Description: ever one to be shy, this may be one of Tom Ford’s more benign advertising campaigns. It was, however, banned in Italy for its suggestively provocative and overtly vulgar imagery

Description: Colt 45 alcohol ad banned for its message

Description: Tomford perfume banned ad, for being obscene

Description: Eva Mendes’ new commercial for the Calvin Klein perfume “Secret Obsession” has been deemed so risque that U.S. television networks won’t air it.

Description: This ad was banned for being too sexist and demeaning

Description: This Kenwood ad got too many complaints by wives from all over, for belittling the role of a wife in the family.

Description: A cosmetic brand ad that was found too be too racy

Description: One of the most talked about Tomford perfume ad that was banned for being ridiculously cheap and demeaning.

Description: An ice cream advert that showed a priest and a nun in a “seductive pose” has been banned after official complaints were made against it.

Courtesy: MEDIADUMP

20. Paramore – 6,1 Million Fans

Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Josh Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis, drummer Zac Farro, and rhythm guitarist Taylor York.

19. AC/DC – 6,2 Million Fans

AC/DC is an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band is commonly classified as hard rock and are considered a pioneer of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as rock and roll. To date they are one of the highest grossing bands of all time.

18. Green Day – 6,2 Million Fans

Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band has consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool for the majority of its existence.

17. Avril Lavigne – 6,2 Million Fans

Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent the majority of her youth in the small town, Napanee, Ontario. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain, and by 16, Lavigne had signed a recording contract with Arista, now RCA Records. Record executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid offered her a two-album deal worth more than $2 million. When she was 17 years old, Lavigne broke onto the music scene with her debut album, Let Go, released in 2002.

16. Pink Floyd – 6,7 Million Fans

Pink Floyd were an English rock band who earned international recognition for their psychedelic rock music in the late 1960s, and for their progressive rock music from the 1970s onward. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful acts, the group have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million certified units in the United States, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

15. AKON – 6,9 Million Fans

Akon is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He is known as one of the most successful and versatile R&B singers of the 21st century, grossing over 30 million dollars a year according to Forbes.

14. Beyonce – 7,2 Million Fans

Beyonce Giselle Knowles, often known simply as Beyonce is an American R&B and pop recording artist, actress and fashion model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time.

13. The Beatles – 7,7 Million Fans

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. From 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as the “Beatlemania” fad, transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. The group came to be perceived as the embodiment of progressive ideals, seeing their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

12. Shakira – 8,5 Million Fans

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known professionally as Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist who emerged in the music scene of Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira revealed many of her talents in school as a live performer, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Middle Eastern influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks fluent English and Portuguese.

11. DJ David Guetta – 8,5 Million Fans

David Pierre Guetta is a French house producer, singer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2001. Later, he released Guetta Blaster (2004) and Pop Life (2007). His 2009 album One Love included the hit singles “When Love Takes Over” (featuring Kelly Rowland), “Gettin’ Over You” and “Sexy Bitch”, the latter becoming a top five hit in the US and all three reached #1 in the UK. He has worked with a variety of pop and hip-hop artists including Akon, Chris Willis, Kelly Rowland, Lil’ Wayne, Kelis, Madonna, Kid Cudi, Estelle, Fergie, Amy Palmer, K’naan, will.i.am, LMFAO, Dane Bowers, Flo Rida, Shakira and Julie Mcknight.

10. Metallica – 8,8 Million Fans

Metallica is an American heavy metal band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1981. The band was founded when an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper, was responded to by James Hetfield. Metallica’s line up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists.

9. Rihanna – 8,8 Million Fans

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, better known as simply Rihanna is a Barbadian R&B recording artist and songwriter. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers. She subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for then-label head Jay-Z.

8. Bob Marley – 10,2 Million Fans

Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers (1964–1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974–1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.

7. Taylor Swift – 10,2 Million Fans

Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter and actress. In 2008, her albums sold a combined four million copies, making her the best-selling musician of the year in the United States. Forbes ranked Swift 2009′s 69th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $18 million and 2010′s 12th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $45 million. In January 2010 Nielsen SoundScan listed Swift as the top-selling digital artist in music history with over 28 million digital tracks sold.

