Celebrity Home of the Week

Well, we knew it would be a tough decision this week. We just didn't know it would be this tough! Let's have a look back at the candidates:


Candidate #1: Shia LaBeouf's Cool Sherman Oaks Home

PROS
* Gorgeous mid-century house. Hollywood style and glamour.
* Shia's a Hollywood Hottie!

CONS
* Shia is at about minute 12 of his 15 minutes of fame.
* The house is so fab, we're just plain jealous! Yes, we reserve the right to 'playa hate.'


Candidate #2: The "Ferris Beuller" House of Glass

PROS
* Another mid-century beauty (albeit probably freezing cold during those Chicago winters).
* Nice period furniture pieces inside.
* It's for sale. So you can own a piece of movie history . . . if you've got $2.3M.

CONS
* Infamous Ferrari is not included in the sales price.
* It's not really a celebrity's house. This actually disqualifies it from winning.
* It's not even the movie house of the movie's only celebrity--to the extent that we're still calling Matthew Broderick a celeb. Remember, it was his friend Cameron's house.

(Cameron was played by Alan Ruck, in case anyone cares and we know no one does.)


Candidate #3: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's Overpriced New York Home


PROS
* It's a normal person's house. (Of course, Geithner may be a psycho.)
* It's the first house to garner its own segment on The Daily Show.
* It's possibly still for sale on the down low + at a greatly reduced price after that segment.

CONS
* That now infamous royal blue tile in the bathroom could get on our nerves.
* That aqua blue and salmon pink bedroom could make us commit hari-kari!
* It's overpriced, Geithner, you dumba$$! No wonder folks want you fired!


Candidate #4: Whoopi Goldberg's Eccentric SoHo Co-op

PROS
* It's a cool and quirky SoHo loft that happens to be for sale.
* AOL thought enough of it to put it on full blast to its subscribers yesterday.
* Despite our observations, a lot of people seemed to really dig her place.

CONS
* It's a little too quirky for us.
* It's a little too Shabby Chic-y for us.
* Did she ever f*ck Ted Danson there? Ewww!


So after weighing all the pros and cons, we have to call it a three-way tie this week. Congratulations Shia, Tim, and Whoopi. All of you have the Celebrity Homes of the Week!

Ciao!

Whoopi Goldberg's SoHo Loft for Sale at a Lofty $3.9M

Cindy Adams of the New York Post reported this week that Whoopi Goldberg, star of ABC's The View, is selling her SoHo co-op. We found the photos on Luxist.com and we're still scratching our heads a little.

Don't get us wrong, we LOVE SoHo and her place is ultra-cool. Whoopi's also got some pretty amazing art pieces throughout her digs (which Cindy says are NOT for sale).

We also like the industrial open dine-in kitchen (below). Looks like a fabulous space for a dinner party.

BUT the place seems a bit unstructured. The only unifying theme we saw was the dated "Shabby Chic" gimmick with white slipcovers everywhere. Maybe she felt she needed that to calm things a bit. We think she could have used a home stager to show off the features of her digs better. Fortunately for her, loft lovers can usually see past all that. They don't need help envisioning how they'll use the space.

So once again we have another celebrity home that at least feels real and looks lived-in.

New Country Digs for Justin Timberlake

Perez Hilton is reporting today that Justin Timberlake just purchased a country home in Greenwich, CT, for around $18.7M. The New York Post says it's a 13,500s.f. Georgian colonial built in 1993 on a 25.5 acre spread. More details here. We'll try to get photos.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's House: Round 2

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's tudor cottage house in Larchmont, New York, was up for sale recently, as reported on The Daily Show. After that hilarious negative publicity from the show about the house being overpriced, it appears he's yanked it off the market.

Let's hope he got a contract on it. Then we'd feel like he's actually doing his job to fix the economy.

Anyway, Zillow no longer lists it as for sale. Fortunately, the photos were still up this morning. So we had a look at them:

Well, the house is certainly attractive enough, even if the furnishings are a little boring.

