$100,000 to be Paid for First Photo of Chris Brown and Rihanna
Photo agencies have said they are willing to pay out $100,000 for the first photo of Chris Brown and Rihanna together just three weeks after Brown's alleged assault on Rihanna. Brown lost lucrative sponsorship deals and radio airplay following news of the apparent assault.
In recent days, media outlets reported that the couple was back together.
Francois Navarre, owner of photo agency X17, said a shot of the "Umbrella" singer and her 19 year-old boyfriend is one of the most sought after in the celebrity news world -- right behind an elusive, idyllic family photo of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie with their six children.
People and Us Weekly have reported that Brown, whose hits include "Run It!" and "Kiss Kiss", and Barbados-born Rihanna, 21, spent the past weekend in Miami. E! Online reported that paparazzi in helicopters buzzed over the private estate where they were reported to be staying, trying to get photos.
"Dysfunction sells, crazy sells and the more people's relationships seems to be out of whack, everyone is just fascinated to watch them to see how it unravels," said Elayne Rapping, a professor and pop culture expert with University at Buffalo of the State University of New York.
The online gambling website, Bookmaker.com, received a flood of bets that Brown would serve some jail time immediately following publication of photo on TMZ.com of a bruised and battered Rihanna.
Bettors would get back $1.12 for every $1 bet if Brown is sent to jail in connection with the beating of Rihanna, while those who wagered $1 on Brown not getting any jail time will get back $2.35.
Those odds were since taken down from the Bookmaker.com website but the online gambling firm told Gambling911.com this weekend they might resume taking bets should there be further confirmation of the couple getting back together.
"This has been a pretty high demand offering for us," said Bookmaker.com CEO, Mickey Richardson, who advised Gambling911.com that his company would once again begin penetrating the market with more entertainment betting opportunities after what resulted in over a one year hiatus. This included Dancing With the Stars betting odds.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
