Penelope Cruz is officially an Angelino! [Archive]

SILVERLAKE

June 8th, 2005, 10:55 PM

Here is the Malcom in the Middle star who owns 3 la houses all worth around 4-5 million. He is only 19. Damn! his real estate agent is only 21. He earns six figures for every house he sells. Damn!

Too many houses for a single star

Frankie Muniz, who stars in the Fox sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle," sold a house, bought a house and put a third house on the market all in about one week's time.

Muniz, 19, is apparently looking forward to reducing his inventory. Said Max Shapiro, the 21-year-old real estate agent who has the listing on the third house: "I hope to sell it very soon and make him the one-house man he hopes to be."

The actor listed one of his two Westside homes in April at about $4.6 million. The fingerprint-recognition front door, walls of glass and surround-sound system may have appealed to Agent Cody Banks, the spy character Muniz played in two movies, but it didn't keep the actor's interest longer than two weeks. The renovated four-bedroom contemporary sold for close to its reduced asking price of $3,995,000.

Muniz then closed escrow on the Hollywood Hills home to which he is now moving. Light, bright and private, the three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot home sold for $3.9 million. It too was remodeled and has a theater, boulder garden, fire pit, pool and spa.

The actor listed his original home, an Old World Tuscan-style estate, redesigned and developed by designer-Realtor Billy Rose to feature a 4,500-square-foot main house and a 1,400-square-foot guesthouse plus a pool, spa, motor court and city views. The listing price is $5,995,000.

Shapiro and Richard Ehrlich, both with Westside Estate Agency in Beverly Hills, had the listing on the house that sold. Besides having the listing on Muniz's Old World house, Shapiro represented the actor in buying his new home.

james2390

June 8th, 2005, 10:56 PM

LOL, Yay!

3,406 celebrities and counting!!!!!!111

saiholmes

June 9th, 2005, 12:55 AM

Cool!

SILVERLAKE

June 9th, 2005, 12:58 AM

^....it is not that big of a deal...... but she sure is hot! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

james2390

June 9th, 2005, 01:36 AM

Of course it's not that big of a deal. That's the reason I was wondering why you even made this thread. :lol:

SILVERLAKE

June 9th, 2005, 01:51 AM

james2390

June 9th, 2005, 01:53 AM

1. It's not like most celebrities have to worry about house costs.
2. Living in LA would probably be more convenient.

RBR

June 9th, 2005, 04:49 AM

Yeah, its good news more celebs and less mexicans is the way to go.

james2390

June 9th, 2005, 05:02 AM

^Hopefully that was sarcasm, lol.

SILVERLAKE

June 9th, 2005, 04:23 PM

1. It's not like most celebrities have to worry about house costs.
2. Living in LA would probably be more convenient.

I disagree on both accounts.

I'm sure 9,000,000 is a huge chunk of cash to Spade.

They wouldn't live in LA because it is more convienent. They can live wherever they want. Many stars live in NYC. Jonny Depp lives in France and he makes tons of movies. They live here because it is the best urban city in America in terms of excitement and urban culture and year round paradise weather.

MAN Cruz sure is hot. Hopefully I'll meet her at da club. That would be hella off the hook.

Jules

June 10th, 2005, 04:05 AM

Because it is still kinda cool when these stars from all over the world, who could truly live wherever they wanted to and could just fly to work, but instead they decide to make LA home. Plus, the house costs are truley mind staggering.

We've been over this before...LA is big in the entertainment industry, so it's obvious people in the entertainment industry are going to want to reside near their work.

james2390

June 10th, 2005, 04:20 AM

They wouldn't live in LA because it is more convienent. They can live wherever they want. Many stars live in NYC. Jonny Depp lives in France and he makes tons of movies. They live here because it is the best urban city in America in terms of excitement and urban culture and year round paradise weather.

I would think NYC would be the best city in terms of blah blah blah. Anyways I am sure a lot of these people have more than one home as well.

RBR

June 10th, 2005, 04:59 AM

^Hopefully that was sarcasm, lol.

No it wasn't why would think that? LA needs a lot of work, especially downtown la, hell some parts you would think it was mexico and not america. Thinks are getting better thou with new construction and new projects it should drive the immigrants out and get americans in the city center. Also drivers licences are changing meaning illegals who have them won't be able to renew them, so like i said things are getting better, not to mention the minute men project.

VansTripp

June 10th, 2005, 05:19 AM

No it wasn't why would think that? LA needs a lot of work, especially downtown la, hell some parts you would think it was mexico and not america. Thinks are getting better thou with new construction and new projects it should drive the immigrants out and get americans in the city center. Also drivers licences are changing meaning illegals who have them won't be able to renew them, so like i said things are getting better, not to mention the minute men project.

u made negative comment on mexicans and immigrants then it's not pleasant about it.

RBR

June 10th, 2005, 08:32 AM

I am just saying LA needs more educated legal immigrants and less un-educated illegal immigrants, period.

Listen to talk radio, you might understand more of what i am saying.

VansTripp

June 10th, 2005, 08:51 AM

I am just saying LA needs more educated legal immigrants and less un-educated illegal immigrants, period.

Listen to talk radio, you might understand more of what i am saying.

Remember, I'm full deaf.

yoyoniner

June 10th, 2005, 09:11 AM

They live here because it is the best urban city in America in terms of excitement and urban culture

This is LA we are talking about.... right?

I think watching celebrities buying homes in LA is about as amazing and as relevant to "quality of life" as watching Microsoft programmers buying homes in Seattle, or watching steel workers buying homes in Pittsburgh. Celebrities can live wherever they want, but so can programmers and steel workers, but it certainly fits in with career goals and networking contacts if you live near the center of your industry, and I can't think of any industry more contact/networking heavy than entertainment.

cal_licos

June 14th, 2005, 01:41 AM

Who wouldnt live in LA???

SILVERLAKE

June 20th, 2005, 04:23 PM

Can you believe Jennifer Aniston rents a 2br place for 30,000 a month on a year lease?!?!/!?1?!/!/!/!?!/!?!?1//

Even some of the most private movie and pop stars turn landlord in July and August, when rates are at their highest. Some places rent for six figures a month. And they may not even include furniture.

So popular are big-ticket leases that many homes are reserved well in advance. James Respondek, a real estate agent at Sotheby's, Pacific Palisades, has been looking for a vacation rental in Malibu for a Fox TV executive who lives in Brentwood.

"He was trying to decide whether to go to Greece or Malibu," Respondek said. "Malibu is easier because it's closer, but it's not necessarily less expensive."

Rather than compete for the summer months, some people sign year leases. Among these is actress Jennifer Aniston, who has been renting in Malibu for several months now. The two-bedroom house she is leasing, on 50 feet of beachfront, cost its owners about $15 million. Aniston won't see her rent rise to the going rate of $100,000 or more a month once summer arrives; she will continue to pay in the range of $25,000 to $30,000 a month. That's about what Lesley Stahl, co-editor of the CBS program "60 Minutes," plans to spend in July to rent a Santa Barbara home with five bedrooms, a guesthouse and mountain-to-ocean views on 3 1/2 acres.

Here is a sampling of what some Malibu homeowners make in rents during the summer.

Lookout perch for message in a bottle

Sting will be collecting more than $100,000 a month for his ocean-facing Malibu home, which has six bedrooms in 8,000 square feet, plus separate guest quarters and a pool.

The house, built in the 1920s and completely redesigned in the '80s, also has five fireplaces.

Sting and his family have owned the home since 1997, when they bought it for $6 million. They maintain other properties in England and New York.

Sting, 53, came to prominence in the late '70s as a singer-songwriter with the Police. He has won numerous Grammy Awards, appeared in films and was in the 1989 Broadway revival of "The Threepenny Opera." He was on tour earlier this year.

Try it at $80,000 first, then buy it

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are planning to sell their Cape Cod-style home, which they leased out in previous years. One of their recent summer tenants was Norman Lear.

Before Danson and Steenburgen decided to sell their Malibu house, it was listed as a summer rental at $80,000 a month. The house also was listed as a rental at $35,000 a month from March to June and $45,000 a month from September to November.

The home, which was built in 1930 and totally remodeled under Steenburgen's direction, has five bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in about 3,500 square feet. It has an ocean-view master bedroom suite, a sun deck, a guest suite with its own entrance, a large media/family room, a kitchen with new appliances and a living area with a projection TV.

The gated house was most recently for sale at $14.5 million. The couple have owned the home since 2000. They bought it for $4 million after they leased it in August of that year.

Danson, 57, is a two-time Emmy winner for his role in the sitcom "Cheers" (1982-93). He also starred in the series "Becker" (1998-2004).

Steenburgen, 52, starred as the mother of the lead character in the recently canceled CBS series "Joan of Arcadia."

Have your own little Ozzfest

Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, have put their Malibu home up for lease at $75,000 a month.

The contemporary Mediterranean has two oceanfront bedrooms and three other bedrooms plus five bathrooms in 4,500 square feet. The house was built in 1955 and recently updated. The home is also available on a long-term lease.

The rock star, 56, plans to appear on a 15-date European tour as part of Black Sabbath, headlining Ozzfest, starting July 15.

Live like 007 for six figures

Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in "Die Another Day" (2002) and three other films, leases out his home for more than $100,000 a month.

The actor has lived in Malibu for about 20 years. He bought this home in 2000 for about $7 million. At the time, it had five bedrooms and a media room in 2,700 square feet. The property, on almost an acre, has an oceanfront deck, 120 feet of sandy beach and a pool with a cabana.

There has been talk that the 52-year-old actor will star in his fifth 007 movie, to begin filming in December or January. He is also expected to play Thomas Crown again in "The Topkapi Affair," a sequel to the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair."

Cottage, owner are both originals

Mel Brooks' Malibu home leases for $55,000 a month.

The producer-writer-actor-songwriter also has an East Coast residence that he shared with his wife, actress Anne Bancroft, who died June 6.

His getaway has five bedrooms and six bathrooms in 3,400 square feet, according to public records. It's an original beach cottage dating to 1927. An upstairs master bedroom overlooks the water.

Brooks, who will turn 79 on June 28, is a former stand-up comic who graduated from Sid Caesar's 1950s TV program, "Your Show of Shows." Brooks created the '60s series "Get Smart." He won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for "The Producers" (1968). In 2000, he wrote the score, including 17 new songs, for the musical stage version. Brooks also has won Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards.

