Madonna For Sale! Sells Contents Of Purse At Auction
MOUGINS, France - The Material Girl parted with a few personal possessions _ a custom-made white guitar and the contents of her handbag _ at a benefit to raise money for AIDS research.
Madonna emptied her purse and came up with a magnifying mirror, hair clips, skin blotting tissues and lip gloss. She put it on the block along with a one-of-a-kind diamond-encrusted alligator bag donated by Chanel. The lot sold for $472,000.
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The 49-year-old singer asked the crowd not to insult her with low bids: "This lip gloss touched my lips."
The benefit on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival late Thursday raised more than $10 million for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), a record for the annual event.
Mary J. Blige sang "Family Affair" and an R&B edition of U2's "One." Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese shed her silk stockings in a slinky strip routine. As usual, Sharon Stone played auctioneer.
Stone tried to get the crowd to bid for a kiss with Madonna, reminding everyone that George Clooney sold two kisses last year for a total of $700,000.
"That's cheap!" Madonna quipped. "Everyone's kissed George Clooney."
Madonna said she wouldn't give away a kiss for less than $1 million. Instead, she offered to serenade two fans backstage during her next concert tour in the city of their choice.
As bidding took off, Madonna prodded the crowd along, saying "Don't humiliate me!" and "People have offered me millions to play at their bar mitzvahs." The package sold $550,000.
Madonna's white Gibson acoustic guitar, which she used on her "Confessions" tour, sold separately for $472,000.
The auction started off with Stone pledging $100,000 for pediatric AIDS research and asking others to do the same. Within minutes, amfAR raised $2 million, with bidders including Roberto Cavalli, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Milla Jovovich and Michelle Yeoh.
The "Basic Instinct" star also sold her red 1976 vintage Porsche 911 Targa, which she restored to its original luster after it was stolen and recovered. It sold for $786,000.
Sean "Diddy" Combs offered to let a fan spend 24 hours in his presence, and Von Teese put a private striptease on the block. Both went for their minimum bids _ $314,000 for Combs and $77,000 for Von Teese.
The event was held at the Moulin de Mougins outside Cannes.
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First Posted: 05-23-08 11:17 AM | Updated: 05-31-08 05:12 AM