Rivalry finds new home in the Ecclestone family
“Merciless feminine fray” dep’t: Say what you want about the daughters of Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, but they do know how to spend money.
Tamara owns a $70-million mansion in London, and last year her little sister Petra bought the old Candy Spelling place in L.A., with the gift-wrapping room and all, for $85 million.
Now Tamara is ready to riposte, says Radar Online: She’s closing in on buying what Forbes mag deemed, in 2008, the most expensive residence in the world. It’s a Holmby Hills estate called Fleur de Lys, modelled — of course — after Versailles, and on the market for $125 million. The seller is Suzanne
Saperstein, who got it in the divorce settlement after her billionaire husband ran off with their Swedish nanny. The place has 45,000 square feet, 12 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, and a nine-car garage.
“Tamara and Petra have always had a very strong sibling rivalry,” Don’t Usemyname told Radar.
Tamara is 28. Petra is 23.
Speaking of real estate, TMZ. com says Michael Jordan, the basketball immortal, is building a $12.4-million, 11-bedroom home in Jupiter, Fla., complete with a private theatre with special ventilation so he can smoke cigars in it.
Spotlight couple: Russell Crowe, who split with longtime main squeeze Danielle Spencer this year, was spotted “in an intense flirtatious conversation” with TV chef and food writer Katie Lee. You’ll recall that she was married to the much older Billy Joel for five years until 2009.
(Really, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard. Reminds me of the old New Yorker cartoon of the two Hollywood children: one says to the other “Hey, didn’t your dad used to be married to my mom?” But I digress.)
Crowe’s people are giving out the usual “just friends” line.
Katie’s 31. Russ is 48. Billy is 63.
Oh, shut up: Starlet Lea Michele of Glee has drawn quite a lot of attention with her low-cut red-carpet gowns this season. It’s no coincidence, she told Marie Claire mag, and the N.Y. tabloids cheerfully passed on the comment:
“These babies are great. They are my prizewinners,” she said with a downward glance. “They were nervous to make their appearance but feel they’ve earned their place. So they asked if they could come out, and I was like, ‘All right, you guys.’ They definitely rose to the occasion, so I’m going to continue to give them more opportunities.”
She’s 26.
It’s not easy being vegan: Anne Hathaway showed up at the New York première of her movie Les Misérables the other night in a black gown and some strange black high-heel sandals with straps that twisted up and around to past her knees — “with a handful of strappy buckles thrown in for a dominatrix feel,” says the Daily Telegraph.
Sure enough, the Tom-Ford-designed footwear was made not of leather but some synthetic.
There was also an unfortunate incident involving her split skirt when she pivoted to get out of her car at some related event, but we won’t dwell on that.
What’s that? Yup, I’m hard at work on the year-ender; watch for it Dec. 22. Suggestions welcome, at the email address below, especially for the “enough already” list of what got over-reported in 2012.