A COOL half a million US dollars ($725,000).

That's how much heiress sisters Paris and Nicky Hilton will gleefully pocket when they pop over to Los Angeles nightclub LAX to host its New Year's Eve countdown, Forbes.com reported.

Come Monday, pop star couple Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz will receive a reported US$150,000 for partying at Shore Club in Miami, while actress Pamela Anderson is expected to get US$110,000 from Pure in Las Vegas.

But in Singapore, paying celebrities to party or make a club appearance on special occasions is unheard of.

Club operators and artiste managers told The New Paper that money is never discussed when artistes are invited to club openings, anniversary parties or in-house events.

They get free booze, yes.

But to talk dollars and cents is a big no-no, an unspoken rule of sorts.

DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

Zouk's marketing manager Tracy Phillips said it 'doesn't make sense' to pay for celebrity patronage - something which the club does not practise.

She said that Zouk's brand has been built up over the last 16 years, so 'we don't see the value of paying stars just to go to the club to try to create this image. It would be a farce.'

Ms Phillips added: 'We've been graced by celebrities like Robbie Williams, Maggie Q, Baz Luhrmann and David Beckham without payment, so it wouldn't make sense to start now.'

Ms Phillips added that Zouk would rather spend more money on producing a better and more entertaining event that will 'speak for itself' than to pay celebrities to raise its cool factor.

'Unfortunately, local stars often don't garner as much fanfare as their overseas counterparts and many of them are our regulars anyway, so they come out of their own accord,' she said.

MISSING GLAM FACTOR

An industry source said the reason could also be that local celebrities 'just don't have that kind of glam factor'.

The source, who declined to be named, said: 'If Paris Hilton is in Singapore, she'd be a huge draw, but our local celebrities have no pulling power. We like them to be around, but to pay them is a different matter.'

A check with St James Power Station and LifeBrandz revealed that it is not industry practice to pay local celebrities to party.

Mr Bernard Lim, executive vice-president of LifeBrandz, which runs Ministry Of Sound and Lunar, said: 'We'll invite (celebrities) out of goodwill and buy them drinks, but we don't offer cash upfront and the celebrities here are nice enough not to demand.'

However, he added that his clubs would accord 'special privileges' to celebrities who pop by - be they local or foreign artistes - by cordoning off a VIP area and stepping up security.

St James' publicity manager Cheryl Khong said the club has a good relationship with many local artistes whom they invite for parties. But to pay them would turn it into a 'commercial transaction' that does not benefit the club in the long run.

Ms Khong said: 'We can pay, but what's the point? We like to think that they patronise because they like the club.'

One celebrity regular at St James is comedienne-actress Patricia Mok, who told The New Paper she gets invites from the staff members as well as from the club's owner Dennis Foo.

'It feels good that people remember you and invite you,' the 36-year-old said. She parties with the likes of actresses Fiona Xie and Ann Kok, celebrity hairstylist David Gan and aesthetic doctor Georgia Lee.

Patricia and Fiona, 25, said they have never been paid to party at clubs here. Fiona said she prefers to party 'incognito' in Hong Kong, but she does join her pals when they are partying in Singapore.

PRODUCT LAUNCHES

While she does not get paid by clubs to party, Fiona said she does get an appearance fee for attending product launches or corporate events that are held in clubs.

A spokesman for MediaCorp's artiste management unit revealed that its artistes command $2,000 to $20,000 for making appearances.

But personal invitations are 'beyond our control', the spokesman said.

This means that if the artiste is personally invited to a club's in-house party, it is up to him or her to decide whether or not to attend in his or her own free time.

Patricia said she tries not to work at the clubs where she hangs out.

'I don't mix business with pleasure. But if they want to give me a big amount, of course (I'd accept). Money talks, leh,' she added with a laugh.

She reckoned that the small clubbing scene in Singapore is likelywhy celebrities are not paid forappearances.

'In the US, you pay celebrities to go on covers or TV because it's a big market and everyone wants a piece of the actors or actresses,' she said.

'But Singapore is so small... If you open (a new club), everyone will go. Why pay celebrities to grace an opening when so many people are already queuing up?'

Fly Entertainment's general manager Lim Soo Ann said there is a mutual understanding with clubs that celebrities are invited to party for free.

Her talent agency represents artistes such as Irene Ang, Allan Wu, Li Lin and Cynthia Koh.

Ms Lim said: '(The organisers) will theme it as a party - like, come join us and get free drinks. Generally, they don't see that local artistes should command a fee, not that they don't deserve it.

'That's how the culture is... But if an artiste generates publicity for you, he deserves to be paid.'

However, Zouk's Ms Phillips begs to differ: 'To pay half a million to Paris makes no sense whatsoever. We would rather use that kind of money to put together an amazing event and make it free and invite everyone.'