Trying her luck on the Westside
We’ve heard of lucky stars, lucky charms and lucky pennies. Now actress Debra Messing and her husband, actor-screenwriter Dan Zelman, have put their “lucky house” on the market at just under $1.3 million.
What’s lucky about it? On the same April day in 1998 that they closed escrow on this Hollywood Hills three-bedroom, Messing got “the call” -- she had landed the costarring role in the NBC sitcom “Will & Grace.” The series is approaching its eighth and final season, and, four Emmy nominations and one win later, Messing, 37, is now trying her luck in the movies. She costarred with Dermot Mulroney in “The Wedding Date,” released in February, and plays opposite Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall in “Lucky You,” (what else?) due out in September 2006.
The couple used the 2,000-square-foot house as their primary residence for about six years, escaping there while they remodeled the seven-bedroom, 6,400-square-foot Westside Paul Williams-designed home that they purchased from actress Renee Zellweger in 2003 for close to $7.5 million.
“They loved the little house, but now they’re done with it,” said listing agent Loren Judd of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills. The Spanish-style two-story, built in 1926, exudes Old World charm. The kitchen and two bathrooms have been modernized.
She’s cornering the Sunset Strip
A change of fortune also may be following actress-singer Lindsay Lohan -- who stars in the upcoming movie “Just My Luck.” Lohan just closed escrow on a three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot condo in a Sunset Strip-area complex for about its $1.9-million asking price.
Matthew Perry of “Friends” fame bought a two-bedroom, 1,700-square-foot unit in the same building in May for slightly more than $2.5 million, furnished.
Since it was built in the ‘60s, the complex has been home to a number of people in the entertainment industry.
The latest purchases reflect Young Hollywood’s interest in living in the area, whether in houses or condos. Tobey Maguire, Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio have all bought homes in Lohan’s new neighborhood.
Lohan’s condo is a corner unit with 2 1/2 bathrooms, walls of glass, a balcony and views. The building also has a rooftop pool, a gym, a sauna, a concierge and valet parking.
Lohan, 19, signed a long-term, multi-album contract with Tommy Mottola’s Casablanca Records in 2004. She played the owner of a Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own in Disney’s “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” released in June.
A place to spend his ‘Idol’ time
Simon Fuller, creator of the “American Idol” franchise, has purchased a Beverly Hills home for about $8.5 million.
The estate has five bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms in slightly more than 5,000 square feet. Country French in style, the house, built in 1925, was renovated in the ‘80s. The grounds have a pool and pool pavilion, a spa and a guesthouse.
Fuller, a British music mogul in his early 40s, manages the careers of Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Kelly Clarkson and other “Idol” stars and is the longtime manager of Annie Lennox and former manager of the Spice Girls.
This Laker prefers to be by the ocean
L.A. Laker Brian Cook has leased a three-bedroom, 2 1/2 -bathroom home in Manhattan Beach for one year at $4,400 a month. The 2,045-square-foot townhouse is on a golf course.
Cook, 24, is a 6-foot-9 reserve forward with the team, which he joined in 2003. Before leasing in Manhattan Beach, he was renting an apartment in Marina del Rey.
Phyllis Cohen-Edwards of Shorewood Realtors represented Cook in the lease.
Dean at USC has designs elsewhere
Robert Timme, dean of the USC School of Architecture, and his wife, Candace, have listed their Los Feliz home at just under $2.2 million.
Built in 1923, the home was designed by architect Arthur Kelly, who also designed what is known today as the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills.
Before the Timmes bought it, the Los Feliz home was owned by Herbert Leonard, producer of such ‘50s TV fare as “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.” Leonard also was creator of the multiple-Emmy-winning New York police series “Naked City.”
The 4,500-square-foot, Tudor-style house has four bedrooms plus maid’s quarters, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a step-down living room, a formal dining room, a library, a detached two-car garage and a pool. There is an enclosed loggia with a Batchelder tile fountain.
Crosby Doe and J.R. Davidson of Mossler & Doe, Beverly Hills, have the listing.
To see previous columns on celebrity realty transactions visit latimes.com/hotproperty.
