Friday, August 7, 2009

Michael Jackson's Neverland Moving to Vegas?

SPECIAL LATE EDITION

Say it isn't so!

E! News and other sources are reporting that Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch may be disassembled and moved piece-by-piece to Vegas for reassembly as a tourist attraction.

We here at Celebrity Digs HQ have a special affinity for Neverland Ranch, despite that Graceland-ish front gate and Disney-ish train depot. The house itself is quite beautiful and was the subject of our very first post. Click here to view our post.

Let's hope it's just a rumor. We'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, here's the article from E! News:
The Next Big Vegas Attraction: Michael Jackson's Neverland?

Celebrity Home of the Week: Camp Curtis

This week's other homes were so unremarkable (except maybe Kate Hudson's digs), we won't even bother to compare them to this one. Instead, we'll just declare Tony Curtis and the late Janet Leigh's former home our Celebrity Home of the Week (CHOW). What can we say? It's one of our all-time favorite types of homes: mid-century modern. And it's in the middle of one of our favorite mid-century havens: Palm Springs, California.

According to the L.A. Times, the 3204 s.f. home known as "Camp Curtis" is for sale for nearly $1.3 million. Built in 1960, it has five bedrooms (each with its own bathroom), a swimming pool, mountain views, and a separate guesthouse. For you youngsters, Curtis is a legendary film star, appearing in classic films like "Some Like It Hot" and "The Defiant Ones." Leigh, who died in 2004, is best known for her award-winning role in the Hitchcock film, "Psycho." Curtis and Leigh divorced in 1962. They are the parents of actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis.
So there you have it! CHOW & CIAO for now!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Federal F*CK-UP Part III: This Just In!


Speaking of scoundrels!!! Can you name the one who owns this freezer? You guessed it! Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson. The Washington Post reports that he was convicted of corruption charges yesterday in a case made famous after the feds raided his home on Capitol Hill and found $90,000 in his freezer. He faces up to 150years in prison.
Hmm, they should have also convicted him of having no taste. Judging by his kitchen, above, his DC crib sucks. And his Louisiana mansion below is beyond gawdy!



Sometimes it seems like all southerners want to live either at Elvis' Graceland or Gone With the Wind's Tara--or as in this case both!

Federal F*CK-UP: Part II

So Karl Rove hasn't effed up lately, we suppose. And he isn't even a politician. More like a parasite. Yeah, we know: same thing. But Rove did enough harm to our nation's government in the past to forever wear the title of Federal F*CK-UP of the Century. Now it looks like he's bailing out of Washington D.C. for good.

According to the Washington Post, Rove has placed his digs up for sale for nearly $1.6 Million. He bought it for $799K eight years ago. Naturally, we wanted to check it out.

Well, the living room below has the typical pomp and circumstance of Washington: chintz and books. It's the oldest and lamest way to say upscale preppy and educated.

And the master bedroom? More books. And the library? Books of course . . . and booze.

And a bonus room? Take a guess! You got it! Still more books!

We can't say whether this house is worth the asking price. The bottom line is, when the final pages are written on Rove's chapter in history, his house will probably end up on the national historic register as home to a famous scoundrel. That alone is worth something.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Federal F*CK-UP: Part I


Ah, politicians. Can't live with 'em/can't send 'em to Mars. Usually, we would feel sympathy for someone facing foreclosure, but WTF?!! California congresswoman Rep. Laura Richardson --who has an M.B.A. -- surely has some explainin' to do.

First, she bought her house in Sacramento with no money down and a subprime mortgage. Then, she didn't even bother to maintain her home, pissing off the neighbors by failing to mow the lawn or remove garbage and rotting fruit. In fact, the Sacramento department of code enforcement declared her home a "public nuisance" and "blighted."

She also failed to keep up the mortgage payments, ultimately owing $40K more than the purchase price of the home, $535K. After the bank foreclosed on the property, an investor bought it for $338K and started renovations. But, in an unusual act, the bank rescinded the foreclosure and withdrew the sale, apparently giving Rep. Richardson some sort of preferential treatment.

Needless to say, Richardson is now the subject of a House ethics committee investigation.

Too bad. The house looks sorta cute. (Photo by Randy Lynn Beach for the L.A. Times.)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

A Closer Look at Kate Hudson's Malibu Digs

Last week, we learned that Kate Hudson's Malibu digs were up for rent for a cool $90K/month. Today, we just thought we'd scrutinize her pad to see if it's truly worthy of that kinda moola. After a closer look, all we can say is . . . maybe!




We've gotta admit, it gets mega points for actually being ON the beach. The views from the main living and dining areas are lovely!We're definitely debating the decor though. According to her realtor, the decor is Balinese inspired. We're thinking it's more like Balinese-TIRED.


Take this bar for example. Too theme-ish!
And this bedroom is tasteful enough, but just a little bit too hotel-y for our taste.


Nevertheless, it's got some degree of Hollywood pedigree. The home was a wedding gift to Kate from her mom Goldie Hawn. That counts for something, right? We're just wondering if it's enough to justify $90K a month!