Cowell moving on to next round, this time in Malibu
LOS ANGELES — Simon Cowell, known to most as a judge on The X Factor and America’s Got Talent, has bought a compound in Malibu for $24 million US. He’s also quietly shopping his Beverly Hills home in the $30-million range.
The Malibu home is behind gates on a blufftop of about two acres with expansive lawns, gardens, a lighted tennis court and a swimming pool. It has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and more than 8,600 square feet of living space.
Venetian plaster walls and Beaumaniere stone floors are among the interior details. There are five fireplaces, including two in the master suite.
An abundance of outdoor living space, a koi pond and ocean views add to the resort-like vibe of the one-storey house.
The home he’s selling lies in the Trousdale neighbourhood and centres on a Hal Levitt-designed home of about 7,300 square feet. Cowell bought the property six years ago from former AEG Live chief Randy Phillips for $15.5 million and has extensively updated the property.
Features of the four-bedroom, sixbathroom midcentury house include a screening room and a formal dining room with walls of glass. Views take in the cityscape.
Cowell, 58, is the founder and chief of Syco, the British entertainment company responsible for The X Factor and Got Talent franchises.
A new storyline on the west side
Dame Joan Collins and her husband, film producer Percy Gibson, have bought a condominium in a full-service building in the Wilshire Corridor for $2.1 million.
A move appeared in the cards for Collins this year when she listed her longtime residence at the Sierra Towers for sale. The two-bedroom, threebathroom condo sold in August for $4.4 million.
Her new place is a north-facing unit with more than 3,000 square feet of interior space, floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the mountains and cityscape. Living spaces include a great room with a fireplace, a formal dining room and a Poggenpohl-outfitted kitchen. A private terrace sits off the breakfast area.
There are three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, including a master suite with a Jacuzzi and two walk-in closets.
Two parking spaces and storage space were included in the sale. A secured elevator, valet parking and concierge services are among building amenities.
Collins, 84, has scores of television and film credits, including the musical comedy The Opposite Sex (1956) and Dynasty, for which she won a Golden Globe.
More recently, Collins appeared in the shows Happily Divorced and The Royals.
She starred opposite Pauline Collins and Franco Nero in this year’s film comedy The Time of Their Lives.
Townhouse with something extra
Television host and producer Tracey Edmonds has put her updated townhome in Century City on the market for $1.429 million.
Set within a guard-gated complex, the nearly 2,200-square-foot unit has a fireplace, two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
Features include maple-wood floors, recessed lighting and a wet bar shared by the open living and dining rooms.
The eat-in kitchen is equipped with a farmhouse-style sink and granite countertops. Italian marble details, a custom closet and a free-standing tub by designer Laura Kirar highlight the master suite.
The three-car garage has direct access to the residence. Building amenities include 24-hour security, five swimming pools and a fitness centre.
Edmonds, 50, has producer credits that include the 1997 film Soul Food and the shows College Hill and Deion’s Family Playbook.
During the past three years she cohosted the syndication newsmagazine Extra.
Parting with presidential history
John Wells, executive producer of such TV hits as ER, The West Wing and Shameless, has sold his home in L.A.’s historic Hancock Park neighbourhood for slightly more than $12.41 million. He bought the property through a trust a decade ago for $10.4 million, records show.
Built in 1925, the English Revivalstyle residence was once visited by former U.S. president Barack Obama, who in 2010 attended a fundraiser hosted by Wells.
The handsome brick house has 9,676 square feet of space that includes a formal living room, a wood-panelled library and a centre-island kitchen. A gym and office/studio are on the third floor. Including the pool pavilion and guest apartment above the garage, there are nine bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
Gardens, specimen trees, a greenhouse, a swimming pool and a lighted tennis court make up the grounds.
The sale represents the most paid for a single-family home in the Hancock Park area since 2015, when actors Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith sold their marital home for $15.947 million, records show.
Wells, 61, has received multiple Primetime Emmys for his work on ER and The West Wing. He is the creator and executive producer of American Woman, an upcoming sitcom starring Alicia Silverstone and based on the life of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personality Kyle Richards.