I recently saw the movie “The Bling Ring” with my daughter. For those of you unfamiliar with the film, it’s a true story based on high-profile robberies that a group of L.A. high schoolers conducted in the span of one year. Victims included Hollywood and tabloid heavyweights like Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, and Megan Fox. In all, the teenage tyrants stole more than $3 million from many a movie star’s home and got caught only because they were dumb enough to post it all on Facebook.
It got me thinking about celebrity worship. The “Bling Ring” members were so obsessed with the famous and infamous, as well as entitlement and labels, that they stopped at nothing to be achieve their desired and demented status. Who are these people so many worship? As I wrote about in my blog regarding trust, movie stars rank right up there with pastors and surgeons many an American’s mind. But, who are these people? I researched a bit and found that, while some are lucky to be earning a living based on their aptitudes, others boast close-to-genius level IQ’s! They all “pretend” for a living but they have real stories behind them.
As a reference point: a whopping 95 percent of IQ scores fall between 70 and 130 while 50 percent range between 90 and 110, which is considered average/normal. A score of 110-119 is considered “superior intelligence,” 120-129 constitutes “very superior intelligence,” 130-139 is considered “gifted,” and 140 or higher is considered “genius.” Kinda makes you wonder about all those “gifted” kids in school today, right?!
Bearing in mind these numbers, I found it fascinating to learn the following about some of pop culture’s biggest, or should I say, truly “brightest” stars:
Sharon Stone has a reported IQ of 154 and started college when she was just 16.
The late Jayne Mansfield was best known as a 1960’s sex symbol, but she had a reported IQ of 149.
Pop star Kesha reportedly scored a 1500 on her SATs (which is near perfect) and has an IQ of over 140.
Oscar winner Natalie Portman finished high school with a 4.0, has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Harvard, and is fluent in five languages.
Supermodel Cindy Crawford was high school valedictorian and earned a full scholarship to study engineering at Northwestern University. She ultimately left college to pursue modeling.
Actress Jodie Foster has an IQ of 132 and a bachelor’s degree from Yale.
“Thelma and Louise” actress Geena Davis has an IQ of 140, is fluent in Swedish, and is accomplished on four instruments.
Colombian singer Shakira has an IQ of 140, is fluent in four languages, has perfect pitch, and was invited to speak at Oxford University, joining the previous ranks of of U.S. presidents, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama and Albert Einstein.
“Wild and crazy” Steve Martin isn’t so crazy after all. The actor/comedian has a 142 IQ and majored in Philosophy at Cal State. He is also an accomplished musician.
Despite not finishing high school, Director Quentin Tarantino boasts a 160 IQ.
Actor James Woods earned a perfect ACT score and a full scholarship to MIT. His IQ is reportedly 180.
Others with notable IQ scores:
Actress Nicole Kidman – 132
Actor and Politician Arnold Schwarzenegger – 135
Singer Madonna – 140
Baseball legend Reggie Jackson – 160
I found it equally fascinating to discover the following on some of today’s most politically-active stars who many listen to and accept the views of based solely on the fact that they are rich and famous:
High graduates with no higher level studies: Barbra Streisand, Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, Ed Asner, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Mike Farrell.
College drop-outs: Jessica Lange (mid-freshman year), Alec Baldwin (due to scandal), George Clooney, Michael Moore (first year), Bruce Springsteen (community college), and Janeane Garofelo.
High school drop-outs: Whoopi Goldberg, Cher
Giving credit where credit is due: Susan Sarandon earned a drama degree from Catholic University (ironic?) of America
What does all this mean? Other than the fact that Sharon Stone has beauty and brains and that Quentin Tarantino may be weird but is weirdly talented, I’m not sure. All I know is that many a famous idol is of average intelligence, much like you and me. The fact that they have above average riches shouldn’t make them any more desirable or credible. Maybe it all comes down to those famous words by Sandra Carey: “Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.”
Interesting Sidebar
While doing research for this blog, I learned that 90 years ago one of the world’s most celebrated signs was born: the legendary “Hollywood” sign. Originally an ad for the Hollywoodland housing development, it became forever famous in 1949 when it lost its last four letters. The rest, as they say, is history…Hollywood history.
Beyond Words 