SILVERLAKE

June 23rd, 2005, 04:40 PM

It's their world, we are just living in it.

Listings for A-listers
Celebrity homes seem to pass from one star to another. How do they get the scoop?

By Alexandria Abramian-Mott, Special to The Times

When Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's French Normandy house went on the market in May, most people, including elite Hollywood real estate agents, learned about it only after it was bought by Ellen DeGeneres. They could forget about parading clients through the 12,000-square-foot Wallace Neff-designed house and its wine cellar, screening room and tennis court. The transaction between A-listers was completed before outsiders could looky-loo their way into the Beverly Hills hideaway.

Sure, we no-names don't expect to snag that 8 p.m. Friday reservation at Koi. But when it comes to homes, surely the market favors the highest bidders over those with the longest screen credits, right?

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Not necessarily. The list of homes that have been handed from celebrity to celebrity is long enough to confirm suspicions that mere mortals need not apply. Some homes clearly stay within an inner circle.

Steven Spielberg's Pacific Palisades home might as well be called Hotel Hollywood: Cary Grant and Barbara Hutton, David O. Selznick, Douglas Fairbanks and Bobby Vinton all have lived in it. The late Marvin Davis had bought his Beverly Hills home from Kenny Rogers, who bought it from Dino De Laurentiis. Jack Nicholson bought Marlon Brando's Mulholland manse. Nicolas Cage bought the house of Dean Martin, who had bought it from Tom Jones. Two years ago, Britney sold her Westside home to Brittany (that's Spears to Murphy).

Career discrimination? More a matter of like attracting like, according to real estate agent Joe Babajian.

"Celebrities all want the same thing in a house," says Babajian, whose clients have included Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty, Harrison Ford and Nicholson. "They all want an isolated location with a long driveway where everything is very private and secure."

Babajian recently had the Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne listing, a 12,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion with a grotto pool, seven bedrooms and maid's quarters.

The appeal of such homes, however, goes well beyond square footage and secluded locations. Frank Langen, an agent with Mossler Deasy & Doe, says some homes stay within the SAG family without ever coming onto the market.

"These houses are usually traded between celebrities during parties," says Langen, who adds that stars' managers often work as ad hoc Realtors, connecting buyers and sellers who learn about one another's homes during dinner parties, not Sunday open houses.

"There's an inner circle in Hollywood of people who get the scoop before Realtors. They know if someone's thinking about selling, and if they've already seen the house and like it, they can get it before anyone else. If I had a listing like Marlon Brando's house, yeah, I'd want to talk to Jack about it, but he'd already know about it before I do. And if one of these homes does come on the market, it's usually because no other celebrities wanted it."

Even then, don't go looking for your typical open house with flags in the frontyard and a sign-in book on the kitchen counter. Inquiries are generally by appointment only. Realtors sign nondisclosure agreements, and access for potential buyers is limited to the fiscally fit.

"I signed confidentiality agreements when I sold Elizabeth Taylor's home as well as Billy Bob [Thornton] and Angelina Jolie's homes," says Elaine Young, who has been selling high-profile properties in Los Angeles for 48 years. "Many of my most famous clients won't even let prospective buyers in without a financial statement."

William A. Gordon has been relegated to drive-by viewing for almost two decades. He's the author of "The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book," which lists the addresses of hundreds of movie-star homes.

"I know people who try to get into these homes when they're for sale, but it's almost impossible," says Gordon. "They all want to avoid Roxbury now, where the tour buses go."

Given the paparazzi and the number of people who buy star maps, Aniston and Pitt's desire to sell their house quietly seemed reasonable, even if that meant not landing top dollar.

The practice of keeping the buyers at bay runs contrary to the notion that increased interest translates to a higher selling price. Conventional wisdom, Babajian says, does not apply to celebrity homes.

"This isn't about getting as many people into a home as possible," he says. "Famous people will do almost anything that will preclude showing their house."

According to Babajian, the number of Realtors and buyers who deal at the $10-million-and-up level is relatively small.

"There's only a core group of brokers and buyers who do this kind of business, and the air gets pretty thin up there at this level," he says. "Most of us already know each other, so there was little need to screen potential buyers of the Osbourne estate."

But Remax agent Lori McGuire cites another reason celebrities prefer to sell to their own. Call it the cringe factor — the same reason movie stars slip into private entrances and wear Frisbee-sized sunglasses, she says. It's another way to escape the gawkers.

"A lot of noncelebrity sellers get star-struck," says McGuire, who sells high-end homes in south Orange County. "I had one CEO client who was asking the buyers to sign autographs for him. The whole thing was embarrassing."

The same who-you-know rules apply to rentals. According to Young, a few properties — mostly in Bel-Air, Beverly Hills and Malibu — stay within a tight network of celebrity leases. Not that mortals don't occasionally break the chain.

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When fashion designer Sue Wong bid on the Cedars, the renowned Los Feliz estate built in the 1920s and rented to people such as Jimi Hendrix and composer Rod McKuen, Wong knew she was buying pedigree as much as square footage.

"I had heard that Leonardo DiCaprio was looking at the house too, but in the end, I was able to buy it," says Wong, who has spent the last two years spending "unimaginable amounts of money" restoring the mansion.

Were Wong an Oscar winner, maybe some of those improvements wouldn't be necessary to increase its value. According to Langen, celebrities get more for their houses simply by having lived and breathed in them. When Young and her then-husband, Academy Award winner Gig Young, sold their Doheny Drive house in the early '70s, the buyer requested that the deal include the master bedroom's bed. The couple happily complied — after bumping up the price by $100,000.

But Langen quickly adds a caveat: "Celebrity-owned homes can sell for about 10% above fair market value, but that's only for the real stars, who are very limited in number. When you're dealing with a soap star's home, it's not going to affect the value, despite what some people might think."

SILVERLAKE

June 27th, 2005, 04:58 PM

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-06/18174753.jpg

Ellen DeGeneres has put her Hollywood Hills compound on the market at $12.95 million. The talk-show host and stand-up comic also listed two adjacent homes she owns at close to $2 million each.

A third adjacent property, offered by another seller, is listed at nearly $3 million.

The parcels, totaling about three acres, could be made into the largest compound in the Hollywood Hills if purchased together, according to listing agent Barry Sloane of Sotheby's International Realty, Beverly Hills.

The original 5,000-square-foot home is on more than two acres of rolling lawns, grasses and trails. The house was built in the 1930s but was refurbished by a former owner. DeGeneres spent two more years turning it into what Sloane describes as "a stylish, relaxed contemporary" with two bedrooms and a screening room.

The master bedroom suite is on two levels and includes a main room with a screened-in porch and reading area, a TV that drops from the ceiling at the push of a button and a downstairs bathroom with a walk-in closet, spa tub, steam shower and outdoor meditation area with a water feature.

A smaller, second bedroom suite is in a different wing of the house.

The compound has a guesthouse with a gym, a cabin, a koi pond and a pool. There also is a house, with a screened-in porch, that serves as a media and game room.

The two adjacent homes owned by DeGeneres are contemporary in style with walls of glass. Each has three bedrooms. The third adjoining property has a three-bedroom house plus a guesthouse and a pool.

Sloane said the comedian has chosen to sell so she can move on and explore "different kinds of architecture."

DeGeneres, 47, won two Daytime Emmys in May. One was for best talk-show host, the second was for her syndicated "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," just finishing its second season.

BigDan35

June 27th, 2005, 05:13 PM

Remember, I'm full deaf.

I don't see how this is an excuse. I mean you will cuss at people on this forum and use bad grammar and sentence structure and then when they call you out on it your end all of responses is "I'm deaf"

I know quite a few semi and full deaf people who speak very clear english and who can type in complete sentences that are understandable. So what's your excuse?

SILVERLAKE

June 27th, 2005, 05:22 PM

^This thread is for posting about LA's celebrity real estate. Not for picking fights with my buddy Blink~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CarsonCaliBrotha

June 27th, 2005, 05:27 PM

Heres a good question: WHO THE HELL IS PENELOPE CRUZ?

SILVERLAKE

June 27th, 2005, 06:22 PM

http://www.penelope-cruz-pictures.com/pcruz15.jpg

Known outside her native country as the "Spanish enchantress", Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo (a retailer) and Encarna (a hairdresser). As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to focus her energies on dance. After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. At 15, however, she heeded her true calling when she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition. The resulting contract landed her several roles in Spanish TV shows and music videos, which in turn paved the way for a career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut in Laberinto griego, El (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth), then appeared briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992) (TV). Her third film was the Oscar-winning Belle epoque (1992), in which she played one of four sisters vying for the love of a handsome army deserter. The film also garnered several Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. Her resume continued to grow by three or four films each year, and soon Cruz was a leading lady of Spanish cinema. Carne trémula (1997) (Live Flesh) offered her the chance to work with renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (who would later be her ticket to international fame), and the same year she was the lead actress in the thriller/drama/mystery/sci-fi film Abre los ojos (1997), a huge hit in Spain that earned eight Goyas (though none for Cruz). Her luck finally changed in 1998, when the movie-industry comedy Niña de tus ojos, La (1998) won her a Best Actress Goya. Cruz made a few more forays into English-language film, but her first big international hit was Almodóvar's Todo sobre mi madre (1999) (All About My Mother), in which she played an unchaste but well-meaning nun. As the film was showered with awards and accolades, Cruz suddenly found herself in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Her next big project was Woman on Top (2000), an American comedy about a chef with bewitching culinary skills and a severe case of motion sickness. While in the US, she also signed up to star opposite Johnny Depp in the drug-trafficking drama Blow (2001) and opposite Matt Damon (her rumored paramour) in Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses (2000). Cruz says she's wary of being typecast as a beautiful young damsel, but it's hard to imagine disguising her wide-eyed charms and generous nature (she once donated an entire paycheck to Mother Teresa's children's sanctuary). Fortunately, with Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (2001) (a remake of Abre los ojos (1997)) and a John Madden collaboration looming in her future, Damsel Penelope isn't likely to disappear just yet.

