Roll up the red carpet
Is the flag lowered? The royal standard should be down because the queen is out, and her Hollywood home is for lease.
OK, maybe she’s not really the queen, but Helen Mirren and her husband, Taylor Hackford, are Hollywood royalty these days.
Mirren, 61, is up for a best actress Oscar tonight for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in “The Queen.” It’s her third nomination. Hackford, 62, was nominated in 2004 for best director for “Ray.”
The couple’s Mediterranean-style home is for lease at $40,000 a month. That may sound like a princely sum, but nearby homes have rented for three times as much.
There are no takers yet.
The house, built in 1911, belonged at one time to movie star Dustin Farnum, a protege of Cecil B. DeMille. The 6-acre property has a main house of almost 7,000 square feet and a 2,700-square-foot guest cottage with room for an office and a staff. There are six bedrooms and nine bathrooms in the primary residence.
The grounds, covered with mature trees and flowers, have been described in marketing materials as “park like;” the pool and terraces, “breathtakingly beautiful.” As for security, the estate is “double gated.”
Coldwell Banker Previews, Beverly Hills, has the listing.
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New end zone: Hermosa Beach
New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has purchased a town house in Hermosa Beach for slightly more than $2 million.
The newly built house, which faces other homes on what is known in the beach community as a pedestrian-only “walk street,” is about a block from the ocean. The home has three bedrooms in 2,700 square feet, a courtyard, an elevator and a rooftop deck.
Strahan, 35, has appeared in TV commercials and sports shows and was in the news earlier this year when his ex-wife received $15 million in their divorce settlement.
John Caliendo had the listing at Re/Max Beach Cities Realty.
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First Buffy, now the Valley: G’bye
Gareth Davies, a producer of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” “Remington Steele” and other TV series, has put his Sherman Oaks home on the market at close to $2 million.
Davies has retired from the entertainment industry and plans to live in Montana or Texas, where his wife has family. The Sherman Oaks home has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and an office.
Jason Arena of Coldwell Banker, Sunset Strip, has the listing.
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Rapper Juicy J goes with the flow
Juicy J, one of last year’s Oscar winners, has closed escrow on a Sherman Oaks home for nearly its asking price of $2.2 million.
Also known as Jordan Houston III, Juicy J is one of three rap artists -- including Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard -- who won the Academy Award for best original song in 2006. “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” was featured in the film “Hustle & Flow.”
Juicy J bought a home with six bedrooms in 5,600 square feet. It was rebuilt last year by Davidson Construction as a Tuscan-style house with a stone fireplace. There are manicured grounds, an outdoor kitchen, a pool and a waterfall.
Harriet Cameron and Steven Shrager of Prudential, John Aaroe had the listing. Caitlin Silver, also with Prudential’s Sherman Oaks office, was the selling agent.
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A Saudi prince’s almost-palace sells
A $35-million home sale has been recorded in Beverly Hills, according to Mazda Hoghoughi and Phil Seymour, both of Elite Properties Realty.
A divorce precipitated the sale in which Superior Court Judge James D. Endman determined the buyer, a local investor who had been bidding against two billionaires. Hoghoughi and Seymour represented the seller, a receivership.
The compound, being built by a Saudi prince, was under a court order to be sold. It was about 90% completed, Hoghoughi said. The home is on 25 acres and has 10 bedrooms in 50,000 square feet.
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To see previous columns, go to latimes.com/hotproperty.
