John Wells Buys Hancock Park Mansion

BUYER: John and Marilyn Wells
LOCATION: S. Hudson Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $11,000,000
SIZE: 9,676 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms (main house)
DESCRIPTION: Exquisitely renovated, landmark, HP tennis estate on extraordinary lot. Behind gates w/ 6 br, an elegant statement of uncomman refinement. Exceptional flrpln. 2sty entry & sweeping strcse, breathtaking LR w/ marble FP, antiquie hand painted paneled FDR, wide hall galleria w/ port entrance, piine paneled library w/ FP & lavish eat-in country kitchen/FR overlooking lush grdns & dining loggia. 12,000 bottle wine rom, 2br self contained staff apt, 2 sty pl pavillion w/ br, kitchen & ba. Sparkling pl & spa.

YOUR MAMAS UPDATE: Your Mama originally thought this house had been purchased by Tobey Maguire (see here).

However, this house was in fact purchased by uber producer John Wells and his wifey Marilyn who are moving from a lovely Spanish Style house in the Laughlin Park area of Los Feliz.

Your Mama hears the Wells' house, which was once part of the Charlie Chaplin estate and later bought by the legendary filmmaker Cecil B. De Mille who used it as a business address, was sold for just over $6,000,000 and was never officially on the market. We also hear the new owner is another bigwig in "the bizness" named Mary Parent.

We are going to refrain from discussing and picking apart the interior details and move on to other celebrity retreats and hideouts.

David Geffen: Is He or Isn't He?

WHO: David Geffen
WHAT: 10 acre estate
WHERE: Angelo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA
PRICE: rumored to be $100,000,000

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: A blurb in a recent Wall Street Journal article about insanely expensive homes mentioned that itty bitty billionaire David Geffen, who is believed by many to be the richest man in Hollywood, "has quietly shopped his historic 9.4-acre Los Angeles estate for $100 million, according to a broker who has shown the property."

You can imaging the firestorm of emails and phone calls that went from real estate gossips to high end real estate agents all up and down Sunset Boulevard. Two agents told Your Mama that the estate is NOT for sale, and Miz Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood , who typically has very accurate poop, also reported that the estate is absolutely not for sale and that Mister Geffen turns down offers in excess of $100,000,000 "all the time." The Wall Street Journal itself amended their article to reflect that Mister Geffen himself says the estate is not for sale. Hmm.

Your Mama hears something a little different. Not only did ol' Ms. Louella, who believes Mister Geffen's estate may in fact be worth close to $100,000,000, tell us that Mister Geffen, "has quietly been peddling his humble abode for some time." We have also heard through the gossip grapevine that the estate will soon be coming to the open market. Now children, please do not go repeating that rumor as truth, because it is NOT substantiated by anyone connected with Mister Geffen. It's just what we heard from a swanky and well connected real estate agent in Bev Hills who has visited the estate. Given that Mister Geffen has an ego at least as large and hungry as all the other billionaires with homes on the market for $100,000,000+, it's not such a stretch for Your Mama to believe that vanity will force Mister Geffen to put his big and beautiful house on the market. Keep in mind that just because it's on the open market, does not mean it's actually for sale.

Mister Geffen purchased the 9.38 acre former Jack Warner (of Warner Bros.) estate on Angelo Drive in Bev Hills in 1990 for a reported and staggering $47.5 million dollars. At the time that was the highest price ever paid for a private home in the United States. Your Mama hears that the price included all the interior fittings and furniture. Ms. Louella whispered to Your Mama that after purchasing the estate Mister Geffen had the priceless antiques hauled across the pond to London where they were sold for many millions of dollars.

Reports of the property say that Mister Geffen spent another $45,000,000 renovating the property, including a reported and shocking $20,000,000 on landscaping alone. Somehow we doubt the landscaping bills were anywhere near that high. Several acres of sod, a few dozen specimen trees and some extremely tall hedging just can't be that expensive...or can it? We do however, understand that the behemoth mansion houses a nice selection of Mister Geffen's outrageous contemporary art collection, some of which has been recently sold off at spine tingling and record prices.