BigDan35

June 27th, 2005, 06:40 PM

^This thread is for posting about LA's celebrity real estate. Not for picking fights with my buddy Blink~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pfft...calm your ass down.

redspork02

June 28th, 2005, 01:15 AM

No it wasn't why would think that? LA needs a lot of work, especially downtown la, hell some parts you would think it was mexico and not america. Thinks are getting better thou with new construction and new projects it should drive the immigrants out and get americans in the city center. Also drivers licences are changing meaning illegals who have them won't be able to renew them, so like i said things are getting better, not to mention the minute men project.

Thats a very negative comment, maybe ignorent people like you should just stick to the radio!

Whiteeclipse

June 28th, 2005, 01:37 AM

I am just saying LA needs more educated legal immigrants and less un-educated illegal immigrants, period.

Listen to talk radio, you might understand more of what i am saying.

We need all immigrants because if we don't have the less uneducated immigrants then who will wash your car, clean your house, wash your carpet, clean your pool, watch your kids, cut your grass, work at burger king, work at target, fix your roof and so on.

VansTripp

June 28th, 2005, 02:42 AM

Whiteeclipse

June 28th, 2005, 03:33 AM

I agree with you.

Immigrants are helpful with growing economy.

then their kids will finish school and they will be educated

NWside

June 28th, 2005, 06:33 AM

We need all immigrants because if we don't have the less uneducated immigrants then who will wash your car, clean your house, wash your carpet, clean your pool, watch your kids, cut your grass, work at burger king, work at target, fix your roof and so on.

Wow, it's almost like we have a special underclass of people just to cut your grass, and of course only Illegals work at BK and Target :|

RBR

June 28th, 2005, 09:36 AM

We need all immigrants because if we don't have the less uneducated immigrants then who will wash your car, clean your house, wash your carpet, clean your pool, watch your kids, cut your grass, work at burger king, work at target, fix your roof and so on.

Maybe you forget there are already too many of them here as it is so all that work is covered already, we don't need more of them here. Also i didn't know so many people were hiring illegals? maybe we should report this to the INS, and give the ones that are legal the chance to do those type of jobs.

Whiteeclipse

June 30th, 2005, 04:37 AM

Wow, it's almost like we have a special underclass of people just to cut your grass, and of course only Illegals work at BK and Target :|

Tell me, what can a immigrant offer the employer?

dewback

July 4th, 2005, 07:30 AM

Tell me, what can a immigrant offer the employer?

They conform with minimum wage or even less, and they have a strong work ethic in most of the cases. Unlike any teenager who can get a summer job , they will try to keep it as it is probably their only source of survival, and in several cases, the survival of their families outside the country.

Whiteeclipse

July 4th, 2005, 07:56 AM

They conform with minimum wage or even less, and they have a strong work ethic in most of the cases. Unlike any teenager who can get a summer job , they will try to keep it as it is probably their only source of survival, and in several cases, the survival of their families outside the country.

Nicely said......I can't lie, I don't have a comeback.

JoeyIncali

July 10th, 2005, 11:47 AM

Maybe you forget there are already too many of them here as it is so all that work is covered already, we don't need more of them here. Also i didn't know so many people were hiring illegals? maybe we should report this to the INS, and give the ones that are legal the chance to do those type of jobs.
True that.
If you think we need more illegal immigrants who do not have much skill, drive by Home Depot. There are so many of them now, they can't get any work.
A lot of the illegal Mexicans are now moving East b/c there are just too many of them here already.
I work for the education in OC. Some of our teachers are complaining about their high turnover ratio. They lose so many students after Christmas. Teen pregnancy among Latinos is very high. Guess who pays for that?

Whiteeclipse

July 10th, 2005, 06:31 PM

True that.
If you think we need more illegal immigrants who do not have much skill, drive by Home Depot. There are so many of them now, they can't get any work.
A lot of the illegal Mexicans are now moving East b/c there are just too many of them here already.
I work for the education in OC. Some of our teachers are complaining about their high turnover ratio. They lose so many students after Christmas. Teen pregnancy among Latinos is very high. Guess who pays for that?

Did you get her pregnant? so I'm guessing that you will pay for that.

VansTripp

July 10th, 2005, 06:39 PM

Whiteeclipse

July 10th, 2005, 06:46 PM

I thinks their parent are pays it.
No, I'm gonna say that must of them the government will pay.

NWside

July 11th, 2005, 07:47 AM

True that.
If you think we need more illegal immigrants who do not have much skill, drive by Home Depot. There are so many of them now, they can't get any work.
A lot of the illegal Mexicans are now moving East b/c there are just too many of them here already.
I work for the education in OC. Some of our teachers are complaining about their high turnover ratio. They lose so many students after Christmas. Teen pregnancy among Latinos is very high. Guess who pays for that?

What's the difference who pays for it, born in the U.S = natural born citizen= legal.

SILVERLAKE

July 11th, 2005, 06:24 PM

This thread needs to be hijacked back to get it back on course for what it was menat to be about.

A Texas two-step to Palisades

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, have purchased a Pacific Palisades home for slightly less than $8 million.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-07/18284873.jpg

The Quaids, who will celebrate their first wedding anniversary Monday, bought a French Country-style estate on a road lined with mature trees, a natural creek and lush gardens. The newly built house has nine bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms in 8,400 square feet. The house stands on nearly an acre, zoned for horses.

Other features of the home include seven fireplaces, oak floors, a hand-carved 18th century mantle in the living room, crystal chandeliers, a wine cellar, a library and a covered loggia with a fireplace overlooking the pool and spa.

There is also a master-bedroom suite with his-and-hers bathrooms, plus two-bedroom, one-bath quarters for maids or guests over the kitchen.

The actor, 51, was born and raised in Texas. His wife, now a Brentwood Realtor, worked for a title company in Austin, Texas, when they began dating in 2003. He filed for divorce from actress Meg Ryan, his wife of nearly 10 years, in July 2000, and their divorce was final a year later.

Quaid appeared in four movies released last year: "The Alamo," opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Jason Patric; Roland Emmerich's "The Day After Tomorrow"; the comedy "In Good Company," costarring Scarlett Johansson; and a remake of the 1965 film "The Flight of the Phoenix," starring in the role originally portrayed by Jimmy Stewart.

Quaid is writing, directing and starring in the upcoming movie "Shame on You," about western singer Spade Cooley.

Newsman drops anchor in Valley

David Ono, a news anchorman with ABC Channel 7, has moved up in the San Fernando Valley. He purchased a home in Toluca Lake for about $2.2 million and sold a home in Studio City for $1.4 million.

Ono, who joined the "Eyewitness News" team in 1996, bought a newly renovated house with five bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms in 5,300 square feet. The home, built in 1936, was refurbished by Okland Construction.

The home has an open floor plan with formal living and dining rooms, a family room with a full bar, an office or guest room, a breakfast room, wood floors, crown moldings and a master bedroom suite with a balcony. The grounds include a pool.

The home Ono sold has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 3,700 square feet. The house, built in 1988, also has art-gallery-like spaces, a media room, cathedral ceilings and a large terrace. There are city views from most rooms of the house, which is on a gated street.

Ono has won eight Los Angeles-area Emmy awards and 19 Emmy nominations. He is a triathlete.

Moe Abourched, an estates director with Re/Max on the Boulevard and Team 2000 in Sherman Oaks, had the Toluca Lake listing, and Rick Chimienti of Sotheby's International Realty, Beverly Hills, represented Ono in buying.

A little Versailles on a Bel-Air estate

Self-made billionaire Melvin Simon and his wife, Bren, have a new home in Bel-Air, purchased for about $13 million.

The estate, built in 1995, resembles Le Petit Trianon in Versailles, France. The home has nine bedrooms and 12 bathrooms in about 18,000 square feet. There are city-to-ocean views as well as a gym, office, sauna, sports court and pool.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in the Bronx, Simon, 78, and his brother, Herb, made a fortune developing shopping malls across the country. Simon started his own Indianapolis-based real estate investment company in 1960. He and his brother later bought the Indiana Pacers.

In the '70s, Simon tried movie-making. His production company lost millions in the project, but he and his wife, married in 1972, kept up their celebrity friendships and became known for parties to benefit charitable and political causes.

Grammy producer 'retiring' to N.Y.

Pierre Cossette, who retired in February after producing the Grammy Awards for 35 years, and his wife, Mary, have listed their West Hollywood condo at close to $2.8 million.

At 81, the producer plans to spend more time in New York to start a new record label and develop "The Woody Guthrie Story" for Broadway.

Cossette moved to L.A. from Montreal as a child. After college, he produced shows in Las Vegas. He produced the Grammys since the first year it was televised live nationwide. He also persuaded the networks to air the show. His son, John, will take over as executive producer.

During the time Pierre Cossette was producing the awards show and other TV projects, he and his wife have had numerous homes, including residences in Manhattan and Canada.

Their West Hollywood condo is on an upper floor of a high-rise built in 1965 with canyon and city views. The unit has two bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 2,100 square feet. A third bedroom was turned into a den. The kitchen is Tuscany in style. There are electronically controlled blinds, recessed lights and concrete floors.

Kay Pick and Jonathan Carter of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, share the listing.

Home, barn near Strip; hay optional

Martin Perellis and Herb Cohen, former record executives who managed Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Tom Waits, have sold a Sunset Strip-area home they built as an investment. The selling price was $9.85 million.

The seven-bedroom home was completed in 2004. The French Country-style home also has a guesthouse, a pool and a barn. The sale did not include the 350 rescued animals, including llamas, that Perellis kept there. He is planning to move them to another location.

Stephen Shapiro and Richard Ehrlich of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, represented the sellers.

SILVERLAKE

July 11th, 2005, 06:25 PM

Larry Ellison
(Tim Sharp / Associated Press)
Top Headlines

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-07/18388834.jpg

Billionaire on Malibu: I'll take it!

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

In a $180-million buying spree that began two years ago, Larry Ellison, chief executive and co-founder of software giant Oracle Corp., has purchased a dozen Malibu properties, all but two of which are residential.

To top it off, the 60-year-old billionaire may have just begun to shop. Last week, rumor had it he was also eyeing a Malibu shopping center. But that may have been a case of mistaken billionaires, as sports mogul E. Stanley Kroenke purchased the Malibu Colony Plaza.