6. Justin Bieber – 11,4 Million Fans

Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop-R&B singer. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who happened across Bieber’s videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group, a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.

5. Lil Wayne – 11,6 Million Fans

Dwayne Michael Carter, better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.’z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group’s major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

4. Linkin Park – 12,1 Million Fans

Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries. Its following studio album, Meteora, continued the band’s success, topping the Billboard 200 album chart in 2003, and was followed by extensive touring and charity work around the world. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth greatest band of the music video era and the third best of the new millennium behind Oasis and Coldplay.

3. Eminem – 13,1 Million Fans

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The following album, The Marshall Mathers LP, became the fastest-selling solo album in United States history. It brought Eminem increased popularity, including his own record label, Shady Records, and brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition.

2. Lady Gaga – 17,9 Million Fans

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American recording artist. She began performing in the rock music scene of New York City’s Lower East Side in 2003 and enrolled at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She soon signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and signed her to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

1. Michael Jackson – 19,9 Million Fans

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s, and began his solo career in 1971.

From reality stars like Paris Hilton to supermodels like Carolyn Murphy to actresses like Rebecca Gayheart, RadarOnline.com compiled a list of the most beautiful women who have spent some X-rated time in front of their own cameras.

Such tapes are often released without consent of their subjects and can damage celebrities’ careers. In 1988 a sex tape aided the downfall of Rob Lowe‘s career. However, in recent years many celebrities have benefited from the publicity of the release of a sex tape

Carolyn Murphy

Supermodel Carolyn Murphy’s sex tape was filmed during her 1999 honeymoon in Barbados with then-husband Jake Schroeder. Check out more stunning photos of the supermodel here.

Chelsea Handler

Comedian Chelsea Handler’s sex tape was created before she hit it big, and the funny lady still jokes about it! See more of Chelsea at RadarOnline.com

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton’s sex tape with Rick Solomon employed the use of night vision to catch the action. The tape catapulted her from party girl obscurity into reality show superstardom. View more bikini photos of Paris at RadarOnline.com

Pam Anderson

The queen of celebrity sex tapes, Pamela Anderson has had more than one sex tape released with more than one rock star. See sexy bikini photos of Pamela here.

Nicole Narain

Nicole Narain appeared with Colin Farrell in a fourteen-minute sex tape that was quickly taken off the market. View more revealing snaps of Nicole here

Jenna Lewis

In 2004, a 42-minute sex tape of Survivor contestant Jenna Lewis and her husband Travis Wolfe surfaced. Scope out these shots of Jenna

Carrie Prejean

Former beauty queen Carrie Prejean apologized for her sex tape, saying it was the worst mistake of her life. Take a look at stunning bikini photos of Carrie in this gallery

Kendra Wilkinson

Kendra Wilkinson shot her sex tape just a few months before her introduction to Hugh Hefner at a Playboy Mansion party. The rest is sex tape hsitory, as her video could be the most-watched ever. Take a look at these smokin’ photos of Kendra

Mindy McCready

Earlier this year, country star Mindy McCready’s sex tape with an ex named Peter was released. See more of Mindy at RadarOnline.com

Rebecca Gayheart

Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane filmed a nude video of themselves with former beauty queen Kari Ann Peniche. Check out Rebecca in a bikini here

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian reportedly settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million over the release of her sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray J. Check out hot bikini photos of Kim here

Worthwhile, fulfilling careers usually don’t pay very much (if at all) starting out, so you’ll probably be serving tables to pay the bills while honing and developing your craft (If “making it” was easy, the Los Angeles service industry would collapse). The point is we all have to start somewhere, and very often that starting line is at the bottom. The following are some of the world’s most successful singing superstars who started at the bottom. They all needed to make a buck at one point or another, and they worked crappy jobs to help them eventually chase down and catch their dreams.

