Who are you calling a diva! A fortune teller and a wig room - these stars' backstage demands are mind-boggling. So who insisted on what?

By Julia Lawrence
Updated: 17:38 EST, 4 June 2010

Victoria Beckham likes her fruit chopped up, her tea to be mint and her dressing room filled with purple flowers. This was the list of backstage requests at a recent photoshoot. It may seem over the top, but compared to others, Posh is quite restrained. Here, JULIA LAWRENCE lists outrageous celebrity requests. But can you guess who wanted what?

1. This diva isn’t exactly known for her easy-going nature. But considering these demands were made on a video shoot for a charity single you’d think she might forego the odd luxury. But no, her trailer had to be a minimum of 40ft and come complete with two doors, a ‘hair sink’, a separate make-up area, TV, DVD and stereo.

She also required an additional dressing room, painted white, with white curtains, white furniture, white flowers and white candles plus a pile of white linen sheets.

She specifically requested that no food items be allowed in the room — well, with all that white it’s an accident waiting to happen isn’t it?

A - Lady Gaga

B - Cher

2. In their heyday, the demands of these ageing rockers would surely have included plenty of booze, a few illegal substances and a groupie or two. Nowadays their rider (the industry name for backstage requests) is much more in keeping with their advancing years.

The lead singer requested a satellite TV tuned to the cricket so he could keep an eye on the test scores, ‘comfortable chairs,’ soft carpeting and a ping pong table. But at least he didn’t opt for the floral arrangement of ‘lilies accompanied by weeping eucalyptus’, as his three band mates did.

C - Jennifer Lopez

3. This Sixties icon won’t travel in a stretch limousine with leather seats and issues blanket bans on animal skin coverings of any kind. Even fake animal print is unacceptable.

He requires a dry cleaner to be on standby at the concert venue and likes his dressing room decked out like a Kew Gardens greenhouse, demanding 19 leafy 6ft plants and four leafy 4ft plants.

But he instructs: ‘no trees, nothing with a trunk and no ragweed or anything of that nature’.

He insists on full vegetarian catering served on an 8ft banqueting table covered in a white tablecloth. He clearly planned to wash his hands before eating - a lot - as he wanted 24 ‘large bars of ivory coloured soap.’

4. Known as a bit of a prankster, this rebellious former boy-band star must have been having a joke with organisers when he made this particular list of demands for his backstage dressing room.

He ordered kumquats (tiny oranges) , a bonsai tree, four ashtrays, clean underwear and a framed photo of Bob Holness - the former host of cult quiz show Blockbusters - to be hung on his wall.

5. The words ‘pot, kettle and black’ spring to mind when reading this troubled British singer’s dressing-room demands.

Alongside her requests for a large bottle of vodka, a bottle of champagne, two bottles of red wine, a case of lager and a bottle of Courvoisier brandy, plus 40 Marlboro Lights and four lighters, was an order for two roadies to carry it all, whom, she specified, must be ‘sober and competent at all times’. Well, somebody has to be.

D - Britney Spears

E - Elton John

6. No prizes for guessing this Hollywood legend’s favourite colour. Apparently, she is very precise in her choice of dressing-room toilet roll which must be peach, to complement her peachy cheeks perhaps?

She also likes rose petals in her toilet bowl and no fewer than 120 designer bathroom towels - also in peach, naturally.

This evergreen singer also wants metal detectors to be on hand at all times for her security men to continually ‘sweep’ the backstage area.

F - Sir Paul McCartney

G - Mariah Carey

7. It will come as no surprise to learn that this wacky performer and weird dresser is just as oddball in her dressing-room demands.

She insisted her 150-strong entourage, which included a spiritualist, masseuse, tarot reader and 30 stylists, had a supply of ‘non smelling and non sweaty’ cheese on ice, and also that the entire backstage area should bleached prior to her performance.

She also wanted a whole roast chicken to herself to be served hot.

8. If she could turn back time, would this singer and actress be quite so difficult? On her last tour she wanted a ‘wig room’ - ie a separate room to house her collection of hair pieces.

