This week on La La Land ‘s celebrity real estate scene, a pair of twins stole the spotlight. Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s new twins, that is. Their birth presumably prompted the couple’s decision to rent a $400,000 per month mansion in Malibu. But it’s a Malibu-heavy week otherwise too. Nearby, Scott Gillen broke land sale records with his $50 million acquisition of a 24-acre plot of land, and talent manager Steve Alexander just acquired a Malibu home for $5.2 million.
While Malibu has been picking up steam as the go-to celeb spot these days, there were some hefty sales elsewhere in the county.
Jared Leto sold his Cahuenga Pass home for $2.05 million, $51,000 above its asking price. The 4,000-square-foot Midcentury contains four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a recording studio, according to the Los Angeles Times. John Aaroe Group’s Brian Courville had the listing. The Agency’s Ann Eysenring represented the buyer. Outside the home on Fredonia Drive, there is a stone-rimmed swimming pool, a fire pit, and a patio.
Fierce entertainer Tyra Banks landed herself a new home. She bought her third property in Pacific Palisades for $1.4 million. The townhome in the Highland Villas contains two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Nicolas Beauvy of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage had the listing. James Respondek of Sotheby’s International Realty represented Banks.
In Manhattan Beach, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra is the new owner of a $10.9 million new compound in Mira Costa, TRD reported Monday. It contains multiple structures, including two residences and a pool house. Altogether, there are eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms and nearly 10,000 square feet of space. Sotheby’s Leo Nordine had the listing, while Edward Kaminsky of Strand Hill Christie’s International represented the buyer.
Talent manager Eric Gold, meanwhile, is trying to unload his Beverly Hills home for $16.5 million. That’s nearly double what he and his wife, actress and producer Marcy Kaplan, paid for it 10 years ago, according to property records. The Tudor-style estate spans 11,200-square-foot and has seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and an outdoor dining patio. Billy Rose of the Agency has the listing. The couple listed another one of their homes — in Malibu, of course — for $13.9 million earlier this year.
Over on the Eastside, Kristen Wiig sold her Los Feliz home for $2 million, according to the L.A. Times. Built in 1949, the 2,500-square-foot home’s defining feature is its indoor-outdoor layout, with multiple terraces and extensive decking. It also contains an open-plan living area, media room, sauna, three bedrooms, and 3.5 bathrooms. Bryony Atkinson of Maisonre Real Estate had the listing. William Bowersock of Keller Williams Realty represented the buyer.
The biggest news of the week, however, did come out of the ‘Bu, with Beyoncé and Jay-Z ridiculous rental. The six-acre compound known as La Villa Contenta has a total of 14 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. There’s a rose garden, landscaped desert area, library, indoor pool house, and tennis court. The entrance has a 2,500-year-old lion’s head bust that was discovered at the base of Mt. Vesuvius in Italy, according to the Daily Mail. The home is owned by Richard Weintraub, a real estate mogul. It was listed for sale in late 2010 for $75 million and now asks $54.5 million.
Elsewhere in Malibu, talent manager Steve Alexander and his wife Vanessa, an interior designer, just made a major downgrade. The couple bought a 6,600-square-foot home for $5.2 million, shortly after selling their Point Dume residence for $12.5 million last month. But their new home doesn’t seem too shabby: It has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a home theater, and a lap pool.
George Lucas also received some fantastic news this week. The “Star Wars” director’s $1.5 billion museum project was approved by City Council. To be dubbed the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the 300,000-square-foot proposed development in Exposition Park will be shaped like a spaceship. It will be designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects. The exhibitions will feature archives from Lucas’ career, and outside, there will be an 11-acre park and garden space.