For play’s run, actress finds gem by the ocean
Phylicia Rashad, who played Bill Cosby’s wife on “The Cosby Show” (NBC, 1984-92) and on “Cosby” (CBS, 1996-2000), has leased a condominium in the Santa Monica area at $2,000 a month for the summer.
Rashad, who lives in New York, rented the unit in preparation for her appearance in August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at the Mark Taper Forum. Previews start July 19. The play will run from Aug. 1 to Sept. 7.
The condominium has two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,100 square feet. The unit, which also has a fireplace, is in a quaint building with about 25 condos and a courtyard with Spanish tile.
Rashad, 55, wanted to stay in the Santa Monica area so she could be close to the home of her younger sister, actress-choreographer-director Debbie Allen.
Michelle Dixon of Coldwell Banker, Marina del Rey, represented Rashad in her lease.
A beautiful deal for makeup artist
Megan Mullally, the Emmy-winning actress who plays ditsy socialite Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom “Will & Grace,” has sold her former home in the Hollywood Hills to Scott Barnes, a portrait painter-turned-makeup artist with such famous clients as Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The two-bedroom 1,800-square-foot house sold for close to its asking price of slightly less than $1.2 million.
The Mediterranean-style home was built in the 1930s and was almost completely remodeled. The grounds have gardens and a pool.
Mullally, 44, had owned the home since September 2000. In March of this year, she bought a larger home in the Sunset Strip area for about $3.8 million.
Barnes’ beauty book, “It’s Only Makeup,” is due out later this month along with an instructional DVD.
Moya Rimp of Nourmand & Associates, Beverly Hills, represented Barnes in his purchase, and Rory Barish of the same office had the listing,
sources said.
TV couple trades view for view
Marc Brown, co-anchor of KABC-TV’s “Eyewitness News,” and his wife, freelance TV journalist and filmmaker Yvette Fernandez, have listed their Hollywood Hills home at $998,000.
The couple recently purchased another view-oriented home in the L.A. area.
The home they are selling
has mountain, canyon and city views. It has four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 3,800 square feet. The three-story house, near Lake Hollywood, was built in 1990 and has been remodeled.
Brown is in his 14th year at ABC-TV and anchors the 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Fernandez is writer-director of the short film “Native Wisdom” and has been an on-air reporter in Los Angeles and Phoenix. “Native Wisdom” won a silver award in April at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival.
Betsey Cotter of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, has the listing and represented the couple in buying their new home.
Traveling where the coast is clear
Christopher Knight, who played Peter Brady on the 1970s sitcom “The Brady Bunch” and now can be seen on “TV Road Trip” on the Travel Channel cable network, has sold his Manhattan Beach home for slightly less than $1.2 million.
Knight, 45, is moving to another South Bay home that he bought about the same price. It is closer to the beach.
The home he sold was built for him in 1993. It is 2,600 square feet, Tuscan Southwest style, with a main house and detached guest quarters.
Tom Atkins of CataList Homes Inc., Hermosa Beach, represented Knight in selling the home. Keith Cox of Coldwell Banker represented the buyer.
Trading an oldie for a goodie
Brian Beirne, “Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll” on KRTH-FM (101.1), and his wife, Cindee, have sold their Hollywood Hills home for slightly more than $1.2 million.
The couple sold the high-tech four-bedroom house because they moved to Newport Beach.
The house they sold, which built for them about 11 years ago, is contemporary with four stories and an elevator. One level is occupied entirely by the master suite. The 5,200-square-foot house also has a bonus room that could be used as a screening room or artist’s studio, a pool with a viewing deck, a sauna and panoramic city and canyon views.
Brian Beirne has been a radio personality on K-Earth for 27 years.
Dawn Ross of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, handled both sides of the transaction.
One home done, time to move on
Linda Sunshine, a bestselling author who has written more than 40 books, including “The Illustrated Woody Allen Reader” and “Plain Jane Works Out,” has listed her Los Feliz Hills duplex at just under $1 million.
Sunshine, whose “Family Dinner” was published by Random House in March, is selling the 1922 duplex because she has a passion for redoing older homes and plans to do another. She bought the duplex last year as an investment and restored it before putting it on the market.
The Mediterranean-style duplex is on a private knoll with panoramic city views. There are two bedrooms, a study, a living room, a dining room with a fireplace and a guest apartment.
Sunshine, 55, moved to the Larchmont Village area from New York in 1999. She has held several executive positions in the book publishing industry, including executive editor of Harmony Books, a division of Crown Publishers.
She also has written novelizations of such movies as “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “The Sweetest Thing.”
Two new books, “All Things Oz” and “Family Dog,” are scheduled to be published in the fall.
Yvonne Hefner of Re/Max Beverly Hills and Brooks Thomas of Re/Max Brentwood Court share the listing.
To see previous columns on celebrity transactions visit www.latimes.com/hotproperty.