Jolie buys estate where DeMille lived
LOS ANGELES — Film star Angelina Jolie has bought a mansion in Los Angeles for $24.5 million US.
Found behind gates in the Laughlin Park area of Los Feliz, the two-plus-acre estate was home to early filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille for about 40 years.
Following DeMille’s death in 1959, it was maintained by the movie mogul’s family for three decades until it was sold in 1988.
The classical-style main house, built in 1913, has been restored and renovated in the spirit of its original vintage while incorporating modern upgrades.
Details include delicate moulding and wainscoting, scaled formal areas and arched French doors. There are four fireplaces, one of them in the master bedroom.
Also within the 11,000 square feet of interior space are a grand foyer, a formal living room, a wood-panelled dining room, six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. The kitchen has been remodelled and features a broad centre island.
Outside, concrete steps lead through formal gardens, sitting areas and specimen trees. A pool house sits across from the swimming pool, which has cascading fountains on either side.
The property has views of the city lights and ocean. A guesthouse has a separate entrance.
The property came to market in March for $24.95 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows. In April, based on 16 sales, the median sales price for single-family homes in the area was $1.65 million, down 5.7 per cent year over year, according to CoreLogic.
Jolie, 41, won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2004. Her acting credits include such films as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and The Tourist (2010). Last year, she lent her voice to the animated comedy Kung Fu Panda 3.
Pumpkins’ Corgan sells in Beverly Hills
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has sold his Beverly Hills home of about eight years for $3.9 million.
The traditional-style house, built in 1947, sits on a threequarter-acre lot that includes a two-room guesthouse.
A swimming pool, an outdoor fireplace, lush landscaping, mature trees and a brook-fed pond make up the grounds. The 3,267 square feet of living space contains living and dining rooms, an updated kitchen, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. There are fireplaces in the den, living room and master bedroom. Bay windows look out to garden views.
The property had been listed for $4.15 million, according to the MLS. Corgan, by way of a trust, bought the property in 2009 for $3.85 million.
Corgan, 50, is a co-founder, lead vocalist and guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins. The alternative rock band has hits including Tonight, Tonight, Cherub Rock and Stand Inside Your Love.
Mötley Crüe’s Lee hopes to drum up interest
Tommy Lee, of Mötley Crüe fame, is asking $4.995 million, about $500 per square foot, for his home in a guard-gated Calabasas community in Los Angeles County.
Built in 1987, the exotic-vibe three-storey is amped up with a range of rock-star amenities including a recording studio, a movie theatre, an indoor spa, two kitchens, a central atrium with cascading waterfalls and a retractable glass roof.
The nearly 10,000 square feet of living space also has formal living and dining rooms, a library/ office and a wine room. A wet bar and lounge area sit off the atrium. The black-hued master suite has a massive walk-in closet for a total of five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms.
The landscaped grounds centre on a piano-shaped swimming pool with a spa and waterfall feature. Two patios, outdoor fireplaces and custom torch lighting fill out the setting.
Views from the more than quarter-acre site take in the valley and city lights.
Lee, 54, is a founding member of Mötley Crüe and the rock band Methods of Mayhem.
More recently, the drummer songwriter has collaborated with artists such as the Bloody Beetroots, Courtney Love and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Yolanda Foster, of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has sold her condominium at the Carlyle Residences in Westwood, Los Angeles, for the asking price of $4.995 million.
The three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit on the 16th floor has been glammed up with crystal chandeliers, designer wallpaper and crown moulding. Remote-controlled shades cover floor-to-ceiling windows at the push of a button.
Within nearly 4,000 square feet of living space are a living room with a fireplace, a centre-island kitchen, a den, three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. An oversized walkin closet is among features of the master suite.
A second-floor guest suite and three parking spaces were also included in the sale.
Former model Foster, 53, left The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last year after appearing on the reality TV series from 2012-16. She is the mother of fashion models Gigi and Bella Hadid.
Foster bought the unit two years ago for $4.59 million.
Studio boss selling property in Bel-Air
James Robinson, chairman and chief executive of the film studio Morgan Creek Productions, has listed his estate on an acre in Bel-Air for sale at $23.95 million.
The Colonial Revival-style house, built in 1935, has a symmetrical, wide front and a twostorey portico supported by four broad pillars. Sets of black shutters create visual contrast against the whitepainted facade.
Inside, grand living spaces recall an era of entertaining and luxury. Parquet and tile floors, crown moulding and wainscoting are among the appointments. The family room centres on a speakeasy-style bar. There are five bedrooms, six bathrooms and four fireplaces.
A swimming pool, outdoor kitchen and brick patio with a fountain sit at the rear of the property.
Also within the grounds is a threebedroom guesthouse and a detached three-car garage.
The property last changed hands in 1993 for $2.5 million, property records show.
Robinson co-founded Morgan Creek Productions in 1988 with former 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios chairman Joe Roth.
The film studio has released such box-office hits as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994).
More recently, Morgan Creek Productions co-produced All Eyez on Me, the biographical film about the late rapper Tupac Shakur.