Rod Stewart

Think your job is lousy? Try digging graves. Would be kind of hard to get through a single work day without thoughts of rotting corpses, and worm-filled eye sockets entering your brain. Where would you take your lunch break? Well before embarking on his four-decade singing/songwriting career, releasing six number one albums with 62 hit singles, Rod Stewart had to dig holes for dead people.

Jonathan Davis

His songs have always been dark, and I finally discovered why. Korn’s lead singer actually studied mortuary sciences and worked as an embalmer in a funeral home. This is even worse than Rod Stewart’s grave digging. Davis is probably one of the few Six Feet Under fans who relates most with the character Frederico. Not able to get enough of dead bodies, his next job was as an assistant in a coroner department.

Sting

You know you’re not in the right profession when you call it your “soul-destroying day job.” This is how Gordon Sumner described his position as a tax officer with the Inland Revenue in Manchester, England, before he took on the name Sting. He later worked as a school teacher, where he became inspired to write two of the Police’s biggest hits, Don’t Stand So Close to Me and Roxanne. Nothing to do with the children, these songs were loosely based on the books “Lolita” and “Cyrano de Bergerac.”

Sean Combs

Establishing his work ethic at an early age, Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy aka Puffy aka P-Diddy aka Diddy used to wake up at the crack of dawn everyday to deliver newspapers. This was at age 12. At 39 the rapper, producer, fashion designer, dancer and actor is one of the world’s richest hip-hop performers with an estimated net worth of $350 million bad boy bucks.

Ozzy Osborne

When Ozzy finished school his only goals were to avoid working in the factories alongside the rest of his family, and he was taught that learning a trade was the path to success. So when he finished school he worked as a plumber’s assistant (“There seems to be a bat clogging your toilet. ‘Ang on while I bite eets ‘ed off.”) Not thrilled with the work he became a bricklayer. Still not happy. He tried to get into construction, same story. It wasn’t until he heard the Beatles that he discovered his true calling. What’s important is that Ozzy was able to recognize that the work wasn’t making him happy, so rather than just settle because his family told him he should, he kept searching until he found his path: Out of the toilets and onto the stage!

Madonna

Can you imagine walking into your local doughnut shop for your morning coffee and there behind the counter is freaking Madonna! When the material girl was only 20 she left her home in Rochester Hills Michigan to become a dancer in New York City. She took many low-paying gigs to make ends meet, including a brief appearance at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square.

She has since been entered inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as “the world’s most successful female recording artist of all time” and the “top-earning female singer in the world” with an estimated net worth of US$ 490 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. Also, she was probably the only woman in history to make the Dunkin’ Donuts’ uniform look good.

Pierre Charles Bouvier

The lead singer and bassist for Simple Plan, a pop-punk band from Montreal, Quebec has joked that playing music was their “simple plan” to avoid getting “real jobs.” But before the band earned international fame young Pierre had to barbecue chickens and deep fry french fries at a restaurant called St-Hubert. Many rising stars got their starts in restaurants, and the kitchen is probably the most gruelling position, especially when your restaurant only has four ingredients: potatoes, oil, chicken, and gravy. Mmmmm….gravy.

Chubby Checker

Infinitely worse than cooking chickens would have to be plucking the feathers out of dead ones. Before turning the Twist into a rock ‘n’ roll sensation, Ernest Evans had to rip the feathers out of dead chickens at the Fresh Farm Poultry Market in Philadelphia. His boss nicknamed the teenager “Chubby” and sometimes let him sing to customers over the loudspeaker.

Shania Twain

Growing up in Timmins, Ontario, the Twain family had very little money. One of five children, Shania (Eileen back then) had to do whatever she could to bring some bucks into the household for food. Aside from singing in dingy bars, Shania made the minimum wage working at McDonald’s. Hard to picture the beautiful singer dunking fries and assembling quarter pounders, especially since she would eventually sing Come On Over, the world’s best selling album by a female artist, as well as the best selling album in country music history. Try to supersize that!