And here's that questionable bathroom:


Actually, it's a little "loud" but it's not so bad. Probably should have just stopped the tile at the tub surround and gone with beadboard behind the sink and toilet. Perhaps the tile original to the house. Then, it would be a cool feature.

His other bathroom, though, is obviously totally renovated. We like the bench and mosaic tile in the shower. See:

Now here's a bedroom that could have used a better paint combo:
Folks, don't think we're soft on the Obama administration. We'll call it like we see it. The bottom line is, this is a pleasant and comfortable-looking home.

Geithner gets points for normalcy. Unlike Karl Rove's house (which was nice enough too), we don't get the impression that a pompous person lives there.

The Daily Show: Tim Geithner Can't Sell His Home

Saw this hilarious segment about Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner last week on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Seems the guy doesn't know squat about money issues when it comes down to selling his own home (shown above).

Watch and judge for yourselves:

The Daily Show: Tim Geithner Can't Sell His Home

Meanwhile we'll try to dig up the rest of the photos of the house, including that crazy bathroom mentioned in the segment!

Ferris Bueller's House

R.I.P. John Hughes. Thanks for showing us a great house in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which starred Matthew Broderick in the titular role. Okay, so if you saw the movie, you know it wasn't really Ferris Bueller's house. It was his best friend Cameron's house. And it was WICKED cool! Even without the infamous Ferrari glimpsed in the photo in our post on Monday.

Well, guess what? It's for sale!

Located in yet another affluent Chicago suburb, Highland Park, Illinois, this 5300s.f. house is totally worth the $2.3 million asking price. First, it was featured in a great movie. Second, it's architecturally significant. Third, it's nestled like a treehouse in the woods. And, finally, it's gorgeous!

The home was built in 1953 by notable architects, A. James Speyer and David Haid. It consists of two buildings made of steel and glass, cantilevered over a ravine.

All we can say is, (cue the music) "OH . . . YEAH!" Looks like we have another contender for our Celebrity Home of the Week.

Usher's Plumbers Crack Us Up!

TMZ sure is keeping us busy this week! They just reported that Bobo's Plumbing Company is claiming that singing-and-dancing sensation Usher failed to pay them $2,335 for work, including the installation of a shampoo bowl back in 2007.

A shampoo bowl? What kind of bitch-ass dude wants a shampoo bowl at home? Geesh, what else is in his house? A nail salon? A hair wax station?

Well, here's a shot of his monster house. He could certainly fit all that--and then some!

According to Celebritydetectives.com, Usher paid $3.3 million in 2007 for his mega-mansion in Roswell, Georgia, an increasingly posh suburb of Atlanta. Obviously, $2,335 is pocket change for Usher, so there must be something seriously wrong with that shampoo bowl.

Shia LaBeouf's New Digs

Get ready to get your socks knocked off! We just learned that Transformers cutie Shia LaBeouf just plunked down $1.825M for this stunner in Sherman Oaks, California.This 3-bedroom/4-bath home was built in 1958. That's right! Yet another midcentury home. And a serious contender for our Celebrity Home of the Week!

Here are a few shots of the interior:
We love it!

Another Real Housewife of Atlanta Loses Her House

TMZ is reporting today that unReal Housewife of outside Atlanta Lisa Wu Hartwell and her husband ex-football player Ed Hartwell lost their McMansion last week. They bought their generic home in Duluth, Georgia, in 2007 for $2.9M and the bank just sold it in a short sale for $1.9M. (Do any of the Atlanta Housewives actually live in Atlanta?)

Don't believe it's generic? These interior shots look like the kind of nondescript photos you see in homebuilders ads from earlier in this decade:

According to TMZ, the couple's representative says they have purchased a new home that sits on 10 acres elsewhere. At least they figured out that if you're going to live in a mansion, don't live in one that sits so close to its neighbors.

Don't believe it could be that close? Check out the backyard:

Sorry to see anyone lose their house to foreclosure. Let's hope their new home is a better fit for them . . . and more interesting than the last one!

Home Alone . . . and Loving It!

This week we are featuring a couple of homes featured in films by the late John Hughes. Today, we look an all-time favorite: the Home Alone house. Without a doubt, the 1990 film (written and produced by Hughes) made a star of Macaulay Culkin. We submit, however, that the house was the real star to emerge from that film.

