Wednesday, January 2, 2008

UPDATE: Ellen Degeneres

The children who are not still working a New Years Eve hangover will recall that real estate maven Ellen Degeneres and her horse luvvin' ladee lover Portia Di Rossi recently scooped up Will and Grace co-creator Max Mutchnick's freshly built Bev Hills mansion for the not very bargain basement price of just over $29,000,000.

Since Miz D. loves a compound and typically buys several adjacent properties, Your Mama speculated that the Sapphic couple would also purchase the Cabrillo Drive property across the street. Property records now reveal that the real estate rich lezbeeuns did indeed snap up the 4,580 square foot, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom house from celebrity real estate agent Jade Mills.

What property records do not reveal, however, is the purchase price. But the children are in luck today because Your Mama hears from an obscenely well connected source that they gurls paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $8,500,000. We can not corroborate that number with records at this point, so don't read that as some sort of gospel...it's not...it's rumor at this point kids, just rumor.

We've also heard, from two unconnected sources, that Miz D. is planning to gate the street below the well fortified entrance to their bat-cave garage. That is unless they are able to convince the owners of the third and remaining property on the dead end street to sell too. Owning that third property would allow the privacy seekers to gate almost the entire street. Finally, the perfectly private compound of her real estate dreams.

Now children, we hope there's really no need to say this again, but don't even think of driving your cheap ass auto-mo-beels up Cabrillo Drive thinking you're going to catch a glimpse of these two ladees, because your stoopid ass will just be unceremoniously turned away by one of their 24/7 armed and beefy security guards.

Now then, let the potlucks begin.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now wait just a minute here...what about if I drag my large carcass up and down Cabrillo Drive stuffed into my Hyundai Accent? Wouldn't having a "clown car" qualify me for a "lookey-see"? Thanks again Mama.
Peace
JD

Anonymous said...

I'll take my "potluck" with a beefy guard anytime - one dish is as good as another.

Does this not leave the third owner in the deliciously powerful position of holding out for an obscene price for these compound-seeking lezbeeuns?

And given their flip history, what would be the selling point of such a compound? I can see the architecture of the two houses is compatible, but what about the third?

Does this mean they are FINALLY settling down?

Anonymous said...

Love Ellen, love the compound. But I was curious how she manages to get all the surrounding property owners to sell to her. Is it simply that anyone will sell if the price is right? Or is it that she becomes an obnoxious neighbour and people want out? Or is it hell living next to big name celebrities? Just curious is all. She seems like a savy real estate investor and wonder how many times she pays in excess of market value just to privatize the compound.

Anonymous said...

She bought a 29MM compound for 8.5MM ? or was the 8.5 for another property ?

Anonymous said...

^

She bought the main property for $29M then the adjacent property for $8.5M & perhaps in talks to buy the 3rd & final property on the street.

At least the 2nd property is in keeping with the main property ... had it been a faux french chateau or a spanish hacienda then I doubt she would have been as keen to buy ... Isn't the 3rd property further down the street pretty small?

Anonymous said...

I'm the anon who posted on Mama's NYE thread.

I think the 8.5m is for Jade Mills' house. It sits rather close to the street so will be a short walk from Ellen & Portia's place. It is a neat midcentury modern but I wouldn't pay 8.5m for it. It appears to be being completely gutted and remodeled. I hope photos of it appear after Ellen has worked her magic.

The 3rd house is a "why bother?". It is too far down the hill from the others to be used for anything other than a gatehouse.

The new "driveway" is able to start well below paparazzi view so the laydies will be able to cavort in the pool al natural without photos appearing in the tabloids.

For the record, we weren't looking for a glimpse of the laydies, I wanted a glimpse of a restored Buff & Hensman. The only "Buff" I got a glimpse of was the buff muscled guard with whom I would have likely flirted had my mother not been with me. ;-)

My only advice to the laydies is get a "private drive" sign so Sgt. Buff doesn't have to run out there everytime someone drives up what appears to still be a city street.

Anonymous said...

The 3rd house is listed on Zillow as 2,700s.f., one bedroom but three terlits (??). It is a ranch style, no pool. It looks pretty boring from the curb.

luke220 said...

Any word on where Jade is going?