Snoop Dogg

East Long Beach, California wasn’t the ideal location to raise a son on her own, but Snoop’s mom did her best. She encouraged his singing in the church choir, and as a teenager he delivered newspapers and packed groceries at the local supermarket. But with street gangs promoting thug appeal right on his doorstep, the dark side was way more attractive than remembering to place the eggs on top. He eventually joined the Crips and began selling crack, a “job” which would get him shot at and would eventually land him in prison. It may have been the right path however, as it was in prison that Snoop honed his rhyming skills, helping him to hit the ground running with friends like Warren G and Nate Dogg after his release. Dr. Dre would soon hear Snoop’s smooth rhymes and the rest is history.

You may be up to your elbows in French fry grease or grimey pipework, handling dead chickens or dead people, shooting newspapers into people’s mailboxes or getting shot. If you start doubting yourself as you watch your friends buy houses and cars and big screen TVs with the money make from their 9-5, mundane, soul crushing jobs, just remember that deep down they would trade all of it to be on the right path just like you. Sacrifice now and you’ll have the last laugh in the end.

August 29, 1958: Born in Gary, Indiana. 

August 1962: Singing debut with his brothers, The Jackson Five.

March 1969: First Jackson Five contract with Tamla Motown, Detroit’s black-owned record label. Michael’s voice propels the group onto the hit parade with “ABC” and “I’ll Be There”.

1970: Launch of solo career alongside that of the Jackson Five.

August 1979: Release of “Off The Wall” album, produced by Quincy Jones, which sold 11 million copies.

December 1982: release of “Thriller” album, whose seven hits included “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” pushing sales to 50 million copies worldwide.

1984: Jackson’s face gets burnt during filming for a Pepsi ad.

1985: Buys ATV Music — a company with rights to John Lennon and Paul McCartney songs — for 47.5 million dollars.

1985: Jackson writes “We Are The World,” which benefited the fight against hunger in Africa.

1987: Release of “Bad,” which sold 26 million copies and marked the end of his collaboration with Quincy Jones.

1988: His autobiography “Moonwalk” comes out.

1990: Michael Jackson is seen for the first time wearing a surgical mask in public/

1992: Release of “Dangerous,” which sold 22 million copies/

August 1993: A father accuses Jackson of molesting his 13-year-old son, but settles out of court/

May 1994: February 1996: marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis

June 1995: Release of “History” album

November 1996-October 1999: Marriage to Debbie Rowe, a 37-year-old nurse with whom he has two children, Prince Michael and Paris Michael Katherine
.
October 2001: Release of “Invincible”.

July 2002: Jackson accuses record labels of exploiting artists, especially African-Americans.

November 19, 2002: Scandal after Jackson dangles his third son, nine-month-old Prince Michael II, from a Berlin hotel balcony.

January 31, 2003: Sotheby’s auction house sues for non-payment of 1.7 million dollars for two paintings.

February 3: In documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” broadcast on ITV, Jackson claims never to have abused a child, merely to have shared his bed.

February: The singer’s manager brings a 13-million-dollar lawsuit for back salary, which is settled out of court in June.

November 18: Police raid Jackson’s Neverland ranch in California as “Number Ones” album is released.

November 19: Warrant issued for Jackson’s arrest on several counts of child molestation.

November 20: Jackson is arrested and handcuffed after surrendering to police, held briefly then released on bail.

December 18: Michael Jackson is formally charged with child molestation.

January 16, 2004: Jackson pleads not guilty during his first appearance amid a media circus.

January 31, 2005: Michael Jackson trial begins with jury selection.

February 28, 2005: Opening arguments begin in trial.

June 4, 2005: Jurors begin considering their verdict.

June 13, 2005: Jackson acquitted on all charges against him.

March 5, 2009: Jackson announces series of comeback concerts in London — billed as the “final curtain” — his first major shows for more than a decade.

May 20, 2009: Jackson delays comeback shows. Concert organizers say singer’s health is “fantastic”.

June 25, 2009: Jackson dies in Los Angeles.

Debbie Rowe: Michael Jackson and his second wife Deborah Rowe-Jackson. The world found out in November 1996 when Jackson and the 37-year-old assistant to the singer’s dermatologist confirmed news that they were expecting a baby together. Ten days after learning he was going to be a dad, the King of Pop married his 6-months-pregnant companion in a civil ceremony Down Under.