Ellison, who has hinted at the possibility of bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles, bought the shuttered PierView Cafe on Pacific Coast Highway in 2003 and the adjacent Windsail Restaurant property last year. Talk around town is that he may combine them into one high-end restaurant. Ellison was unavailable for comment on his plans.

He made his most recent residential purchase this year, buying the home of Grammy-winning music producer David Foster and his wife, former "Hee Haw" TV actress Linda Thompson. Ellison bought that 22-acre property for slightly more than $20 million.

The Mediterranean-style home, in the gated Serra Retreat neighborhood, has three recording studios, a guest house, a pool, a spa and a seasonal stream. The estate, built in 1983, has nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms in about 9,900 square feet.

There is no indication that Ellison is going to use the home as a personal residence. The property and its former owners are featured in "The Princes of Malibu," a reality series due to debut tonight at 8:30 on Fox.

In 2003, Ellison made news by buying five Malibu properties for a total of $65 million. Of the Malibu beach homes he now owns, only one has been rented out, and it isn't certain how he will use the others.

"It's a mystery," said Katie Bentzen of Pritchett Rapf Realtors. "What is clear is that he likes to acquire real estate, and he's concentrating heavily on Malibu."

Bentzen had the listing on Ellison's first Malibu purchase, a house on Carbon Beach. "He came back 30 minutes after first seeing it and bought it at $14 million or $15 million." He had barely signed the deal before he was already back out looking at a neighbor's house, she said. He subsequently bought more than half a dozen properties along Carbon Beach.

Cecelia Waeschle of Sotheby's International Realty voiced concerns about Ellison buying more than a few homes in such a concentrated area and questioned how the purchases might inflate prices. Ellison paid $15 million for what few people would call a large house — 1,600 square feet. But the property has 65 feet of beach frontage.

"Are the prices realistic?" asked Jay Rubenstein, manager of the Coldwell Banker, Malibu West office. Ellison's purchases probably have raised the prices at Carbon and other beaches, he said.

The 2005 median sales price of a single-family home in Malibu through May was $1,750,000, according to DataQuick Information Systems, up from $1,696,750 a year earlier. In Rubenstein's office, sales have averaged $3.1 million, in contrast with $2.1 million last year.

"I think it's fabulous," Rubenstein said of Ellison's purchases. "The guy has a lot of money, and he's spending it here."

Ellison makes Forbes magazine's short list of the richest people. (He's either ninth or 10th — does it really matter?)

Despite the Malibu property grab, Ellison continues to call Northern California home, with residences in the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco and in Woodside, a suburb 30 miles south.

He recently completed a $200-million, 16th century Japanese-style villa on more than 60 acres in Woodside. While it was under construction, he listed his former home, a seven-bedroom, 8,000-square-foot house in Atherton, also Japanese in style, at $25 million.

Ellison has interests beyond real estate and his Redwood City software behemoth.

His desire to own a professional football team is well known. He last year explored the possibility of buying the San Francisco 49ers but quickly learned that John York and his wife, Denise DeBartolo-York, were unwilling to sell.

He is a yachtsman who funded an America's Cup racing team and is married to novelist Melanie Craft, whose latest work is the romantic comedy "Man Trouble."

Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, represented Ellison in his Malibu purchases. He had no comment on his client's plans.

Trumpeter changes his tune

Trumpeter Doc Severinsen, bandleader of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," and his wife, TV writer-turned-artist Emily Marshall, plan to move to Mexico and have listed their 10-acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley for close to $5 million.

They've owned the ranch for two years. During that time, the couple renovated the adobe compound, including an adobe stable and many of the outbuildings. The ranch also has a pool, vineyard and pastures.

Marshall painted the walls, beams and tree trunks around the compound in vibrant colors, prompting Severinsen to observe that the home now looks like one of his flamboyant sports coats. The ranch is named Rancho de los Colores.

The couple brought most of the furniture, doors and fixtures to the ranch from Mexico.

Severinsen, who turned 78 on July 7, got his nickname, originally "Little Doc," from his father, a dentist. He was on "The Tonight Show" from 1962 until 1992. Severinsen still tours nationally, playing jazz and big band tunes with his former "Tonight Show" bandmates. He is the principal pops conductor of several symphony orchestras. He also designed and markets the Destino trumpet.

Marshall turned in her pen for a paintbrush after having written for "The Larry Sanders Show," "Newhart" and "Designing Women."

Marilyn Elam of Coldwell Banker, Los Olivos, has the listing.

Designer tries on something new

Bob Mackie, whose stunning gowns and headdresses became Cher's signature television look, has listed his Hollywood Hills home and adjacent lot at $2.3 million.

The fashion designer has lived in the home since it was built in 1997. What he'll miss most is the home's "extraordinary views," he said.

The gated Mediterranean sits on a knoll with views from downtown L.A. to the San Fernando Valley. The house has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in about 4,000 square feet. There are two master suites, a family room and an office.

The adjacent lot is slightly more than 7,000 square feet. Mackie, 65, had planned to improve the lot but never found the time. In the house, he added Italian tile floors, remodeled two fireplaces and installed bookshelves in many of the rooms.

Now he is relocating to a nearby home he bought for about the same price. "I've been wanting a midcentury modern home with a pool, and I thought this was the right time to make the move," he said.

Debby Cannon of Prudential California, John Aaroe division, has the listing and represented the Emmy-winning designer in his purchase.

Gilligan's not going with him

Scott Jeffress, co-executive producer of "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and "The Real Gilligan's Island," has sold his La Cañada Flintridge home of 11 years and moved a few miles northwest of Austin, Texas, for the summer.

He recently bought a 4,000-square-foot home on a cove of Lake Travis, off the Colorado River, for slightly more than $1 million. The house has its own dock.

His former La Cañada Flintridge home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms in about 2,500 square feet. It also has a pool and a spa. The English Tudor-style home sold for about $1.2 million.

Sheilah Hansen at Ellis Realty had the listing.

Longtime home to a famous clowner

Comedian Red Skelton, who died at 84 in 1997, lived in his Rancho Mirage home for about 23 years, beginning when it was built in 1956. It is on the market now at just under $2 million.

It was one of Wallace Neff's first contemporary designs and has four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms in about 4,600 square feet. The house is between the 15th and 16th greens of the Tamarisk Country Club. Skelton, an artist in his spare time, often chatted with golfers while painting in his backyard.

Harpo Marx, of the Marx Brothers, owned a similar Neff-designed home down the street from Skelton's.

The sellers were drawn to the Skelton home in 1998 because it was designed by Neff, whose claims to fame included homes for such Hollywood icons as Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin.

Gary and Anne Alexander at Dyson & Dyson Real Estate Associates have the listing.

SILVERLAKE

July 21st, 2005, 06:23 PM

This Valley home for 'That '70s' star

Wilmer Valderrama, a regular on the Fox sitcom "That '70s Show," has purchased the gated Tarzana home of action-adventure star Chuck Norris for slightly more than $3.5 million.

The compound, on about 2.2 acres, has a 5,000-square-foot-plus main house on a knoll overlooking the pool, a three-bedroom guesthouse with three separate entrances and a detached office-recreation room. The home also has a tennis court and parking for at least 25 cars.

Norris, who had owned the property since 1988, listed the compound in November, saying he planned to live full time in Texas, where he has a home in Dallas and a ranch in the Houston area. The actor, in his early 60s, married his wife, Gena, in 1998, and they have a combined family of seven children, three of whom are grown. Norris, longtime star of "Walker, Texas Ranger" on CBS, is getting ready to film a TV movie based on the series, which ended after eight years in 2001.

Valderrama, 25, is one of several hot young actors being considered as a possible host for the next generation of MTV reality shows. In Valderrama's case, the show under discussion is "Yo Momma," a comedy showcase featuring the country's most outrageous trash talkers. It's in development.

Valderrama, who made his film debut in "Summer Catch" (2001), has been linked romantically with Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson and Mandy Moore.

Brad Prepon of Brock Real Estate, Silver Lake, represented Valderrama in buying, and Lillian Wall of Wall Street Properties, Tarzana, had the listing.

SILVERLAKE

July 25th, 2005, 06:38 PM

Dropping anchor in Venice
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-07/18604602.jpg

Mira Sorvino
Top Headlines

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Did Mira Sorvino get her Venices mixed up? The 37-year-old Oscar-winning actress was in Italy last week at the naming of Carnival Cruise Lines' new ship Carnival Liberty when news came that she had bought a home for $1.7 million in Venice — that's our Venice, not theirs.

Sorvino's new residence is Craftsman in style and has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in slightly more than 2,400 square feet. The house, built in 2003, also has a bonus room, French doors and a landscaped backyard.

Her property is not on a canal but is in a neighborhood of homes owned by Julia Roberts, Anjelica Huston, Dennis Hopper and other stars.
Sorvino is moving from the Hollywood Hills, where she and her husband, actor-writer Christopher Backus, lived after their wedding in Capri about a year ago.

The actress, who is of Italian descent and whose father is actor-singer Paul Sorvino, attended the ship's naming in her position as the Carnival Liberty's "godmother." A ship's godmother is a woman of distinction whose name will be forever linked with the vessel, according to the cruise line. Sorvino is Harvard-educated and won an Oscar for best supporting actress in Woody Allen's "Mighty Aphrodite" (1995). The actress also has been an ambassador for Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women program.

She appeared on TV's "Will & Grace" during the sitcom's sixth season, playing the alcoholic ex-girlfriend of Grace's husband, Leo, portrayed by Harry Connick Jr.

Sorvino costars with Gabriel Byrne in the movie "Leningrad," being filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia, and she costars with Pierce Brosnan and Burt Reynolds in the upcoming comedy "Instant Karma."

SILVERLAKE

July 25th, 2005, 06:49 PM

Gehry sons will stay close to folks

Frank Gehry is securing final permits to build a home for himself and his wife, Berta, in Venice. He bought the half-acre site for $1.6 million in 2002.

Since then, the Disney Hall architect, in his mid-70s, has been getting to know the neighborhood, where his two sons just purchased a duplex. Alejandro and Samuel, both in their 20s, bought the 5,000-square-foot duplex for slightly less than $2 million. They plan to live and work there.

Alejandro is an oil painter; Samuel works in architecture and design. Several artists have used the duplex as studio space. The three-level duplex, with 18-to-20-foot ceilings downstairs, was built about nine years ago.