Maybe Betty will move to house #2. Is she still at Sierra Towers?

Anonymous said...

Mother of Pearl, what are people thinking... buying up entire streets to gate them, all so that one can avoid being "seen." $8M, $12M, $29M. And, um, when was the last time we heard about Lady E & company giving to the needy? I'm sorry. Maybe its the recent reports being shown regarding Brad's pink house project in NOLA - in stark contrast to so many other celebs - that has me pissed today. Or the fact that the strike is still going on while the fat cats sit in their gilded litter boxes, unwilling to make a move, that has me feeling like I've had it up to the top of my over-producted hair with mega mansions and the owners who horde them. I need a dirty martini pronto!

Anonymous said...

They've already filled in the pool on the JM property, presumably so they can grass it over and connect that area to the pool/yard on the main property (or maybe it's for a tennis court?). It has much better views than the main house's yard, which is tucked into the hillside. I still wonder (not that I plan to find out) how much privacy there is from the house on Lago Vista just above these two (can be seen in the lower right corner of the photo).

Anonymous said...

IMHO, this location is perfect for what she is doing. They are really only closing off the last hundred or so feet of a dead end street and that section is between the two properties. No one will have any reason to drive up that last little bit unless invited.

The 2nd house will be a perfect place for either guests or Ellen's Mama.

I wouldn't try and connect the two yards. That would make the 2nd house and the back of the main house completely inaccessible to vehicles. Maybe if they bridge over? Plus if they leave the street as a driveway, it could be returned to 2 properties later if (when) they move on.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:57 - you said:

The new "driveway" is able to start well below paparazzi view so the laydies will be able to cavort in the pool al natural without photos appearing in the tabloids.

If Mama can get an aerial shot of said compound, what's to keep the tabs from doing so?

So much for au naturel . . .

Anonymous said...

Hippie,

Here is a link to a site with info on some of the charities she supports -

http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/61-ellen-degeneres

Anonymous said...

lgb, Slim to none. If a tabloid is dishing out the bucks to have a helicopter hover over a house looking for money making photos, they are going to be staking out Jolie-Pitt, the Cruises, or even Britney before they would waste their time trying for a shot of Ellen's tatas. The only paps they will get will be staked out on Cabrillo hoping to catch Portia leaving the property with Sgt. Buff.

Anonymous said...

lgb, keep trying to say something clever instead of ovbious and boring.

Anonymous said...

Hey, no harm in asking the obvious - there's certainly enough interest here . . .

Anonymous said...

lil" gay boy

youre older than you sound in writing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSvQrxxFiec

Anonymous said...

I'm not anon 1:41 or 2:02 but I have to agree it wasn’t a very bright question. The obvious is Mama was sent a photo or found one online. I doubt very seriously that he paid someone to take the photo. This was a major construction project and one professionals involved would want to included in their portfolios. Most paparazzi are independent contractors who don’t have the budget for aerial photography. Especially of two grown women who lead a low key (read non-party girl) lifestyle.

Anonymous said...

What's the 'over/under' on how long she'll live there before moving on to her next RE conquest? 3 years?

Anonymous said...

Wherever did you find that video?!?!? I'm ROTFLMAO!

If I've told him once, I've told my nephew a thousand times to stop using my Mac when I'm at work . . . Jeez!

Aerial photography has a long and distiguished history here on Long Island; many of the great architects of the time employed it for just the reasons stated above.

Not to imply Mama's in any way parsimonious, but did you folks really believe I thought she hired a helicopter for this photo? Keyrist!

Here in my neck of the woods, aerial photography is quite common and has developed into somewhat of a new hobby. Go to any camera supply store and you can find the necessary equipment to rig a kite/model airplane/whatever radio-controlled flying machine with a digital camera to take such photographs. No need for a friggin' Sikorsky blowing the leaves all over the yard just to get a good pic.

Time to go discipline my nephew.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you Hippie Canyon. That's some outrageous money to be spending for places to prop your feet up or skinny dip. I hope Ellen and Portia splurge on the less fortunate like Brad, Angie, and Rosie etc. do too.

TheTart said...

Well, hell! Gone are the days a Tart could just take her vintage Dodge Dart out for a lil bit o celebrity watchin ... Alas, no more!

