Another big spender joins the celebrity foreclosure follies. This time it's Roc-A-Fella Records company co-founder Damon Dash and his wife, fashion designer Rachel Roy. The high-profile pair could lose two of their Manhattan apartments. Eastern Savings Bank says the couple owe $7.3 million on the properties and were supposed to make hefty monthly payments of $78,500 but haven't done so since January. Dash has a $100,000 federal tax lien on the properties and reportedly owes the city of New York $2 million in back taxes. Damon Dash is allegedly has a $50 million fortune amassed from his hip-hop empire.
We get them whenever we travel but hardly give a second thought to all those plastic keycards from hotels. Sustainable Cards has created wood hotel key cards and they will get their big debut at the Democratic National Convention. Around 70,000 biodegradable key cards will be used in Denver hotels.. The Sustainable Cards will be emblazoned with the Denver 2008 Host Committee logo and made from sustainably harvested wood. Wooden key cards have been used in Europe for years. While it wouldn't seem like such a small item would make a big difference, switching from plastic cards to biodegradable wood can reduce plastic waste equal to the volume of seven 777 airplanes in one year. The company also plans to offer wood gift cards in the future.
Today's estate, Swanhurst Serenity is a vintage grand dame in Spring Lake, New Jersey. Located overlooking the lake, this early 1900s beauty is also within walking distance of both the beach and town. The seven-bedroom estate could use a bit of updating but it has plenty of historic details to treasure like the columned wraparound porch. The one-acre property also includes a guest house in need of an update. This estate is listed at $7.999 million.
Shepard Fairey has already turned his artist's eye toward the political with his art for Barack Obama but now he's embracing the voting process as a whole. Today at 11:00 am PDT, CafePress and Rock the Vote will start selling 100 exclusive framed prints created, signed and numbered by the popular artist. This limited edition art was designed by Shepard Fairey for Rock the Vote to get those youngsters out there voting. The print measures 18" x 24" and comes framed. It sells for $250 and only on per customer will be sold until they are sold out . All proceeds will got to Rock the Vote. CafePress will also make all Shepard Fairey/Rock the Vote merchandise such as T-Shirts, prints, stickers, buttons, etc. available for purchase.
Prince Charles has long been known for his eco-efforts including driving a wine powered car. But Queen Elizabeth is green-minded too. The Daily Telegraph reports that Queen Elizabeth who has also set up an energy-saving committee at Buckingham Palace, is turning Balmoral, her Scottish estate, into a property that is completely energy self-sufficient. A small hydro-electric plant has been installed at at Balmoral and it sells electricity to the national grid. The plant was developed on the Gelder Burn, a stream in the estate forest and generates enough power for Balmoral and for 1,000 private homes in the area. A water-driven turbine was originally installed in the 1920s to provide electricity, in the 1950s it was used to power the estate sawmill, and now since the mill is no longer in use a generator was installed which allows the turbine to be connected to the National Grid and offer power to the surrounding homes.
The Balmoral woodlands are registered with the Forestry Stewardship Council which supports sustainable forestry worldwide and all farming practices are registered with the Soil Association, which promotes organic food and farming. The estate is also a big recycler turning tons of organic waste into compost each year. Even the royal protection officers pedal around the estate on bicycles and use their vehicles less. It's all part of the Queen's commitment to climate change initiatives, a stance which she has urged other nations to adopt.
Now this is just getting ridiculous. First Roman Abramovich was rumored to have bought Villa Leopolda, the pricey estate in Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. Then Russian precious metals mogul Mikhail Prokhorov was said to have snapped it up. As my colleague Jared Paul Stern reported over the weekend, Prokhorov is the 24th richest man in the world with a $22 billion fortune and was briefly detained during an investigation into a suspected prostitution ring at a ski resort in the French Alps. Turns out Prokhorov still has some hurt feelings over that bit of police drama says BBC News and according to a spokesman, refuses to do business in France until he gets a proper apology.
We are starting to run out of Russian billionaires to pin this on. Well, that's not entirely true, there is still a long list but hopefully someone will own up to the $750 million purchase pretty soon. You can't keep a secret that big for too long.
Sylvester Stallone, has battled Russians in the movies but now he is happy to say "There's a bit of Russian in all of us." That's the slogan for the new ads he is doing in Russian for the vodka brand Russian Ice. Russian vodka producer Synergy announced that Stallone signed a one-year contract to promote the brand. Despite the fact that his character Rocky pummeled Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and his other iconic action hero, John Rambo mowed down Soviet troops in Afghanistan, Stallone is popular in Russia. Synergy is also tauting the fact that Stallone, though most known for his Italian heritage, does have a Russian great-grandmother, Rosa Rabinovich from the Ukranian town of Odessa. Stallone will pocket around $1 million for the ads.
Omega may have sealed the deal for James Bond's watches but what about the villains. Enter Dr. Swatch, otherwise known as Nicolas G. Hayek. Swatch has created a new collection dedicated just to Bond's antagonists. The new collection will be out next month and will be a tribute to those Bond has sparred with in twenty-two James Bond films, from Dr. No to the forthcoming Quantum Of Solace. Featured villains will include Christopher Walken's Max Zorin, Gerd Froebe's Goldfinger, Lotte Lenya's Rosa Klebb and more. Sounds like fun, I'm just hoping my favorite, Richard Kiel (aka Jaws) has one.