Lyle Plocher and Assaf Raz of Venice Properties had the duplex listing; Laura Meckling and Patty Kish of the same firm represented the buyers.

Jack V. Hoffmann, broker-owner of Venice Properties, represented Frank Gehry in buying the homesite.

SILVERLAKE

July 25th, 2005, 06:50 PM

A Lively addition to Venice scene

Eric Lively, a regular cast member of "The L Word," has purchased a modern-style, early-'80s home in Venice for slightly more than $1.1 million.

The home was built by Tony Bill, Oscar-winning co-producer of "The Sting" (1973), starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Bill's legendary Venice restaurant, 72 Market St., opened about the time the house was completed. Actor Dudley Moore was also an owner of the now-shuttered 72 Market St. Moore, by then a celebrated comic actor, often played the piano there during dinner.

Lively bought the two-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot house featuring soaring ceilings with open steel trusses, expansive glass block walls and polished concrete floors with a recessed pond in the living area. There are skylights in the master-bedroom loft and ocean views from the roof deck.

"The L Word," on Showtime, is the first serial drama focused on the lives of lesbians.

Laura Meckling and Patricia Kish of Venice Properties handled both sides of the deal.

digital_slash

July 25th, 2005, 07:17 PM

I remember I made a comment about one of the negatives of Los Angeles being that the city and it's citizens are obsessed with celebrities, w/ TV shows like Extra and E!. Someone told me that my generalization wasn't true, but case and point.

Why do you care about these people who couldn't care less about you? Just cauze they spend alot of money on houses? w00t!

SILVERLAKE

July 25th, 2005, 08:16 PM

People all over the US and WORLD INCLUDING CHICAGO are obsessed with celebrities. They just happen to live here and in NY. Plus it is fun to read about how crazy LA property is. Venice was a dangerous, scuzzy, poor area not to long ago (See Legendary Z-boys). Now it is a million dollar neighborhood full of A listers. That's CRAZY. AND EVEN CRAZIER IS America's greatest and most influential and most international architect ever is moving there. That's CRAZY. PLUS YOU JUST GOT TO LOVE THE STORIES ABOUT 5 MILLION DOLLAR 2BR CONDOS IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS AND !12,000,000 4BR houses in Beverly Hills. TOTALLY CRAZY

digital_slash

July 26th, 2005, 12:24 AM

You're right, people in Chicago are obsessed w/ celebrities too. I hate it, it has always bothered me. I guess why I find L.A. to stand out in this category is because a large part of the reason L.A. became the success it is today is because of the movie industry.

RBR

July 26th, 2005, 07:05 AM

SChristopher

July 26th, 2005, 11:06 PM

STOP THE PRESSES!!!

Maybe I am just now entering this world, but is it just me or has every TV station been going buck wild with talking about how Celebrities do *insert tacky thing here* and what they have and you never will. I think that is pretty lame, who the hell cares. The sad thing is many of them are not that good at what they do, glorifying SOME of these people that are no better than common whores and strippers ;). Then again who would want to see what Albert Stein the local orthopedic surgeon does in his spare time and where he lives.

Anyways yeah. I dont think illegal immigrants can really find it easy to get a job at a place like Target, not without the company being eventually found out and getting in loads of trouble. Illegal overpopulation has always been a problem, them standing on the sides of freeways wanting to do odd jobs, thats all they can get is under the table jobs, it is not that they want to do your crap. If we couldnt get jobs at public places wed have to do the same. Anyways I am thoroughly annoyed by your reply Whiteeclipse, I hope everyone doesnt think this way.

POLA

July 26th, 2005, 11:16 PM

HOLLY SHIT! MOVIE STARS LIVE IN LOS ANGELES?

You got to be bullshiting me Silverlake, is this real? Who'd ever imagine. I wonder if they ever make movies out here? This is news!

VansTripp

July 26th, 2005, 11:19 PM

I never interesting Silverlake's thread but who cares with movie star in LA ;)

SILVERLAKE

July 26th, 2005, 11:33 PM

This just isn't about celebrities but about LA property and economy. These articles are all from LA TImes. If you don't like it, then don't read it.

SChristopher

July 26th, 2005, 11:34 PM

Then you get a very one sided point of view. I am not knocking you or the article, it just seems like the LA times could use its time wiser furthermore I think everyone knows the state of LA's property values and economy unless they live in a cave.

VansTripp

July 26th, 2005, 11:47 PM

Stop giving me hardtime after I was nice to you.

:wtf:

He's sent PM to me so don't send PM to me again. :mad2:

SILVERLAKE

July 26th, 2005, 11:54 PM

OK Blink. Just put me on "ignore" and I won't stick up for you when people put you down or give you hardtime next time.

VansTripp

July 27th, 2005, 12:00 AM

OK Blink. Just put me on "ignore" and I won't stick up for you when people put you down or give you hardtime next time.

I don't need it :ohno:

Thread don't need to be important. :sly:

SILVERLAKE

August 8th, 2005, 01:25 AM

Damn! I hope one day I'm bicoastal!

For this mogul, it's all relative
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-08/18828940.jpg
By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Byron Allen isn't all business.

The media mogul — who is aggressively trying to purchase West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Paxson Communications Corp., a group of about 60 broadcast TV stations, for $2.2 billion — took the time this summer to do something for his mom: He bought her a gated $5-million house in the Hollywood Hills.

The former comedian, 44, purchased the four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot home so his mother, Carolyn Folks, could live closer to him. Folks had been living in Allen's Century City condo since he bought a $3.8-million Hollywood Hills house for himself in February 2004.

Now she has a house that is about the same size as her son's. His was built in 2001, while hers, constructed in 1961, underwent a total renovation last year. It has Carrara marble floors, a Calcutta marble fireplace mantle, fingerprint recognition security and city-to-ocean views.

Allen also has purchased a place for himself, at $4.5 million, in Trump Towers on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. As founder, chairman and chief executive of Entertainment Studios Corp., an independent producer-distributor of first-run TV programming, Allen splits his time between L.A. and New York.

When not managing his company, Allen appears on camera as host of the talk shows "EntertainmentStudios.com" and "Entertainers With Byron Allen." Both shows have been on the air for 12 years.

Allen's interest in show business began when he regularly went after school to his mother's office at NBC where she worked as a publicist. At 14 he became a stand-up comic at the Comedy Store. At 18 he made his debut on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson." He co-hosted the NBC series "Real People" from 1979 to 1984.

Allen established his production company in 1993. While sitting at his dining room table, he called 1,300 TV stations for more than a year to launch his first show.

His firm has since produced and now owns more than 3,000 hours of TV programming and has 15 syndicated shows on TV. It finances, produces and distributes TV programs around the world.

If he buys the financially troubled Paxson, Allen will target an African American audience, he has said. The Firm, a Beverly Hills talent agency, also has expressed interest in the network.

Terence Hill of BT Equities, Century City, represented Allen in his real estate purchases and manages Allen's portfolio of residential and commercial properties.

SILVERLAKE

August 8th, 2005, 01:26 AM

Pair pares down

in Brentwood

It's not the main attraction, but it's not too shabby either. Writer-producer David E. Kelley and his wife, actress Michelle Pfeiffer, have sold a 1-acre-plus property next to their Brentwood home.

The fixer-upper, which the couple bought in 2002 for $7 million as a buffer to maximize their privacy, sold for close to its $8.7-million asking price. The four-bedroom, 3,800-square-foot house was built in 1940.

In the meantime, Kelley and Pfeiffer are still looking for a buyer of their 2-acre-plus estate next door, which is listed at $21 million. It was built in 1946 and restored and remodeled in 2001.

There is a 7,500-square-foot main house, a guesthouse, a tennis court and a pool. The equestrian-zoned grounds also have stables and access to riding trails. The estate has ocean and canyon views.

The couple have been planning to sell their Brentwood home since June 2004, when they bought a ranch farther north. But they might need a pied-à-terre closer to Hollywood and Manhattan Beach, where his production company has offices, because both are busy professionally. Kelley's reality series, "The Law Firm," premiered in July on NBC, and Pfeiffer is due to star in the film "Chasing Montana." Kelley wrote the screenplay.

Kelley, 49, created the Emmy-winning series "Picket Fences," "Ally McBeal," "Boston Public" and "The Practice." Pfeiffer, 47, costarred in "I Am Sam" (2001) and "White Oleander" (2002).

SILVERLAKE

August 8th, 2005, 01:28 AM

The Bonaduces aren't moving far

The Bonaduces are on the move again. Actor Danny Bonaduce and his wife, Gretchen, have sold a Los Feliz house they bought in 2003, and they have purchased another home in the same neighborhood.

This time, they bought an Andalusian Spanish-style estate for slightly under $3 million. It has four bedrooms in 7,200 square feet and was built in 1926. The house was recently restored. It has a curved entry hall and a wrought-iron staircase. All first-floor rooms open to a courtyard with fountains. The living room has stenciled beam ceilings. The library has a fireplace.

The Bonaduces sold a four-bedroom, 3,700-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa, built in 1928, for about $2.2 million. The house has a new kitchen, a guesthouse with a kitchen, an outdoor dining area near the pool and a garden with a playhouse.

The Bonaduces just completed filming a reality television show expected to air on VH-1 in the fall. Former child star Danny Bonaduce, 45, played Danny in the '70s sitcom "The Partridge Family." For six years, ending in July, he was co-host of the morning drive-time show at KYSR-FM (98.7).

Lynne Beavers of Lynne Beavers & Associates represented the Bonaduces in their real estate transactions.

SILVERLAKE

August 8th, 2005, 01:29 AM

Lair in the hills would easily fit 2

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-07/18717236.jpg
By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

This Catwoman is preparing to nest. Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, who starred last year as Batman's comic-book paramour, announced in May that she was ready to have a child. Now, she has purchased a nearly $6-million home in the Hollywood Hills from Frankie Muniz, star of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle."

The 37-year-old Berry, who is single, may follow in the footsteps of actress Angelina Jolie and adopt a child, or else have a baby through artificial insemination. Berry, twice divorced, said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she had no plans to marry again.