As an Oscar-winning actress, she’s not going to drink out of any old cups and blow her nose on ordinary tissues is she? Her drinking vessels needed to be made of black ceramic while her tissues had to be impregnanted with Aloe Vera and presented in cube-shaped containers.

H - Christina Aguilera

I - Frank Sinatra

9. This popular, young, easy-listening singer wins the male battle-of the dressing-room towels hands down.

He asked for a whopping 84 to be made available - yet, oddly, only four bars of soap. He also wanted his roast beef to be presented in a ' shrink-wrapped resealable pouch'.

Strangest of all was his request for a hockey puck from a local team.

10. This flamboyant English singer admits that he can be a bit of a prima donna, therefore it should come as no surprise that he requested his dressing room be heated to 60 degrees in summer and 70 degrees in winter and should comfortably hold ten people and must have atmospheric lighting.

With so many people it's no wonder he also requested: a 6ft sofa, a love seat, an armchair and a selection of easy chairs.

When it comes to his floral arrangements, he was adamant that there should be 'absolutely no chrysanthemums, daisies, carnations or lilies'.

J - Amy Winehouse

K - Robbie Williams

11. We wouldn't expect anything less than outrageous demands from this singer, who famously 'doesn't do stairs'.

She ordered that her dressing room be divided into two: a ' comfortable living area' on one side and a 'make- up and hair area' on the other.

Her living area should be filled with comfortable chairs, at least three tables, vases of flowers and vanilla-scented Jo Malone candles.

Busy patterns on any surface were strictly banned. A full dinner service and tea service needed to be available. No Jacob's Creek for this lady either - only a £200 bottle of vintage claret would do.

12. This pint-sized singer has very regal requirements on tour. Loathing traffic jams, she insisted on a police escort to gigs - a privilege normally afforded only to members of royalty or visiting political dignitaries.

She's also very specific about her drinks: while water (never Evian) must be kept at room temperature, tea and coffee should not fall below 175-degrees when being prepared.

The skinny performer demanded no fewer than 50 food and drink items including chocolate Nesquick. Touring must be hard work - why else would she ask for vitamin C tablets in the shape of Flintstones characters?

L - Celine Dion

M - Barbra Streisand

13. She's just announced she's pregnant with twins and her Titanic demands during her last tour would have been hard labour for some poor lackey.

She simply would not be able to set foot on stage without a ready supply of Bavarian figs, French cherries and crinkle- free crisps, and required a dentist, physiotherapist and 11 bodyguards to be at her beck and call.

She also requested a choir to perform with her - but this couldn't be any old choir. They must be 20 to 24 in number and made up of children aged seven to 12 of all races and who should not wear any robe-like clothing.

14. A Dublin hotel's refusal to install a private stripper pole in this American star's suite cost them the pleasure of her patronage during a tour.

Previous demands have included two boxes of Pop Tarts, Fruit Loops and Captain Crunch cereal, cable TV, 6ft sofas and an 'odour-free carpet'. Thankfully, no requests for electric hair trimmers.

N - Mick Jagger

O - Michael Buble

15. This blue-eyed crooner, sadly no longer with us, didn't like to go short of alcohol before a concert. His impressive booze list included: Absolut and Stolichnaya vodka, Jack Daniel's, brandy, gin, plus red and white wine.

He didn't skimp on the food either, asking for: salmon, prawns, turkey and Campbell's chicken soup.

Strangely, 24 tubes of cherry drops and mints were also required. No wonder he requested a doctor to be on call, plus an ear, nose and throat specialist-with appropriate medication and sprays including Decadron (a steroid).

ANSWERS

1-C Jennifer Lopez

2-N Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones

3-F Paul McCartney

4-K Robbie Williams

5-J Amy Winehouse

6-M Barbra Streisand

7-A Lady Gaga

8-B Cher

9-O Michael Buble

10-E Elton John

11-G Mariah Carey

12-H Christina Aguilera

13-L Celine Dion

14-D Britney Spears

15-I Frank Sinatra

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