We've been looking at a lot of traditional homes lately so let's mix it up with a big slice of modern. Today's home was designed by architect Rafael Vinoly in 1994. It sits on a five acre hilltop setting with long views in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The home has both indoor/outdoor pools and a glass bridge to the private tower which houses the master bedroom, penthouse office and an observation deck. The interior features lots of heavy concrete, wood ceilings and so much stainless steel, the owner probably has to employ a designated polisher. It's stunning but I wonder how easy it is to live in. It's listed at $10 million.
Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli becomes the latest designer to take his talent to a hotel project in Dubai. The Fairmont Dubai will be the site of Roberto Cavalli's first Cavalli Club a new 'entertainment and night-life' concept. In Dubai, Cavalli is planning a two-story club with a separate entrance from the Fairmont Dubai. The floors will be done in shiny black quartz with reflective crystal dust and tall walls of Swarovski crystals create sparkling curtains. Want to shop late at night? The ground floor will showcase jewelry, watches and exclusive accessories from the Cavalli Maison. There will also be selection of refined food products chosen by Roberto Cavalli to express the best of 'Made in Italy."
Upstairs, an Italian restaurant is at center of the hall, while on either side of the Italian restaurant, there are are two large atolls in gold-colored glass and fur, suspended from the floor, which host a sushi bar and a wine bar featuring Cavalli Selection red wine. The upper floor also features a lounge bar with music and a suspended platform that will host the DJ and the dancers, as well as other entertainment and shows. The Cavalli Club Dubai will open in November 2008, with Cavalli set to take his party to Florence and Milan later.
(In this photo Cavalli poses with a plate portrait done by Julian Schnabel. Cavalli bought the plate portrait in 2007 at an AmFar auction).
It's not quite Brad Pitt body wash but the architecture-loving dad has teamed up with Kiehl's on their new new Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser. The product is the popular skincare brand's first item that is completely eco-friendly right down to the packaging and is certified by Cradle to Cradle. Pitt won't be appearing on the bottle or in the advertising but he did pen a hand-written note that will be on the bottle. All the profits benefit JPF Eco Systems, a charitable foundation created by Kiehl's and Brad to support global environmental initiatives. The project hopes to raise $1 million for charity with the first funds raised earmarked for Pitt's Make It Right foundation, which builds eco-friendly housing for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
I mentioned this one back in 2006 but it deserves another look with some new pictures. There's a reason it's been on the market for a long time, it appeals to a very particular style. This eight-bedroom home in Chandler, Arizona has a manor style that seems rather out of place in the Southwest. The home was built in the 1980s by someone with a taste for the baroque. It is on over 11 acres and the home itself has over 13,600 square feet of space. Most of the furniture is remaining with the house because it was purchased for the home. The home also has an English bar with a pool table, a large theater room, game room, wine cellar and two workout rooms. The estate also includes a guest house, gardeners house and a garage that can hold 15 cars. Murals, stained glass and an amazing barrel vaulted library room all contribute to the overall sense of English style gone theme park. A Sotheby's listing shows the home at an even $10 million but the property website has it at $8.8 million. It was listed at $11.5 million back in 2006.
Tennis star Maria Sharapova and her cute white dog Dolce are starring in another campaign for the Canon Powershot cameras. As part of the promotion and in anticipation of the U.S. Open, Canon will be giving away five diamond-encrusted cameras in each color that the camera is offered in. Sharapova will debut the five diamond-covered Canon PowerShot Elph cameras during an invitation-only event at "Canon Center Court" on Aug. 20 at South Street Seaport. The cameras are worth around $12,000 each and the contest will run from August 20 to October 20 on the Powershot website.
Just when I was despairing of finding a fun celebrity home to dish about this Sunday, the Real Estalker Mama delivered with the news that infamous porn goddess Jenna Jameson has put her Los Angeles home on the market. Jameson's three-bedroom home is a sweet little piece of Los Angeles history, a Spanish style charmer that was a former Valentino family home.
The multi-story Mediterranean is a quirky mix of California casual with some of the more bold choices you might expect from a woman with a reputation to uphold such as a bordello-red bathroom and a media room with black striped walls, a zebra striped ottoman and sliding glass doors leading out to the courtyard spa. There's much to love here including the tiled staircases, gleaming hardwood floors and beamed ceilings. It also must be noted that she has one impressive shoe collection in her large dressing room. But the house does seem to be one of those hillside homes that gives you stairs at ever turn, stairs to the entrance and the home has a piecey multilevel vibe. Not great as a family home.
A few months ago, British socialite Daphne Guinness auctioned off some of her couture possessions for a good cause. Now willowy British model Erin O'Connor has followed suit. She has consigned thirty items of designer clothing and accessories to be sold at auction through Christie's, South Kensington. The proceeds go directly to the British Fashion Council which nurtures young designers and models at the start of their careers. Her items include dresses, jackets and shoes by top names such as Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Alexander McQueen.
O'Connor has an abiding interest in young fashionistas, last year she began The Model Sanctuary, a retreat and area for models to find health advice during the hectic tumult of London Fashion Week.
Another big spender joins the celebrity foreclosure follies. This time it's Roc-A-Fella Records company co-founder Damon Dash and his wife, fashion designer Rachel Roy. The high-profile pair could lose two of their Manhattan apartments. Eastern Savings Bank says the couple owe $7.3 million on the properties and were supposed to make hefty monthly payments of $78,500 but haven't done so since January. Dash has a $100,000 federal tax lien on the properties and reportedly owes the city of New York $2 million in back taxes. Damon Dash is allegedly has a $50 million fortune amassed from his hip-hop empire.
