Ellen is ready for a new routine
Ellen DeGeneres has put her Hollywood Hills compound on the market at $12.95 million. The talk-show host and stand-up comic also listed two adjacent homes she owns at close to $2 million each.
A third adjacent property, offered by another seller, is listed at nearly $3 million.
The parcels, totaling about three acres, could be made into the largest compound in the Hollywood Hills if purchased together, according to listing agent Barry Sloane of Sotheby’s International Realty, Beverly Hills.
The original 5,000-square-foot home is on more than two acres of rolling lawns, grasses and trails. The house was built in the 1930s but was refurbished by a former owner. DeGeneres spent two more years turning it into what Sloane describes as “a stylish, relaxed contemporary” with two bedrooms and a screening room.
The master bedroom suite is on two levels and includes a main room with a screened-in porch and reading area, a TV that drops from the ceiling at the push of a button and a downstairs bathroom with a walk-in closet, spa tub, steam shower and outdoor meditation area with a water feature.
A smaller, second bedroom suite is in a different wing of the house.
The compound has a guesthouse with a gym, a cabin, a koi pond and a pool. There also is a house, with a screened-in porch, that serves as a media and game room.
The two adjacent homes owned by DeGeneres are contemporary in style with walls of glass. Each has three bedrooms. The third adjoining property has a three-bedroom house plus a guesthouse and a pool.
Sloane said the comedian has chosen to sell so she can move on and explore “different kinds of architecture.”
DeGeneres, 47, won two Daytime Emmys in May. One was for best talk-show host, the second was for her syndicated “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” just finishing its second season.
Signs of progress in Beverly Hills
John Stamos, who stars in the ABC show “Jake in Progress,” has purchased a Beverly Hills-area home for close to its $4-million asking price.
Stamos bought a Country French-style home with three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in 3,500 square feet. The house, built in the ‘50s, is on three-quarters of an acre. It is behind gates on a knoll with city, ocean and canyon views. The house has three fireplaces.
There is also a guesthouse on the property.
Stamos, 41, is starting the second season of “Jake in Progress” with new shows beginning to air in January. He appeared in “Cabaret” on Broadway in 2002. Earlier, he replaced Matthew Broderick on Broadway in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Stamos also was featured as Jesse for eight seasons on the ABC sitcom “Full House” (1987-95).
Barry Peele at Sotheby’s International Realty, Beverly Hills, represented Stamos in buying, and Mimi Starrett of the same office had the listing.
Deal shapes up for TV show trainer
Jillian Michaels, the trainer on the NBC show “The Biggest Loser,” has purchased a home in Laurel Canyon for more than its $1.1-million asking price.
In the ‘60s, the gated cottage-style house was owned by Boris Karloff, who starred in the movies “Frankenstein” (1931) and “The Mummy” (1932).
The house has three bedrooms and 2 3/4 bathrooms in about 1,600 square feet. The 1948 home was recently renovated and has newly installed oak floors, an updated kitchen, French doors and a six-person outdoor spa. A path leads to a hillside terrace with canyon views.
Michaels and “The Biggest Loser” are expected to return to NBC this fall for season No. 2. Michaels also will be featured in “The Biggest Loser: Family Edition,” due to air on NBC in 2006. She is working on a book, “Winning by Losing,” and a series of DVDs, “Workouts for Losers.” She owns Sky Sports Spa, a Beverly Hills gym specializing in physical therapy and private training.
Jeff Yarbrough of Sotheby’s International Realty, Sunset Strip, represented both sides in the transaction.
Palm Springs estate was a royal retreat
The Palm Springs estate of Lord James Edward Hanson and his wife, Lady Geraldine Hanson, has come on the market at $4.25 million. This is the first time the home has been for sale since the British billionaire and his wife died in 2004.
The couple lived in the desert part-time since the ‘60s, entertaining Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra and Gregory Peck along with heads of state and industry.
The family’s compound, built in 1982, is formal English in design and is on about 1.6 acres in the Las Palmas area. The 8,000-square-foot home has six bedrooms and 7 1/2 bathrooms, a tennis court, mountain views and a large pool. There is a separate guesthouse.
Lord Hanson, once engaged to actress Audrey Hepburn, built an international empire through corporate takeovers, revamping the companies and making them profitable. He was 82 when he died.
The couple’s son, Robert, had been using the estate as a winter retreat. He is a venture capitalist based in London.
Louise Hampton of Prudential California and the Desert Estates Network has the listing.
Hip-hop top dog settles in Malibu
Rick Rubin, the rock and rap music producer, has purchased a Malibu home for slightly less than $5 million, public records show.
The Country English-style gated estate has seven bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms in 5,400 square feet. The house was built in the 1970s.
It also has ocean views, stained-glass windows, hardwood floors, a family room, a playhouse, a tennis court and a grassy yard.
Rubin, in his early 40s, has been producer of the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty and other acts. As co-founder of the Def Jam label, he was among the key figures behind the rise of hip-hop.
Bob Hurwitz, president of Hurwitz James Co. in Beverly Hills, had the listing.
To see previous columns on celebrity transactions visit latimes.com/hotproperty.
