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From Tejano Hip to 90210 ZIP

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

JENNIFER LOPEZ, who starred in the biographical movie about slain tejano singer Selena, and her husband, model Ojani Noa, have leased a country French-style compound in the Beverly Hills area for a year at $8,000 a month, sources say.

Lopez, 26, became the highest-paid Latina actress when she received a $1-million salary for playing Selena Quintanilla Perez, the adored Latina singer who was shot to death at age 23 in 1995 by the president of her fan club.

Lopez first gained notice in 1991 when she beat 2,000 competitors to become a backup dancer on the Fox TV series “In Living Color.” Since then, she has become one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood, and she has done four movies this year, back to back:

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“Blood & Wine,” in which she played Jack Nicholson’s Cuban mistress (released in February); “Selena” (opened in March); “Anaconda,” in which she played the female lead (opened in April); and Oliver Stone’s “Stray Dogs,” in which she co-stars with Nick Nolte, Sean Penn and Claire Danes (due out this fall). She also played Robin Williams’ teacher in “Jack” (1996) and co-starred with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson in “Money Train” (1995).

Lopez and Noa, 23, were married in February in Miami, where they met. He is from Cuba. She was born and raised in the Bronx.

The house they leased has four bedrooms plus maid’s quarters, an office and a guest house. The 7,000-square-foot home also has a 1,500-square-foot master suite; a center courtyard with a pool, and a two-story living room with a cathedral ceiling and a loft. The compound, which is behind gates and has canyon views, was built about 1990 as an investment property and was listed recently in the $2-million range.

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Actress JoBETH WILLIAMS and her husband, producer-director JOHN PASQUIN, have purchased a Westside home for a bit over $5 million, sources have said.

Williams, 43, played the family-law lawyer Reggie Love in John Grisham’s CBS series “The Client” (1995-1996) and co-starred with Tim Allen in the 1997 movie “Jungle2Jungle.” Pasquin, about 50, produces and directs the sitcom hit “Home Improvement,” and he directed the 1994 comedy movie “The Santa Clause.”

They purchased an 8,000-square-foot home with seven bedrooms and a guest house. The home, on about two acres, was recently remodeled and expanded.

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Realtor Spyro Kemble had co-listed the home with Gary Gold of Hilton & Hyland.

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Late comic JOHN CANDY’s Brentwood estate has been sold for about $4.5 million to a local businessman, say sources not involved in the deal.

Candy, who starred in such movies as “Uncle Buck” (1989) and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987), died in 1994 at the age of 43. His widow, Rosemary, has purchased a smaller house on the Westside for herself and their two children.

The Brentwood estate is on 2.5 acres and has a 6,000-square-foot main house, 1,800-square-foot guest house, 2,500-square-foot gym with steam room and spa, and a cabana with a kitchen and dressing rooms. The home also has a tennis court and pool. Michele Hall represented the buyer, and Lisa Duffy-Sinclair had the listing. Both Realtors are with the Prudential-Jon Douglas Co., Brentwood East office.

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RON WARANCH, a real estate developer who owns the 4-year-old stakes-winning colt Northern Afleet with his longtime construction partner Greg Anderson, has sold his 17th-floor penthouse in West Hollywood for about its $1-million asking price, sources have said.

The sale marks the highest price paid for a private residence in West Hollywood in 10 years, sources said.

Waranch, who has developed thousands of homes as well as commercial and other projects in Southern California, has been racing thoroughbreds for 20 years, but he finally scored big when Northern Afleet won the San Fernando and San Carlos stakes at this year’s Santa Anita winter meet.

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Waranch hadn’t been using the penthouse much, sources said. He owns other homes in the Beverly Hills and Rancho Santa Fe areas. The 4,000-square-foot penthouse has two bedrooms, including maid’s quarters and mountain-to-ocean views.

Waranch was represented in his sale by Paul Czako, Jeff Hyland and Rick Hilton, all with Hilton & Hyland Real Estate in Beverly Hills.

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DEAN DEVLIN, who co-wrote and produced “Independence Day” (1996), has purchased a Hollywood Hills home for just under $2.4 million.

Devlin, 30, is also co-executive producer of the Fox sci-fi drama “The Visitor.” The son of film producer Don Devlin (“The Witches of Eastwick,” 1987) and former TV actress Pilar Devlin, Dean Devlin grew up on movie sets and has been an actor as well as a filmmaker.

He played a recurring “L.A. Law” role as an intern before he met his film collaborator, German writer-director Roland Emmerich. The two wrote “Independence Day,” which Emmerich directed, and they co-wrote the movie “Stargate” (1994) as well as “The Visitor.”

Devlin bought a five-bedroom, 6,200-square-foot house on a bit more than an acre with city views, sources said.

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Joe Babajian of Fred Sands Estates, Beverly Hills, and Penny Negrin of Sands’ Palisades office had the listing, and Constance Chestnut of the Prudential-Jon Douglas Co. represented Devlin, other sources said.

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