According to the tax man, the impressive colonial style house, which is accessed by a long and swooping driveway, sprawls across 13,612 square feet and includes 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. Since Your Mama has read no recent reports of the number of sleeping chambers and poopers, we're just going to have to go with what the tax man says. If any of you many, and we mean many, young, smooth and well toned gentlemen that have visited the estate want to clue us in to anymore more specific, we'd be happy to hear what you have to say.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Deadline Hollywood, Pacific Coast News (photo)

Rent Faye Dunaway's West Hollywood Hideout

OWNER: Faye Dunaway
LOCATION: N. Spaulding Avenue, West Hollywood, CA
PRICE: $4,250 per month
SIZE: 2 bedrooms
DESCRIPTION: Completely Hidden from the Street by high walls and hedges a private oasis awaits the discriminating person or persons who desire peace, tranquility and anonymity. The Spanish house is wonderfully appointed with a grand master suite and French doors that open to the yard; an updated kitchen with viking stove and modern bathrooms. You get the look and feel of your own chateau...A rare opportunity, don't pass it up...

YOUR MAMAS UPDATE: It seems clear from all accounts that Miz Dunaway has inhabited this duplex for quite some time and is a well known neighborhood fuss budget. Oh, and the price was raised to $5,000/month.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: A day or two ago, in the middle of trying to cat box train our new pussycat Sugar while simultaneously and frantically preparing for the in-laws to visit, Your Mama received a breathless email from the Tony the Tatler who informed us that a "For Rent" sign had recently popped up in front of Oscar winning actress Faye Dunaway's place on N. Spaulding Avenue in West Hollywood.

Everyone knows that Faye Dunaway, along with her tremendous teeth, is one of the great beauties ever to grace the silver screen, even if she brilliantly played a vile and ugly monster mommy in the still upsetting and unbelievable Mommy Dearest.

But did anyone know that the aging actress, who is well preserved for a woman in her sixties, lived in a modest bungalow in West Hollywood? We didn't either, until being contacted by Tony the Tatler. We have always imagined Miz Dunaway elegantly inhabiting a big colonial in Bel Air that is aging somewhat gracefully and is chock full of velvet furniture and silver picture frames that are kept shiny by an ancient housekeeper named Ingaborg who has been scrubbing Miss Faye's terlits and cooking up her meals since 1959. But alas...

Truthfully, Your Mama is not sure that Miz Dunaway actually does live at the petite and humble N. Spaulding Avenue property that was recently put up for rent on Craig's List for $4,250 per month. We are working on that confirmation, but the children will likely have to wait until after the Labor Day holiday for Your Mama to confirm. However, property records do indeed reveal that Miz Dunaway has owned the property since 1998 when she paid a shockingly low sounding $315,000 for the corner property which includes two separate structures that comprise the duplex.

Property records show the property as having 2,456 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but given that the unit being offered for lease has only 2 bedrooms, we imagine the 5 bedroom and 2 bathrooms are split between the two units.

Because the property is fully walled with high hedges to protect privacy, the mini-house would be perfect for an upcoming celeb like young Zac Efron, who probably does not yet have enough money in his pocket to purchase a sexy pad in The Birds, but still needs a centrally located, private, and secure home base that will ensure all the tween-age gurls and 50 something gay guys that go all wiggly and moist in his presence will not be able peer their prying eyes into the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of his skinny and shirtless torso.

Your Mama would like to think that having Miz Dunaway for a landlord would be something akin to a modern day Los Angeles version of Tales of The City with Dunaway swapped out for the mary jane growing Anna Madrigal, which would be fabulous. But somehow we can't imagine Miz Dunaway smoking a spliff and making dinner for Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter.

Sources: Craig's List