Beefy guards beware ... Wink!

Smooch,
The Tart
; *

Anonymous said...

Yes, children, the deep dark family secret is out.

I come from a long, long line of gays; whether by donor, surrogate, adoption, drunken "accident" or "attempted cure", I'm at the current end of the line of a long, proud heritage.

And I'm the last ditch choice for some galpals whose bioclocks are fast running down, so look out world!

Oh the shame?

Not on your life - I'm out, loud and proud - and secretly tailing the Tart - sloppy seconds can be sooo grateful.

Anonymous said...

kites and model airplanes might work in flat areas but would be damn near impossible to position for a clear photo in the canyons and ridges where Ellen lives.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, came out from under the rock after a few too many pre-birthday drinkiepoos and BGD thought it would be "fun" to share a little family history - let's leave it at that.

As for the terrain at said location, perhaps so; I spent an hour with a vendor showing me his stunning pictures he downloaded to his iPhone of Central Park (and the apartment buildings along 5th and CPW - we're talking lower floor terrace height, too!)

Some great shots of the Hudson too, so many, in fact, that I was nearly forced to flush his lovely toy down the toilet.

Oddly, he got ticketed for those last shots; seems there's a "no kite flying zone" on the West Side between 54th and 57th streets.

Can't picture anyone standing on Cabrillo with a kite but perhaps hidden in the vegetation in an opposing canyon with a radio-controlled plane? Not familiar enough with the territory but it seems possible.

Anonymous said...

I love Ellen's real estate adventures, and I like this house. If I had her money I'd be buying gated privacy too

Anonymous said...

Question for Mama and all...
How does it work in LA that you can buy a few properties and take possession of the street they fron on? Doesn't it require some kind of city approval, release of city responsibility and agreement for the new owners to maintain the roadway?
Peace
JD

Anonymous said...

JD, It definitely requires city approval and possibly payment. The terms will vary by city.

I would think in this instance that the section of street is likely now private property attached to one of the houses with an easement granted to the other.

In other instances where a group of residents get together and petition to gate the longer section of street with multiple houses (Woods Dr. where the famous Case Study House #22 is located comes to mind), the neighbors likely have to form an association and chip in to maintain the street and the gate equipment.

Anonymous said...

Has nobody heard of satellite imaging
ellen under constn view

Anonymous said...

Sure we have. And someone already posted that link in one of the earlier topics about the house. Google Maps is usually more current.

The really fun one is the California Coastal Records Project where you can see archived photos going back to the 70s. But is is only good for houses along the coast.

Anonymous said...

I accidentally came across the California Coastal Records Project and you are so right - it's fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Babs Streisand got a little hot under the collar in 2003 over the CCRP including her house in their project. She claimed "thousands" of people would be interested in seeing her house and ordering prints. The suit was dismissed when among other facts, the project was able to show that (at the time) the particular frame had only been viewed 6 times, and only 3 prints ordered - 2 by her and 1 by her neighbor that was suing her over her expansion plans.

Anonymous said...

Gotta love that Babs - too cheap to even order enough prints to try and make her point.

Anonymous said...

it makes me sick that Ellen has this kind of money to toss around.

so_chic_darling said...

The children are just going on and on about this one,we care ,but only a little bit.All this gabbing and speculation.I think I'll move on to the next post and see if anyone has anything witty to say.

Anonymous said...

You struck a nerve. I do not second guess anything observed, suggested or otherwise requested by Ms. Strisand. It's the old tired addage ... what a man calls fact digresses into what a women is called a bitch for saying. We may wait longer than this lifetime to see equality, but as long as we have strong women in the public eye, speaking for logical requests, we are further toward that end goal. Thanks B.

Anonymous said...

Peace out. Can we all give Babs recognition for simply being a productive asset to the arts? We may not level the equality playing field in this lifetime, but her voice, backed by her talent, speaks volumes. Thanks for listening.

Anonymous said...

You lost me...Who called Babs a bitch? Or said she isn't a productive asset to the arts (although what has she done lately??). Her lawsuit against the California Coastal Records Project is fact, and her claims in the complaint easily researched online.

Alan Daniels said...

She bought neighboring properties to create what is now her compound.
Colorado Springs Real Estate