Diana Ross: She first got a glimpse of Jackson’s talent when she saw him performing at the age of 10. More than a decade later, the pair starred in 1978′s ‘The Wiz, an all-black version of The Wizard of Oz’ (Getty Images)

Tatum O’Neal: Though Michael had off and on connection with her. O’Neal met the singer at an L.A. club when she was 12 and he was 17, according to her book ‘A Paper Life’. The two developed a friendship, talked frequently and also shared a kiss at her home. Jackson later described in ABC’s ‘Living with Michael Jackson’ documentary that O’Neal attempted to seduce him, which she denied. (Getty images)

Elizabeth Taylor: Through all the child molestation allegations Jackson faced, he had the staunchest support from his longtime friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who the singer told Oprah Winfrey in 1993 was the one who anointed him the King of Pop – a moniker that stuck. What bonded the seemingly mismatched pair? Taylor told Larry King in a 2006 interview that “both had horrible childhoods.”

ALSO SEE: Michael Jackson- Life and Times

Photograph: Cover of American Photo magazine

Business magazine Forbes magazine has released it’s international list of this year’s top-earning models. Which sexy ladies have the deepest pockets? Find out right here!

‘The world’s top earning mod

el’ is based on estimated earnings of models from June 2008 to June 2009. Four Brazilian models have found a place in the rankings.

“(The) modelling industry has been hard-hit by the economic crisis, but the value of the beauties at the top is as strong as ever,” the magazine noted.

At Number One: Gisele Bundchen

Brazilian beauty Bundchen has topped the list of top-earning models. At 28, she has earnings to the tune of USD 25 million from numerous campaigns, including those for brands like Versace, True Religion jeans and Dior.

Photograph: Cover of GQ magazine

Bundchen is followed by 35-year-old Heidi Klum of Germany, with an estimated earning of USD 16 million. The majority of Klum’s earnings are driven by her TV and endorsement career. The model has endorsement deals with Diet Coke, Volkswagen, McDonald’s and LG, the report said.

Photograph: Cover of Vogue magazine

Thirty five-year-old icon Kate Moss placed on the third spot with an earning of USD 8.5 million.

Photograph: Cover of GQ magazine

Another Brazilian model Adriana Lima has earned USD eight million in the last year and made it to Forbes‘ list at Number Four.

Photograph: Cover of Victoria’s Secret catalogue

At the fifth position is Dutch looker Doutzen Kroes, the face of cosmetic company L’Oreal, and she raked in USD six million.

Photograph: Cover of Glitter magazine

Twenty eight-year-old Alessandra Ambrosio of Brazil is also ranked fifth alongside Kroes, with her earnings tallying at around USD 6 million.

Photograph: Cover of Vogue magazine

With two models at Number Five, we jump to Number Seven — Natalia Vodianova, raised in an impoverished family in Russia has cornered the seventh place with earnings to the tune of USD 5.5million.

Photograph: Cover of Elle magazine

Polish-born Daria Werbowy, with an annual earning of USD 4.5 million, is the eighth model on the list.

Photograph: Cover of Ralph magazine

Actor Orlando Bloom’s girlfriend Miranda Kerr ranked ninth, with an estimated income of USD 3 million.

Photograph: Cover of Sports Illustrated magazine

A little way behind Kerr is American stunner Carolyn Murphy, also with an estimated earning of USD 3 million.

Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

And finally, in eleventh position is Emanuela De Paula, who is the newest addition to the list and has an estimated earning of USD 2.5 million.

“…the modelling industry was hard-hit by the economic crisis. Prominent fashion labels cancelled or downgraded their runway shows, leaving models hoping for a break with fewer opportunities.”

“Declining revenues at major beauty and retail companies left agents with less leverage to bargain for their clients,” Forbes stated.

When stars pass away unexpectedly, fans all over the world are left shocked and stunned. And more often than not, conspiracy theories often spring up around the deaths of some of this celebrities – be it Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley or John Lennon.

