000.00. Of course, once you get to six-star level, the Amex Black Card proves to be especially useful. Like Black AMEX, there are very few six-star hotels. To name a couple: Crown Macau in China and Dreams Los Cabos in Mexico. Obviously you can expect nothing but the best treatment when you stay at these places: butlers, bathrooms the size of apartments, private pools and getting picked up in a Rolls Royce or helicopter from the airport (or your private hangar).
You never know who the next Black AMEX cardmember will be. It is no secret that Hugh Hefner’s “Girls Next Door” from the show on E! are all packing the Black Cards in their Prada bags. Hef’s three pampered girlfriends Kendra Wilkinson, Holly Madison (his girlfriend no longer as of October 2008), and Bridget Madison are regulars at the Joseph Martin Salon in Beverly Hills where they get their hair bleached to that platinum blond. But money is no problem there or anywhere else on Rodeo Drive when you have a black card.
Studies show that services used with your Black Card can come with a mark-up of as high as 66 percent. For instance, the concierge service at the Ritz-Carlton got a Black Amex member a room at a rate of $349 per night that a corporate discount could have supposedly booked for $210, or two thirds of the cost.
American Express explained that purpose of the card is not to provide members with discounts but rather to enhance lifestyle and to provide elite access and services.
An American Express company spokesperson said, “We call them card members and not holders as it is about being in an exclusive club, and it is about being special and that is how we build the benefit and value. It’s about access. We do fashion events with designers such as Roberto Cavalli or Diane von Furstenberg where 25 people get to meet the designer who helps them pick out clothes one-on-one. We do famous chef events and you can cook with them at home. There is a program to shop with famous people like Stacey London.”
Lupin III (?????, Rupan Sansei) began as a Japanese manga (comic) series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the artist handle of “Monkey Punch.” The storyline focuses on a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc’s series of novels. Lupin and his gang travel throughout the world to steal treasures and escape from the law. Phew, okay, glad we’ve gotten all that settled!
At any rate, the first Lupin III manga appeared in “Weekly Manga Action,” a series magazine, beginning on 10 August 1967. This led to the creation of a media franchise that includes numerous manga comics, a handful of animated TV shows, feature films, direct-to-video releases, TV specials, music CDs, video games, and a musical. Finally, WhiteLight Entertainment, a production company owned by Gerald R. Molen, purchased the live action theatrical rights to Lupin III in 2003 and the Hollywood production is scheduled to be released in 2009.
So what does any of this have to do with The Black Card you might be asking? Maybe you’re antsy for me to get to the point. Well, if I still haven’t lost you by now: on one of the Lupin III TV episodes, a character reserved her $8,000.00 a night suite at the Waldorf Astoria (pic below). Even Anime, although considered adult cartoons, has been infected. This is not only another example of Black AMEX in popular culture, but goes to show that the AMEX has gone global with the Black AMEX as a status symbol.
.