The house, which she bought for its asking price, is Old World Tuscan in style. It was built in the 1920s but was extensively remodeled in 2003. The remodel, which took it down to the studs, resulted in high ceilings, archways, columns and bougainvillea-draped stucco walls.

The main house is about 4,500 square feet with four bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms. There is a 1,400-square-foot guesthouse with one bedroom and two bathrooms. The yard has a spa, a pool with a stone "diving board" and two fire pits made of lava rock. The home has a 10-car motor court and five-car garage.

A focal point is the eat-in kitchen, which features terra cotta floor tiles from France. There are five fireplaces, some made of stone, others of brick; surround sound throughout the house; city views; and a media room. That room includes a plasma screen that is hidden to maintain the Old World look.

Muniz, 19, sold the house to scale back. Earlier this year, he bought a nearby home for $3.9 million. The three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot house he purchased has a theater, a fire pit, a pool and a spa.

After buying that house, the actor became engaged while filming "Stay Alive" in New Orleans. His fiancée is a hairstylist.

Berry bought a Malibu home for $8 million in October, area Realtors said at the time. The four-bedroom home, on 60 feet of beach frontage, is considered a retreat.

Berry is the first African American woman to win a best actress Oscar. She won it for her role in "Monster's Ball" (2001). A year later, she played Jinx in the James Bond film "Die Another Day," starring Pierce Brosnan as Agent 007. Berry provided the voice of Cappy in the animated film "Robots," released earlier this year

Max Shapiro of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, handled the latest transaction.

Yankee BOY

August 8th, 2005, 03:54 AM

ur crazy. u really are.

SILVERLAKE

August 23rd, 2005, 02:25 AM

House of Pain DJ has joined his fellow hardcore Boston musical buddy, Dicky Barret of the Bosstones and now a hardcore in love with LA DJ for indie 103.1, as a full-time Angelino

Hollywood Hills

DJ Lethal, the 32-year-old member of the rap-rock band Limp Bizkit and formerly a DJ and beat producer with the rap group House of Pain, has sold his Sherman Oaks home for $1.65 million and bought a smaller Hollywood Hills residence for just under $1.4 million. He downsized for lower maintenance.

Lethal, also known as Leor Dimant, bought the Sherman Oaks home in December 2003, for nearly its asking price of $1.4 million. The home, built in 1962, has four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms in 3,700 square feet. The grounds have a koi pond, a waterfall, a fire pit and a pool.

He purchased a three-bedroom, two-bath house. The 2,100-square-foot home, built in 1926, is a sleek contemporary remodel with stainless-steel kitchen appliances, retractable awnings, designer glass tile, a pool and a spa.

Lethal was one of the DJs at this spring's Cinco de Mayo blowout at La Velvet Margarita in Hollywood, hosted by Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Carmen Electra.

Todd Marks of Prudential John Aaroe, Beverly Hills, had the listing on the house Lethal sold.

SILVERLAKE

August 23rd, 2005, 02:27 AM

Ex New Yorker Suzzane Pleshette...

8 simple rules for

move to Wilshire

It's all in the family — Bob Newhart's first TV family, anyway. Actress Suzanne Pleshette and her husband, actor Tom Poston, have sold their 14th-floor condo in West L.A. for slightly more than its $1.7-million asking price. The sale included a guest-staff studio on the first floor of the high-rise. The studio has a small kitchen, a walk-in cedar closet, a patio and a bathroom, redone in marble.

The 2,500-square-foot condo has two bedrooms and three bathrooms. There are city views, a fireplace in the living room and a den that has a built-in bar and bookshelves. The master bedroom suite has his-and-her dressing rooms and bathrooms.

The 92-unit, full-service building was constructed in 1964. Among the common amenities are tennis courts, a sun deck, a concierge, an exercise room, a controlled-access elevator and valet parking. A pool is on the roof, next to a recently completed party room.

The buyer is Patrick Oloughlin, an investment banker and hotelier who runs the Coast Inn in Laguna Beach and its nightclub, the Boom Boom Room.

Pleshette and Poston are moving to the Wilshire Corridor to be closer to their off-screen family. The couple, married in May 2001, both appeared on "The Bob Newhart Show" on CBS (1972-78). Poston portrayed Newhart's college chum. Pleshette, who played Newhart's wife, reprised her role for a cameo in the last episode of Newhart's second hit series on CBS (1982-90).

More recently, Pleshette, 68, has appeared on the sitcoms "Will and Grace" and "Good Morning, Miami." She also played the mother of Katey Sagal's character on "8 Simple Rules."

Poston, 83, played Lord Palimore in the movie "Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement" (2004) and was cast opposite Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis in the comedy film "Christmas With the Kranks" (2004).

Jeffrey J. Hobgood of Sotheby's International Realty, Beverly Hills, represented the buyer. Judy Feder of Nourmand & Associates, Beverly Hills, had the listing.

SILVERLAKE

August 23rd, 2005, 02:30 AM

Ex Chicagoan Quincy Jones finally has his Westside Dream

A dream vibe on the Westside

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By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

It all started in Seattle, singing in a gospel quartet when he was 12, playing trumpet and French horn when he was 15.

Quincy Jones, multitalented musician and composer, film and TV producer and recipient of nearly 80 Grammy Award nominations, has sold his longtime Bel-Air home for close to its $5.4-million asking price.

The 72-year-old icon — who was involved in the careers of and arranged music for such entertainers as Peggy Lee, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams and Sarah Vaughan — had owned the house for about 20 years. He bought it after singer Julio Iglesias made it famous in his 1984 album, "1100 Bel Air Place." Iglesias was a tenant in the home at one time.

The three-story wood-and-brick house has six bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms in 5,500 square feet. Built in 1948, the property is walled and gated. It has a library that once held considerable memorabilia, a family room with a fireplace, a large kitchen with a wood-beam ceiling and a pool. The master suite has city views and his-and-her bathrooms.

Jones has moved to his dream home — a 25,000- to 30,000-square-foot compound that he had built on the Westside. It took years for him to acquire the adjoining parcels he needed to create the estate. The compound has a screening room, a recording studio, offices, guest suites for his friends, a tennis court, a pool, city-to-ocean views and a private gated driveway. The estate is on a private street.

The groundbreaking recording artist, who in his younger years played with Lionel Hampton's orchestra and other big bands, has composed the scores to 33 films. Winner of 26 Grammys, an Emmy for the score for "Roots" and seven Oscars, he has produced dozens of platinum albums and a number of TV series, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990-96). He is founder and chairman of Vibe magazine and, in 1990, was awarded France's Legion of Honor.

Listing agents Stephen and Max Shapiro, both with Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, declined to comment on the sale.

SILVERLAKE

August 31st, 2005, 12:32 AM

He's investigating Hancock Park

Neal McDonough, who will costar in Steven Spielberg's upcoming Clint Eastwood-directed film "Flags of Our Fathers," has listed his two-bedroom Hollywood Hills home of about three years at $869,000, and he has purchased a five-bedroom Hancock Park home for $2.7 million. McDonough played Dr. Stephen Connor in the NBC series "Medical Investigation."

The 1,268-square-foot Spanish-style house he's selling was built in 1966. It has plantation shutters and treetop views and a yard with a spa, a bar and a fire pit. The home also has a two-car garage.

The 1922 house he bought has four bathrooms in slightly more than 4,000 square feet. There is also a small guesthouse.

McDonough, 39, starred as the alcoholic district attorney David McNorris in the NBC crime series "Boomtown." He costarred with Tom Cruise in the film "Minority Report" (2002) and played 1st Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" (2001).

Frank Barbano at Keller Williams Realty has the listing.

SILVERLAKE

August 31st, 2005, 12:33 AM

Room for a Vegas show, girl

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By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

There's always been something larger than life about Raquel Welch, who has put her generously sized Beverly Hills area home on the market for $4.5 million.

Welch, who plays an ex-Las Vegas showgirl opposite Burt Reynolds in the upcoming comedy "Forget About It," has owned the house only since 2002, but she's apparently ready for a change.

Or maybe just something smaller? The 8,000-square-foot house has 10 -- yes, 10 -- bathrooms.

Everything about the place was done large: The gated villa has a two-story entry with a sweeping staircase, a living room with 14-foot ceilings opening to a terrace, a huge outdoor living room with a fireplace, and enormous, two-story closets that would make even Imelda Marcos blush.

The home also has five bedrooms, a maid's quarters, formal dining room and a chef's-style gourmet kitchen. Welch, 64, gained fame as a pinup girl when she wore a fur bikini in the 1966 movie "One Million Years B.C." She made her Broadway debut in 1981, succeeding Lauren Bacall in "Woman of the Year." And in 1997, she replaced Julie Andrews in "Victor/Victoria" on Broadway.

Since then, Welch has had a supporting role in the movie "Legally Blonde" and co-starred with Hector Elizondo in the movie "Tortilla Soup," a remake of "Eat Drink Man Woman," set in L.A.'s Latino community. She also played Aunt Dora on the TV series "American Family" (2002-04), starring Edward James Olmos and Sonia Braga.

Brett Lawyer at Sotheby's International Realty, Sunset Strip, has the listing.

fredcalif

August 31st, 2005, 01:58 AM

Good thread my friend Silvelake
Anything that is about LA and California is good.
The more I know about the Golden State, the more I like it

fredcalif

August 31st, 2005, 01:59 AM

YOu are lucky Silverlake, that you live in that great State.
One day I will move back there.

SILVERLAKE

September 5th, 2005, 07:59 PM

A place to spend his 'Idol' time

Simon Fuller, creator of the "American Idol" franchise, has purchased a Beverly Hills home for about $8.5 million.

The estate has five bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms in slightly more than 5,000 square feet. Country French in style, the house, built in 1925, was renovated in the '80s. The grounds have a pool and pool pavilion, a spa and a guesthouse.

Fuller, a British music mogul in his early 40s, manages the careers of Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Kelly Clarkson and other "Idol" stars and is the longtime manager of Annie Lennox and former manager of the Spice Girls.

SILVERLAKE

September 5th, 2005, 08:01 PM

Dean at USC has designs elsewhere

Robert Timme, dean of the USC School of Architecture, and his wife, Candace, have listed their Los Feliz home at just under $2.2 million.

Built in 1923, the home was designed by architect Arthur Kelly, who also designed what is known today as the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills.

