What should we make of the $1,000 tip that Ellen DeGeneres and various movie stars gave to the man who brought them pizzas at the Oscars? A cynic might say that when a famous person does this, the story is bound to get around especially if, like DeGeneres, you interview the grateful tippee the next day on your show. Even $100 left on the bar after buying a beer gets you the most cost-effective PR available, and a beer.
But what is a famous person supposed to do? Leave a standard tip and you appear mean, because everybody knows you're very wealthy. Leave a huge one and the cynics will say that you are trying to buy our love. Even being moderately generous puts you at risk of being compared with other famous people who gave more a dilemma once memorably faced by Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Of course, different stars approach the problem in different ways:
