Jennifer Lopez lists Bel-Air home at $8.5 million

Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez has listed her French farmhouse estate in Bel-Air at $8.5 million. J-Lo, her singer husband, Marc Anthony, and their 9-month-old fraternal twins have been the subject of ongoing sightings in the Long Island community of Brookville, fueling speculation that they have relocated to New York. And she thought the 405 was bad?

The house that the pair just listed has four bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in 7,357 square feet. The walled and gated villa sits on three-quarters of an acre and, according to the Multiple Listing Service, has a “European ambience.”

There is a detached guesthouse, a pool and pool house, gardens and pathways around the property upon which to amble, though it’s hard to imagine Lopez and Anthony as amblers.

Lopez is one of the industry’s highest-paid actresses and was named by Forbes magazine as the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood. As a singer, she has sold more than 48 million albums worldwide. Among her many song hits are “Jenny From the Block” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” Her movie credits include “Bordertown” (2006), “Out of Sight” (1998) and “ Selena” (1997).

Her personal life has been just as closely followed as her career. She was once engaged to actor Ben Affleck and spent years romantically linked to musician Sean “Diddy” Combs. When her twins were a month old, she introduced them to the world in a 12-page spread in People magazine, which allegedly paid up to $6 million for the exclusive baby photos.

Anthony, who married Lopez just four days after divorcing the previous Mrs. (former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres), has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide, according to his website. The King of Salsa won Latin Grammys in 1999 and 2005 and has enjoyed crossover success with his smash single “I Need to Know.”

Brett Lawyer of Sotheby’s International Realty, Sunset Strip, has the listing.

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The one-man antidote to TiVo -- that nifty device that, among other things, allows you to whiz past commercials that interrupt your favorite TV shows -- may be Kinka Usher. His House of Usher production company makes commercials that are often more entertaining than the shows they are interrupting -- remember the talking Chihuahua who says, “Yo quiero Taco Bell”?

Usher is moving to the Pacific Palisades, where he just bought a newly constructed home for $3,525,000, according to the MLS. The home, listed originally at $4,775,000 and then lowered to $3,950,000, had been on the market for about nine months.

The house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,200 square feet. The East Coast-traditional-style home has a formal dining room, gourmet kitchen with stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, a family room with wood sliding doors, a pool, a spa and a barbecue area. A wide staircase leads to the master bedroom suite, which has high ceilings, a sitting area with a fireplace and a large walk-in closet. There is a maid’s room on the first floor.

In addition to the talking Chihuahua, Usher’s work includes Polaroid’s “Dog and Cat,” Bridgestone Tire’s “Lucky Dog” and Visa’s “Transactional Fluidity” commercials. Samples of his work are at www.usherfilms.com. He also directed the movie comedy “Mystery Men” in 1999, which starred William H. Macy, Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria.

Billy Rose of Prudential California Realty, Beverly Hills, represented the buyer. Christopher Fell and Lynda Taylor of Prudential California Realty, Pacific Palisades, listed the property.

Nothing lost in this transaction

Consider actress Cynthia Watros-Gilliland no longer “lost” in the sea of sellers. The woman who played Libby, a psychologist, on the popular ABC series “ Lost,” has sold her 1923 Hancock Park home for $5.2 million.

The property has about 8,000 square feet of living space, which includes a detached 2,300-square-foot two-story guesthouse. The 5,700-square-foot main house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. There are fireplaces in the formal dining room and living room. The home, completely updated and remodeled, has hardwood floors, a gourmet kitchen, custom stone work and wrought iron throughout.

The guesthouse has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is a pool, gazebo and fountain in the landscaped yard.

Watros-Gilliland played nurse Annie Dutton on the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light” from 1994 to ’98 -- a role for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award for lead actress in 1998.

The actress’ character on “Lost” was killed after 23 episodes. She will appear in the upcoming films “Calvin Marshall,” starring Alex Frost, and “Mars” with Mark Duplass.

John Steiner and Joan Yarfitz, both of Keller Williams Realty, Beverly Hills, had the listing.

$2-million price drop kicks in

Russell Weiner, the man behind Rockstar, the energy drink that shoots a 200-milligram bolt of caffeine into your system per bottle, has listed his 4,414-square-foot home just above the Sunset Strip at $2,995,000.

That bolt must have hit Weiner right in the noggin; he knocked $2 million off his original asking price for the contemporary-style, four-bedroom, four-bathroom home, according to the MLS. The kitchen was completely remodeled, there are hardwood floors, a built-in theater, and new doors and windows. The home has city views, three fireplaces and an elevator. Weiner, who founded and is chief executive of Rockstar Inc., a leader in the energy drink obsession, has gotten plenty of celebrity and sports figure endorsements for his products. He is the son of conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage. In 1998, Weiner unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the California State Assembly.

Mauricio Umansky of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, has the listing.

Knight’s Malibu digs sold in court

The Malibu house of hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was sold Nov. 21 in bankruptcy court for $4.56 million, according to Eric Israel, the attorney representing the Chapter 11 trustee for Knight. The 8,272-square-foot house on one of Malibu’s tonier streets had been listed for sale by Knight last year at $6.2 million. The property was sold “as is.”

The house, built in 2001, is a seven-bedroom, 9 1/2-bathroom Mediterranean with ocean views. It sits on 8.76 acres on a knoll above La Costa and Carbon beaches. The gated property also has a pool and tennis court.

Knight was the founder and chief executive of Death Row Records. The label and Knight filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2006.

Jon Saver of Prudential Malibu Realty represented the buyer. The property was listed by Paul Grisanti and Scott Cameron of Coldwell Banker-Malibu East, according to the MLS.

ann.brenoff@latimes.com