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Born September 2, 1959 in Quebec, Canada, Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, was once a college bound kid with aspirations that outshone his peers. However, quickly growing tired of college, Laliberte put all his faith in his skills as an acrobat. Laliberte’s new life consisted of roaming the streets of Europe and Canada and picking up contortionists and musicians who enjoyed a similar lifestyle. Laliberte soon formed a small troop of acrobats with unusual talents and they supported themselves by putting on street performances and earning petty cash.

In 1984, once Laliberte assembled a full staff of talented performers, the team went to the Los Angeles for the legendary Arts Festival.

Laliiberte went on performing in Los Angeles continued to amount a small profit, until casino mogul and millionaire Steve Wynn witnessed Laliberte’s current troupe. Wynn brought the incredible performers to Las Vegas and offered Laliberte and his performers a chance at stardom. This visionary caught the attention of his audience by combining cultural themes with never before seen acrobatics. Each performance involved revolutionary acrobatics, among the backdrop of a storay.

With his notorious risk-taking, it is not surprising that he is also a professional poker player. He is a member of the online poker website Full Tilt Poker, where he places bets for over $17 million, as well as a regular on the Las Vegas strip.

In addition, Laliberte is also a major philanthropist. In 2007, he launched the One Drop Foundation to fight poverty by giving people access to water. This same year he was also awarded the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year in Quebec, Canada and Internationally. In 2009, he spent over $25 million and became the first Canadian space explorer. The mission was intended to raise awareness on Earth’s water crisis.

It is estimated that Laliberte now employs over 4,000 people and puts on 19 shows in over 271 cities. The Las Vegas show alone plays to over 9,000 people each night and over 70 million people in the world have seen a Cirque du Soleil performance. Laliberte has expanded his horizons beyond live shows and he now has television licenses and corporate sponsorships. Cirque du Soleil brings in an annual revenue well over $810 million.

In 2011 Laliberte plans on producing a performance centered on the life and music of the legend Michael Jackson. He has overcome many obstacles and put a lot on the line to become one of only 680 self-made billionaires in the world.

[Cirque du Soleil]

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Sotheby’s New York has gotten a hold of the original handwritten lyrics from the famous Beatles song “A Day in the Life,” that was transcribed by John Lennon, and will offer it up on June 18th. During their time with the Beatles, Lennon and Paul McCartney had numerous disputes, however this is one of their best-known collaborations.

Formerly in the possession of Mal Evans, the Beatles famous road manager, the song was described by the New York Times as “one of the most important Lennon-McCartney compositions… a historic Pop event.” The document, which is double-sided, gives a timeline of this famous song from its conception to the final lyrics that were sang in the recording studio, complete with cross-outs, corrections, and re-writes. This sheet of paper provides fascinating insight into the songwriting dynamic between Lennon and McCartney, showing where he would insert his livelier and upbeat stanzas that contrasted with Lennon’s typical drab style.

The final track of the Beatles’ legendary 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, “A Day in the Life” was one of the most controversial songs in history. Sparked by that controversy, the Beatles catapulted up the charts and this song is said to be the one that marked them as true artists instead of just pop icons. First airing on June 1, 1967, it was considered one of the crowning achievements of not only the Beatles but pop music itself, and helped define it as one of the most influential movements of the 20th century.
This polarizing song was heavily criticized for its morbid tone and advocacy of drug use. The line “I’d love to turn you on,” caused it to be banned by the BBC, who felt it encouraged narcotic use; it was the first song to be censored by a national radio network in the UK. Several Asian countries removed the song from the track list. Another line, “he blew his mind out in a car,” is said to have referenced the tragic death of Guinness heir Tara Brown, who was a close personal friend of both Lennon and McCartney.

Contrasting with these morbid words was the seemingly meaningless line “4,000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire,” which described an unusual North West England traffic scheme. Featuring prominent use of classical instruments within the melody, this song contains a depth that was largely absent from earlier Beatles’ tracks. Q Magazine ranked it one of the 50 greatest British Songs of All Time, and it sits at number 26 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

Perhaps the band’s most successful album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band topped both the US and UK charts and won four Grammy awards in 1968.

Early estimate for this handwritten piece of pop culture history is $500,000 to $700,000.

 

Stuart Miller may have had the footprints to success but he certainly paved his own way to the top. Miller earned the acclaimed award of America’s most powerful people by Forbes in 2000.

Born in 1957 to father Leonard Miller (founder, Lennar Corporation), Stuart began mowing the lawns of Lennar’s model homes at age eleven. From an early age, Stuart was not interested in hand-me-downs. After mowing lawns, he began working on his father’s construction sites in order to save up money to buy his own car.

In 1979, Miller earned his BS from Harvard University and in 1982 he received his JD from the University of Miami. Stuart became president, CEO, and director of the Fortune 500 Lennar Corporation, a homebuilder and provider of financial services. In 1997, Lennar formed LNR Property Corporation, where Miller sat as chairman of the board. Stuart was responsible of the massive growth and success of Lennar, which turned it into one of the most profitable companies of the century. By 2004, Lennar had annual revenues of $6 billion. Stuart was innovative, highly motivated and an opportunist.

In 2006, Miller purchased his seven-bedroom $27-million mansion, which sits on one of Miami’s most exclusive private islands – Star Island – where he enjoys a life of luxury and exclusivity. This island is so elite it is only home to 32 residences including Sean Combs, Gloria Estafan, Rosie O’Donnel and Alex Rodriguez. The purchase of this home was the biggest sale on the island, which set a record for Miami Beach. His home sits on three one-acre lots and 300 feet of waterfront.

Stuart’s hard work has paid off and he now enjoys extravagant fishing trips with his friends and often attends glamorous charity events from Miami to Washington D.C.

 

The Affluent Page Magazine is a printed publication for ultra-wealthy men.