Before the Timmes bought it, the Los Feliz home was owned by Herbert Leonard, producer of such '50s TV fare as "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin." Leonard also was creator of the multiple-Emmy-winning New York police series "Naked City."

The 4,500-square-foot, Tudor-style house has four bedrooms plus maid's quarters, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a step-down living room, a formal dining room, a library, a detached two-car garage and a pool. There is an enclosed loggia with a Batchelder tile fountain.

Crosby Doe and J.R. Davidson of Mossler & Doe, Beverly Hills, have the listing.

SILVERLAKE

September 5th, 2005, 08:05 PM

Trying her luck on the Westside

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Debra Messing

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

We've heard of lucky stars, lucky charms and lucky pennies. Now actress Debra Messing and her husband, actor-screenwriter Dan Zelman, have put their "lucky house" on the market at just under $1.3 million.

What's lucky about it? On the same April day in 1998 that they closed escrow on this Hollywood Hills three-bedroom, Messing got "the call" — she had landed the costarring role in the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace." The series is approaching its eighth and final season, and, four Emmy nominations and one win later, Messing, 37, is now trying her luck in the movies. She costarred with Dermot Mulroney in "The Wedding Date," released in February, and plays opposite Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall in "Lucky You," (what else?) due out in September 2006.

The couple used the 2,000-square-foot house as their primary residence for about six years, escaping there while they remodeled the seven-bedroom, 6,400-square-foot Westside Paul Williams-designed home that they purchased from actress Renée Zellweger in 2003 for close to $7.5 million.

"They loved the little house, but now they're done with it," said listing agent Loren Judd of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills. The Spanish-style two-story, built in 1926, exudes Old World charm. The kitchen and two bathrooms have been modernized.

SILVERLAKE

September 5th, 2005, 08:14 PM

Damn I need to move to this neigborhood. I would love to hang out with cameron and lindsey on a roof top pool. Ah, to be so young, so good looking, so hip and so rich, so LA.

She's cornering the Sunset Strip

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A change of fortune also may be following actress-singer Lindsay Lohan — who stars in the upcoming movie "Just My Luck." Lohan just closed escrow on a three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot condo in a Sunset Strip-area complex for about its $1.9-million asking price.

Matthew Perry of "Friends" fame bought a two-bedroom, 1,700-square-foot unit in the same building in May for slightly more than $2.5 million, furnished.

Since it was built in the '60s, the complex has been home to a number of people in the entertainment industry.

The latest purchases reflect Young Hollywood's interest in living in the area, whether in houses or condos. Tobey Maguire, Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio have all bought homes in Lohan's new neighborhood.

Lohan's condo is a corner unit with 2 1/2 bathrooms, walls of glass, a balcony and views. The building also has a rooftop pool, a gym, a sauna, a concierge and valet parking.

Lohan, 19, signed a long-term, multi-album contract with Tommy Mottola's Casablanca Records in 2004. She played the owner of a Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own in Disney's "Herbie: Fully Loaded," released in June.

SILVERLAKE

September 19th, 2005, 12:59 AM

Quaids say so long to Brentwood Park

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After 15 years, Dennis Quaid is saying goodbye to his Brentwood home, which went into escrow last week after barely coming on the market.

Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, have moved into the Pacific Palisades house they bought just before their first wedding anniversary on July 4.

The Brentwood Park home, which the actor shared with actress Meg Ryan before they were divorced in 2001, was listed at just under $6.5 million. And who had the listing? Kimberly herself. She's a real estate agent in the Coldwell Banker, Brentwood East office.

The house, behind gates, has six bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in slightly more than 6,300 square feet. It's on a corner lot with a large, flat lawn and mature trees.

A traditional home reminiscent of the Hamptons and built in 1917, it has a wide front porch, private balconies and a slate roof.

The house was recently updated with stainless-steel kitchen appliances, a family/media room and a gym. The house also has hardwood floors and crown moldings.

The Quaids' new home is 8,400 square feet in size and cost about $8 million. They gutted the formal interiors and refinished them for a more casual, down-home look. The 51-year-old actor is from Texas, where he met Kimberly in 2003.

Quaid plays a U.S. president in the upcoming film "American Dreamz." He also will appear in a remake of "Yours, Mine and Ours," opposite Rene Russo, and he played the Jimmy Stewart role in the 2004 remake of the action-adventure "Flight of the Phoenix."

SILVERLAKE

September 19th, 2005, 01:02 AM

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From 'Dogtown' to the Sunset Strip

Samantha Lockwood, who played Johnny Knoxville's girlfriend in the movie "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), has bought her first home — a townhouse in the Sunset Strip area for $815,000.

The contemporary-style unit has two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,200 square feet.

Lockwood, 23, is the daughter of actor Gary Lockwood, who appeared in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 classic, "2001: A Space Odyssey."

The actress was represented in her purchase by Michael Hiatt at Prudential California Realty in Brentwood. Christie St. James, of the same firm in Beverly Hills, had the listing.

SILVERLAKE

September 19th, 2005, 01:04 AM

You'll be back!

Chicago's his kind of town

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Chicago's his kind of town

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Breaking up with Los Feliz isn't hard to do for Vince Vaughn, who just finished filming "The Break Up" with Jennifer Aniston in Chicago and decided to part company with the City of Angels and move to the Windy City. His 3,000-square-foot Mediterranean in Los Feliz recently sold for nearly $4 million.

The actor, who costarred with Owen Wilson and Christopher Walken in "Wedding Crashers" and was featured with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," will use Chicago as his base of operations for a while. "The Break Up" was based on an idea of Vaughn's, and he influenced the decision to have it filmed in Chicago, where he was raised.

Vaughn, 35, bought his Los Feliz home in 1991, two years after relocating to Southern California.

The private, gated estate is on a knoll in a neighborhood known as the Oaks. The home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms and sits on about half an acre with lush gardens surrounding the pool and patios.

The house, built in 1930, has old-world charm. It also has air conditioning, a satellite dish, a hot tub and canyon views.

Victoria Massengale of Coldwell Banker, Sunset Boulevard, represented the buyers. Kirk Psenner and Karen Lower of Sotheby's International Realty, Los Feliz, had the listing.

digital_slash

September 19th, 2005, 02:40 AM

So wait...is Vince living in Chicago or working out of SoCal?

SILVERLAKE

October 2nd, 2005, 12:03 AM

It sounds like he is moving back to his hometown.

SILVERLAKE

October 2nd, 2005, 12:07 AM

Not a bad profit on a place hey only held for three years.

A Neff, but enough is enough

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

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By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, whose highly publicized breakup in January made as much of a splash as their million-dollar fairy tale wedding in 2000, have quietly listed their Beverly Hills estate for $28 million.

Last week, a select group of Realtors got a peek inside. Little evidence remains of the actors, who decided to sell the acre-plus estate as part of their divorce settlement. The closets are empty and the furniture, except for the bed in the master suite, is gone.

The stars, who only lived in the home for a year or two, have moved on, both to Malibu, where he bought a midcentury home for $8 million in April and she has been renting a $15-million house since spring. Both also have Hollywood Hills homes that they purchased before they were married.

They bought the refurbished Wallace Neff-designed Beverly Hills home for about $13.5 million in 2001. (Neff, "architect to the stars" from the 1930s to the '60s, has an avid following among Hollywood's current generation.) The pair then spent two years working on the French Normandy house, built in the '30s for actor Fredric March.

The couple's tastes in décor are among their differences. She likes comfy, he likes modern, among other styles — his Los Feliz home, which he restored, is a Craftsman. Pitt is known to have an obsession with architecture.

Realty agents who have seen the house report it has some high-end features: a screening room with 35mm equipment and black leather seating; Brazilian mahogany floors; a stainless-steel kitchen; and an art studio with skylights. The lacquer finish on the white living room walls was likened by one to the glossy surface of a Ferrari.

The master bedroom suite had separate sitting rooms, one for him and one for her. One was turned into an enormous closet. There are also three guest suites.

On the ground level, a pub has walls of glass opening to an outdoor fireplace, pool and spa. A lawn leads to a north-south-aligned tennis court.

The exterior of the walled and gated 10,000-plus-square-foot house was meticulously restored to its original look. The couple planned to build a guesthouse but never started construction.

Kurt Rappaport and Stephen Shapiro at Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, share the listing with Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills. Do they jointly represent the couple, or is it a case of his-and-hers agents? All refused to comment.

SILVERLAKE

October 3rd, 2005, 12:51 AM

Wow, just think about their agents. 7% commission on this is close to 2,000,000. Even if they have to split 3-4 ways, that's still 500,000. Let's all go into real estate in LA :) :cheers:

Not a bad profit on a place hey only held for three years.

A Neff, but enough is enough

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2005-09/19742762.jpg

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, whose highly publicized breakup in January made as much of a splash as their million-dollar fairy tale wedding in 2000, have quietly listed their Beverly Hills estate for $28 million.

Last week, a select group of Realtors got a peek inside. Little evidence remains of the actors, who decided to sell the acre-plus estate as part of their divorce settlement. The closets are empty and the furniture, except for the bed in the master suite, is gone.

The stars, who only lived in the home for a year or two, have moved on, both to Malibu, where he bought a midcentury home for $8 million in April and she has been renting a $15-million house since spring. Both also have Hollywood Hills homes that they purchased before they were married.

They bought the refurbished Wallace Neff-designed Beverly Hills home for about $13.5 million in 2001. (Neff, "architect to the stars" from the 1930s to the '60s, has an avid following among Hollywood's current generation.) The pair then spent two years working on the French Normandy house, built in the '30s for actor Fredric March.

The couple's tastes in décor are among their differences. She likes comfy, he likes modern, among other styles — his Los Feliz home, which he restored, is a Craftsman. Pitt is known to have an obsession with architecture.

Realty agents who have seen the house report it has some high-end features: a screening room with 35mm equipment and black leather seating; Brazilian mahogany floors; a stainless-steel kitchen; and an art studio with skylights. The lacquer finish on the white living room walls was likened by one to the glossy surface of a Ferrari.

The master bedroom suite had separate sitting rooms, one for him and one for her. One was turned into an enormous closet. There are also three guest suites.

On the ground level, a pub has walls of glass opening to an outdoor fireplace, pool and spa. A lawn leads to a north-south-aligned tennis court.

