Mish Mash Thursday

1.
Let's start with a blind item, because who doesn't love a blind item, right? Besides, both the children and the Chicken Littles need something to discuss and dissect besides the real, imagined and/or hoped for demise of the Los Angeles real estate market...a serious topic that has little to with the silly celebrity subject matter of this blog. Anyhoo, here we go...

What property appreciating billionaire has been whispering to pals that he intends to bid on the soo-blime Neutra designed Kaufmann House in Palm Springs (pictured above) that is scheduled to be auctioned off on May 13 as part of much anticipated Christie's Post-War & Contemporary Art Sale?

Hint: It's not Eli Broad or Roman Abramovich.

photo: Tim Street Porter

2.
According to the Luxist lovlies, the above mentioned Russian oligarch and property hungry tycoon Roman Abramovich has scooped up an 11 bedroom and 11 bathroom house on Aspen's Wildcat Ridge for a reported $36,375,000 (pictured above). The brazenly and boldly contemporary home was sold by bizness baron Leon Hirsch.

The dramatic residence sits on nearly 200 acres of prime ridge top property, crawls across almost 13,000 square feet of living space and features a folded plate roof and a massive moss rock wall. But it's most impressive feature is surely the 60-well geothermic system that provides cooling in the summer and not only heats the house and swimming pool in the winter, but also heats the driveway, an extravagance affordable to only a few.

The former orphan has a well reported, voracious, and seemingly insatiable appetite for über dee-luxe real estate and in addition to his new house in hoity toity Aspen and others in Moscow, the South of France, Tuscany and Montenegro (to name only a few), Mister Abramovich is reportedly planning to combine two Knightsbridge townhouses into one gigantic eight bedroom and eight floor (three of them underground) mega-manse expected to be worth in excess of £150,000,000 when completed.

That's a staggering $294,384,000 according to Your Mama's bejeweled and bedazzled abacus. Jeezis, Mary and Joseph! Someone fix Your Mama a drink to settle our nerves because we don't even know how to make sense of residential real estate numbers that big.

3.
Your Mama hears that accidental actor Jason Statham, a Brit who fell successfully backwards into acting when he was offered a roll in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, has been sniffing around the 5,411 square foot Devlin Drive digs that was recently foisted on the open market by pop star Christina Aguilera with an asking price of $7,995,000 (pictured above).

4.
Speaking of Guy Ritchie and his formidable fifty year old pop star wifey Madonna–who somehow doesn't look a day over 39–the lovlies at Luxist (via the not always reliable when it comes to real estate gossip tab The Sun) recently snitched that the bi-continental power couple might be looking to unload Ashcombe, their 1,130-acre country estate in Wiltshire (pictured above).

The estate, formerly owned by famed photographer Cecil Beaton, was purchased by the Energizer Bunny-esque material mommy and her film making man in 2001 for a reported £9,000,000. According to The Sun, they are looking to list the 8-bedroom country crib for £12,000,000 because they don't spend enough time at the property to make it worth the expense of running. Just because she's richer than the Pope puppies, that don't mean she's not financially sensible.

In addition to the main house which is said to include his and her gyms (natch) and a huge kitchen, there are several additional cottages on the property.

photo: The Sun

5.
Back in the good ol' U-nited States of America, former CSI: Miami sex pot Khandi Alexander has once again kha-rah-tay chopped the asking price of her towering Hollywood Hills quoin-set hut (pictured above). Originally listed at $4,495,000, the asking price of the four floor, 4,126 square foot and four bedroom khrib on Woodshill Trail was first hacked down to $3,495,000 and was recently sliced and diced again to it's current asking price of $2,995,000, a number most notable due to it being just a hair more than the $2,850,000 records reveal the formidable and now unemployed ladee paid for the house in January of 2006.

6.
Miss Khandi Alexander isn't the only Hollywood type who seems to be having a tough time unloading their house. So are Oscar nominated actress Angela Bassett and her Law and Order actor huzband Courtney Vance. Your Mama discussed their Hancock Park home on guard gated Fremont Place back in July of 2007 when it was listed for $5,999,000.

It has come to Your Mama's recent attention that the asking price for the 4,828 square foot house with it's creamy beige interior is now $4,600,000. Perhaps there just aren't as many rich people in Los Angeles who want or need a private hair salon in their home after all.

7.
Ever since that beleaguered Britney Spears gurl got on the right meds and dumped all those meddlesome men that were hanging around her Bev Hills mansion all the time, Your Mama hasn't heard much about her real estate plans. The formerly pink wigged one remains ensconced in her Mediterranean manse in the guard gated community of The Summit and, as far as we know, she still spends a fortune every month leasing a big house in the guard gated Serra Retreat in Malee-boo.

However, according to E!, the not quite as rich as she used to be pop tartlet and single mommy of two itty bitty boys has gotten itchy feet and was recently spotted touring a 7,350 square foot house on Tara Drive in the exclusive Clark Gable community of Encino that listing information describes at "European inspired."

Who knows if this capricious gurl will actually buy the house, but for what it's worth listing information for the the property shows it measures .87 acres with a newly built house that includes 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, which should be plenty for a gurl who lives by her lonesome. It also has a massive motor court, a giant living room with vaulted ceilings, indoor and outdoor dining rooms, a Tara worthy spiral staircase in the entrance hall, a well equipped kitchen, a large pool, spa with nearby fire pit and fountains. Let's not forget the fountains.

As was noted by the good people at E!, Miss Spears, who is reported to be subjected to a weekly allowance of $1,500, will need the permission of her conservator/father Jamie Spears in order to make a purchase of this size.