What Will $50,000 Get You?

A chance to meet Barbra Streisand, obviously!

From Pollstar: The confusion has cleared up: Barbra Streisand has indeed offered $50,000 meet-and-greets during her 20-city tour, with the money going to charity. Streisand will provide meet-and-greets where guests get "exclusive access," a group photo and four autographed souvenirs.

An October 6th notice in a Washington Post celebrity column broke the news to everyone - including Streisand's longtime publicist Dick Guttman and management company Martin Erlichman Associates. Neither had heard of the deal when the Post contacted them.

Publicist Ken Sunshine told the paper in an e-mail that there was "No truth whatsoever about paying for access to backstage." Turns out, it was an agreement worked out directly between Babs and tour promoter Michael Cohl. "We didn't know about it actually, and it's something Mr. Cohl decided to do," Guttman told Pollstar October 9th. "Apparently he knew some people who would be happy to make that kind of contribution and why discourage anybody who wants to give money to such worthy causes?"

The money will go to the Streisand Foundation, which contributes to several charitable causes. Guttman stressed that Streisand herself plans to contribute several million dollars to charities for global warming, education and women's health issues, and has already given $1 million to the William Jefferson Clinton Climate Initiative. The Streisand Foundation has allocated $15 million to charity since its inception in 1986, Guttman said.