In the case of Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest five days back, it took hours for the first conspiracy theories to start circulating. The most popular is that he faked his death to escape the media glare and impending bankruptcy — despite medical reports blaming an overdose of prescription drugs.

Heath ledger‘s death in last January (2008) shocked fans, family and friends alike. The Australian actor, who apparently died of a drug overdose, was discovered by his housekeeper and his masseuse in his apartment.

Two weeks after his death, a report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York concluded that the death was accidental ‘resulting from the abuse of prescription medications.’

A case against Ledger’s close friend Mary Kate Olsen, who was alleged to have supplied Ledger with the drugs, was also closed.

Image: A picture of Heath Ledger at makeshift memorial outside the apartment where he died in New York
Photographs:Nicholas Roberts/Reuters

Natasha Richardson had it all — a loving husband in actor Liam Neeson, two sons, Micheal and Daniel and a successful career.

But on March 16, tragedy struck when the Parent Trap actress died of a head injury while taking a skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant Resort in Quebec.

The most shocking part was that Richardson seemed to be fine after the fall, and even turned back paramedics and an ambulance which initially responded to the accident. But three hours later, after returning to her hotel room, she complained of a headache and was taken to a local hospital. Seven hours later, she was in a critical condition.

The next day she was flown to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where she died on March 18.

An autopsy conducted by the New York City Medical Examiners Office the following day revealed the cause of death was an ‘epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head’, and her death was ruled an accident.

Anna Nicole Smith‘s death was shocking too.

The model and former Playboy Playmate died of drug overdose on February 8, 2007, in Florida, at the age of 39.

A month later, her boyfriend Howard K Stern and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were charged with giving her drugs from June 5, 2004 to January 26, 2006.

In 1962, Marilyn Monroe‘s shocking death at her home in Los Angeles led to a number of conspiracy theories.

An autopsy found a cocktail of drugs in her system and the county coroner recorded the cause of death as acute barbiturate poisoning by accidental overdose.

However, speculation over Monroe’s death continues to this day and centres on her relationships with US President John F Kennedy and his brother, Robert Kennedy. Most of the theories allege she was murdered either by the CIA or the Mafia as she knew too much about the Kennedy links to organised crime.

Conspiracy theories have surrounded the demise of the Elvis Presley, who was found dead on his bathroom floor in Graceland in 1977.

Two autopsies into the death of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, whose prescription drug abuse was widely documented, concluded that he was killed by a sudden heart attack. And, yet there are many theories surrounding his death — by far the most persistent being that he somehow faked his own death in a bid to boost flagging record sales.

Hundreds of thousands of supposed sightings of the legend have been claimed in the three decades since.

The 1980s witnessed conspiracy theories surrounding the death of the former Beatle John Lennon.

He was shot dead outside the Dakota building in New York where he lived, by Mark David Chapman, on December 8, 1980.

Chapman was jailed for murder and is still in prison. But the most popular conspiracy theory over Lennon’s death is that he was killed by a remote control. And those who believe this claim that Chapman was programmed by US government agents to kill Lennon and that they used the novel Catcher in the Rye as a signal to go ahead with the operation.

So what if Betty was a blonde, loyal and kind- when it came to popping the question Archie chose the raven-haired, charming and rich Veronica

After 67 years of being in a dilemma, Archie is all set to tie the knot with the vixen-a choice that left many Archie comic fans in gasps.

Archie Comic Publications announced on May 27 that the flighty redhead from Riverdale picked Veronica over Betty Cooper.

Already in mid-May, the publisher sent speculation swirling when it announced a special marital-themed storyline for release in August, but didn’t reveal the lucky lady.

The wedding will take place after the gang graduate from college, and venture out into the working world.

However, the response to the proposal has been markedly divided-Betty fans are outraged that the girl next door has been ditched yet again for the beautiful, yet spoilt, Ronnie.

While many fans are questioning whether Archie should marry at all, because it could mean a possible end to the enduring comic-book soap opera.

The cover of Archie Comics (issue 600) shows Archie proposing to Veronica.