Read The Daily Beast's piece below from Nov. 2009 on Nicolas Cage's compulsive spending. Jacob Bernstein reports on the star's head-spinning treasure trove: more than a dozen houses, two Bahamian islands, dinosaur skulls, shrunken heads, the shah of Iran's Lamborghini (and more). Fun while it lasted.

Even by Bel Air standards, the Christmas party in the tent at Nicolas Cage’s mansion was a major to-do. The pool was covered up. Blocks of ice were brought in and carved into a buffet table, from which an extravagant array of shellfish was served. A production crew blew fake snow. There were enormous nutcracker men, 8- to 10-feet-tall, out by the gate in front of the house. Lighting specialists came by and illuminated Cage’s favorite cars, which sat on display in the driveway. Guests at the December 2003 event included Hugh Hefner and Jay Leno, who later called it the greatest Christmas party he’d ever been to.

The following morning, staffers arrived at Cage’s house and were surprised to find a straggler roaming the backyard: a young pony that had been given to Cage by a relative the night before. Later, he moved the pet out to his ranch in Malibu.