Located in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinios, this house is a traditional beauty. Here's what it looks like in the daytime:

For those who don't recall the movie: Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, a kid accidentally left behind when his family flies to France for the holidays. Kevin hilariously fends off would-be theives (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) in their multiple burglary attempts.

Here he is at the top of the stairs preparing one of many boobytraps he set throughout the house. Of course, we were busy looking at the classic foyer!

In the film, we saw multiple interior shots of the home, completely decked out for the holidays in all its wallpaper, chintz, and poinsettia glory.

Now don't get us wrong, we realize that it was the end of the 1980's and wallpaper and chintz fell out of favor shortly thereafter.

But we'll always have an affinity for it IF it's done right--a la Michael Smith, an interior designer who can mix patterns better than anyone in the world. (Can't wait to see what he does to the White House!)

Anyway, if you squint, you can see how beautifully three different rooms are coordinated in the photo above. Just lovely!

Wife Of Monkee Micky Dolenz Arrested For Defrauding Affordable Housing Program

Saw this piece from the Associated Press on the Huffington Post site late Friday . . .

Wife Of Monkee Micky Dolenz Arrested For Defrauding Affordable Housing Program

Tour Real Atlanta Housewife Kim Zolciak's Big Poppa's House

Damn(!), TMZ has the scoop all day today. First, the one on His-Royal-Badness we mentioned earlier. Now this:

We already knew that unReal Atlanta nonHousewife Kim Zolciak was getting caked by her "Big Poppa" Lee Najjar (who's a little munchkin, by the way). What we didn't know was how large Big Poppa was livin'.

Turns out that his house was featured on MTV Teen Cribs earlier this year. Yeah, he has a family. And yeah they live in a freakin' palace in Atlanta.

This house is obscene beyond words. Fortunately, we don't need to write about it. We'll just let you see for yourselves:

Teen Cribs - MTV Shows

Yuck! This place is so huge, he could have just moved Kim in without anyone knowing about it.

The Beckhams Consider a Home in Chelsea

In news from across the pond: The London Evening Standard is reporting that David and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham might purchase digs (shown below) in Chelsea in west London.

The home consists of two combined low-rise artist studios, with five bedrooms and a private terrace. The asking price is 10 million pounds (about $17 million U.S.).

Folks, this is the same house previously rented by record producer Damon Dash. We recall seeing an MTV Cribs episode featuring this place. Still trying to locate it to post it here. Anyway, wonder what ever happened to Damon . . . .

Merci Luxuo!

Prince Moves Out, Leaves $300K Behind

From TMZ:
Prince Moves Out, Leaves $300K Behind

Goodbye John Hughes--Thanks for the House Memories

John Hughes, one of America's notable writer-directors of the 1980's, died suddenly last week at the age of 59. Hughes brought us many memorable ensemble films such as National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Home Alone.

As we mourned his loss, we checked out the tributes on the Huffington Post. Some were from and about actors whose careers he helped launch, like Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, and Macaulay Culkin. We also read a great blog post on how the soundtracks for his movies provided the soundtrack of our lives--or at least for those of us who were in high school back then. Who could forget "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds?

But we didn't see any mention that Hughes' films gave us two of the coolest houses ever seen on film: the Home Alone house (shown above) and the Ferris Bueller house (below).

Ordinarily, we only discuss houses belonging to celebrities. But this week we're making an exception for the two houses that are celebrities in their own right. To be continued . . .

Jenny Sanford Moving Out Of Governor's Mansion

We figured it was just a matter of time. South Carolina governor Mark Sanford's wife Jenny is moving out of the governor's mansion. She'll be staying at the family's home on Sullivans Island.

Jenny made it clear from the get-go that she wouldn't "Stand By Her Man" through all of his bullshit with his South American "soul mate."

But we'll say what Jenny won't: "Adios m$therf#ck@r!"

More details here: Jenny Sanford Moving Out Of Governor's Mansion. AP Photo: Mary Ann Chastain.