The exterior of the walled and gated 10,000-plus-square-foot house was meticulously restored to its original look. The couple planned to build a guesthouse but never started construction.

Kurt Rappaport and Stephen Shapiro at Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, share the listing with Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills. Do they jointly represent the couple, or is it a case of his-and-hers agents? All refused to comment.

SILVERLAKE

October 30th, 2005, 10:54 PM

HOT PROPERTY
The Strip gets a little more hip

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

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Hip-hop may have been born poor in 1970s New York, but it doesn't live there anymore. Russell Simmons, widely recognized for taking rap and hip-hop into the mainstream, and his wife, Kimora Lee, have purchased a Sunset Strip-area home for close to $5.3 million.

The house has a rare amenity for its bustling locale, where parking is at a premium: a motor court with room for five cars, in addition to a two-car garage.

The gated Mediterranean has five bedrooms and four bathrooms in 5,800 square feet. Built in 1988, the villa has high ceilings and stone floors.

Outside, the home is described in the Multiple Listing Service entry as "fully equipped for entertaining" with an outdoor kitchen, a fireplace and a pool.

Simmons liked the estate's privacy and proximity to Sunset Boulevard. The 17,000-plus-square-foot lot, considered large for the area, and city views from the master bedroom also were draws.

The couple make their East Coast home in New Jersey. They formerly lived in New York, where he grew up. Simmons put his Manhattan penthouse on the market at $11 million in June. The 13-room, 7,000-square-foot property has media, meditation and game rooms and was once featured on the MTV series "Cribs." The building was damaged in the Sept. 11 attacks but was renovated before Simmons listed it.

The hip-hop mogul, in his late 40s, announced in April the formation of Russell Simmons Music Group, a partnership with Island Def Jam Music Group.

He rose to fame in the '80s when he co-founded the Def Jam label, which he popularized with the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. Simmons sold Def Jam in 1999 for $100 million. He also produced the HBO series "Def Comedy Jam" and "Def Poetry Jam."

His wife heads Baby Phat, a clothing line for women.

Valerie Fitzgerald of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, had the listing, according to public records.

SILVERLAKE

October 30th, 2005, 10:55 PM

265 acres: That's some backyard

There have been some large parcels of land for sale on the Westside in recent years, but this is a whopper: 265 acres in the Moraga Canyon area of Bel-Air. The asking price is $35 million.

The undisclosed seller is looking for a buyer like billionaire Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Corp., who owns the 120-acre Kollsman estate in the Beverly Hills area and is keeping it all for himself. In other words, developers need not inquire yet.

"Our vision is to find a family or an individual to grow vineyards and put in a putting green," said Drew Mandile, who has the listing with Brooke Knapp of Sotheby's International Realty, Beverly Hills.

"Create a compound," their flier suggests. "Use your imagination." The property has a forest, stream, hills and views from the city to the sea.

SILVERLAKE

October 31st, 2005, 05:11 PM

Heir to ship out of Beverly Hills

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Paris Hilton's ex-fiancé, Paris Latsis, has listed his Beverly Hills-area home at $13.8 million.

The Greek shipping heir, 22, reportedly put his house on the market before the hotel heiress and reality-TV star, 24, announced in late September that their four-month engagement had come to an end.

Latsis decided to sell the house because it is too big for him, area real estate agents said.

The house, built in 2004, has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms in about 12,000 square feet and sits on nearly 4 acres in a gated community with canyon and city views.

SILVERLAKE

October 31st, 2005, 05:13 PM

HOT PROPERTY
L.A. really has a hold on him

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By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Legendary Motown artist Smokey Robinson and his wife, Frances, have listed their estate in a gated Chatsworth development at $10.5 million. Furnishings are extra.

The singer-songwriter, who recently released the album "My World: The Definitive Collection," and his wife, an interior designer, will live primarily in Las Vegas, where they have a home. They plan to build a smaller one in Chatsworth.

"We will always have a home in the L.A. area," she said, adding that they decided to sell "because this is just too much house for us."

With 9,000 square feet on 2 1/2 acres, according to the Multiple Listing Service, the house has seven bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms. It was built in 1990.

The Robinsons bought the home three years ago, and Frances took a year to redo it. She designed the crystal and wrought-iron chandelier in the three-story domed entry, which has a sweeping staircase; replaced marble with cherrywood on the floors; and created a 35mm soundproof theater with eight reclining leather chairs.

There are three family rooms, three kitchens, 10 fireplaces, a wine cellar and a gym. The master bath has a sauna and a fireplace. Another bedroom is used strictly for his golf gear.

Motown founder Berry Gordy — a prominent figure in Robinson's career as a singer, leader of the R&B group the Miracles and producer of other Motown greats — is often a guest and has his own bedroom staked out.

The estate has a couple of nooks and crannies where Smokey likes to work. "He writes in his office and could cut a record in the room if he wanted," said Frances, while ushering around visitors.

In the backyard, past a pool, spa, waterfalls, detached guesthouse and outdoor living room, there is a red-rock bluff where Smokey goes to write songs.

Frances designed a wood-paneled room with a kitchen, which she calls the "men's room," as a place for her husband and his friends to hang out. The room has a pool table, chess set, plasma TV and cabinet displaying his 2003 National Medal of Arts and other awards.

Winner of a lifetime achievement Grammy, Robinson, 65, performs regularly around the country. He has written more than 4,000 songs, including such hits as "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "My Girl" and "The Tracks of My Tears." Elaine Young and Barbara Eisner of Paramount Rodeo Realty, Beverly Hills, have the listing.

SILVERLAKE

November 9th, 2005, 07:13 PM

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Halle Berry gutted, then redesigned the Hollywood Hills home she bought in July from "Malcolm in the Middle" star Frankie Muniz, 19, for nearly $6 million. The Old World Tuscan, built in the '20s, was also taken down to its studs in 2003.

Now the Oscar-winning actress, who starred this year in the ABC-TV adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," has put her former home in the Hollywood Hills, built in 1989, on the market at $4.5 million.

The three-bedroom, 4,300-square-foot contemporary has an open floor plan, a master suite with a private terrace, a kitchen with granite counters and commercial appliances, and a private pool with city views.

Berry, 39, also has a home in Malibu that she purchased a year ago for $8 million.

SILVERLAKE

November 9th, 2005, 07:14 PM

More room to store the javelins

By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

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Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner and his wife, Kris, have listed their French Country-style manor in a gated Calabasas community. Asking price: $2.7 million.

Jenner won the gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and soon found his way onto the front of the Wheaties box. Now a motivational speaker and author, he lives in the 4,600-square-foot house with his wife and some of their 10 children.

"It changes on a daily basis, but there are always at least four at home," Kris Jenner said. That's why she and her husband decided to sell.

The house that they have owned for almost two years is too small for them, she said. "It's a great house. It's just not big enough." The children range in age from 8 to 21.

The Calabasas house was built in 2000 and has five bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms. It sits on almost an acre.

The couple is building a 10,000-square-foot home on equestrian-zoned land in the San Fernando Valley. One of their daughters likes to ride horses, but the house will be more Cape Cod than ranch.

In their next residence, the Jenners will have many of the features of their Calabasas home — hardwood floors, granite counters, stainless appliances, game and bonus rooms, a pool and spa, a barbecue center and covered patios. But the size of the garage (four cars instead of three) and the size and style of the house will be different.

"We love a project," Kris Jenner said. Theirs is estimated to be completed in three months.

"Then, after 16 years of marriage and all these kids later, we will be moving the brood," she said.

After the 1976 Games, Jenner, now 56, became a TV personality, sports commentator, author ("Finding the Champion Within") and costar, with his wife, of their own series of infomercials featuring health and fitness products.

Marc and Rory Shevin at Coldwell Banker, Calabasas, have the listing.

SILVERLAKE

November 15th, 2005, 07:44 PM

BUMMER. MOMA TAPS MOCA curator. I don't see how she can leave the nation's best contemporary art museum. Well I guess MOMA is the nation's best modern one.

A Silver Lake Schindler: sweet

It took a cross-country move by its owners to bring this Silver Lake house, designed by Austrian-born architect Rudolf M. Schindler, on the market.

The relocation involves Connie Butler, curator at Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art, and her husband, artist and Art Center College of Design instructor David Schafer.

Butler accepted a job with New York's Museum of Modern Art as chief curator of drawings for the Robert Lehman Foundation. As a result, she and Schafer listed their Schindler home at just under $1.9 million.

The three-story, 2,300-square-foot house, built in 1938 and updated, has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, an office and views of Silver Lake reservoir from every level.

SILVERLAKE

November 15th, 2005, 07:46 PM

It's equal parts jokes and joists
Photos

Adam Carolla

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By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer

Reality TV has brought comedy to real estate. Adam Carolla, host of a new Comedy Central talk show, will find out soon if he can get more than $1 million for his old boyhood home.

The Valley Village traditional is featured in the TLC reality series "The Adam Carolla Project," which airs in 13 episodes. The asking price is $1,049,000.

During the show, whose fifth episode will be shown this week, Carolla, 41, paid his father $739,000 for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with leaky pipes and a decaying roof.

"It was a total fixer," said listing broker Karen Misraje of Sotheby's International Realty, Sunset Boulevard.

The comedian took the San Fernando Valley house down to the studs with a construction crew "of unemployable idiots," as he described them. One preferred to do masonry work in his bare feet.

Leading the crew in renovating and expanding the 1,668-square-foot house, Carolla, who was once a carpenter, hammered out jokes and advice while taking the audience behind the scenes.

By the filming of the 13th segment, the 1937 house was ready for its close-up. There is a newly redone, enlarged master-bedroom suite, a great room, a gourmet kitchen, a family room with a fireplace and a new saltwater pool. Central air conditioning and heating were added.

Carolla wired the house for plasma TVs, a security system and room-to-room data networking. At the rear of the garage, he created a room that can be used as a home office, gym or workshop. The house has a lawn for playground equipment.

In early 2006, Carolla will replace Howard Stern in Western radio markets, including L.A., of Infinity Broadcasting. He was co-host with Dr. Drew Pinsky of the nationally syndicated call-in radio show "Loveline."

Carolla's new Comedy Central talk show is "Too Late With Adam Carolla."