Madonna home ‘Up for Grabs’
Madonna has put her Beverly Hills home on the market at $10.9 million.
The pop star has owned the Wallace Neff-designed, Spanish-style house since June 2000, when she purchased it from actress Diane Keaton.
The house, built in the 1920s and totally refurbished by Keaton, has eight bedrooms and a guesthouse in close to 7,000 square feet.
Madonna, married to British director Guy Ritchie since December 2000, also has a home in London, which she bought about the same time as her Beverly Hills home.
The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer’s latest album, “American Life,” was released earlier this month. It became the fifth album of her 20-year career to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Madonna, 44, starred in the 2002 film “Swept Away,” directed by her husband. Last year, she also composed and performed the title song for the James Bond film “Die Another Day,” and she made her London stage debut in “Up for Grabs.” Earlier this month, she performed songs from her new album in London and Paris.
Barry Peele at Sotheby’s International Real Estate, Beverly Hills, has the listing on her Beverly Hills home.
A red hot sale to a celebrity author
Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has sold his Hollywood Hills home to J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of such celebrity biographies as “Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier.” The selling price was nearly $1.9 million.
Taraborrelli listed his Glendale home in March at about $1.1 million.
The 4,500-square-foot Hollywood Hills home was built in 1941 and has panoramic views of the city, Lake Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. There is a main house with four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a fireplace. A guesthouse has a living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Kiedis, 40, had owned the home since August 2000. He is on a world tour to promote the Grammy Award-winning band’s latest album, “By the Way.”
Taraborrelli bought the walled and gated hilltop home for its privacy, mature landscaping and classic Spanish style. He also has written such bestsellers as “Call Her Miss Ross,” about Diana Ross; “The Magic and the Madness,” about Michael Jackson, and “Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot,” about the Kennedy wives.
Bob Weatherford and Jeff Yarbrough of DBL’s Sunset Strip office represented Taraborrelli in his purchase, and they have the Glendale listing.
Jonah Wilson of Prudential-John Aaroe, Beverly Hills, represented Kiedis in his sale.
New tune, new life in the hills
Raphael Saadiq, who won a Grammy Award for best R&B; song this year for co-writing “Love of My Life,” sung by Erykah Badu on the “Brown Sugar” soundtrack, has purchased a Hollywood Hills home for $1.4 million. Actress Melissa Joan Hart was the seller.
The Spanish-style house, built in 1938, has three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 4,000 square feet. There is a large master suite with a sitting room. The home also has an office, two fireplaces and a view of the city. The grounds have a pool, waterfalls and fountains.
Last year, Saadiq, 35, released “Instant Vintage,” an album that he wrote, performed on and produced. The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards, although Saadiq parted ways with his label in January. Saadiq is also an established R&B; producer for such artists as D’Angelo, TLC, Snoop Dogg, Ginuwine and Nappy Roots.
Rick Simon and Clive Egdes of Coldwell Banker represented Saadiq in buying. Matt Epstein of Re/Max had the listing.
A method to their change of scenery
David Strasberg, creative director and chief executive of the Lee Strasberg Institute in Hollywood and New York, and his wife, Lindsey, have purchased an Encino Hills home for just under $1 million.
David Strasberg, in his early 30s, is a son of the late Lee Strasberg, known as the father of “Method acting” in America, a system that encourages actors to use their psyches and subconscious feelings to prepare for roles.
Lee Strasberg, who died at 80 in 1982, guided such actors as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Marilyn Monroe.
Lindsey Strasberg is an entertainment attorney with Offer, Weber & Dern.
The Encino Hills home has three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in slightly more than 2,500 square feet.
The house, built in the ‘60s, has an open floor plan, walls of glass and valley views. The grounds have a pool, spa and grassy area.
The sellers were Lou and
Julee Cohen, owners of Floral Works, a floral design studio in Los Angeles.
Jodie Francisco of Prudential-John Aaroe, Encino, had the listing. Mimi Frei of Hurwitz-James, Beverly Hills, and Terri White of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, represented the Strasbergs.
Storage exec finds room at the beach
B. Wayne Hughes, co-founder of Public Storage Inc. and a member of the Forbes 400, has purchased two adjacent Malibu properties for a total of $20 million.
One site has a five-bedroom, nearly 5,000-square-foot house, designed by Ed Niles and built in the ‘50s on 1.7 acres. The property has a tennis court and a pool. The other site has a six-bedroom oceanfront villa on 1.9 acres. The villa was built in 2001 and has an office, a media room and a master suite.
In March, Hughes, 70, sold a 10% interest in his racehorse, Atswhatimtalknbout, to six Hollywood executives, including Steven Spielberg.
Hughes later said he sold the group a stake because he thought it would raise the visibility of horse racing, adding “a little glamour and a little flash.”
To see previous columns on celebrity transactions visit www.latimes.com/hotproperty.
